Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse

First Three Act of 2022 This bill requires the Department of Energy to establish a program to provide grants or loan guarantees for certain innovative technology projects at industrial plants. The technology must (1) be technically viable at pilot scale and ready for commercial-scale implementation, (2) be able to significantly reduce energy use or greenhouse gas emissions, and (3) have the potential to significantly reduce annual U.S. industrial energy use or greenhouse gas emissions if the technology is widely implemented at appropriate industrial plants in the United States.

This resolution congratulates the people of Greece as they celebrate the 201st anniversary of Greece's independence. The resolution also expresses support for the principles of democratic governance to which the people of the United States and Greece are committed.

This resolution designates the first week of April 2022 as National Asbestos Awareness Week. It also urges the Surgeon General to warn and educate people about asbestos exposure, which may be hazardous to their health.

Gas Price Gouging Prevention Act This bill prohibits any person from selling, during a proclaimed international crisis affecting the oil markets, gasoline at a price that (1) is unconscionably excessive, and (2) indicates that the seller is taking unfair advantage of the crisis to increase prices unreasonably. The President may issue a proclamation of such a crisis that specifies the geographic area covered and how long the proclamation applies. The bill provides for enforcement by the Federal Trade Commission and imposes enhanced civil penalties and criminal fines. It also authorizes state attorneys general to bring a civil action to enforce the prohibitions of this bill.

Military Spouse Hiring Act This bill expands the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) to include the hiring of a qualified military spouse. (The WOTC permits employers who hire individuals who are members of a targeted group such as qualified veterans, ex-felons, or long-term unemployment recipients to claim a tax credit equal to a portion of the wages paid to those individuals.) A qualified military spouse is any individual who is certified by the designated local agency as being (as of the hiring date) a spouse of a member of the Armed Forces.

Future of Water Act of 2022 This bill prohibits the trading of futures contracts in water or water rights. A futures contract is an agreement to buy or sell a commodity or financial instrument at a set price at a specific time.

Ocean Regional Opportunity and Innovation Act of 2022 This bill directs the Department of Commerce to designate at least seven entities as Ocean Innovation Clusters. Ocean Innovation Clusters are hubs of operation and entrepreneurship for private, public, and academic stakeholders to collaborate on opportunities to promote and enhance the maritime industry. In designating entities, Commerce shall prioritize entities with a history of supporting cross-sector growth and development of the Blue Economy. Additionally, Commerce must designate at least one Ocean Innovation Cluster in (1) each of the regions covered by the five regional offices of the National Marine Fisheries Service, (2) the Great Lakes region, and (3) the Gulf of Mexico region. Commerce may award competitive grants for the establishment, operation, and administration of Ocean Innovation Clusters.

Secure E-Waste Export and Recycling Act This bill prohibits the export or reexport of electronic waste, such as computers, televisions, and consumer electronics, subject to certain exemptions (e.g., items that meet specific criteria designed to ensure they do not become the source of counterfeit products).

Connecting Hard-to-reach Areas with Renewably Generated Energy Act of 2022 or the CHARGE Act of 2022 This bill modifies planning, transparency, cost allocation and pricing, interconnections, and other aspects of the regulation and operation of transmission networks with a particular focus on improving the resiliency of the electric grid and integrating renewable energy sources into the grid. It also provides funding for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to implement specified provisions of the bill.

Prohibiting Anticompetitive Mergers Act of 2022 This bill prohibits certain business mergers, modifies the procedures for reviewing mergers, and establishes procedures for reversing certain mergers. Specifically, the bill prohibits mergers that (1) are valued at more than $5 billion in total assets, (2) result in the acquiring entity having a market share of greater than 33% (or a share of a labor market as an employer of greater than 25%), or (3) result in market concentration levels that exceed specified thresholds. The bill also expands the authority of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to review pending mergers, including whether a merger is likely to harm the competitive process and the effect of a merger on relevant labor markets. Finally, the bill authorizes the FTC and the Antitrust Division of the DOJ to retroactively unwind mergers that are prohibited under the bill or that meet certain other anticompetitive criteria such as a merger that results in a greater than 50% share of a relevant market.