LOVE Act of 2022

Lavender Offense Victim Exoneration Act of 2022 or the LOVE Act of 2022

This bill offers a formal apology from Congress for encouraging policies at the Department of State, such as the Lavender Scare, which resulted in the wrongful termination of at least 1,000 people for alleged homosexuality, and addresses related issues.

The State Department must (1) review all employee terminations that occurred as a consequence of the Lavender Scare to identify those who were wrongfully terminated, and (2) issue a public report on the findings.

The State Department must establish an independent Reconciliation Board to contact any employee (or a family member of a deceased employee) wrongfully terminated during the Lavender Scare and offer to change the employee's record to reflect this finding. The board must accept and review petitions from former employees who believe they were terminated due to sexual orientation.

The State Department must establish a board of senior-level officials to address issues that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI) Foreign Service employees and their families face. The board must report on improving State Department policies to prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics.

The State Department must report on (1) countries that do not issue spousal visas for Foreign Service employee spouses due to sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics; and (2) recommendations for State Department responses, such as eliminating visa reciprocity for such countries.

The LOVE Act of 2022, also known as Bill 117 hr 8072, is a piece of legislation currently being considered by the US Congress. The purpose of this bill is to address issues related to immigration and family reunification.

The LOVE Act aims to provide a pathway to citizenship for certain undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children, often referred to as Dreamers. These individuals would be eligible for permanent residency and eventually citizenship if they meet certain criteria, such as completing high school or obtaining a GED, passing a background check, and demonstrating good moral character.

Additionally, the LOVE Act seeks to address the backlog of visa applications for family members of US citizens and lawful permanent residents. The bill proposes to increase the number of available visas for family reunification, particularly for spouses, children, and parents of US citizens. Furthermore, the LOVE Act includes provisions to improve the efficiency and transparency of the immigration system, such as reducing processing times for visa applications and providing more resources for immigration courts. Overall, the LOVE Act of 2022 aims to address key issues in the US immigration system, including providing a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, reducing visa backlogs for family reunification, and improving the overall efficiency of the immigration process.