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Weekly Legislative Update: July 18, 2022

Congressional Schedule: July 18-22, 2022 

Floor Action: 

The House and Senate are in session this week. 

Appropriations- On Tuesday, the House is scheduled to consider H.R. 8294, a “minibus” spending package that includes the FY2023 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies; Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies; Financial Services and General Government; and Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies appropriations bills, among others. 

Reproductive Health- Also on Tuesday, the House is scheduled to consider H.R. 8373, the Right to Contraception Act. 

Mark-Ups: 

International- On Tuesday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will consider several bills, including S. 4466, the Peace Corps Reauthorization Act of 2022, which contains provisions to address sexual assault in the Peace Corps; S. 552, the Global Learning Loss Assessment Act of 2021, which would address the impact of school closures on girls and other marginalized youth due to COVID-19 and global conflicts; S.4216, the North Korean Human Rights Reauthorization Act of 2022, which would address the legal status of North Korean women who marry or have children with Chinese citizens; H.R. 4693, the Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act of 2021, which includes provisions for pregnant and lactating women; and S. 3589, the Western Hemisphere Security Strategy Act of 2022, which includes provisions to address the safety and rights of women in the “Western Hemisphere Security Strategy.” 

Hearings: 

Abortion- On Tuesday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a hearing, “Roe Reversal: The Impacts of Taking Away the Constitutional Right to an Abortion.” 

Banking- On Tuesday, the House Financial Services Committee will hold a hearing, “Housing in America: Oversight of the Federal Housing Finance Agency.” The hearing will consider several bills, including Title IV of H.R. 5376, the Build Back Better Act, which would provide rental assistance for survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, and survivors of trafficking families; the Advancing Accountability and Transparency in Federal Home Lending Act (as-yet-unnumbered), which would require the members of a Federal Home Loan Bank to consider gender diversity when electing a member of the board of directors of the Bank; a bill to enhance minority and women inclusion at the Federal Housing Finance Agency (as-yet-unnumbered); and the Fair Appraisal and Inequity Reform (FAIR) Act of 2022 (as-yet-unnumbered), which would address gender diversity among appraisal vendors and contractors, among other provisions. 

Child Care- On Wednesday, the House Budget Committee will hold a hearing, “Examining the Powerful Impact of Investments in Early Childhood for Children, Families, and Our Nation’s Economy.”  

Small Business- On Tuesday, the House Small Business Committee will hold a hearing, “The SBA Office of International Trade and the STEP Program as Key Tools for Recovery and Expansion.” The State Trade Enhancement Program (STEP) provides grants to states to increase the number of exporting small businesses or proposals that assist women-owned and other socially or economically disadvantaged small businesses. 

On Wednesday, the House Small Business Subcommittee on Underserved, Agricultural, and Rural Business Development will hold a hearing, “SBA District Office Collaboration with Resource Partners,” which will review the relationship between the Small Business Administration (SBA) and its primary resource partners, including Women’s Business Centers (WBCs). 


Bills Introduced: July 11-15, 2022 

Abortion  

S. 4504—Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV)/Judiciary (7/12/22)—A bill to protect freedom of travel and reproductive rights. 

S. 4519—Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL)/Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (7/13/22)—A bill to prohibit the federal government from promoting, supporting, or contracting with abortion entities, or otherwise expanding access to abortions on federal lands or in federal facilities. 

S. Res. 705—Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)/Judiciary (7/13/22)—A resolution congratulating the pro-life movement on its historic victory in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization

H.R. 8354—Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA)/Energy and Commerce (7/13/22)—A bill to prohibit federal financial participation under Medicaid for non-emergency transportation provided to access services for which federal financial participation is prohibited. This bill would prohibit states from providing non-emergency medical transportation funds to transport individuals to receive an abortion.  

S. 4538—Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO)/Judiciary (7/14/22)—A bill to provide adequate penalties and remedies for attacks on facilities providing counseling about abortion alternatives and attacks on places of religious worship. 

