This resolution supports the designation of National Hunting and Fishing Day. The resolution also supports the responsible management of wildlife and natural resources entrusted to the public. Finally, the resolution encourages state-driven hunting and fishing education and safety programs around the country.
This resolution expresses support for the designation of National Kinship Care Month and encourages Congress to work to improve outcomes for kinship caregivers and their families.
Preventing Underhanded and Nefarious Iranian Supported Homicides Act of 2022 or the PUNISH Act of 2022 This bill extends sanctions and national emergencies related to Iran established by specified executive orders and limits the authority of the President to waive sanctions related to Iran. The bill requires the Department of State to periodically report whether Iran or any foreign person has supported specified activities, including murder or politically motivated detention in Iran of a U.S. citizen.
Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act of 2022 This bill bars the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture from prohibiting or regulating the use of lead ammunition or tackle on federal land or water that is under the jurisdiction of such departments and made available for hunting or fishing. The bill makes exceptions for specified existing regulations and where the applicable department determines that a decline in wildlife population at the specific unit of federal land or water is primarily caused by the use of lead in ammunition or tackle, based on the field data from such unit, and the state approves the regulations.
Strengthening Tribal Families Act of 2022 This bill requires a state plan for child welfare services and a state plan related to the Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program to ensure that the state shall comply with all federal standards established under the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978. Additionally, the bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services to submit biennial reports to Congress on certain reviews of child and family service programs.
HCONRES 107 is a symbolic resolution designating the week of September 18-24, 2022, as "National Fall Prevention Awareness Week" to highlight fall risks for older adults (65+). It does not create new laws or funding but encourages awareness of existing fall prevention strategies like balance exercises, home safety modifications, and medication management. The resolution cites CDC data showing falls cause 34,000 annual deaths and $50 billion in yearly medical costs for seniors. It urges collaboration among government agencies, healthcare providers, and communities to reduce falls but does not mandate policy changes.
Federal Human Capital Transparency Act This bill directs the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to annually collect data relating to the federal workforce and post it on its website. Specifically, OPM must collect information on the total number of persons employed directly by each agency, the total number of prime contractor and subcontractor employees issued credentials allowing access to agency property or computer systems, the total number of employees of federal grant and cooperative agreement recipients who are issued such credentials, and a total count of the workforce of the agency.
Hiring Proven Performers to the Civil Service Act This bill authorizes a federal agency to noncompetitively appoint certain high-performing federal employees. Specifically, an agency may noncompetitively appoint, for other than temporary employment, to a position in the competitive service any individual who is certified by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) as having been a high-performing employee in a former position in the competitive service; has been separated from the former position for less than six years; and is qualified for the new position in the competitive service, as determined by the head of the agency making the appointment. An individual may not be appointed to such a position more than once. OPM must set forth the criteria for certifying an individual as a high-performing employee in a former position based on (1) the individual's final performance appraisal in that former position, and (2) a recommendation by the individual's immediate or other supervisor in that position.
Fresh Start Act of 2021 This bill authorizes the Department of Justice to award grants for states to implement automatic expungement laws (i.e., laws that provide for the automatic expungement or sealing of an individual's criminal records).
Clean Slate Act of 2021 This bill establishes a framework for sealing records related to certain federal criminal offenses. Courts must automatically seal records related to (1) a conviction for simple possession of a controlled substance or for any nonviolent offense involving marijuana, or (2) an arrest for an offense that does not result in a conviction. Additionally, an individual who meets certain criteria may petition to seal records related to a conviction for other nonviolent offenses.
Social Security Fairness Act of 2021 This bill repeals provisions that reduce Social Security benefits for individuals who receive other benefits, such as a pension from a state or local government. The bill eliminates the government pension offset , which in various instances reduces Social Security benefits for spouses, widows, and widowers who also receive government pensions of their own. The bill also eliminates the windfall elimination provision , which in some instances reduces Social Security benefits for individuals who also receive a pension or disability benefit from an employer that did not withhold Social Security taxes. These changes are effective for benefits payable after December 2021.
This bill clarifies that costs for storing blood or blood-derived biomaterials count as qualified medical expenses under federal tax law. It directly affects taxpayers who pay for such storage (e.g., patients needing transfusions or treatments involving blood products) by allowing them to deduct these costs on their income tax returns. The key change amends Section 213(d)(1)(A) of the Internal Revenue Code to explicitly include "expenses for storage of blood or biomaterial derived from blood" within the definition of medical care. The amendment applies to expenses paid after the bill's enactment date, making the tax treatment clearer for affected individuals. This is a technical clarification, not a new benefit or policy change.
