Small Lenders Exempt from New Data and Excessive Reporting Act or the Small LENDER Act This bill exempts certain financial institutions and transactions from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) reporting requirements with respect to data about small business credit applications. Under the bill, the requirements apply only to financial institutions that originate at least 500 credit transactions to small businesses in each of the preceding two years. The bill further defines small businesses as those with annual revenue of $1 million or less. Currently, the CFPB has proposed a rule that the requirements apply only to financial institutions that originate at least 25 annual credit transactions to small businesses in each of the preceding two years. The rule further defines small businesses as those with annual revenue of $5 million or less.
Halting the Use of Narcotics Through Effective Recovery Act of 2022 or the HUNTER Act of 2022 This bill prohibits the use of federal funds to purchase (or support the purchase of) pipes, syringes, or other paraphernalia that can be used to smoke, inject, or otherwise introduce into the body any controlled substance unlawfully. This includes funds made available through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 for overdose prevention, syringe services, and other harm reduction programs.
This bill requires the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to report to Congress on barriers to the domestic manufacturing of imported active pharmaceutical ingredients, finished drug products, and devices that are critical to public health. The report must recommend strategies to overcome such barriers. The FDA may, to the extent appropriate, implement the strategies.
Return to Work Act This bill requires the head of each executive agency to reinstate the telework policies in use by that agency on December 31, 2019.
Stop Funding Our Adversaries Act of 2022 This bill prohibits federal agencies from conducting or supporting, either directly or indirectly, research that will be conducted by China's government, the Chinese Communist Party, or any agent, instrumentality, or entity belonging to or controlled by either entity.
This resolution expresses the sense of the Senate that the establishment of a regional nuclear fuel bank should be part of a comprehensive plan for confronting nuclear nonproliferation in the Middle East; the United States should implement a policy that guarantees that any Middle East state that forgoes domestic uranium enrichment and reprocessing can purchase fuel for its commercial nuclear reactors from an international nuclear fuel bank; and the United States should seek bilateral and multilateral nuclear cooperation agreements with various Middle Eastern states, including Iran, that include a commitment by states to forgo domestic uranium enrichment and reprocessing of spent fuel.
Supporting Care for Dual Eligibles Act This bill establishes and provides funds for grants to support the provision of services to those who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. Specifically, the bill establishes and provides funds for FY2022 for the Dual Eligible Quality Care Fund. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) must use the funds for grants to state Medicaid programs to support quality integrated care for dual eligible beneficiaries, including technology improvements, staff support, and administrative services for beneficiaries. The bill also requires the CMS to biennially audit state Medicaid programs with respect to improper payments; states must also submit plans for mitigating improper payments.
Employee Retention Tax Credit Reinstatement Act This bill provides for a reinstatement of the employee retention tax credit through 2021. The credit was established to compensate employers whose businesses were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic for wages paid to their employees.
Cutting Rampant Access to Crack Kits Act of 2022 or the CRACK Act of 2022 This bill prohibits community-based overdose prevention programs, syringe services programs, and other harm reduction programs from using funds made available through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to procure or distribute pipes or other paraphernalia that can be used to smoke, inhale, or ingest narcotics.
Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly Expanded Act or the PACE Expanded Act This bill modifies requirements regarding Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). PACE is a program under Medicare and Medicaid that provides in-home and community services for certain individuals as an alternative to nursing home care. The bill allows Medicare beneficiaries to enroll in a PACE program at any time and provides states with the option to allow Medicaid beneficiaries to do the same. Entities may also apply to become PACE providers at any time, upon specified assurances relating to staffing and other requirements. The bill also (1) allows the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to test a model for expanded PACE eligibility that targets high-need and high-cost populations, and (2) requires an evaluation of the effectiveness of PACE in rural and underserved areas.
Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies Act of 2022 or the EARN IT Act of 2022 This bill revises the federal framework governing the prevention of online sexual exploitation of children. The bill establishes the National Commission on Online Child Sexual Exploitation Prevention. The commission must develop best practices for interactive computer services providers (e.g., Facebook and Twitter) to prevent, reduce, and respond to the online sexual exploitation of children. Additionally, the bill limits the liability protections of interactive computer service providers with respect to claims alleging violations of child sexual exploitation laws. The bill replaces various statutory references to child pornography and material that contains child pornography with child sexual abuse material . Finally, the bill makes changes to the reporting requirements for electronic communication service providers and remote computing service providers (providers) who report apparent instances of crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Among the changes, the bill requires providers to report facts and circumstances sufficient to identify and locate each minor and each involved individual. The bill also increases the amount of time that providers must preserve the contents of a report.
Disaster Contract Improvement Act This bill directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to establish an advisory working group to encourage and foster collaborative efforts among individuals and entities engaged in disaster recovery relating to debris removal. The bill requires (1) FEMA to conduct outreach to states, tribal governments, and local governments with respect to any guidance or support materials developed; and (2) the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study that, among other things, examines the use and adoption rate of advance contracts for debris removal by states, tribal governments, and local governments.