S. 4539—Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA)/Judiciary (7/14/22)—A bill to designate June as the “Month of Life.” 

S. 4541—Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL)/Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (7/14/22)—A bill to require the secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to furnish tailored information to expecting mothers, and for other purposes. The bill would require the creation of a public HHS website that includes comprehensive information on alternatives to abortion. 

H.R. 8378—Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC)/Energy and Commerce (7/14/22)—A bill to prohibit the use of federal funds for travel expenses of any individual traveling across state lines for purposes of having an abortion, and for other purposes. 

H.R. 8384—Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC)/Energy and Commerce (7/14/22)—A bill to require the secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to furnish tailored information to expecting mothers, and for other purposes. The bill would require the creation of a public HHS website that includes comprehensive information on alternatives to abortion. 

H. Res. 1228—Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI)/Judiciary; Energy and Commerce (7/14/22)—A resolution expressing support for the Supreme Court’s decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization

Education 

H.R. 8364—Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ)/Education and Labor (7/13/22)—A bill to prohibit the secretary of Agriculture from establishing or enforcing certain requirements related to spaces reserved for biological males and biological females in schools that participate in the school meal programs, and for other purposes.  

Employment 

S. 4524—Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)/Judiciary (7/13/22)—A bill to limit the judicial enforceability of predispute nondisclosure and nondisparagement contract clauses relating to disputes involving sexual assault and sexual harassment.  

S. Res. 707—Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA)/Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (7/13/22)—A resolution commemorating the 57th anniversary of the establishment of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, recognizing the importance of the Commission in addressing inequities in our economy, and recognizing the tremendous amount of work left to further protect the rights of workers, hold employers accountable for workplace discrimination and harassment, and address the wage gap. 

H.R. 8388—Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY)/Education and Labor (7/14/22)—A bill to exclude child and dependent care services and payments from the rate used to compute overtime compensation. 

Family Support 

S. 4512—Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND)/Finance (7/13/22)—A bill to ensure that child support for unborn children is collected and distributed under the child support enforcement program, and for other purposes. 

H.R. 8362—Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA)/Ways and Means (7/13/22)—A bill to ensure that child support for unborn children is collected and distributed under the child support enforcement program, and for other purposes. 

Health 

H. Res. 1226—Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE)/Energy and Commerce (7/13/22)—A resolution expressing support for the designation of the week of July 19 through July 25, 2022, as “Black Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week,” and supporting the goals and ideals of raising awareness and understanding of maternal mental health conditions as they affect Black individuals. 

Human Trafficking 

H.R. 8356—Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX)/Judiciary (7/13/22)—A bill to address the treatment of minor children in the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008, and for other purposes. 

International 

S. Res. 709—Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS)/Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry (7/14/22)—A resolution expressing the commitment of the Senate to building on the 20 years of success of the George McGovern-Robert Dole Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program. 

Military

H.R. 8385—Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO)/Armed Services (7/14/22)—A bill to require the under secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness to conduct a study on the benefits of licensure reform for the hiring of military spouses.

Reproductive Health 

H.R. 8373—Rep. Kathy Manning (D-NC)/Energy and Commerce (7/14/22)—A bill to protect a person’s ability to access contraceptives and to engage in contraception, and to protect a health care provider’s ability to provide contraceptives, contraception, and information related to contraception. 

Tax Policy 

H.R. 8351—Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)/Ways and Means (7/13/22)—A bill to suspend temporarily rates of duty on imports of certain infant formula products, and for other purposes. 

Violence Against Women 

H.R. 8327—Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY)/Financial Services (7/11/22)—A bill to authorize the secretary of Housing and Urban Development to carry out a rent stabilization program to provide short-term financial assistance to extremely low-income families at risk of eviction, and for other purposes. The bill would provide protections for survivors of intimate partner violence, sexual assault, or stalking. 

H.R. 8387—Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA)/Judiciary; Natural Resources (7/14/22)—A bill to provide for advancements in public safety services to Indian communities, and for other purposes. This bill would help address the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls.