Sen. Elizabeth Warren

This resolution urges the Brazilian government to ensure that the October 2022 elections are conducted in a free, fair, credible, transparent, and peaceful manner that enables all citizens of Brazil to exercise the right to vote. The resolution call for the U.S. government to immediately recognize the outcome of the election in Brazil, if that election is determined by international observers and organizations to have been free and fair.

Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929 This bill expands eligibility for a program that authorizes the Department of Homeland Security to, at its discretion, provide lawful permanent resident status to certain long-term residents of the United States, including individuals who are unlawfully present. Currently, this program, sometimes referred to as the Registry program, is only available to eligible non-U.S. nationals ( aliens under federal law) who entered the United States before January 1, 1972. The bill removes this entry cutoff date and opens up the program to eligible individuals who have resided in the United States for at least seven years. Existing requirements (e.g., the individual must not be inadmissible or deportable due to certain grounds related to crime or terrorism) continue to apply.

Websites and Software Applications Accessibility Act This bill requires employers, public entities, and public accommodations that provide goods or services through a website or online application to make those websites and applications accessible to individuals with disabilities. The requirement applies even if the good or service is offered only digitally. The Department of Justice (DOJ) must issue standards of accessibility for applicable entities to meet this requirement. The bill provides for enforcement by DOJ, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and individual civil action. It also establishes various review and reporting requirements.

Vote Without Fear Act This bill establishes new federal criminal offenses for possessing a firearm or causing a firearm to be present in or within 100 yards of a federal election site.

Consumer Bankruptcy Reform Act of 2022 This bill generally revises consumer bankruptcy law by establishing a new Chapter 10 for individual debtors with not more than $7.5 million in debt. The bill eliminates the ability of individual debtors to file for bankruptcy under Chapter 7 liquidation bankruptcy and repeals Chapter 13, which requires individual debtors to comply with a repayment plan to receive a discharge of debt. Under Chapter 10, debtors may receive a discharge of debt through making minimum payment obligations based on the debtor's assets and income which may result in immediate discharge for individuals with no minimum payment obligation. The bill also provides for residential protections for debtors and revises what type of debt is dischargeable in bankruptcy. An individual may obtain a discharge under Chapter 10 once every six years. Individuals may seek limited bankruptcy proceedings on certain debts, such as a home mortgage. The bill also establishes consumer bankruptcy protections, including by creating a Consumer Bankruptcy Ombuds at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Puerto Rico Nutrition Assistance Fairness Act of 2022 This bill sets out a process to enable Puerto Rico to participate as a state in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Under current law, a state receives SNAP funding based on the number of participating households in the state whereas Puerto Rico receives a block grant to fund its nutrition assistance program. The bill requires Puerto Rico to submit to the Department of Agriculture (USDA) a plan of operation to transition away from the consolidated block grant program to SNAP. USDA must provide appropriate training and technical assistance to enable Puerto Rico to formulate such plan.

Maddy summaryThis Senate resolution (SRES 794) officially designates the week of September 26-30, 2022, as "National Clean Energy Week." It does not create new laws or affect specific people or groups; instead, it symbolically recognizes the importance of clean energy. The resolution encourages Americans, businesses, and governments to support clean energy solutions and invest in affordable, low-emission technologies. It highlights clean energy’s role in job creation and economic growth but contains no binding requirements or policy changes.

Payments Modernization Act of 2022 This bill requires the Federal Reserve Board to create a real-time payment system that allows funds to be available to any end user immediately at any time, including funds deposited at a depository institution.

Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections Act of 2022 or the DISCLOSE Act of 2022 This bill addresses campaign finance, including by expanding the prohibition on campaign spending by foreign nationals, requiring additional disclosures of campaign expenditures, and requiring additional disclosures regarding certain political advertisements. Specifically, the bill expands existing foreign money prohibitions to include disbursements for paid web-based or digital communications and federal judicial nomination communications. It also prohibits foreign nationals from contributing to campaigns related to ballot initiatives and referenda. The Government Accountability Office must, for each four-year election cycle, study and report on the incidence of illicit foreign money in federal elections. Next, the bill makes it unlawful to establish or use a corporation, company, or other entity with the intent to conceal an election contribution or donation by a foreign national. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to five years, or both. Covered organizations (e.g., corporations, labor organizations, and political organizations) must, within 24 hours, file reports with the Federal Election Commission to disclose campaign expenditures of more than $10,000 during an election cycle. The bill also requires organizations to provide additional disclosures regarding political advertisements, including the donors who contributed the most money to that organization in the last year.

This resolution recognizes (1) the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15-October 15, 2022; and (2) the integral role of Latinos and their manifold heritage in the economy, culture, and identity of the United States.