Sen. Amy Klobuchar

Register America to Vote Act of 2022 This bill provides for the automatic registration of eligible voters. Specifically, the bill directs each state that has a voter registration requirement for federal elections to automatically register eligible individuals when they turn 18 years of age. The bill also provides for the automatic registration of individuals through state motor vehicle authorities. Individuals must be provided with an opportunity to opt out of automatic voter registration. The Election Assistance Commission must make grants to states to implement these automatic voter registration programs.

Affordability is Access Act This bill establishes several requirements relating to health insurance coverage of, and access to, over-the-counter contraceptives. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Labor, and the Department of the Treasury to specify that private health insurance plans must cover over-the-counter contraceptives that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), even without a prescription. Under current law, private health insurance plans (with some exceptions) must cover FDA-approved prescription contraceptives, without cost-sharing requirements. The bill also prohibits retailers from interfering with an individual's access to oral contraceptives that are meant for routine, daily use and are FDA-approved for use without a prescription.

Credit Union Board Modernization Act This bill revises the frequency of meetings required to be held by a credit union's board of directors. Specifically, the bill requires monthly meetings for new credit unions during their first five years and for credit unions with a low soundness rating. All other credit unions must hold at least six meetings annually, with at least one meeting held during each fiscal quarter. Currently, all credit union boards must meet at least once a month.

Augmenting Compatibility and Competition by Enabling Service Switching Act of 2022 or the ACCESS Act of 20 22 This bill requires large communications platform providers with more than 100 million monthly users (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.) to establish interfaces (e.g., application programming interfaces [APIs]) that make user data portable and services interoperable. These interfaces must be made available for users and competitor platforms to access and transfer such user data. Competitors accessing user data through an interface must keep the data reasonably secure and may not use it for commercial purposes. Users also may designate third parties that meet certain requirements, including registering with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), to manage their user data. A communications platform may place reasonable limits on competitors' access to its interoperability interface. The bill further requires the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop model technical standards for implementing platform interoperability.

Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Reauthorization Act of 2022 This bill reauthorizes through FY2027 and expands swimming pool safety grants and education and awareness programs.

COPS on the Beat Grant Program Parity Act of 2022 This bill makes changes to the Community Oriented Policing Services grant program. Among the changes, the bill reduces the required matching contribution for certain rural communities during the first three years of a grant and eliminates the preference for agencies that exceed the matching requirements; allows grant funds to be used to increase wages of career law enforcement officers in states or localities that have a median household income of less than 70% of the national median household income and qualify for a reduced matching contribution; and provides statutory authority for the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services within the Department of Justice. Additionally, the bill requires the Government Accountability Office to report on whether law enforcement workforces are representative of the communities they serve, the percentage of law enforcement officers who live in the community they serve, the average pay of officers compared to the cost of living in the community they serve, and recommendations for improvements.

Maddy summaryThe National Guard Promotion Improvement Act of 2022 addresses delays in federal approval of promotions for reserve officers in the Army and Air National Guard. It requires the Department of Defense to conduct a study on improving the promotion recognition process, including exploring technology solutions and best practices from state guards. The bill also mandates backdating promotions for officers affected by delays exceeding 60 days (not caused by the officer), adjusting the effective date to no later than 60 days after the National Guard Bureau received the promotion. Additionally, it establishes annual reporting to Congress on promotion delay metrics and progress toward reducing delays below 60 days.

Age 21 Act This bill raises the minimum age to purchase a large capacity ammunition feeding device or semiautomatic assault weapon from 18 to 21 years of age.

Teaching Asian Pacific American History Act This bill requires entities (e.g., institutions of higher education, libraries, and museums), in order to be eligible for certain grants administered by the Department of Education (ED), to include Asian Pacific American history in their teaching of American history. It also requires Asian Pacific American history to be included in tests administered by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Specifically, the bill mandates the inclusion of Asian Pacific American history as a required component of American history for such entities to be eligible for American History and Civics Academies' competitive grants. These grants support the establishment of (1) Presidential Academies for Teachers of American History and Civics, which offer workshops to teachers of American history and civics to strengthen their knowledge and prepare them to teach in these subjects; and (2) Congressional Academies for Students of American History and Civics, which support high school students in developing an understanding of these subjects. (Currently, Asian Pacific American history is not a required component of American history for either academy.) In addition, ED must give priority to grant applicants that align their activities with programs and resources of the Smithsonian Institution's Asian Pacific American Center. The bill also requires the inclusion of Asian Pacific American history in tests administered by the NAEP, which measures student academic achievement in various subjects.

Competition and Transparency in Digital Advertising Act This bill limits certain large digital advertising companies from owning multiple types of advertising exchanges or brokerages and imposes certain duties with respect to the interests of the customers of such brokerages. Advertising exchanges and brokerages generally facilitate advertisers and publishers in buying and selling advertising inventory through an automated bidding process. Specifically, companies with more than $20 billion in annual digital advertising revenue are prohibited from owning more than one type of service within the digital advertising marketplace. For example, a company, such as Google, may not own a digital advertising exchange and provide software that assists publishers of online advertisements in selling advertising space on their websites. Additionally, companies with more than $5 billion in annual digital advertising revenue that provide brokerage services to buyers or sellers of digital advertisements must act in the best interest of their brokerage customers. The bill also establishes transparency and privacy requirements for such brokerages. The bill provides for enforcement of these requirements by the Department of Justice, state attorneys general, and private right of action.