Rep. Brian K. Fitzpatrick

Susan Muffley Act of 2022 This bill restores the full vested monthly benefits for eligible participants of certain pension plans that were sponsored by Delphi Corporation and terminated as a result of General Motors' bankruptcy in 2009. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) must recalculate and adjust each plan participant's monthly benefits payment. The PBGC must also apply the recalculation to previously-made monthly payments and make a lump-sum payment for any additional benefits based on the recalculation. The bill establishes and provides appropriations to a fund for the payment of these benefits and specifies how the lump-sum payments are treated for tax purposes. Finally, the bill requires the PBGC to report on recommendations to ensure the long-term solvency of its insurance programs.

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.

Securing and Enabling Commerce Using Remote and Electronic Notarization Act of 2022 or the SECURE Notarization Act of 2022 This bill allows a notary public commissioned under state law to remotely notarize electronic records and perform notarizations for remotely located individuals. The bill provides technical requirements for such notarizations, including the creation and retention of video and audio recordings and the use of communication technologies (i.e., video chat). Additionally, the bill requires U.S. courts and states to recognize notarizations—including remote notarizations of electronic records and notarizations of remotely-located individuals—that occur in or affect interstate commerce and are performed by a notary public commissioned under the laws of other states. The bill also allows a notary public to remotely notarize electronic records involving an individual located outside of the United States, subject to certain requirements.

South Asian Heart Health Awareness and Research Act of 2022 This bill authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services to establish programs that support heart-disease research and awareness among communities disproportionately affected by heart disease, including the South Asian population of the United States. The programs include (1) grants to states for awareness initiatives and educational materials; and (2) research regarding heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and other heart health-related ailments with respect to the South Asian population and other at-risk populations.

Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0 This bill reauthorizes through FY2027 a pediatric disease research initiative within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and requires the NIH to coordinate pediatric research activities to avoid duplicative efforts. Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services must report, within five years, to Congress about research funded through the initiative.

Atrocity Crimes, Relief and Accountability Act or the ACRA Act The bill requires the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development to provide assistance to suspected victims, survivors, and witnesses of war crimes; establishes a Ukraine victims trust fund; and establishes a Ukraine atrocity crimes rewards fund. The bill also allows the International Criminal Court to conduct limited activities in the United States relating solely to foreign nationals suspected of committing war crimes in Ukraine.

Streamlining Income-driven, Manageable Payments on Loans for Education Act or the SIMPLE Act This bill directs the Department of Education to establish certain notification and automatic enrollment procedures for borrowers who are delinquent on federal student loans or who are rehabilitating defaulted student loans, including to automatically enroll these borrowers in income-driven repayment plans.

Federal PFAS Research Evaluation Act This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to enter into an agreement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) to complete various studies and reports related to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly referred to as PFAS. PFAS are man-made and may have adverse human health effects. A variety of products contain the compounds, such as nonstick cookware or weatherproof clothing. Specifically, the bill requires the EPA to enter into an agreement with NASEM to (1) study and report on research and knowledge gaps identified by the Federal Government Human Health PFAS Research Workshop (October 26 and 27, 2020); and (2) identify research and development needed to identify, categorize, evaluate, and address individual or total PFAS. Additionally, the EPA and other relevant federal agencies must enter into an agreement with NASEM to submit a study and report to better understand the research and development needed to better understand the extent and implications of human and environmental contamination by PFAS and any management and treatment options. After NASEM submits the required reports, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy must submit an implementation plan to Congress for increased collaboration and coordination of federal PFAS research, development, and demonstration activities.

Trauma-Informed Schools Act of 2022 This bill provides for the use of trauma-informed practices in public elementary and secondary schools and allows states to use certain federal funds to train teachers and other staff in such practices. The bill defines t rauma-informed practices to include evidence-based professional development that promotes a shared understanding among teachers and other staff that adverse and potentially traumatic experiences are common among students and that school-wide learning environments where all students and adults feel safe, welcomed, and supported can enable students to succeed despite such experiences; adoption of disciplinary procedures and practices that utilize evidence-based restorative practices that build a culture of trust; and activities that engage teachers, other staff, and families in a process of school-based planning to help all students feel safe and connected to the school community.

Behavioral Health Coverage Transparency Act of 2022 This bill increases oversight of the insurance coverage parity requirements for mental health and substance use disorder, including providing a process for auditing insurance providers and filing formal complaints for violations of the requirements.