Rep. Stacey E. Plaskett

Rebuild America's Schools Act of 2022 This bill provides support for long-term improvements to public elementary and secondary school facilities. First, the bill sets forth allocations to states and establishes a need-based grant program for local educational agencies (LEAs) to improve school facilities. Further, the bill specifies allowable uses of grant funds, including carrying out major repairs, improving indoor air quality, and making facilities accessible to disabled individuals. Additionally, the bill requires LEAs that receive funds for new construction, modernization, or renovation projects to comply with hazard-resistance building codes and performance criteria under the WaterSense program of the Environmental Protection Agency. Further, the bill requires such LEAs to adopt certain green practices (environmental standards) and requires the use of iron, steel, and manufactured products that are made in the United States (Buy America). The bill restores school infrastructure tax credit bonds. The bill also sets forth reporting requirements, including annual reports on grant program projects and a report by the Government Accountability Office that requires a study of the geographic distribution of projects, the impact of selected projects on student and staff health and safety, and the accessibility of projects to high-poverty schools. The bill also establishes the Office of School Infrastructure and Sustainability within the Department of Education. Next, the bill extends through FY2027 the Impact Aid Construction program. Finally, the bill establishes a grant program to assist LEAs with repairing or replacing concrete foundations affected by pyrrhotite (an iron sulfide material linked to crumbling foundations).

Restoring Resilient Reefs Act of 2021 This bill addresses the conservation and sustainability of coral reef ecosystems. Among other things, the bill reauthorizes through FY2024 and revises the Coral Reef Conservation Program; directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to provide block grants to states to support state coral reef management and restoration; requires NOAA to establish standards for the formation of partnerships among government and community members for the stewardship of coral reefs; provides statutory authority for the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force to lead, coordinate, and strengthen federal government actions to preserve, conserve, and restore coral reef ecosystems; requires the Department of the Interior to provide grants upon the declaration of a coral reef emergency to implement emergency plans; authorizes Interior to provide scientific expertise, technical assistance, and financial assistance for the conservation and restoration of coral reefs; and establishes a National Coral Reef Management Fellowship Program.

This bill directs the Department of the Interior to install, in an appropriate location in the area of the Ram Head trail at the peak of Ram Head in the Virgin Islands National Park on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, a suitable plaque to commemorate the slave rebellion that began on St. John on November 23, 1733.

The Jackie Walorski Maternal and Child Home Visiting Reauthorization Act of 2022 This bill reauthorizes through FY2027, increases funding for, and modifies the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program. This program supports home visits for expectant and new parents who live in communities that are at-risk for poor maternal and child health outcomes. Changes to the program include setting out requirements for allocating program funds; increasing the percentage of funds reserved for tribal entities; establishing a publicly available dashboard that reports program outcomes; requiring activities to reduce unnecessary data collection, reporting, and other administrative requirements of the program; and allowing for virtual home visits (provided certain conditions are met). The bill also reduces funding for the Medicare Improvement Fund.

Prevent All Soring Tactics Act of 2022 or the PAST Act of 2022 This bill addresses the practice of soring horses. The soring of horses includes various actions taken on horses' limbs to produce higher gaits that may cause pain, distress, inflammation, or lameness. Specifically, the bill expands soring regulation and enforcement at horse shows, exhibitions, sales, and auctions, including by establishing a new system for inspecting horses for soring. In addition, the bill increases penalties for violations.

Maddy summaryHJRES 53 proposes a constitutional amendment to ban slavery and involuntary servitude as a criminal punishment. Currently, the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution permits such punishments for crimes, creating a legal loophole. If ratified by 3/4 of state legislatures, this amendment would eliminate that exception nationwide, making it unconstitutional to impose forced labor or slavery as part of criminal sentences. The change would directly affect all states' criminal justice systems, particularly prison labor practices, by prohibiting these punishments for any offense.

This resolution expresses support for the designation of National Voting Rights Month, encourages people to uphold the right to vote, encourages Congress to pass certain voting rights legislation, encourages the development of strategies to educate students about voting, encourages the U.S. Postal Service to issue a special Representative John R. Lewis stamp during the month of September, and invites Congress to allocate funds for public service announcements regarding elections.

This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the proposed constitutional amendment known as the Equal Rights Amendment has been duly proposed by Congress and ratified by the states and is therefore valid as the Twenty-Eighth Amendment to the Constitution. (The proposed amendment prohibits the United States or any state from denying or abridging equal rights under the law on account of sex.)

Maddy summaryHRES 437 is a symbolic House resolution designating June 4, 2021, as "National Gun Violence Awareness Day" and June 2021 as "National Gun Violence Awareness Month." It does not create new laws or policies but calls on the public to wear orange, increase awareness of gun violence, and focus on community safety efforts during summer months. The resolution references statistics on gun deaths and honors Hadiya Pendleton, a 15-year-old victim of gun violence, to highlight the issue. It has no direct legal effect on individuals or communities but aims to promote public discussion.

Visitor Visa Wait Time Reduction Act This bill requires the Department of State to report to Congress on the average waiting time to get a visitor visa interview at each diplomatic or consular post.  For each post where the average waiting time is longer than 300 days, the State Department must temporarily reassign personnel at that post to shorten the waiting time.