Sen. Alex Padilla

Cut Red Tape For Online Sales Act This bill modifies requirements for third party settlement organizations to eliminate their reporting requirement with respect to the transactions of their participating payees unless they have earned $5,000 or more. A third party settlement organization is the central organization that has the contractual obligation to make payments to participating payees (generally, a merchant or business) in a third party payment network. The bill also requires entities that report income to to issue a plain-language description of the taxability of income reported on Form 1099-K.

Open Courts Act of 2021 This bill requires the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts to establish a single electronic system for all public federal court records that is publicly accessible, free of charge, and does not require registration.

Suicide Training and Awareness Nationally Delivered for Universal Prevention Act of 20 21 or the STANDUP Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), when awarding certain grants for priority mental-health needs, to give preference to state, tribal, and local educational agencies that plan to implement evidence-based suicide awareness and prevention training policies. HHS may also consider suicide rates in the applicable jurisdiction and other factors when awarding the grants. In addition, HHS must coordinate with the Department of Education and the Department of the Interior to provide educational agencies with best practices for these training policies.

Maddy summarySRES 545 is a symbolic Senate resolution designating the week beginning March 13, 2022, as "National Tribal Colleges and Universities Week." It directly recognizes 35 accredited Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) serving over 230 federally recognized tribes across 15 states. The resolution calls on the public and organizations to observe the week with activities supporting TCUs, which provide culturally grounded education, open enrollment, and workforce preparation in underserved communities. This is a non-binding commemorative measure with no new policy or funding changes.

Student Loan Forgiveness for Frontline Health Workers Act This bill establishes temporary programs to provide federal and private student loan forgiveness to certain frontline health care workers. Frontline health care workers are those individuals who have made significant contributions to the medical response (e.g., patient care, medical research, or testing) to the COVID-19 national emergency. Specifically, the Department of Education (ED) must carry out a program to forgive the outstanding balance of principal and interest due on federal student loans for borrowers who are frontline health care workers. Additionally, the Department of the Treasury must carry out a program to repay in full the outstanding balance of principal and interest due on certain private student loans for borrowers who are frontline health care workers. ED and Treasury must coordinate to ensure that eligibility determinations are consistent across both programs and that frontline health care workers who are eligible for both programs may apply for loan forgiveness with a single application. Further, such programs must be available to frontline health care workers who were borrowers of eligible loans and who died as a result of COVID-19. The bill specifies the notification requirements related to the availability of these programs. ED, Treasury, and the Department of Health and Human Services must jointly establish an intergovernmental working group to assist with the administration of these programs, including the development of the application process. The bill also excludes discharged student loan debt under these programs from an individual's gross income.

"Six Triple Eight" Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2021 This bill provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to the women of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion (commonly known as the Six Triple Eight) in recognition of their pioneering military service, devotion to duty, and contributions to increase the morale of personnel stationed in the European theater of operations during World War II.

Big Oil Windfall Profits Tax Act This bill imposes an excise tax on the windfall profits of crude oil on taxpayers who extracted and imported more than 300,000 barrels (a barrel equals 42 U.S. gallons) of taxable crude oil (i.e., crude oil, crude oil condensates, and natural gasoline) in 2019, or who extracted and imported that amount in the current calendar quarter. The bill requires rebates of the tax collected to be paid to individual taxpayers. The bill establishes the Protect Consumers from Gas Hikes Fund to finance such rebates.

Housing for All Act of 2022 This bill modifies existing, and creates new, grants and programs concerning affordable housing and homelessness. In particular, the bill authorizes federal funding of the Housing Trust Fund, which supports affordable housing activities. Currently, contributions to the fund come from the earnings of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Additionally, the bill (1) expands eligibility for housing choice vouchers, which provide rental assistance to low-income individuals; and (2) entitles certain individuals to the vouchers. Other matters addressed in the bill include permanently authorizing the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (which terminates on October 1, 2028) and modifying existing programs that support housing for the elderly, individuals with disabilities, and individuals experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. The bill also creates various housing-related grant programs to, for example, support overnight parking for individuals who live in vehicles and no-cost legal assistance with evictions for low-income individuals. The bill also incorporates housing into certain transportation grants and programs.

Maddy summaryThis bill would change SNAP (supplemental nutrition assistance program) eligibility rules by excluding basic allowance for housing payments from income calculations. It specifically targets housing allowances paid to active-duty members of the uniformed services under federal law (Section 403 of Title 37). The amendment adds a new exclusion to the Food and Nutrition Act, meaning these housing payments no longer count toward income limits for SNAP benefits. This directly affects military service members receiving this housing allowance when applying for or maintaining SNAP eligibility.

This resolution designates March 2022 as National Women's History Month. The resolution also recognizes the celebration of such month as a time to reflect on the contributions that women have made to the United States.