Rep. Val Butler Demings

Reese's Law This act requires the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to establish a product safety standard with respect to batteries that pose an ingestion hazard (i.e., button cell or coin batteries) and consumer products containing the batteries. Specifically, the batteries and consumer products with these batteries must include a warning label that clearly identifies the hazard of ingestion and instructs consumers to keep the batteries out of the reach of children, seek immediate medical attention if a battery is ingested, and follow any other consensus medical advice. Consumer products containing the batteries must also include a battery compartment that eliminates or adequately reduces the risk of injury from battery ingestion by children who are six years of age or younger. Additionally, such batteries, if sold separately or included separately with a product, must comply with federal child-resistant packaging regulations. The act exempts from these requirements (1) toy products that are in compliance with certain existing battery accessibility and labeling requirements, and (2) batteries that are in compliance with the marking and packaging provisions of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Safety Standard for Portable Lithium Primary Cells and Batteries. The act also provides for compliance with the requirements by relying on a voluntary standard that is approved by the CPSC before it establishes the standard required by this act.

Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Law Enforcement Training Act or the TBI and PTSD Law Enforcement Training Act This bill requires the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to consult with relevant agencies to establish crisis intervention training tools for first responders to address individuals with traumatic brain injuries, acquired brain injuries, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The BJA must ensure that at least one police department designated as a Law Enforcement Mental Health Learning Site utilizes the tools and that such tools are part of the Police-Mental Health Collaboration Toolkit. Additionally, the bill requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study and report about the prevalence and incidence of concussions among first responders.

Homicide Victims' Families' Rights Act of 2021 This bill establishes a framework for immediate family members of a victim of murder under federal law to request a review of the victim's case file if the murder was committed more than three years prior, the murder was investigated by a federal law enforcement entity, all probative investigative leads have been exhausted, and no likely perpetrator has been identified.

Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue 50,000 $5 gold coins, 400,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the legacy of Harriet Tubman as an abolitionist. The Secretary may issue coins under this bill only during the period of January 1, 2024, through December 31, 2024. All surcharges received by Treasury from the sale of such coins must be paid equally to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, and The Harriet Tubman Home, Inc. in Auburn, New York, for the purpose of accomplishing and advancing their missions.

National World War II Memorial Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue up to 50,000 $5 coins, 400,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar clad coins in commemoration of the National World War II Memorial in the District of Columbia. The design of the coins shall be emblematic of the memorial and the service and sacrifice of American soldiers and civilians during World War II. All surcharges received from the sale of such coins shall be paid to the Friends of the National World War II Memorial to support the National Park Service in maintaining and repairing the memorial, and for educational and commemorative programs.

Assault Weapons Ban of 2022 This bill makes it a crime to knowingly import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess a semiautomatic assault weapon (SAW) or large capacity ammunition feeding device (LCAFD). The prohibition does not apply to a firearm that is (1) manually operated by bolt, pump, lever, or slide action, except for certain shotguns; (2) permanently inoperable; (3) an antique; (4) only capable of firing rimfire ammunition; or (5) a rifle or shotgun specifically identified by make and model. The bill also exempts from the prohibition the following, with respect to a SAW or LCAFD: importation, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession related to certain law enforcement efforts, or authorized tests or experiments; importation, sale, transfer, or possession related to securing nuclear materials; and possession by a retired law enforcement officer. The bill permits continued possession, sale, or transfer of a grandfathered SAW, which must be securely stored. A licensed gun dealer must conduct a background check prior to the sale or transfer of a grandfathered SAW between private parties. The bill permits continued possession of, but prohibits sale or transfer of, a grandfathered LCAFD. Newly manufactured LCAFDs must display serial number identification. Newly manufactured SAWs and LCAFDs must display the date of manufacture. The bill also allows a state or local government to use Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program funds to compensate individuals who surrender a SAW or LCAFD under a buy-back program.

VA Loan Informed Disclosure Act of 2022 or the VALID Act of 2022 The bill requires a Federal Housing Administration mortgage notice to a veteran to contain comparative rate and fee information about loans available under the Veterans Affairs home loan program.

Net Neutrality and Broadband Justice Act of 2022 This bill expressly classifies broadband internet as a telecommunications service rather than an information service for purposes of regulation by the Federal Communications Commission. (Current law treats providers of telecommunications services as common carriers and subjects them to more stringent requirements.)

Keeping Girls in School Act This bill authorizes the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to enter into agreements to address social, cultural, health, and other barriers that adolescent girls face in accessing quality secondary education. The USAID shall seek to ensure that such activities meet various requirements related to monitoring and evaluating outcomes, collecting data, and using specified indicators and methodologies for international basic education. The Department of State shall periodically update and report to Congress a publicly available U.S. global strategy to empower adolescent girls, and the USAID shall periodically report to Congress on the activities initiated under this bill and efforts to monitor and evaluate such activities.

Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2022 This bill reauthorizes programs to combat human trafficking and addresses related issues. The bill reauthorizes through FY2026 various programs, including (1) Department of State and Department of Justice activities to combat human trafficking internationally; and (2) the Angel Watch Center, a U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement program that notifies foreign countries of the pending arrival of certain convicted sex offenders. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) may carry out a program to prevent the re-exploitation of certain victims of trafficking by helping such individuals reintegrate into society and achieve self-sufficiency. The bill modifies an existing HHS grant program to provide training to school staff and students to recognize and avoid human trafficking, including by (1) renaming the program the Frederick Douglass Human Trafficking Prevention Education Grants program, and (2) modifying the prioritization for awarding such grants. The U.S. Agency for International Development must encourage integration of activities to counter human trafficking into its broader assistance programs. The bill also reauthorizes the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking through FY2031.