Rep. Mark Pocan

Assault Weapons Ban of 2022 This bill makes it a crime to knowingly import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess a semiautomatic assault weapon (SAW) or large capacity ammunition feeding device (LCAFD). The prohibition does not apply to a firearm that is (1) manually operated by bolt, pump, lever, or slide action, except for certain shotguns; (2) permanently inoperable; (3) an antique; (4) only capable of firing rimfire ammunition; or (5) a rifle or shotgun specifically identified by make and model. The bill also exempts from the prohibition the following, with respect to a SAW or LCAFD: importation, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession related to certain law enforcement efforts, or authorized tests or experiments; importation, sale, transfer, or possession related to securing nuclear materials; and possession by a retired law enforcement officer. The bill permits continued possession, sale, or transfer of a grandfathered SAW, which must be securely stored. A licensed gun dealer must conduct a background check prior to the sale or transfer of a grandfathered SAW between private parties. The bill permits continued possession of, but prohibits sale or transfer of, a grandfathered LCAFD. Newly manufactured LCAFDs must display serial number identification. Newly manufactured SAWs and LCAFDs must display the date of manufacture. The bill also allows a state or local government to use Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program funds to compensate individuals who surrender a SAW or LCAFD under a buy-back program.

No Tax Deductions for Workplace Harasser Buyouts Act This bill modifies the tax deduction for trade or business expenses to deny a deduction for payments made to any employee in connection with the termination of employment if a factor in the termination was sexual assault, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, or workplace harassment based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, or other specified factors.

Ending Secrecy About Workplace Harassment Act This bill requires every employer that must submit to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) an Employer Information Report EEO-1 to separately report on an annual basis the number of settlements reached by the employer involving workplace harassment. The bill also requires the EEOC and the Government Accountability Office to report information relating to claims of discrimination.

Billionaire Minimum Income Tax Act This bill imposes a minimum tax on individual taxpayers whose net worth for the taxable year exceeds $100 million. The tax is equal to 20% of the sum of a taxpayer's taxable income, plus net unrealized gains for the taxable year. The tax may not exceed 40% of the amount by which the taxpayer's net worth exceeds $100 million.

Susan Muffley Act of 2022 This bill restores the full vested monthly benefits for eligible participants of certain pension plans that were sponsored by Delphi Corporation and terminated as a result of General Motors' bankruptcy in 2009. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) must recalculate and adjust each plan participant's monthly benefits payment. The PBGC must also apply the recalculation to previously-made monthly payments and make a lump-sum payment for any additional benefits based on the recalculation. The bill establishes and provides appropriations to a fund for the payment of these benefits and specifies how the lump-sum payments are treated for tax purposes. Finally, the bill requires the PBGC to report on recommendations to ensure the long-term solvency of its insurance programs.

Keeping Girls in School Act This bill authorizes the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to enter into agreements to address social, cultural, health, and other barriers that adolescent girls face in accessing quality secondary education. The USAID shall seek to ensure that such activities meet various requirements related to monitoring and evaluating outcomes, collecting data, and using specified indicators and methodologies for international basic education. The Department of State shall periodically update and report to Congress a publicly available U.S. global strategy to empower adolescent girls, and the USAID shall periodically report to Congress on the activities initiated under this bill and efforts to monitor and evaluate such activities.

Securing and Enabling Commerce Using Remote and Electronic Notarization Act of 2022 or the SECURE Notarization Act of 2022 This bill allows a notary public commissioned under state law to remotely notarize electronic records and perform notarizations for remotely located individuals. The bill provides technical requirements for such notarizations, including the creation and retention of video and audio recordings and the use of communication technologies (i.e., video chat). Additionally, the bill requires U.S. courts and states to recognize notarizations—including remote notarizations of electronic records and notarizations of remotely-located individuals—that occur in or affect interstate commerce and are performed by a notary public commissioned under the laws of other states. The bill also allows a notary public to remotely notarize electronic records involving an individual located outside of the United States, subject to certain requirements.

Original Slavery Remembrance Day Resolution of 2021 This resolution supports the designation of a Slavery Remembrance Day and condemns slavery and its progenies.

This resolution recommends that the Department of Health and Human Services declare a public health emergency to respond to the spread of monkeypox in countries, including the United States, where the disease is not endemic. (Monkeypox is a viral disease that is endemic to parts of Africa and causes symptoms similar to, but less severe than, smallpox.)

Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act of 2022 This bill removes limitations on the civil liability of gun manufacturers and the disclosure of gun trace data in civil actions. Specifically, the bill repeals the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which prohibits civil actions against a firearm or ammunition manufacturer, seller, importer, dealer, or trade association for damages resulting from the criminal or unlawful misuse of a firearm. Additionally, the bill states that firearms trace data maintained by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is not immune from legal process. Such data is subject to discovery; is admissible as evidence; and may be used, relied on, or disclosed in a civil action or administrative proceeding.