Sen. Lisa Murkowski

Willie O'Ree Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to Willie O'Ree or, if unavailable, to a member of his family, in recognition of his contributions and commitment to hockey, inclusion, and recreational opportunity. The amounts received from the sale of duplicate medals shall be deposited in the U.S. Mint Public Enterprise Fund.

This concurrent resolution expresses the sense of Congress that there should be a national day of remembrance for the Native American children who died while attending an Indian boarding school in the United States.

Supplemental Impact Aid Flexibility Act This bill revises the Impact Aid Program application process for FY2023. Specifically, the bill requires local educational agencies (LEAs) participating in the Impact Aid Program to use the student count or federal property valuation data from their FY2022 program applications, as applicable, for their FY2023 program applications. The program provides funding to LEAs that have lost property tax revenue due to the presence of tax-exempt federal property or to those that have experienced increased expenditures due to enrollment of federally connected children (e.g., children living on Indian lands or military bases).

Maddy summarySRES 482 is a Senate resolution recognizing the 50th anniversary of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA), signed December 18, 1971. It commemorates ANCSA's historic settlement, which transferred 44 million acres of land and $962.5 million to Alaska Native people through 12 Regional Corporations and over 200 Village Corporations. The resolution honors ANCSA's role in fostering economic development, cultural preservation, and self-determination for Alaska Native communities over 50 years, without creating new policy or affecting any legal obligations. It specifically marks December 18, 2021, as the anniversary date and celebrates the Act's lasting achievements for Alaska Native people and the state.

Strengthening the Public Health Workforce Act This bill reauthorizes through FY2025 and makes changes to the Public Health Workforce Loan Repayment Program (a program that awards student loan repayment to individuals with qualifying degrees who commit to work full-time for a federal, state, tribal, or local public health agency for a period of obligated service). Changes to the program include increasing the maximum repayment amount; eliminating the option for individuals to complete the service obligation in a federal public health agency; and expanding the scope of qualifying degrees to cover, for example, those in statistics, computer science, and programs related to information technology. In addition, the Department of Health and Human Services may take actions to equitably distribute awards across geographic regions, among jurisdictional levels, and between urban and rural areas. The bill also requires the Government Accountability Office to conduct an evaluation of the public health workforce.

Justice for ALS Veterans Act of 2022 This bill extends increased dependency and indemnity compensation to the surviving spouse of a veteran who dies from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) regardless of how long the veteran had such disease prior to death. Under current law, such compensation is paid for a service-connected disability that was rated totally disabling for a continuous period of at least eight years immediately preceding death.

Building a Sustainable Workforce for Healthy Communities Act This bill reauthorizes through FY2027 and revises a program carried out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that supports the use of community health workers to improve health outcomes in medically underserved communities. The bill also requires the Government Accountability Office to report on the effectiveness of and other matters concerning the program.

Maddy summarySRES 485 is a Senate resolution honoring the late Senator Harry Mason Reid, Jr., of Nevada, who died in 2021. The resolution expresses the Senate's sorrow at his passing, extends condolences to his family, and directs the Secretary of the Senate to communicate the resolution to the House of Representatives and provide a copy to Reid's family. The Senate also adjourned in his memory as a mark of respect. This is a ceremonial tribute with no policy changes or legal effect.

Maddy summarySRES 484 is a ceremonial Senate resolution honoring the late Senator John "Johnny" Isakson of Georgia. It formally recognizes his 40+ years of public service, including his roles in the Georgia legislature, U.S. House, and U.S. Senate, and his reputation for bipartisan cooperation. The resolution requests the Senate Secretary communicate it to the House and send a copy to Isakson's family. As a commemorative resolution, it has no policy impact or direct effect on any individuals or programs.

Protecting Guides and Outfitters from Coronavirus Vaccine Mandates in the Great Outdoors Act This bill prohibits the denying of certain permit applications for activities on federal lands and waters for reasons based on the coronavirus vaccination status of applicants or their employees. Specifically, the Department of the Interior shall not deny based on vaccination status (1) a commercial use authorization to provide services to visitors to National Park System units, or (2) a special recreation permit for specialized recreation uses of federal recreational lands and waters.