Sen. Richard J. Durbin

Responsive Energy Demand Unlocks Clean Energy Act This bill requires organizations that operate electric grid transmission facilities (e.g., Regional Transmission Organizations or Independent System Operators) to accept bids from certain aggregators, which procure power for groups of electricity customers participating in demand response programs. In demand response programs, end-use electricity customers are typically remunerated for voluntarily decreasing their short-term electrical consumption generally in response to compromised grid reliability or high wholesale electricity prices.

Stopping Abuse and Fraud in Electronic Lending Act of 2022 or the SAFE Lending Act of 2022 This bill revises requirements related to consumer financial protection and small-dollar lending, including matters concerning remotely created checks, electronic fund transfers, registration of small-dollar lenders, overdraft fees, and the collection of personal information. Under the bill, remotely created checks may only be issued by a person specifically designated in writing by a consumer and provided to the consumer's depository institution. (A remotely created check is a check not issued by the bank and not signed by the account owner.) A voluntary agreement to repay a small-dollar consumer credit transaction by an electronic fund transfer is subject to certain protections, including the right of the consumer to stop payment. Small-dollar consumer credit providers must register with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Any small-dollar consumer credit transaction is subject to the laws of the state in which the consumer resides. The bill also prohibits overdraft fees on prepaid accounts.

Data on Interactions and Accountability for Law Enforcement with Individuals with Disabilities Act This bill expands activities to collect data about interactions between law enforcement officers and individuals with disabilities. In particular, the bill establishes a temporary advisory council within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop a methodology for collecting and reporting data on interactions between law enforcement officers and individuals with disabilities. HHS must award a grant to an independent research organization or institution of higher education to test the validity and reliability of the council's methodology. The council must also provide the Department of Justice with best practices to collect disability status in cases where a death or injury occurred because of an interaction with law enforcement. The bill also requires certain federal initiatives that collect information about interactions with law enforcement (e.g., the National Use-of-Force Data Collection) to include disability status. Further, the Bureau of Justice must award a grant to an independent third-party organization (e.g., an institution of higher education) for identifying trends using certain survey data in violence committed by law enforcement officers against individuals with disabilities.

Prevent Exposure to Narcotics and Toxins Act of 2022 or the PREVENT ACT of 2022 This bill requires the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to make containment devices available to its officers, agents, and other personnel and to provide mandatory annual training on the use of containment devices to prevent potential exposure to synthetic opioids.

Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Program Act of 2022 This bill expands access to study abroad for U.S. undergraduate students. It revises the Increase and Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students program (commonly known as the IDEAS program) and formally renames the program as the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Program.

Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022 This bill revises the process of casting and counting electoral votes for presidential elections. The bill also revises provisions related to the presidential transition process. The bill specifies that the choice of electors must occur in accordance with the laws of the state enacted prior to election day. Additionally, the bill identifies each state's governor (unless otherwise identified in the laws or constitution of a state in effect on election day) as responsible for submitting the certificate of ascertainment identifying the state's electors. Further, the bill provides for expedited judicial review for any action brought by an aggrieved presidential or vice-presidential candidate arising under the U.S. Constitution or U.S. laws with respect to the issuance or transmission of such a certificate. The bill revises the framework for the joint session of Congress to count electoral votes and make a formal declaration of which candidates have been elected President and Vice President. Among other changes, the bill (1) specifies that the role of the Vice President during the joint session shall be ministerial in nature, and (2) raises the objection threshold in Congress to at least one-fifth of the duly chosen and sworn members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The bill also revises the presidential transition process, including to (1) allow more than one candidate to receive federal transition resources under certain circumstances, and (2) require additional reporting by the General Services Administration.

New Philadelphia National Historical Park Act This bill establishes the New Philadelphia National Historical Park in Illinois as a unit of the National Park System. The purposes of the park are to protect, preserve, and interpret the historic resources associated with the town of New Philadelphia, the first town in the United States planned and legally registered by a free African American before the Civil War. The park shall consist of the approximately 124.33 acres of land within the boundary generally identified on the map titled New Philadelphia National Historic Site Proposed Boundary and dated July 2021.

Artistic Recognition for Talented Students Act or the ARTS Act This act directs the Copyright Office to waive various copyright registration-related fees for works that win certain competitions sponsored by the Congressional Institute or established by Congress. To qualify for the fee waiver, the copyright registration application must be filed within a specified time frame, but the Copyright Office may waive fees for a qualifying work even if the application is filed outside the time frame.

Disclosing Foreign Influence in Lobbying Act This bill requires registered lobbyists to disclose any foreign countries or political parties that are involved in the direction, planning, supervision, or control of the lobbyist's activities.

United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Reauthorization Act of 2022 This act reauthorizes the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom through FY2024. The commission is an independent federal commission that monitors international religious freedom violations and makes policy recommendations.