Rep. Chris Stewart

This bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to submit a report on the potential costs and benefits of its proposed rule governing the importation of live sheep, goats, other ruminants, and products derived from sheep and goats. It also bars USDA from finalizing, implementing, administering, or enforcing the rule until one year after the date that USDA submits the report.

Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act This bill establishes grant programs to address neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease), and contains other related provisions. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shall award grants to eligible entities for scientific research utilizing data from expanded access to investigational ALS treatments for individuals who are not otherwise eligible for clinical trials.  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) shall award grants to public and private entities to cover the costs of research and development of drugs that diagnose or treat ALS and other rare neurodegenerative diseases. HHS shall also establish the Public-Private Partnership for Neurodegenerative Diseases between the National Institutes of Health, the FDA, and at least one eligible entity (generally, an institution of higher education or a nonprofit organization). The partnership shall support the development and regulatory review of drugs that address ALS and other rare neurodegenerative diseases. The FDA shall publish on its website a five-year action plan for fostering the development of drugs that improve or extend the lives of people living with rare neurodegenerative diseases. The Government Accountability Office must report to Congress about the grants provided under this bill, including an analysis of the impact of such grants on research and development of treatments for ALS.

Make Energy Affordable Act This bill requires the President to report on the rising energy prices. In addition, the President must provide updates on residential energy price trends, impacts of energy prices on low-income households, and actions by federal agencies to mitigate energy price increases.

Clarifying Authority over Nicotine Act of 2021 This bill expands the statutory authority of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate tobacco products by amending the definition of such products. Currently, the statute defines tobacco products as products intended for human consumption that are made or derived from tobacco. The bill amends the definition to also include products that contain nicotine from any source, excluding foods that only contain trace amounts of naturally occurring nicotine. Beginning 30 days after this bill's enactment, existing laws, regulations, and related FDA guidance pertaining to tobacco products shall apply to tobacco products as defined under this bill.

Maddy summaryHRES 855 is a symbolic resolution passed by the U.S. House of Representatives to support designating the first week of December 2022 as "National United States Miners Week." It does not create new laws or policies but formally recognizes miners' contributions to the economy and supply chains. The resolution highlights miners' role in providing critical minerals and coal, supporting over 500,000 jobs, and securing domestic resources for everyday products. It directly affects miners and their communities by offering a formal, non-binding acknowledgment of their work. This is a procedural resolution with no concrete policy changes or funding implications.

Monitoring China-UAE Cooperation Act This bill requires the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to report to Congress on cooperation between China and the United Arab Emirates on strategically sensitive matters that implicate U.S. national security interests, including defense and technology.

This bill expands the exemption of certain seasonal employees from the federal maximum hour requirements to include employees of outdoor recreational outfitting or guiding services.

Strategic Production Response Act This bill limits the drawdown of petroleum in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve until the Department of Energy develops a plan to increase the percentage of federal lands leased for oil and gas production.

Chronic Wasting Disease Research and Management Act This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to address chronic wasting disease afflicting deer, elk, and moose populations. Specifically, the bill directs USDA to establish a program to research and manage the disease. Under the program, USDA must offer to enter into agreements with state or tribal wildlife agencies and departments of agriculture, institutions of higher education, and research centers to support research on the transmission of, resistance to, and diagnosis of the disease. In addition, USDA must offer to enter into agreements with such agencies and departments to support state and tribal efforts to develop and implement management strategies that address the disease. USDA must also develop and maintain materials to inform the public on chronic wasting disease and techniques to help prevent the spread of the disease. In addition, USDA must solicit public feedback on potential updates and improvements to standards of the chronic wasting disease herd certification program.

Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Amendments of 2021 This bill expands two programs that compensate individuals who were exposed to radiation during certain nuclear testing or uranium mining and subsequently developed medical conditions, including cancers. First, the bill expands and extends a program that compensates individuals who were exposed to radiation from atmospheric nuclear testing or other sources and subsequently developed specified cancers. Under current law, this program compensates individuals who were present in a designated geographic area during a period of nuclear testing and certain individuals employed in uranium mining. The bill expands the designated areas to include Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, and Guam and additional areas in Arizona, Nevada, and Utah; makes more individuals who worked in uranium mining eligible for the program; increases the amount of compensation awarded to and provides medical benefits for eligible claimants; and extends for 19 years following the bill's enactment the fund that supports this program and the statute of limitations for filing claims (currently, the program terminates on July 10, 2022). Second, the bill makes certain individuals employed in uranium mines or mills eligible for a program that compensates workers, including Department of Energy employees and contractors, for illnesses caused by occupational exposure to radiation and hazardous substances during development and testing of the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile. The bill also establishes a grant program in the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences for institutions of higher education to study the epidemiological impacts of uranium mining and milling among individuals without occupational exposure.