Promoting Cross-b order Energy Infrastructure Act This bill establishes a new process for approving the construction and operation of energy infrastructure across an international border of the United States and replaces the existing process established under specified executive orders. Specifically, this bill requires a person to obtain a certificate of crossing before constructing, connecting, operating, or maintaining a border-crossing facility for the import or export of oil, natural gas, or electricity across an international border. A certificate must be obtained from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for a facility consisting of oil or natural gas pipelines or the Department of Energy (DOE) for an electric transmission facility. As a condition of issuing a certificate, DOE must require that an electric transmission facility be constructed, connected, operated, or maintained consistent with specified policies and standards. FERC and DOE must meet a deadline for issuing a certificate as set forth by this bill. The bill also requires FERC to meet a deadline for approving applications to import or export natural gas to or from Canada or Mexico.
Ensuring Seniors' Access to Quality Care Act This bill repeals certain restrictions under Medicare and Medicaid that prohibit the approval of nurse-aide training and competency evaluation programs in skilled nursing facilities that have been subject to specified regulatory actions (e.g., civil penalties) for substandard quality of care. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) must still disapprove such programs for up to two years; however, the CMS must rescind the disapproval upon completion of corrective action and may require additional oversight of the program for purposes of rescission. The bill also allows Medicaid and Medicare providers (e.g., skilled nursing facilities) to access, through the National Practitioner Data Bank, disciplinary information for affiliated physicians and other health care practitioners, as reported by state licensing authorities.
China Social Media Reciprocity Act This bill authorizes the President to impose sanctions by requiring social media companies to block certain individuals and entities from using the company's social media services. The bill also requires the President to impose such sanctions on certain individuals and entities, including those that a social media company knows or should have known are (1) on the Office of Foreign Asset Control's list of specially designated nationals and blocked persons, (2) senior officials in China's government, or (3) agents or instrumentalities of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) or China's government. The President may waive such sanctions if the President certifies to Congress that the CCP and China's government have removed all prohibitions on U.S. government officials participating in social media platforms in China.
The National Flood Insurance Program Extension Act of 2022 extends the federal flood insurance program until December 31, 2023, instead of ending on September 30, 2022. This directly affects homeowners, renters, and businesses in communities participating in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), ensuring continued access to flood coverage. The bill amends two key sections of the 1968 law to update the program's expiration dates and includes a retroactive provision covering the period from September 30, 2022, through the new end date.
Military Spouse Hiring Act This bill expands the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) to include the hiring of a qualified military spouse. (The WOTC permits employers who hire individuals who are members of a targeted group such as qualified veterans, ex-felons, or long-term unemployment recipients to claim a tax credit equal to a portion of the wages paid to those individuals.) A qualified military spouse is any individual who is certified by the designated local agency as being (as of the hiring date) a spouse of a member of the Armed Forces.
Stop Communist Construction of Public Infrastructure Act of 2022 or the Stop CCP Infrastructure Act of 2022 This bill prohibits certain entities related to China or the Chinese government from receiving federal funds for public works projects in the United States. Specifically, this prohibition applies to entities that are (1) headquartered in China; or (2) owned, financed, influenced by, or affiliated with the Chinese government, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), or the Chinese military. Further, state and local governments must verify that a recipient for federal funds for a public works project is free from any obligations, influences, or connections to any of these entities.
Deterring Enemy Forces and Enabling National Defenses Act of 2022 or the DEFEND Act of 2022 This bill requires the Department of Defense to seek to cooperate with Middle East allies and partners (i.e., countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, and other countries in the region as appropriate) to identify and develop an approach for such allies and partners to implement an integrated air and missile defense capability to protect against attacks from Iran and groups linked to Iran.
Safe Schools Act This bill allows state and local educational agencies to use certain COVID-19 emergency relief funds to carry out school security measures (e.g., trainings and security assessments).
Strategic Petroleum Reserve Anti-Exploitation Act This bill prohibits the drawdown or sale of stocks in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve unless authorized by Congress in response to a national emergency.
Providing Expanded Representation FOR Military families with Special Needs Act or the PERFORMS Act This bill expands the membership of the Advisory Panel on Community Support for Military Families with Special Needs and provides for more transparency and accessibility of the panel's meetings and progress. Specifically, the bill requires additional representatives to be added to the panel, including a representative from the Defense Health Agency. In addition, the panel must ensure meetings or other proceedings are accessible to the public. Meeting announcements, minutes, representatives' names, and updates must be made available on a publicly accessible website.
Student and Teacher Safety Act of 2022 This bill allows local educational agencies to use certain federal funds for activities related to school safety, including infrastructure improvements to prevent, mitigate, or respond to incidents of school violence.
Chase COVID Unemployment Fraud Act of 2022 This bill addresses fraud and overpayments of pandemic unemployment assistance, including by allowing states to retain a specified percentage of recovered funds and prohibiting the Department of Labor from allowing blanket waivers of overpayments.
