Rep. Darren Soto

Stamp Out Invasive Species Act This bill directs the U.S. Postal Service to issue and sell a Combating Invasive Species Semipostal Stamp. Proceeds from the sale of the stamp must be transferred in equal proportion to the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture for combating invasive species. (Invasive species are nonnative species whose introduction poses a serious threat to natural ecosystems and causes detrimental economic damage to local communities.) The stamp must be made available to the public for two years.

Restoring Community Input and Public Protections in Oil and Gas Leasing Act of 2021 This bill modifies several provisions related to oil and gas leasing on public lands. Among other requirements, the bill replaces the competitive auction process with a competitive-sealed bidding process. It also eliminates non-competitive bidding. Additionally, the bill increases royalty rates, rental rates, and the minimum bid amount. Further, the bill creates a fee for nominating lands for leasing. Lease sales must be held in each state no more than three times per year instead of quarterly. The bill also decreases lease term durations from 10 to 5 years. Certain lease information must be made available on public websites, including the names of all current and former lessees and operators. The bill also adds a number of new provisions related to protection of private surface estate owners. Finally, the bill establishes requirements to protect water resources, including by requiring oil or gas operators to replace certain water supplies affected by drilling, hydraulic fracturing (i.e., fracking), or production operations. In addition, the Bureau of Land Management must issue regulations governing the use of fracking under oil and gas leases for federal lands. The regulations must require (1) baseline water testing, and (2) public disclosure of each chemical used for fracking.

Restoring Resilient Reefs Act of 2021 This bill addresses the conservation and sustainability of coral reef ecosystems. Among other things, the bill reauthorizes through FY2024 and revises the Coral Reef Conservation Program; directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to provide block grants to states to support state coral reef management and restoration; requires NOAA to establish standards for the formation of partnerships among government and community members for the stewardship of coral reefs; provides statutory authority for the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force to lead, coordinate, and strengthen federal government actions to preserve, conserve, and restore coral reef ecosystems; requires the Department of the Interior to provide grants upon the declaration of a coral reef emergency to implement emergency plans; authorizes Interior to provide scientific expertise, technical assistance, and financial assistance for the conservation and restoration of coral reefs; and establishes a National Coral Reef Management Fellowship Program.

Respect for Marriage Act This act provides statutory authority for same-sex and interracial marriages. Specifically, the act replaces provisions that define, for purposes of federal law, marriage as between a man and a woman and spouse as a person of the opposite sex with provisions that recognize any marriage between two individuals that is valid under state law. (The Supreme Court held that the current provisions were unconstitutional in United States v. Windsor in 2013.) The act also replaces provisions that do not require states to recognize same-sex marriages from other states with provisions that prohibit the denial of full faith and credit or any right or claim relating to out-of-state marriages on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin. (The Supreme Court held that state laws barring same-sex marriages were unconstitutional in Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015; the Court held that state laws barring interracial marriages were unconstitutional in Loving v. Virginia in 1967.) The act allows the Department of Justice to bring a civil action and establishes a private right of action for violations. The act does not (1) affect religious liberties or conscience protections that are available under the Constitution or federal law, (2) require religious organizations to provide goods or services to formally recognize or celebrate a marriage, (3) affect any benefits or rights that do not arise from a marriage, or (4) recognize under federal law any marriage between more than two individuals.

International Violence Against Women Act of 2022 This bill requires a U.S. global strategy to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls. The bill establishes in the Department of State an Office of Global Women's Issues, which shall be headed by an Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues. The Ambassador-at-Large shall (1) coordinate U.S. government efforts regarding gender equality and the advancement of women and girls in foreign policy, and (2) develop or update periodically a U.S. global strategy to prevent and respond to gender-based violence. The bill establishes in the U.S. Agency for International Development the position of Senior Coordinator for Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment who shall coordinate policies, programs, and funding regarding gender equality and women's empowerment.

This concurrent resolution recognizes the disparity between wages paid to Latina women, and its impact on women, families, and the nation and reaffirms Congress' commitment to supporting equal pay and to narrowing the gender wage gap.

Veteran Service Recognition Act of 2022 This bill addresses immigration-related issues pertaining to noncitizen (or non-U.S. national) military veterans, including by authorizing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide lawful permanent resident status to a veteran subject to removal. If a noncitizen veteran appears to be eligible for lawful permanent resident status under this bill, that veteran must receive a reasonable opportunity to apply for such status and may not be removed until there is a final administrative decision on the veteran's eligibility. For the purposes of providing such status under this bill, DHS may waive any applicable grounds of inadmissibility, except for certain crime- or security-related grounds. The bill also extends certain deadlines relating to obtaining citizenship after serving in the Armed Forces. DHS must create a system for identifying noncitizens who are or may be veterans. Before initiating removal proceedings against a noncitizen, DHS must attempt to determine whether the noncitizen is a veteran. DHS must ensure that veteran status is considered in immigration proceedings. The bill also requires U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Department of Defense to take certain actions to facilitate opportunities for military recruits and veterans to obtain U.S. citizenship, such as by training Judge Advocate General Corps members to act as liaisons between the Armed Forces and USCIS on servicemember citizenship applications. The bill also establishes the Military Family Immigration Advisory Committee to provide recommendations on cases involving the removal of a servicemember, veteran, or certain family members of a servicemember or veteran. Such an individual may not be removed until the committee has provided a recommendation to DHS about the individual's case, unless the individual is inadmissible due to a conviction for an aggravated felony. The bill also waives certain grounds of inadmissibility (e.g., being unlawfully present in the United States) for certain noncitizens applying for lawful permanent resident status as an immediate relative of a U.S. citizen who has served at least two years in the Armed Forces.

Advancing Equality for Wabanaki Nations Act This bill allows the Wabanaki Nations in Maine to access future federal laws that are passed by Congress for the benefit of Indian tribes. Four Indian tribes (Maliseet, Micmac, Penobscot, and Passamaquoddy) make up the Wabanaki Nations. Currently, these tribes are unable to access certain federal laws and related benefits because such laws are preempted by the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1980.

Maddy summaryThis bill ratifies the Bureau of Indian Affairs' 2018 decision to place approximately 6.7 acres of land into federal trust for the Samish Indian Nation. It confirms this trust status for the specific land described in the 2018 decision and applies to all current or future legal challenges regarding this land or similar actions. The bill explicitly states it does not prevent the Samish Nation from seeking additional land to be placed into trust in the future. It directly affects the Samish Indian Nation's ownership rights to this specific parcel and their legal standing on related land claims.

Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act This bill establishes the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies in the United States and sets forth its powers, duties, and membership. Among other duties, the commission must investigate the impacts and ongoing effects of the Indian Boarding School Policies (federal policies under which American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian children were forcibly removed from their family homes and placed in boarding schools). Further, the commission must develop recommendations on ways to (1) protect unmarked graves and accompanying land protections; (2) support repatriation and identify the tribal nations from which children were taken; and (3) discontinue the removal of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian children from their families and tribal communities by state social service departments, foster care agencies, and adoption agencies.