Rep. Chris Stewart

This bill prohibits the federal government from sharing intelligence with or providing security assistance to Ukraine in the absence of a certification that Ukraine is not accepting or attempting to secure bilateral assistance from China.

Maddy summaryHR 8683, the Pacific Islands Embassies Act, requires the U.S. Department of State to establish physical embassies in Vanuatu, Kiribati, and Tonga within two years of enactment. The bill authorizes $40.2 million for 2023 to build and maintain these embassies, plus $3 million for 2024 operations, to support U.S. diplomatic engagement in the region. This directly affects U.S. foreign policy operations by creating dedicated diplomatic posts to deepen relations with these Pacific Island nations and advance U.S. national security interests. The legislation aims to strengthen U.S. presence amid growing geopolitical competition, though it does not alter existing diplomatic arrangements.

Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue 50,000 $5 gold coins, 400,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the legacy of Harriet Tubman as an abolitionist. The Secretary may issue coins under this bill only during the period of January 1, 2024, through December 31, 2024. All surcharges received by Treasury from the sale of such coins must be paid equally to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, and The Harriet Tubman Home, Inc. in Auburn, New York, for the purpose of accomplishing and advancing their missions.

This bill requires the Department of Justice to specify that the definition of the term injury in a regulation for the Public Safety Officers' Benefits program specifically includes radiation exposure at a clandestine laboratory.

Formula Act This bill provides through December 31, 2022, duty-free treatment to infant formula. During this time period, articles of infant formula shall not be subject to (1) any additional safeguard duties that may be imposed under subchapter IV of chapter 99 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule; or (2) any other import quotas, tariff-rate quotas, additional duties, or any other duties, fees, exactions, or charges that otherwise would apply to such articles. Importers shall provide the applicable and anticipated tariff classifications for articles of infant formula on applicable customs entry documents.

Maddy summaryThe National Park Foundation Reauthorization Act of 2022 extends and increases funding for the National Park Foundation. It amends federal law to authorize $15 million annually (up from $5 million) for the Foundation through 2030 (extending from 2023). This bill directly affects the National Park Foundation by providing a longer-term, higher level of federal appropriations for its operations. The key change is a specific funding authorization adjustment in Title 54 of the U.S. Code, with no new program requirements or policy changes.

This joint resolution nullifies the final rule issued by the Council on Environmental Quality titled National Environmental Policy Act Implementing Regulations Revisions and published on April 20, 2022. The rule restores regulatory provisions issued under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) that were in effect before being modified in 2020 by the Update to the Regulations Implementing the Procedural Provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act rule.

Great Salt Lake Recovery Act This bill authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to study the hydrology of saline lake ecosystems in the Great Basin, including the Great Salt Lake, Utah, as well as to investigate the feasibility of a project for ecosystem restoration and drought solutions in the Great Salt Lake.

Fostering Opportunities for Resources and Education Spending through Timber Sales Act of 2022 or the FORESTS Act of 2022 This bill directs the Department of Agriculture to designate an area of each national forest for production of material to provide revenue for payments under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000.

This bill releases to the University of Utah, without consideration, the revisionary interest of the United States in approximately 593 acres of specified nonfederal land.