Protect Camp Lejeune Victims Ensnared by Trial-lawyer's Scams Act or the Protect Camp Lejeune VETS Act This bill limits attorney's fees for claims involving individuals who were exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987.
This bill prohibits the Department of the Interior from requiring a drilling permit under the Mineral Leasing Act for an action occurring within an oil and gas drilling or spacing unit, if (1) less than 50% of the minerals within the unit are federally owned, and (2) the federal government neither owns nor leases the surface estate within the unit's boundaries.
Reinvesting In Shoreline Economies and Ecosystems Act of 2022 or the RISEE Act of 2022 This bill expands the amount of revenue generated from leases for energy development on federal land or submerged lands in the Outer Continental Shelf that is shared with certain states and coastal communities. For example, the bill dedicates a percentage of the revenue generated from offshore wind leases for coastal states. Currently, this revenue is deposited in the U.S. Treasury. In addition, the bill increases the amount of revenue generated from offshore oil and gas leases that is shared with states under the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act. States must use the funding from the revenue for specified purposes, such as coastal restoration, conservation, or infrastructure.
Maddy summarySenate Joint Resolution 63 (SJRES 63) proposes to terminate the national emergency declared by President Trump on March 13, 2020, under Proclamation 9994. If enacted, it would end the legal status of this emergency, removing the basis for federal agencies to use emergency powers during the pandemic. This resolution does not change existing laws but formally ends the emergency declaration under the National Emergencies Act. It directly affects federal agencies and programs operating under the emergency authority, such as those waiving regulations or accessing emergency funds.
IRS Funding Accountability Act This bill delays for a 60-day period funding for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) enforcement activities enacted by the Inflation Reduction Act (except for eliminating return processing backlogs and reducing call wait times) until an annual spending plan for such activities is submitted to the congressional tax and appropriation committees. Congress may enact a joint resolution of disapproval of the spending plan before the end of the 60-day period requiring the IRS to submit a new spending plan. The IRS and the Department of the Treasury must make quarterly reports to the committees on expenditures for enforcement activities. The bill requires reductions in appropriations to the IRS for any failure to submit required reports.
Maddy summaryThis resolution designates October 26, 2022, as "Day of the Deployed" to honor currently deployed U.S. military personnel and their families. It serves as a ceremonial recognition of service members' sacrifices, particularly those deployed since the 9/11 attacks and in recent operations like Eastern Europe in early 2022. The resolution calls on the public to reflect on military service and observe the day with appropriate activities. As a procedural resolution (not a policy bill), it does not create new laws or alter existing programs. This designation continues an annual tradition established by the Senate since 2011.
This bill addresses consultation after approval of certain land and resource management plans and land use plans. Specifically, the bill provides that the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management shall not be required to reinitiate consultation under the Endangered Species Act on a completed land resource management plan or a completed land use plan that has no on-the-ground effects when a new species is listed or a new critical habitat is designated under that act, or new information reveals effects of such plan that may affect a species listed or critical habitat designated under that act in a manner or to an extent not previously considered.
Arrest Murderers not Ministers Act This bill specifies that in order for the federal government to prosecute individuals for violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (which prohibits forceful or threats of forceful interference with an individual's access to reproductive health services or exercise of religious freedom), the violation must involve intentional physical injuries or damage. Any funds that would have been used for prosecutions that are prohibited under the bill must be used to prosecute individuals who commit violent crimes or other specified offenses.
Sun River Hydropower Authorization Act This bill authorizes the Bureau of Reclamation to construct, operate, and maintain facilities (e.g., dams) in the Sun River project in Montana for hydroelectric power generation.
Maddy summarySRES 811 is a ceremonial Senate resolution designating October 2-8, 2022, as "Religious Education Week" to celebrate the role of religious education in the U.S. It does not create new laws or policies but affirms the importance of religious education for moral and civic development. The resolution references historical figures, Supreme Court cases supporting religious instruction options, and studies linking religious education to youth well-being. It urges states to accommodate religious education programs, such as school release time for religious classes, but this is a non-binding recommendation. As a resolution, it has no legal effect and solely serves to recognize religious education's contributions.
