Sen. Amy Klobuchar

Equal Access to Contraception for Veterans Act This bill prohibits the Department of Veterans Affairs from requiring payment from a veteran for any contraceptive item that is required to be covered by health insurance plans without a cost-sharing requirement.

Invest to Protect Act of 2022 This bill directs the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services within the Department of Justice to award grants to local and tribal governments that employ fewer than 200 law enforcement officers. Grant funds may be used for various activities, including to provide de-escalation training and improve recruitment and retention.

Recovering America’s Wildlife Act of 2022 This bill provides financial and technical assistance to states, territories, and the District of Columbia for the purposes of (1) recovering species listed as a threatened or endangered species under the Endangered Species Act or under state law, or (2) avoiding the need to list species under such laws. For example, the bill establishes the Endangered Species Recovery and Habitat Conservation Legacy Fund. A portion of the fund must be used to establish an Endangered Species Recovery Grant Program. It also provides funding for (1) the conservation or restoration of wildlife and plant species of greatest conservation need; (2) the wildlife conservation strategies of states, territories, or the District of Columbia; and (3) wildlife conservation education and recreation projects. The Department of the Interior must use a portion of the funding for a grant program. The grants must be used for innovative recovery efforts for species of greatest conservation need, species listed as endangered or threatened species, or the habitats of such species. In addition, the bill requires certain revenues generated from fees and penalties for violations of environmental requirements to be used as a source for the funding.

This bill allows funds under the Community Oriented Policing Services grant program to be used to provide training to officers and recruits who agree to serve in law enforcement agencies in their communities.

Volunteer Driver Tax Parity Act of 2022 This bill increases the rate of the tax deduction for the charitable use of a passenger automobile to equal the standard business rate (i.e., 58.5 cents per mile in the first half of 2022, then 62.5 cents per mile for the rest of that year) for taxable years beginning after 2021 and before 2024. It then provides for a permanent 24 cents per mile rate, adjusted annually for inflation, for taxable years beginning after 2023.

This resolution designates the month of July 2022 as Muslim-American Heritage Month. The resolution also recognizes the need for public education, awareness, and policies that are culturally competent when describing, discussing, or addressing the impacts of being Muslim American in all aspects of the society of the United States, including in discourse and policy. Finally, the resolution also honors the contributions and integral role of Muslim Americans in the economy, culture, and identity of the United States.

Mental Health Workforce and Language Access Act of 2022 This bill establishes within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) two demonstration programs to increase access to mental health services provided in languages other than English at federally qualified health centers (FQHCs). In carrying out the programs, HHS must give preference to FQHCs at which at least 20% of the patients are best served in a language other than English. First, HHS must provide National Health Service Corps (NHSC) loan repayments to mental health care providers who agree to serve their period of obligated service in an FQHC. Additionally, HHS must provide enhanced payments to those who serve in an FQHC with non-English language needs. (The NHSC is a scholarship and student loan repayment program for eligible health care providers who agree to work in areas with a shortage of primary care, dental care, and mental health care providers.) Second, HHS must award grants to FQHCs for recruiting and retaining mental health care providers who are fluent in a language other than English.

Net Neutrality and Broadband Justice Act of 2022 This bill expressly classifies broadband internet as a telecommunications service rather than an information service for purposes of regulation by the Federal Communications Commission. (Current law treats providers of telecommunications services as common carriers and subjects them to more stringent requirements.)

Digital Citizenship and Media Literacy Act This bill directs the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to award grants to state and local educational agencies, public libraries, and qualified nonprofit organizations to develop and promote media literacy and digital citizenship education for elementary and secondary school students. Media literacy includes the ability to access relevant information, analyze media content, evaluate the accuracy of information, and make educated decisions based on information obtained from media and digital sources. Digital citizenship includes the ability to safely, responsibly, and ethically use communication technologies and to participate in the political, economic, social, and cultural aspects of life related to technology and the digital world.

Global Food Security Reauthorization Act of 2022 This bill reauthorizes through FY2028 activities to implement the Global Food Security Strategy, a whole-of-government strategy to promote global food security, resilience, and nutrition. The bill also modifies aspects of the strategy, such as requiring the strategy to seek to improve the efficiency and resilience of agricultural production. The bill also reauthorizes through FY2028 activities related to the Emergency Food Security Program, an international market-based assistance program.