Rep. Robert J. Wittman

Military Spouse Hiring Act This bill expands the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) to include the hiring of a qualified military spouse. (The WOTC permits employers who hire individuals who are members of a targeted group such as qualified veterans, ex-felons, or long-term unemployment recipients to claim a tax credit equal to a portion of the wages paid to those individuals.) A qualified military spouse is any individual who is certified by the designated local agency as being (as of the hiring date) a spouse of a member of the Armed Forces.

Protecting American Sovereignty Act This bill prohibits the federal government from implementing any obligations upon the United States that may be contained in a draft report by a World Health Organization (WHO) working group on strengthening the WHO's preparedness and response to health emergencies. This prohibition shall also apply to any related or successor reports and recommendations regarding pandemics.

Halting Academic Liaisons To Our Adversaries Act or the HALT Our Adversaries Act This bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to identify academic institutions of China, Russia, and other countries that are known to provide support to China's People's Liberation Army or Russia's armed forces. Further, the bill prohibits an institution of higher education from receiving federal funds if it maintains a contract or other agreement with such an academic institution identified by DOD.

Babies Need More Formula Now Act of 2022 This bill addresses the regulation of infant formula, including by authorizing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to waive certain requirements related to importation. The FDA may waive labeling requirements related to the importation (or distribution or sale) of infant formula from a country with requirements that provide a similar assurance of safety as U.S. requirements. The FDA must, when appropriate, enter into arrangements to harmonize U.S. regulatory requirements pertaining to infant formula with the requirements of other nations. The bill imposes time lines for the FDA to respond to submissions for market approval for new infant formula. The FDA must also issue guidance as to what types of changes in the ingredients of infant formula, if any, may not require a new growth study to meet FDA requirements. The bill also authorizes a person to import, without prior notice to the FDA, up to a three-month supply of infant formula for personal use from a country with formula safety standards similar to U.S. standards, such as Canada. Before recommending or requiring a recall of infant formula due exclusively to a labeling deficiency, the FDA must ensure that the recall will not negatively affect the supply of formula in the United States. The bill also requires the FDA to (1) notify Congress no later than 24 hours after initiating a formula recall, and (2) provide certain information to formula manufacturers about restarting production after an inspection of a manufacturing facility impacted by a recall.

This resolution condemns the unauthorized leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion concerning abortion and the related violence, property damage, and attempted intimidation of Supreme Court Justices by activists. It also encourages the enforcement of federal criminal laws that prohibit protests and picketing outside of the homes of federal judges, jurors, witnesses, and others involved in the U.S. court system.

Geospatial Support for Atrocity Accountability Act This bill requires the Department of State to ensure that information and intelligence related to war crimes and atrocities are shared within the State Department and with certain other entities. For example, the State Department's Atrocity Warning Task Force must provide unclassified commercial geospatial imagery to domestic and international courts prosecuting persons responsible for crimes against humanity, if such imagery may provide evidence of such crimes.

Federal Firefighters Fairness Act of 2022 This bill makes it easier for federally employed firefighters who contract certain illnesses to qualify for federal workers' compensation. Specifically, the bill provides that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, mesothelioma, and specified other cancers of those employed in fire protection activities for at least five years are presumed to be proximately caused by such employment for purposes of a disability or death claim under the federal workers' compensation program. This presumption also applies to federal employees employed in fire protection activities for at least five years who experience a sudden cardiac event or stroke within 24 hours of performing a fire protection activity. The bill also requires the Department of Labor to conduct a review to determine whether breast cancer, gynecological cancer, and rhabdomyolysis should be included under the presumption and to conduct periodic reviews to determine whether other diseases should be included. In addition, a person may petition Labor to include another disease under the presumption. An employee in fire protection activities is a firefighter, paramedic, emergency medical technician, rescue worker, ambulance personnel, or hazardous material worker who (1) is trained in fire suppression; (2) has the legal authority and responsibility to engage in fire suppression; (3) is engaged in the prevention, control, and extinguishing of fires or response to emergency situations where life, property, or the environment is at risk, including the prevention, control, suppression, or management of wildland fires; and (4) performs such activities as a primary responsibility.

This bill requires that the naval combat forces of the Navy include a minimum of 31 operational amphibious battle force ships, which are commissioned United States Ship warships capable of contributing to combat operations or United States Naval Ships that contribute directly to Navy warfighting or support missions. Such a ship that is temporarily unavailable for worldwide deployment due to routine or scheduled maintenance or repair counts towards the requirement.

No Timber From Tyrants Act This bill prohibits the importation of wood and related articles from Russia and Belarus. It also directs the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to replace these prohibited imports with timber production on certain lands. Specifically, the bill directs the President to prohibit the importation of all wood and related articles from Russia and Belarus. The President may terminate this prohibition upon certification to Congress that certain conditions have been met, including that Russia or Belarus (or both, as applicable) reached an agreement to withdraw forces in Ukraine. Additionally, the bill directs Interior and USDA to authorize timber harvest in an amount sufficient to equal the volume, with respect to calendar year 2021, of imports of wood and related articles from Russia and Belarus. Interior may authorize timber harvest only on public lands and USDA may authorize timber harvest only on National Forest System lands. The bill generally prohibits Interior and USDA from approving a plan that reduces the allowable sale quantity of timber.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits the use of federal funds to establish or operate a Disinformation Governance Board under the Department of Homeland Security. It directly affects the Department of Homeland Security by blocking funding for this specific board, preventing its creation or activities. The measure restricts how existing federal appropriations can be applied, without altering other funding mechanisms.