Rep. Joe Neguse

Biking on Long-Distance Trails Act This bill establishes requirements related to long-distance bike trails. The Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) shall identify not fewer than 10 long-distance bike trails that make use of existing trails and roads, and not fewer than 10 areas in which there is an opportunity to develop or complete a trail that would qualify as a long-distance bike trail. Interior and USDA shall develop a process to allow members of the public to comment regarding the identification of trails and areas; and consider the identification, development, and completion of long-distance bike trails in a geographically equitable manner. The Department concerned shall ensure that each identified long-distance bike trail or area does not conflict with the uses of any trail or road that is part of that long-distance bike trail; multiple-use areas where biking, hiking, horseback riding, or use by pack and saddle stock are existing uses; the purposes for which any trail was or is established under the National Trails System Act; and any area managed under the Wilderness Act. The Department concerned shall also ensure that each identified long-distance trail or area complies with land use and management plans of the federal recreational lands that are part of that long-distance bike trail.

Serving Our LGBTQ Veterans Act This bill establishes a Center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) Veterans within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Among other functions, the center must serve as principal adviser to the VA on the adoption and implementation of policies and programs affecting veterans who are LGBTQ.

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.

This bill requires the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness within the Department of Defense to study the benefits of licensure reform for the hiring of military spouses.

This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish paid predoctoral and postdoctoral internship programs for the purpose of training licensed officials (e.g., licensed professional counselors) to work as VA behavioral health providers at VA medical facilities. As a condition of participating in such an internship program, the participant must enter into an agreement with the VA to work on a full-time basis as a behavioral health provider for a period of time that is at least equivalent to the period of participation in the internship program.

Active Shooter Alert Act of 2022 This bill requires a designated officer of the Department of Justice to act as the national coordinator of an Active Shooter Alert Communications Network regarding an emergency involving an active shooter. The bill sets forth duties of the coordinator, including to work with state, tribal, and local governments to encourage coordination of various elements of the network. The coordinator must also encourage federal, state, local, and tribal government agencies to establish procedures for responding to active shooters. Finally, the bill requires the Government Accountability Office to study and report on state and local responses to active shooters and situations requiring the issuance of a public alert or warning.

Land Restoration and Resiliency Act of 2022 This bill directs the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to enter into cooperative agreements with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to establish the Community Resilience and Restoration Fund at the foundation, for purposes including to improve community safety in the face of climactic extremes through conservation and protection of restoration and resilience lands; protect, conserve, and restore restoration and resilience lands in order to help communities respond and adapt to natural threats, including wildfire, drought, extreme heat, and other threats posed or exacerbated by the impacts of global climate; and protect and enhance the biodiversity of wildlife populations across restoration and resilience lands. The bill defines restoration and resilience lands as fish, wildlife, and plant habitats, and other important natural areas in the United States, on public lands, private land (after obtaining proper consent from the landowner), or land of Indian tribes, including grasslands, shrublands, prairies, chaparral lands, forest lands, deserts, and riparian or wetland areas within or adjacent to these ecosystems. To the extent amounts are available in the fund, the foundation shall award grants to eligible entities (e.g., a federal agency, a unit of local government, an Indian tribe, or a nonprofit organization) through a competitive grant process to carry out eligible projects and activities.

Tax Filing Simplification Act of 2022 This bill directs the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to establish a free on-line tax preparation and filing service and allows taxpayers to access third-party provided tax return information and information held by the IRS. The bill prohibits the IRS from entering into any agreement that restricts its legal right to provide tax return preparation services or to provide tax return filing services. The bill requires the IRS to establish and operate programs to (1) facilitate claims for the child care and the earned income tax credits, (2) provide software for the preparation and filing of individual income tax returns for taxable years beginning after 2022, (3) allow taxpayers to download third-party provided return information and IRS-held information to their tax returns, and (4) allow taxpayers to elect to have their tax returns prepared by the IRS. The bill also requires verification of taxpayer identity and requires the IRS to conduct an outreach campaign to provide the public with information about this bill's programs and software.

Military Interstate Children's Compact Commission Improvement Act This bill requires the military departments to develop recommendations to improve and fully implement the Military Interstate Children's Compact, which addresses the educational transition issues of children of military families.

Enhancing Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Through Campus Planning Act This bill requires the Department of Education to encourage institutions of higher education to develop and implement evidence-based comprehensive campus mental health and suicide prevention plans.