Rep. Carlos A. Gimenez

Benjamin Berell Ferencz Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to Benjamin Berell Ferencz in recognition of his service to the United States and the international community during the post-World War II Nuremberg trials and his lifelong advocacy for international criminal justice and the rule of law.

Don Young Veterans Advancing Conservation Act This bill requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to establish the Veterans Advancing Conservation Grant Program to award grants, on a competitive basis, to facilitate the training and employment of veterans for marine and coastal conservation activities (e.g., coral restoration and rehabilitation). NOAA must coordinate with the Department of the Interior and the Department of Veterans Affairs to implement the program.

No Timber From Tyrants Act This bill prohibits the importation of wood and related articles from Russia and Belarus. It also directs the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to replace these prohibited imports with timber production on certain lands. Specifically, the bill directs the President to prohibit the importation of all wood and related articles from Russia and Belarus. The President may terminate this prohibition upon certification to Congress that certain conditions have been met, including that Russia or Belarus (or both, as applicable) reached an agreement to withdraw forces in Ukraine. Additionally, the bill directs Interior and USDA to authorize timber harvest in an amount sufficient to equal the volume, with respect to calendar year 2021, of imports of wood and related articles from Russia and Belarus. Interior may authorize timber harvest only on public lands and USDA may authorize timber harvest only on National Forest System lands. The bill generally prohibits Interior and USDA from approving a plan that reduces the allowable sale quantity of timber.

My Child, My Choice Act of 2022 This bill prohibits an elementary school from receiving federal education funds unless a teacher requests written parental consent prior to teaching a lesson specifically related to gender identity, sexual orientation, or transgender studies. In particular, the bill requires a teacher to request written consent from the parent of each student enrolled in the class prior to teaching the lesson. If a parent does not submit written consent to the lesson, then the school must provide the student with an alternative period of learning or study hall. Further, the teacher may not teach the lesson if the principal does not receive written consent from the parents of at least 50% of the students enrolled in the class.

This resolution thanks the teachers of the United States and promotes the teaching profession by encouraging students, parents, school administrators, and public officials to recognize National Teacher Appreciation Week.

This resolution acknowledges that Specialist Bishop E. Evans was discovered, deceased, along the Rio Grande, near Eagle Pass, Texas. The resolution also honors the life and service of Specialist Evans and recognizes that his actions resulted in the survival of two migrants.

Iranian Nuclear and Venezuelan Energy, Sanctions and Terrorism Investigation Government Accountability Report Act or INVESTIGAR Act This bill requires the President to, no later than 14 days after reaching an agreement with Iran regarding Iran's nuclear program, report to Congress describing the possible benefits that will accrue to the regime of Nicolas Maduro as a result of the agreement. (Maduro is the president of Venezuela whose reelection in 2018 is widely condemned, including by the United States, as fraudulent.) The President must update the report every 180 days.

This joint resolution nullifies the rule issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on February 3, 2021, that requires the use of face masks on planes, trains, buses, and other public conveyances and at transportation hubs to prevent the transmission of COVID-19.

Western Hemisphere Nearshoring Act This bill provides assistance for corporations to move operations from China to countries in Latin America or the Caribbean and addresses related issues. For example, the bill requires the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation to provide financing and other assistance to eligible corporations for costs associated with such a move. Tariffs collected for goods manufactured in China shall be used to pay for such assistance. The President may provide preferential treatment, including duty-free treatment, for goods produced in a Latin American or Caribbean country by a corporation that received relocation assistance under this bill.

Obtaining National and Secure Homeland Operations for Rare Earth Manufacturing Act or the ONSHORE Manufacturing Act This bill sets forth provisions to support secure supply chains of rare earth elements. A rare earth element means a natural element associated with (1) the metallic element scandium, with atomic number 21; (2) the metallic element yttrium, with atomic number 39; or (3) any of the series of 15 metallic elements between lanthanum, with atomic number 57, and lutetium, with atomic number 71, on the periodic table.