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.
Sponsored bills
Elizabeth Dole Home and Community Based Services for Veterans and Caregivers Act of 2022 or the Elizabeth Dole Home Care Act This bill addresses home care and caregiver programs for veterans.
Sunshine Protection Act of 2021 This bill makes daylight saving time the new, permanent standard time, effective November 5, 2023. States with areas exempt from daylight saving time may choose the standard time for those areas.
Prepare for and Respond to Existing Viruses, Emerging New Threats, and Pandemics Act or the PREVENT Pandemics Act This bill sets out programs and activities primarily to address public health preparedness and response. Specifically, the bill establishes a legislative task force to investigate the COVID-19 pandemic and a White House office to advise on pandemic preparedness and response. It also revises authorities, programs, and other aspects of the Department of Health and Human Services and associated agencies to support preparedness and response activities at all levels of government. Other matters addressed in the bill include grants related to health disparities and for centers for public health preparedness; collection and dissemination of public health data (e.g., genomic sequencing of pathogens); workforce programs for public health and related fields; the safety and availability of the blood supply; research concerning viruses and other pathogens with pandemic potential, vaccines and other medical countermeasures, and the long-term health effects of COVID-19; biosafety and security related to biological agents and toxins; national security, privacy and information security, and foreign influence in biomedical research; the administration of the Strategic National Stockpile; and domestic manufacturing of medical countermeasures. The bill also modifies the regulation of medical products with a particular focus on expediting the development and approval of medical countermeasures. Additional areas of focus include strengthening medical product supply chains and supporting innovation in, for example, clinical trial designs.
"Six Triple Eight" Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2021 This bill provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to the women of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion (commonly known as the Six Triple Eight) in recognition of their pioneering military service, devotion to duty, and contributions to increase the morale of personnel stationed in the European theater of operations during World War II.
Advanced Research Project Authority for Health Act or the ARPA-H Act This bill establishes within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) the Advanced Research Projects Authority for Health to accelerate innovation in health and medicine by investing in high-risk, high-reward research projects. The bill also establishes an interagency advisory committee to inform the authority's activities. The authority director shall be appointed by the President and report to the NIH director. The authority director must, among other duties, designate personnel to serve as program managers who select projects to support, make recommendations about terminating or continuing projects, and otherwise administer authority programs. The authority may use a variety of mechanisms to support the research projects, including grants, contracts, and prize competitions. To receive funding, an applicant must demonstrate sufficient, unsuccessful attempts to secure private funding for its project and other criteria. Furthermore, the authority's budget is separate from the NIH budget. In addition, the authority must (1) develop and periodically update a strategic plan, (2) annually report on its activities, and (3) seek to contract with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to evaluate the authority's performance. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may meet with the authority and other federal partners to discuss actions to facilitate the development of medical projects and products prioritized by the authority. The authority must reimburse the FDA for the costs associated with supporting authority activities. The bill also requires the Government Accountability Office to report on issues related to the authority's hiring and staffing.
Maddy summaryThis bill would change SNAP (supplemental nutrition assistance program) eligibility rules by excluding basic allowance for housing payments from income calculations. It specifically targets housing allowances paid to active-duty members of the uniformed services under federal law (Section 403 of Title 37). The amendment adds a new exclusion to the Food and Nutrition Act, meaning these housing payments no longer count toward income limits for SNAP benefits. This directly affects military service members receiving this housing allowance when applying for or maintaining SNAP eligibility.
This resolution designates March 2022 as National Women's History Month. The resolution also recognizes the celebration of such month as a time to reflect on the contributions that women have made to the United States.
This resolution condemns violence and threats of violence against historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and reaffirms the federal government's commitment to combating violence against HBCU students, faculty, and staff.
Job Protection Act This bill reduces from 12 months to 90 days the employment period required for employees (including federal employees) to become eligible for family and medical leave. Additionally, the bill makes the family and medical leave requirements applicable to all employers (currently, the requirements apply to employers with 50 or more employees).