Infant Formula Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2022 This bill provides $28 million in emergency supplemental appropriations to address the shortage of infant formula in the United States. Specifically, the bill provides appropriations for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to (1) address the current shortage of FDA-regulated infant formula and certain medical foods in the United States; and (2) prevent future shortages, including by taking the steps that are necessary to prevent fraudulent products from entering the U.S. market.
Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act This bill prohibits any person from selling, during a proclaimed energy emergency, a consumer fuel at a price that (1) is unconscionably excessive, and (2) indicates that the seller is exploiting the emergency to increase prices unreasonably. The President may issue a proclamation of such an emergency that specifies the consumer fuel and geographic area covered and how long the proclamation applies. The bill provides for enforcement of these provisions by the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general. Civil penalties collected by the commission through such enforcement must be used to provide assistance under the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Additionally, the commission must investigate whether the price of gasoline is being manipulated through reducing refinery capacity or other manipulative practices. The commission also must establish a Transportation Fuel Monitoring and Enforcement Unit to collect, monitor, and analyze crude oil and transportation fuel market data. The bill further includes specified transportation fuels within the prohibitions against (1) manipulative market practices, and (2) reporting false price information. It also increases the penalty for violations of those prohibitions. Finally, the Energy Information Administration must survey energy companies to facilitate transparent and competitive crude oil and transportation fuel markets.
Targeting Resources to Communities in Need Act of 2022 This bill addresses funding for areas of persistent poverty. Specifically, the bill requires the Bureau of the Census to publish a list of all areas of persistent poverty and annually update the list; the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to implement guidance to increase the share of federal investments targeted to areas of persistent poverty and other areas with high and persistent poverty, and to report annually to Congress; and the Government Accountability Office to report on the measures implemented by the OMB under this bill, including an assessment regarding the impact of the measures on increasing federal investments spent in the affected areas.
Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General Training Act of 2021 This bill requires employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to undergo training developed by the Inspector General of the VA regarding the reporting of wrongdoing to, responding to requests from, and cooperating with the Office of the Inspector General.
Lactation Spaces for Veteran Moms Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure that each of its medical centers contains a hygienic lactation space that is not a bathroom and meets other specifications (e.g., must be easy to locate).
SRES 643 is a Senate resolution designating the week of May 15-21, 2022, as "National Police Week" to honor law enforcement officers who serve and sacrifice in their communities. The resolution recognizes the service of law enforcement officers, particularly those killed or injured in the line of duty, and acknowledges their sacrifices during the COVID-19 pandemic. It expresses support for officers' needs for proper equipment, training, and resources, and encourages the public to observe the week by honoring law enforcement personnel. This designation serves as a formal recognition of law enforcement service without creating new legal requirements or policy changes.
This resolution acknowledges the important role women-owned small businesses have in the economy and recognizes those businesses during National Small Business Week.
This resolution provides for consideration of H.R. 350 (establishes new requirements to expand the availability of information on domestic terrorism), H.R. 7688 (prohibits the selling, during a proclaimed energy emergency, a consumer fuel at a price that is unconscionably excessive and indicates that the seller is exploiting the emergency to increase prices unreasonably), and H.R. 7790 (provides a specified amount in emergency supplemental appropriations to address the shortage of infant formula in the United States).
This resolution calls on elected officials, faith leaders, and civil society leaders to condemn anti-Semitism in all forms. It also calls for renewed efforts to combat anti-Semitism domestically, globally, and online.
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to update its payment system to allow for electronic fund transfer of VA educational assistance to a foreign institution of higher education that provides an approved course of education to eligible recipients and does not have an employer identification number or an account with a domestic bank.
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2022 This bill reauthorizes through FY2028 and expands programs under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The bill also revises workforce investment, vocational rehabilitation, employment, training, and literacy programs for eligible individuals. For example, the bill increases workforce representation on state and local workforce investment boards from 20% to 30%; reworks one-stop center infrastructure funding by requiring costs to be covered by state allocations of WIOA funds; establishes subsidized youth employment programs that include work-readiness training and mentoring; allows states and localities to partner with educational institutions to address the skill needs for in-demand jobs; establishes grants to connect youth in communities disproportionately affected by gun violence with in-demand jobs; eliminates a requirement that the Department of Labor ensure that individuals participating in WIOA activities comply with Selective Service laws; modifies the allotment of youth workforce investment funds to states; requires Labor to prioritize providing access to certain services to girls and women and applications for assistance from minority-serving institutions; expands the Job Corps program, including by serving individuals in outlying areas and relaxing age requirements; establishes grants to expand training programs through industry or sector partnerships; expands grants for integrated English literacy and civics education to outlying areas; and expands Wagner-Peyser employment services to the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa. The bill also provides statutory authority for Labor to award competitive grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements to improve employment and training outcomes and reduce recidivism of justice-involved youth; and competitive grants for states to create workforce longitudinal administrative databases.
Department of Veterans Affairs Principles of Benefits Automation Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to submit to Congress a plan for the modernization of the information technology systems of the Veterans Benefits Administration over the next five fiscal years.
