Rep. Jim Costa

National Commission on the COVID-19 Pandemic Act This bill temporarily establishes the National Commission on the COVID-19 Pandemic in the legislative branch to investigate the facts and circumstances regarding the emergence of, spread of, and response to COVID-19. The commission terminates 90 days after it submits a final report of its findings and recommendations.

This bill designates the medical center of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in San Diego, California, as the Jennifer Moreno Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The bill also expresses the sense of Congress that the VA should designate a prominent physical space within the Jennifer Moreno Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center to honor Kathleen Mae Bruyere.

This concurrent resolution condemns violence and threats of violence against historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and reaffirms the federal government's commitment to combating violence against HBCU students, faculty, and staff.

This resolution recognizes domestic and global progress towards ending the HIV epidemic and calls for additional efforts, with a particular focus on reducing HIV-related vulnerabilities of women and girls.

Record of Military Service for Members of the Armed Forces Act of 2022 This bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to create the Certificate of Military Service. The Certificate of Military service will be a standard record of military service for all members of active and reserve components of the armed forces to encompass all duty, including that of National Guard and Coast Guard duty. Under the bill, the document must (1) be standardized, (2) be the same for all members of the armed forces, and (3) replace and serve the same function as a discharge certificate or certificate of release (DOD Form DD-214). The bill also requires that a current record of service be issued to members of the reserve components upon the occurrence of any of the following events: permanent change to duty status (e.g., retirement or transfer to active duty), discharge or release from temporary active duty orders, specified promotions, and transfer to another state National Guard.

Fair Social Security for Domestic Violence Survivors Act This bill decreases for certain victims of domestic violence the number of years an individual must be married before a divorce to be eligible for spousal Social Security benefits based on the divorced spouse's work record.

School Social Workers Improving Student Success Act This bill provides certain resources to increase the number of social workers in elementary and secondary schools. Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Education to award grants to high-need local educational agencies to retain or hire school social workers. The bill also establishes a national technical assistance center for school social work to, among other duties, develop strategies for improving the effectiveness of the school social work workforce.

Ukraine Humanitarian Support Act of 2022 This bill authorizes the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development to provide humanitarian assistance to address the urgent needs of Ukrainians fleeing Ukraine and those internally displaced within Ukraine. The State Department must also report to Congress a strategy for working with foreign governments and multilateral organizations to address the humanitarian situation in the region as a result of further invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States should urge Russia, Ukraine, and other groups involved in the war in Ukraine to implement an immediate cease-fire and engage in negotiations to end the bloodshed, while demanding that Russia withdraw its forces from Ukraine, the Ukrainian oblasts of Donetsk and Luhansk, and the Ukrainian Autonomous Republic of Crimea; the President should direct the U.S. representative to the United Nations to use the voice, vote, and influence of the United States to immediately promote the establishment of an international justice mechanism for Russian war crimes and other crimes against Ukraine, and to prosecute the perpetrators of such serious crimes committed during the period of conflict in Ukraine; and the United States should urge all other interested states to apprehend persons indicted for international crimes, deliver them into the custody of an appropriate justice mechanism for Russian war crimes and other crimes against Ukraine, and provide any and all data and information pertaining to such crimes to that justice mechanism.

This resolution strongly condemns the ongoing violence, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and systematic human rights abuses being carried out by Russia's military and its proxies at the direction of Russian President Vladimir Putin. It also encourages the U.S. government and partner nations to use their influence and vote in international organizations to hold those responsible for such crimes and abuses accountable.