Rep. Tom Cole

Employee Rights Act This bill makes various changes with respect to the collective bargaining process and labor relations. For example, the bill permits an employer to refuse to collectively bargain with a union within 90 days prior to the expiration of a collective bargaining agreement if the employer receives evidence that the majority of the employees in the bargaining unit do not support the union. The bill requires support from a majority of the employees in the bargaining unit (not just a majority of the employees voting) when electing union representation. The bill also requires unions to provide bargaining unit employees with the right to vote by secret ballot, including when voting whether to engage in a strike or refusal to work. Further, union dues, fees, assessments, and other contributions may be used for only collective bargaining or contract administrative functions. Additionally, the bill establishes a process for nullifying executive orders that the Office of Management and Budget determines are likely to result in an employer ordering a plant closure or mass layoff.

Russian Travel Sanctions for a Democratic Ukraine Act This bill imposes visa-blocking sanctions on certain citizens of Russia. Specifically, the President must impose such sanctions on citizens of Russia who are (1) Russian oligarchs, (2) employees of Russia's government, or (3) employees of companies that are owned by or receive funding from Russia's government. The President must also impose the sanctions on family members of such individuals. The President must coordinate with allies, including NATO member states, on the imposition of such sanctions. The President may waive the application of such sanctions in certain instances.

Midland Over Moscow Act This bill imposes sanctions related to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and revises the expedited approval process for natural gas imports and exports in or out of the United States. (Nord Stream 2 is a pipeline constructed to increase the export of natural gas from Russia to Europe.) Within 10 days of this bill's enactment, the President must impose sanctions on any entity responsible for the planning, construction, maintenance, financing, or operation of Nord Stream 2, as well as any corporate officer or principal shareholder with a controlling interest in such an entity. The bill also revokes the President's authority to waive certain sanctions related to Nord Stream 2 and TurkStream, another Russian natural gas pipeline project. The bill also allows any nation, with specified exclusions, to use an expedited process to receive approval to import or export natural gas in or out of the United States (currently only a nation with a free trade agreement with the United States may use the expedited process). Specifically, the bill excludes any nation (1) subject to U.S.-imposed sanctions or trade restrictions, or (2) excluded by the President or Congress for national security reasons.

Firearm Lockbox Protection Act of 2022 This bill allows the General Services Administration, upon request of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, to provide a secure firearms storage facility at the official duty station of each judge or justice for any firearm lawfully possessed by the judge or justice. Agencies that employ an administrative judge must provide a secure firearms facility at the principal duty station of that judge for any firearm lawfully possessed by the judge.

Maddy summaryThis bill grants a federal charter to National American Indian Veterans, Incorporated, a nonprofit organization serving American Indian veterans. It formalizes the group’s structure, requiring it to maintain tax-exempt status while advocating for veterans’ needs with specific prohibitions (e.g., no stock, dividends, or loans to members). The charter mandates annual reports to Congress detailing the organization’s activities but does not create new benefits or services for veterans. It directly affects the organization and the American Indian veterans it represents, ensuring its operations align with federal nonprofit standards.

Public Safety Enhancement Act of 2021 This bill reauthorizes through FY2026 the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant program. Additionally, the bill requires a certain amount of funds made available under the COPS grant program to be used for the hiring and retention of law enforcement officers.

Illegal Immigrant Payoff Prohibition Act This bill prohibits the payment of a settlement to an alien for a civil action brought against the United States in connection with the alien's inadmissibility to, or unlawful presence in, the United States.

Supporting Every at-Risk Veteran In Critical Emergencies Act of 2021 or the SERVICE Act of 2021 This bill authorizes the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services within the Department of Justice to make grants to support the creation and operation of veterans' response teams in state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies.

Preserving Employment Visas Act This bill reclaims unused employment-based immigrant visas from FY2020 and FY2021 and makes such unused visas available in FY2022, for the purposes of calculating the total number of employment-based immigrant visas available each fiscal year. If, at the end of FY2022, there are still unused FY2020 and FY2021 visas, these unused visas shall be available in subsequent fiscal years until they are all used.

Taliban Rare Earth Minerals Sanctions Act This bill requires the President to impose sanctions on foreign individuals and entities that knowingly engage in a significant transaction that concerns the rare earth mineral sector of Afghanistan. The President must impose property-blocking sanctions on such foreign individuals and entities, as well as visa-blocking sanctions on the individuals.