Legislation

The Restoring Equal Opportunity Act aims to eliminate "disparate-impact liability" across major federal laws. This bill prohibits lawsuits claiming discrimination based solely on the unintended, disproportionate negative effect of a rule or practice. Consequently, it removes the ability to challenge employment and housing practices unless discriminatory intent can be proven. The Act also nullifies specific prior regulatory approvals related to civil rights enforcement.

The SPARC Act establishes a new federal loan repayment program to incentivize specialty medical providers to practice in underserved rural communities. This program offers to repay up to $250,000 of eligible education loans in exchange for a six-year service commitment in a designated rural shortage area. The Secretary of Health and Human Services will administer the program through HRSA, prioritizing loan repayment for both physicians and non-physician specialists.

The Global Fragility Reauthorization Act updates the existing strategy for addressing global instability by strengthening interagency coordination and policy alignment. It reauthorizes crucial funding mechanisms, including the Prevention and Stabilization Fund and the Complex Crises Fund, extending their authorization through 2030. The bill also refines the process for selecting priority countries and mandates enhanced reporting and evaluation of U.S. stabilization efforts abroad.

The Keep Seniors Fed Act makes technical amendments to the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 regarding how income is calculated for food assistance eligibility. Specifically, it mandates that income received under Title II of the Social Security Act must now be counted when determining eligibility for benefits. These changes will take effect 90 days after the bill is signed into law.

This bill updates the standard for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to share information regarding suspected intellectual property rights violations in trade. It lowers the threshold for sharing sensitive, nonpublic data about merchandise to include cases where there is only a "reasonable suspicion" of infringement. This allows CBP to provide details to a broader range of interested parties involved with the potentially infringing goods.

The Fairness for Khobar Act of 2025 ensures that certain victims of the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing and the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing receive overdue lump sum payments. This legislation corrects past injustices where victims were denied payments due to relying on incorrect guidance from the Department of Justice. The Act mandates the Special Master to authorize these catch-up payments using designated reserve funds.

This Act codifies existing U.S. sanctions targeting individuals undermining peace and stability in the West Bank, making them permanent law unless lifted by the President. It immediately reinstates any previously terminated sanctions under the relevant Executive Order. The President can only lift these sanctions after certifying to Congress that the targeted person has ceased harmful activities and provided assurances against future non-compliance.

This bill provides an emergency increase in federal Medicaid funding for states that commit to improving their Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS). States will receive a 10 percentage point boost in their Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) for HCBS expenditures during fiscal years 2026 and 2027. This additional funding must be used to expand workforce capacity, raise worker compensation, and increase access to services for eligible individuals. States must submit a plan detailing how they will use the funds to ensure the money supplements, rather than replaces, existing state spending.

The Grocery Reform And Safety Act (GRAS Act) overhauls the regulation of food ingredients by removing the automatic exemption for "Generally Recognized As Safe" (GRAS) substances from the definition of a food additive. This legislation mandates formal GRAS notifications to the FDA, requiring companies to submit detailed safety data for review before new ingredients or uses can enter the market. Furthermore, the Act establishes a mandatory, recurring safety reassessment program for existing food ingredients to ensure ongoing public safety.

The 504 Modernization and Small Manufacturer Enhancement Act of 2025 aims to boost small businesses by updating the 504 loan program goals to prioritize workforce training, energy efficiency, and disaster recovery. The bill significantly increases the maximum loan amount available for manufacturing projects from $\$5.5$ million to $\$10$ million. Furthermore, it streamlines loan closing procedures for accredited lenders and eases several contribution and collateral requirements specifically for small manufacturers.

The Cloud LAB Act of 2025 establishes a pilot program to create a national network of high-tech, remotely accessible "cloud laboratories" focused on biotechnology research. This network, coordinated by the NSF Director, will generate high-quality biological data using automated experiments to train AI models and provide researchers access to advanced experimental tools. The Act mandates the creation of an advisory board to guide priorities, ensure equitable access, and establish security protocols for the data and infrastructure.

The Gender-Affirming Child Abuse Prevention Act establishes a federal civil right of action allowing individuals to sue medical providers for gender-related medical treatments received while under the age of 18. Successful plaintiffs can recover actual damages plus $250,000 in statutory damages for each instance of treatment. The bill provides a detailed definition of "gender-related medical treatment" while explicitly excluding certain medical care for individuals with disorders of sex development.

The Protecting and Preserving Social Security Act aims to strengthen the Social Security system through two main avenues. Title I mandates the creation of a new Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers to be used for calculating future cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs). Title II modifies contribution rules by counting a small portion of wages and self-employment income earned above the current base limit after 2025, and it adjusts the benefit formula to potentially increase benefits based on these surplus earnings. These changes are designed to ensure COLAs more accurately reflect senior spending and to increase revenue for the system.

The HARPOON Act, or Helping Allies Respond to Piracy, Overfishing, and Oceanic Negligence Act, enhances U.S. efforts to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing globally. It modifies existing law to allow the Department of Defense to train and equip foreign security forces specifically to counter IUU fishing operations. Furthermore, the Act mandates the establishment of joint patrols with foreign partners and requires annual reporting to Congress on these counter-IUU fishing programs.

The Medicare Transaction Fraud Prevention Act establishes a two-year pilot program to test the use of predictive risk-scoring algorithms to enhance oversight of Medicare payments for durable medical equipment and lab tests. This program will focus on beneficiaries who receive electronic Medicare notices, using the algorithm to flag potentially fraudulent or high-risk claims for human review. The goal is to leverage smart technology to proactively identify and prevent improper payments within the Medicare system.

The Keep Mobile Homes Affordable Act directs the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to investigate potential price gouging and market manipulation in manufactured home community lot rentals. HUD must report its findings and propose a long-term strategy to address unfair pricing, paying special attention to the impact on seniors and underserved communities. Furthermore, the bill mandates monitoring large institutional purchases of manufactured homes and pad sites to trigger investigations into excessive buying and related price increases since 2015.

The CLEAN Pacific Act of 2025 establishes the Pacific Counternarcotics Initiative to help partner nations in the Pacific combat illegal drug production chemicals. This program focuses on improving the seizure, destruction, and safe disposal of seized chemicals while boosting international law enforcement cooperation. The Secretary of State must submit a detailed five-year implementation plan to Congress outlining strategy, benchmarks, and funding, followed by annual progress reports. Funding for the initiative will be redirected from existing authorizations under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.

The Keep Call Centers in America Act of 2025 aims to incentivize keeping customer service jobs in the U.S. by penalizing companies that move call centers overseas with loss of federal grants and contracts. The bill also mandates transparency, requiring businesses to disclose an agent's physical location or the use of AI during customer service communications. Furthermore, it ensures that all call center work performed under a federal contract must be completed within the United States.

The No Discrimination in Farm Programs Act prohibits the Secretary of Agriculture from using race or sex as criteria when administering key USDA programs. This ensures that major financial support, conservation, and loan programs are managed based on fairness, equal opportunity, and merit. The bill specifically applies to pandemic assistance, crop insurance, conservation efforts, and various farm loan programs.

The Rural Housing Service Reform Act of 2025 aims to modernize and stabilize rural housing programs across the nation. It streamlines administrative processes, establishes permanent protections for existing affordable rental housing, and improves access to repair loans for low-income homeowners. Furthermore, the bill creates new grant opportunities for local development and mandates greater transparency and efficiency in the application review process.