Afghan Adjustment Act This bill expands eligibility for special immigrant visas to certain Afghan nationals (and accompanying spouse and children) and addresses related issues. The Department of Homeland Security may provide such visas to Afghan nationals who provided qualifying service as a member of the Afghan Air Force or other specified entities and meet eligibility requirements, such as passing a background check. Currently, special immigrant visas for Afghan nationals are generally only available to those who were employed by or on behalf of the U.S. government in Afghanistan. Such visas shall also be available to an Afghan national who is a qualifying relative of a veteran or member of the U.S. Armed Forces. The bill also modifies procedures for providing lawful permanent resident status to certain classes of Afghan nationals, such as by (1) providing a streamlined process with specified vetting requirements for certain individuals, including those who provided support to the U.S. government in Afghanistan; and (2) preserving the eligibility of certain battered spouses whose eligibility for such status stemmed from a marriage that has terminated. Furthermore, the Department of State (1) must respond to inquiries from Members of Congress about specific applications from Afghan nationals seeking special immigrant or refugee status; and (2) establish an office in Afghanistan to perform certain tasks, such as issuing visas, if no U.S. embassies are operational in Afghanistan. The President must establish a task force to develop and implement a strategy to assist Afghan nationals who qualify for admission to the United States.
Trafficking Survivors Relief Act of 2022 This bill establishes a process to vacate convictions and expunge arrest records for certain criminal offenses committed by victims of human trafficking that directly result from or relate to having been a trafficking victim. It defines the offenses eligible to be vacated or expunged and sets forth procedures for filing a motion. The bill directs the Government Accountability Office to assess the impact of this process, including the number of human trafficking survivors who file motions to vacate convictions or expunge records. The bill permits certain grants for legal representation to be used to seek post-conviction relief. Finally, the bill establishes a rebuttable presumption that certain offenses were induced by duress if the defendant establishes by clear and convincing evidence that he or she was a victim of human trafficking at the time of the offense.
HR 8563, the Sunset Act of 2022, requires most federal agency rules to automatically expire 10 years after issuance unless Congress passes a specific extension. Agencies must submit reports to Congress 180 days before expiration and identify rules for annual review, with 10% of rules reviewed each year for 9 years. Congress can extend rules only through a joint resolution introduced within 3 days of receiving the agency report, requiring bipartisan leadership sponsorship. This law directly affects federal agencies (who create rules) and Congress (who must vote on extensions), changing how long regulations remain in effect without renewal.
Public Land Search and Rescue Act of 2022 This bill directs the Department of Justice (DOJ) to establish a program to allocate resources to remote search and rescue activities conducted on lands under the jurisdiction of the Department of Agriculture or the Department of the Interior. DOJ may award a grant under the program to a state or a political subdivision to (1) purchase equipment and gear necessary for remote search and rescue activities, (2) reimburse such an eligible recipient for the cost of maintenance and repair of remote search and rescue equipment owned or leased by the recipient, and (3) reimburse state and local agencies responsible for remote search and rescue activities. DOJ must prioritize an application from an eligible recipient who serves an area with a high ratio of visitors to residents. The federal share of assistance under the program shall be 75% of the cost of an eligible project.
Justice for American Victims Of Terrorism Act of 2022 This bill requires certain funds seized from Da Afghanistan Bank pursuant to a February 11, 2022, executive order to be transferred to the U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund, which provides compensation to certain U.S. persons injured in acts of international state-sponsored terrorism.
Supporting Opportunities to Build Everyday Responsibility Act of 2022 or the SOBER Act of 2022 This bill directs the Department of Justice to establish a grant program to provide funding for 24-7 sobriety programs. It also directs the National Institute of Justice to evaluate the policies and procedures used by grant recipients to reduce crime, recidivism, and incarceration attributed to use of alcohol or controlled substances.
Protect Minors from Medical Malpractice Act of 2022 This bill makes a medical practitioner who performs a gender-transition procedure on an individual who is less than 18 years of age liable for any physical, psychological, emotional, or physiological harms from the procedure for 30 years after the individual turns 18. Additionally, if a state requires medical practitioners to perform gender-transition procedures, that state shall be ineligible for federal funding from the Department of Health and Human Services. Gender-transition procedures generally include certain surgeries or hormone therapies that change the body of an individual to correspond to a sex that is discordant with the individual's biological sex. They exclude, however, interventions to treat (1) individuals who either have ambiguous external biological sex characteristics or lack a normal sex chromosome structure, sex steroid hormone production, or sex steroid hormone action; (2) infections, injuries, diseases, or disorders caused by a gender-transition procedure; or (3) a physical disorder, injury, or illness that places an individual in imminent danger of death or impairment of a major bodily function.
Oligarch Assets for Ukrainian Victory Act of 2022 This bill authorizes the Department of Justice to transfer to the Department of State the proceeds of property that was seized pursuant to sanctions imposed on individuals and entities involved with certain Russian government activities (e.g., malicious cyber activities and interference in U.S. elections), to be used to provide assistance to Ukraine to remediate harms caused by Russian aggression towards Ukraine.
Right to Trial Act This bill addresses the constitutional right to a jury trial, including by (1) outlining additional factors that a court shall consider when imposing a sentence, and (2) authorizing a court to impose a sentence below the mandatory minimum.
Eliminating Limits to Justice for Child Sex Abuse Victims Act of 2022 This bill eliminates the statute of limitations for a minor victim of a human trafficking offense or federal sex offense to file a civil action to recover damages.
Secure Every School and Protect Our Nation’s Children Act or the STOP II Act This bill reauthorizes and supports various grants to enhance school safety and security initiatives. It also provides statutory authority for the federal clearinghouse of school safety resources. (The clearinghouse identifies and publishes best practices and recommendations for school safety for use by state and local educational and law enforcement agencies, institutions of higher education, health professionals, and the public.)
Leaker Accountability Act of 2022 This bill establishes a new federal crime for the unauthorized disclosure of confidential information by officers or employees of the Supreme Court. Specifically, the bill prohibits an officer or employee of the Supreme Court from knowingly publishing, divulging, disclosing, or making known in any manner or to any extent not authorized by law any confidential information coming to that officer or employee in the course of the employment or official duties of that officer or employee. A violation is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to five years, or both.
