Rep. Randy K. Weber, Sr.

Asylum Claims Improvement Act of 2022 This bill prohibits the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from taking into account the mental health of a non-U.S. national (alien under federal law) when determining whether that individual qualifies as a refugee. (Generally, a refugee is an individual who is unable to return to their country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of certain characteristics, such as race or religion.) The bill also prohibits DHS from taking into account a non-U.S. national's mental health when determining whether that individual is protected by a provision that generally prohibits removing an individual to a country where that individual's life or freedom would be threatened.

Sanctioning Supporters of Slave Labor Act This bill expands existing sanctions on foreign individuals and entities responsible for human rights abuses (e.g., such as torture or forced labor) against members of Muslim minority groups or other persons in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China. Specifically, this bill requires sanctions on foreign individuals and entities that knowingly (1) provide material support to the parties subject to the existing sanctions for human rights abuses in Xinjiang, or (2) engage in a significant transaction relating to such human rights abuses.

Biometric Verification for Entry and Reconfirming Identity with Forensics Act of 2022 or the B-VERIFY Act of 2022 This bill addresses various issues pertaining to immigration, such as (1) requiring any applicant for an immigration benefit, including a U.S. national applying for a noncitizen beneficiary, to provide biometric information, including DNA; (2) permanently barring a noncitizen from becoming a U.S. citizen if the noncitizen is the parent of an unaccompanied alien child who arrives at the U.S. border; and (3) prohibiting the Department of Health and Human Services from expending government funds to provide counsel to detained unaccompanied alien children in legal proceedings.

Secure Every School and Protect Our Nation’s Children Act or the STOP II Act This bill reauthorizes and supports various grants to enhance school safety and security initiatives. It also provides statutory authority for the federal clearinghouse of school safety resources. (The clearinghouse identifies and publishes best practices and recommendations for school safety for use by state and local educational and law enforcement agencies, institutions of higher education, health professionals, and the public.)

Correctional Facility Disaster Preparedness Act of 2022 This bill directs the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to submit an annual report on disaster damage to its facilities and contract prisons. The report must explain the effects of the damage on inmates and staff. The report must also include any corrective actions the BOP will take to modernize emergency preparedness plans and legislative recommendations to improve emergency preparedness within the BOP. The bill also requires the National Institute of Corrections to conduct a public field hearing on how correctional facilities can incorporate in their emergency preparedness plans and recovery efforts various elements, including access to programs and services for inmates and risk management best practices for staff.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits federal funding for any activities related to Executive Order 14074 (issued May 25, 2022), which aimed to improve policing and criminal justice practices. It directly affects federal agencies that would otherwise implement the executive order's requirements using taxpayer dollars. The key provision blocks all federal funds from being used to carry out the order's provisions, effectively halting its implementation through budgetary means. The bill does not alter the executive order itself but prevents its federal financial support.

Protect Against School Shootings Act or the PASS Act This bill broadens the authority for certain individuals to carry concealed firearms in a school zone. Specifically, the bill exempts the following categories of individuals from the federal prohibition on possessing (or discharging) a firearm in a school zone: certain active and retired law enforcement officers who are authorized to carry concealed firearms under federal law, and individuals who are allowed to carry concealed firearms under the law of a state.

Unborn Protection Act This bill creates new federal crimes related to the performance of an abortion on an unborn child based on the results of a laboratory developed prenatal test. The term laboratory developed prenatal test means a type of in vitro diagnostic test that is designed, developed, manufactured, validated, or performed within a single laboratory and is not cleared or approved by the Food and Drug Administration It subjects a violator to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to five years, or both. It also authorizes civil remedies, including damages and injunctive relief. A woman who undergoes such an abortion may not be prosecuted or held civilly liable.

Inmate Financial Accountability Task Force Act This bill establishes a joint task force to (1) develop a strategic plan to improve the criminal and civil debt collection process and establish an effective coordination mechanism among each entity involved in the process, and (2) develop a strategic plan to improve oversight of Bureau of Prisons inmate trust fund accounts for detecting and deterring illicit financial activity and money laundering.

Reinforcing Every Final Order of Removal Measure Act of 2022 or the REFORM Act of 2022 This bill imposes additional requirements pertaining to a foreign country that refuses to accept (or unreasonably delays in accepting) its citizens, nationals, subjects, or residents who are subject to a final order of removal from the United States.