Sen. Jim Banks

Maddy summaryHRES 1216 is a non-binding House resolution expressing support for designating June as "Month of Life." It does not create new laws or programs but formally recognizes the value of human life from conception to birth, citing the Declaration of Independence, opposition to abortion access (including reference to the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade), and promoting life-affirming alternatives like adoption and pregnancy support services. The resolution encourages communities to provide resources for mothers and families during this observance. As a symbolic gesture, it directly affects House members who co-sponsored it but has no legal effect on policy or funding.

This resolution sets forth the rule for consideration of H.R. 1011 (Life at Conception Act), which declares that the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution is vested in each human being at all stages of life, including the moment of fertilization, cloning, or other moment at which an individual comes into being.

Ensuring Children Receive Support Act This bill requires the Department of State to revoke passports for certain individuals who fail to make child support payments. Under current law, if the Department of Health and Human Services certifies that an individual owes more than $2,500 in child support, the Department of State must refuse to issue the individual a passport and may revoke a previously issued passport. Under the bill, State must revoke the previously issued passport.

Empower Parents to Protect Their Kids Act of 2022 This bill prohibits an elementary or secondary school from receiving federal funds unless the school complies with specified requirements related to parental consent and student gender identity. Among other requirements, school employees may not withhold information from parents about a minor student's gender transition or gender identity. The Department of Justice or a parent or guardian may bring a civil action against a school for violations.

Political Bias In Algorithm Sorting Emails Act of 2022 or the Political BIAS Emails Act of 2022 This bill makes it unlawful for commercial email service providers to use a filtering algorithm to apply a label to an email sent to an email account from a political campaign unless the owner or user of the account took action to apply such label.

Hmong Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to the Hmong people in recognition of their highly distinguished service in the Vietnam War and the fight against communism.

This bill limits eligibility for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program to borrowers with adjusted gross incomes below a certain maximum threshold. Under the current PSLF program, the Department of Education must cancel the balance of interest and principal due on a borrower's Federal Direct Loans after the borrower makes 120 monthly loan payments while employed in a public service job and, at the time of loan forgiveness, the borrower is employed in a public service job. This bill specifies that, in order to count as a qualifying monthly loan payment under the PSLF program, the borrower must have an adjusted gross income that does not exceed $173,000.

This joint resolution prospectively nullifies the rule proposed by the Securities and Exchange Commission titled The Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors on April 11, 2022. The proposed rule requires registrants to disclose their climate-related risks.

Taiwan Weapons Exports Act of 2022 This bill directs the Department of Commerce to move Taiwan from Country Group A:6 to Country Group A:5 for the purposes of the Export Administration Regulations. (Generally, this reclassification allows Taiwan to acquire certain items and weapons systems subject to export controls on an expedited basis.)

China Social Media Reciprocity Act This bill authorizes the President to impose sanctions by requiring social media companies to block certain individuals and entities from using the company's social media services. The bill also requires the President to impose such sanctions on certain individuals and entities, including those that a social media company knows or should have known are (1) on the Office of Foreign Asset Control's list of specially designated nationals and blocked persons, (2) senior officials in China's government, or (3) agents or instrumentalities of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) or China's government. The President may waive such sanctions if the President certifies to Congress that the CCP and China's government have removed all prohibitions on U.S. government officials participating in social media platforms in China.