HRES 1232 is a procedural resolution that establishes the rules for considering three specific bills in the House of Representatives. It sets the debate time, amendment procedures, and voting rules for H.R. 8294 (funding for Transportation and HUD for FY2023), H.R. 8373 (protecting access to contraceptives), and H.R. 8404 (repealing the Defense of Marriage Act). The resolution waives points of order against these bills and specifies that debate will be limited to one hour for each bill, equally divided between the majority and minority parties.
This bill revises the rules of the House of Representatives. The changes include permitting the House to meet on any legislative day for the remainder of the 117th Congress, provided that constitutional requirements are met; allowing consideration of resolutions reported from the Committee on Rules on the same day they are presented to the House if proposed text is made available prior to the convening of that day; lifting restrictions on when the Speaker may entertain a motion to suspend the House rules; and modifying the scope of rules for remote voting by proxy.
This concurrent resolution condemns the October 25, 2021, coup in Sudan. It recognizes the Prime Minister and his cabinet as the constitutional leaders of Sudan's transitional government and calls for Sudan's military junta, among other things, to immediately release all civilian government officials, civil society members, and other individuals detained in connection with the coup; return to constitutional rule under the transitional constitution; and lift the state of emergency, including complete restoration of all means of communication. Finally, the concurrent resolution calls on international partners to join U.S. efforts to impose targeted sanctions on the junta and other accomplices to the coup; and suspend Sudan's participation in all regional multilateral organizations until Sudan is returned to constitutional rule under the transitional constitution.
This concurrent resolution expresses the sense of Congress that the individuals responsible for the July 1999 murders of U.S. citizens Ylli, Agron, and Mehmet Bytyqi in Serbia should be brought to justice and that the United States should devote sufficient resources to fully assist and monitor Serbia's efforts to investigate and prosecute such individuals.
This resolution expresses support for Finland and Sweden's historic decision to apply to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The resolution also opposes any attempt by the Russian government to act in an adverse way in response to Finland and Sweden's decision to apply to join NATO. Finally, the resolution calls on the member states of NATO to formally support the accession of Finland and Sweden into NATO.
Ensuring Women's Right to Reproductive Freedom Act This bill prohibits anyone acting under state law from interfering with a person's ability to access out-of-state abortion services. ( Abortion services includes the use of any drugs that are approved to terminate pregnancies and any health care services related to an abortion, whether or not provided at the same time or on the same day.) Specifically, the bill prohibits any person acting under state law from preventing, restricting, impeding, or retaliating against health care providers who provide legal abortion services to out-of-state residents, any person or entity who helps health care providers to provide such services, any person who travels to another state to obtain such services, any person or entity who helps another person travel to another state to obtain such services, or the movement in interstate commerce of drugs that are approved to terminate pregnancies. The Department of Justice may enforce this bill through civil actions; the bill also establishes a private right of action for violations.
Women's Health Protection Act of 2022 This bill prohibits governmental restrictions on the provision of, and access to, abortion services. Specifically, governments may not limit a provider's ability to prescribe certain drugs, offer abortion services via telemedicine, or immediately provide abortion services when the provider determines a delay risks the patient's health. Furthermore, governments may not require a provider to perform unnecessary medical procedures, provide medically inaccurate information, comply with credentialing or other conditions that do not apply to providers whose services are medically comparable to abortions, or carry out all services connected to an abortion. In addition, governments may not (1) require patients to make medically unnecessary in-person visits before receiving abortion services or disclose their reasons for obtaining such services, or (2) prohibit abortion services before fetal viability or after fetal viability when a provider determines the pregnancy risks the patient's life or health. The bill also prohibits other governmental measures that are similar to the bill's specified restrictions or that otherwise single out and impede access to abortion services, unless a government demonstrates that the measure significantly advances the safety of abortion services or health of patients and cannot be achieved through less restrictive means. The Department of Justice, individuals, or providers may bring a lawsuit to enforce this bill, and states are not immune from suits for violations. The bill applies to restrictions imposed both prior and subsequent to the bill's enactment.
Access for Veterans to Records Act of 2022 This bill directs the Office of the Archivist of the United States to submit to Congress a comprehensive plan for reducing the backlog of requests for records from, and improving the efficiency and responsiveness of operations at, the National Personnel Records Center. Such plan must include an estimate of the number of backlogged record requests for veterans; target time frames to reduce the backlog; a detailed plan for using existing funds to improve technology infrastructure, including secure access to appropriate agency federal records, to prevent future backlogs; actions to improve customer service for requesters; measurable goals with respect to the comprehensive plan and metrics for tracking progress toward such goals; and strategies to prevent future record request backlogs, including backlogs caused by an event that prevents employees of the center from reporting to work in person. The office must submit updates of such plan at specified intervals.
Promoting United States International Leadership in 5G Act of 2021 This bill requires actions to increase U.S. influence in international organizations that develop and set standards for wireless telecommunications, such as fifth-generation (5G) technology, and to address the role of China's government in such standards-setting organizations. (Such organizations, with the involvement of stakeholders such as equipment manufacturers, develop and set standards for certain technologies to ensure interoperability between different companies' products.) The President must establish an interagency working group to work with allies and international partners to increase and align their engagement in standards-setting organizations, such as the International Telecommunication Union, that address standards and issues pertaining to communications networks, including 5G technology. The Department of State must, in coordination with the working group, develop and implement a strategy to work with allies and partners and monitor efforts by China's government (and affiliated entities) to control or influence such organizations. The working group must provide a briefing to Congress on (1) a strategy for diplomatic engagement with allies and partners to cooperate on addressing security risks in 5G and future generation mobile telecommunications systems, and (2) the presence and activities of China's government in international standards-setting organizations.
This concurrent resolution directs the Secretary of the Senate to make a correction in the enrollment of S. 3373 (Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022 or the Honoring our PACT Act of 2022), to amend the long title of the bill.
This resolution expresses sincere condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of Katie Goldstein, Irina McCarthy, Kevin McCarthy, Stephen Strauss, Jacquelyn Sundheim, Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza, and Eduardo Uvaldo, who were the victims of the tragic shooting along the parade route on July 4, 2022, in Highland Park, Illinois. The resolution also honors the memory and the lives of the victims.
This resolution congratulates the University of Mississippi baseball team for winning the 2022 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I baseball championship.
