This resolution recognizes November 2022 as National Native American Heritage Month and the Friday after Thanksgiving as Native American Heritage Day.
Maddy summarySRES 838 is a non-binding Senate resolution expressing concern about the increasing number of book bans in schools and libraries across the U.S. It highlights that over 2,500 book restrictions affected more than 4 million students in 32 states during the 2021-2022 school year, including bans on titles addressing LGBTQ+ themes, racial history, and diverse perspectives (such as *The Handmaid’s Tale* and *Maus*). The resolution reaffirms the importance of free expression under the First Amendment and calls on schools and libraries to follow established guidelines when addressing book challenges, rather than removing materials based on political or ideological preferences. It emphasizes protecting students’ access to diverse viewpoints and educators’ ability to teach without censorship.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication Centers to Establish National Training Act or the AACCENT Act This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to award three grants in geographically diverse regions to establish a network of resource centers to improve access to tools, technologies, strategies, training, and other methods used to supplement or replace speech (i.e., augmentative and alternative communication) for individuals with significant expressive communication disabilities. These are communication disabilities (other than communication disabilities that are primarily visual or auditory in nature) that prevent or significantly limit an individual from understanding or being understood using spoken words, resulting in the need for or benefit from augmentative and alternative communication.
Communications, Video, and Technology Accessibility Act of 2022 This bill expands, and establishes new, requirements to increase the accessibility of communications technologies for individuals who are blind or deaf or have other disabilities, including by requiring closed captioning for online video programming and audio descriptions for both online and televised video programming.
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.
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.
This resolution expresses support for the designation of Bat Week and acknowledges the important role bats play as pollinators and pest control for agriculture.
Empowering and Enforcing Environmental Justice Act of 2022 This bill provides statutory authority for the Department of Justice's Office of Environmental Justice. It also establishes grants to improve the capacity of state, local, and tribal governments to enforce environmental laws involving environmental justice matters.
This resolution recognizes Filipino American History Month in October 2022 as a testament to the advancement of Filipino Americans and a time to renew efforts toward researching and examining the history of Filipino Americans to give all people of the United States an opportunity to learn about their contributions.
