Legislation

The MORE USDA Grants Act aims to boost economic opportunities in rural areas, specifically targeting counties with significant federal land ownership and low populations. This bill lowers the required local matching funds by 50% for qualifying USDA grants in these designated areas. It also mandates priority consideration and enhanced technical assistance for grant applications submitted by local and Tribal governments within these counties. Furthermore, the Secretary of Agriculture is empowered to offer flexibility in grant scoring and requirements that disadvantage smaller, isolated communities.

The RECHARGE Act mandates the installation of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at rest areas along the Interstate Highway System. This legislation ensures access to necessary charging infrastructure to alleviate range anxiety for EV drivers. It clarifies that this allowance is strictly for EV charging and does not open rest areas to general commercial activity.

The Community-based Refugee Reception Act of 2025 establishes a new program allowing vetted community sponsorship groups to directly refer and resettle refugees, supplementing existing federal efforts. This initiative aims to expand citizen involvement in welcoming refugees and supporting their initial 90 days of settlement. Refugees admitted through this community sponsorship track will not count against the annual numerical cap of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. The Act mandates the creation of training and support systems for these local groups while ensuring refugees maintain access to all other eligible public benefits.

The Protecting Public Naval Shipyards Act of 2025 aims to secure the jobs at vital public naval shipyards by prohibiting workforce reductions and hiring freezes. This legislation specifically protects essential roles, including welders, engineers, and nuclear maintenance staff, from budget-driven cuts. The Act ensures the stability of the shipyard workforce while preserving the Secretary of Defense's authority to address individual employee performance or misconduct.

The International Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2025 strengthens global anti-trafficking efforts by integrating these measures into U.S. foreign policy and development aid. It extends and increases authorization for federal programs combating trafficking and child exploitation through 2030. Furthermore, the bill mandates increased transparency by requiring the State Department to immediately brief Congress on the annual Trafficking in Persons Report rankings and any granted anti-trafficking waivers.

The Modern Risk Detection Act of 2025 mandates that transportation safety standards allow organizations to implement risk-based approaches when meeting regulatory requirements. This shifts the focus from rigid, one-size-fits-all rules to methods that prioritize managing specific, identified risks. The goal is to encourage the use of risk-based concepts in achieving overall safety compliance.

The DOCTORS Act, or the Directing Our Country’s Transfer of Residency Slots Act, establishes a new system for reallocating unused J-1 visa residency requirement waivers among states. Starting in 2026, states must report unused waivers annually, which the Secretary of State will then redistribute to eligible states for the following year. A portion of these reallocated waivers must be used to staff facilities serving medically underserved areas.

The Protecting Small Business Competitions Act of 2025 establishes the "Rule of Two" within the Small Business Act. This rule mandates that federal contracts exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold must be reserved for small businesses if the contracting officer reasonably expects at least two responsible small business offers. This ensures greater competition among small businesses for significant government procurements, provided a fair market price can still be achieved.

This bill authorizes pipeline owners and operators to use risk-based inspection methods for in-service breakout tanks, replacing existing standard inspection requirements. The Secretary of Transportation is directed to promptly update federal regulations to formally permit these risk-based inspections. This change provides flexibility in how certain storage tanks are inspected.

The Medication Affordability and Patent Integrity Act aims to increase transparency by requiring drug and biological product sponsors to certify that the patent information submitted to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) aligns with the data provided to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This ensures consistency regarding patentability information shared between the two agencies. Furthermore, the bill introduces a new defense in patent infringement lawsuits if the patent holder negligently or intentionally failed to disclose this required information. These measures are designed to promote patent integrity alongside drug approval processes.

The LETITIA Act significantly increases criminal penalties for public officials who commit financial crimes, including bank fraud, lying on loan applications, and tax fraud. This legislation establishes mandatory minimum sentences and higher fines that escalate based on the number of prior offenses committed by the official. Furthermore, it directs the Department of Justice and the Department of the Treasury to issue guidance ensuring rigorous investigation and enforcement of these enhanced statutes against public servants.

The STOP Scammers Act empowers the Treasury Secretary to designate foreign organizations actively defrauding U.S. citizens as "Foreign Financial Threat Organizations." This designation immediately triggers asset freezes and subjects these groups to penalties similar to those applied to designated terrorist organizations. Furthermore, the Act mandates steps to block these entities from contacting U.S. persons and requires annual reporting on enforcement actions and victim restitution.

The Taxpayer Notification and Privacy Act of 2025 requires the IRS to provide taxpayers with much more specific notices detailing exactly what information they plan to request from third parties. This law generally mandates that taxpayers receive at least a 45-day window to provide the information themselves before the IRS contacts external sources. These enhanced notification requirements aim to increase transparency and protect taxpayer privacy during information gathering.

The Merchant Banking Modernization Act updates regulations for bank holding companies regarding their merchant banking investments. This legislation extends the minimum holding period for these investments to 15 years. This new minimum duration applies retroactively to investments already held by banks.

The Drug Shortage Prevention Act of 2025 aims to strengthen the nation's drug supply chain by improving how manufacturers report potential disruptions for critical medicines. This legislation mandates earlier and more detailed notifications to the government regarding production halts, demand spikes, or supply interruptions for life-supporting drugs. Furthermore, it requires drug makers to report their active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) suppliers twice annually, increasing transparency into the entire supply chain.

Kamisha's Law eliminates the statute of limitations for prosecuting certain non-capital homicide offenses under federal law, such as second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter. This means the government can bring charges for these specific killings at any time, regardless of how long has passed since the crime occurred. The bill ensures that there is no time limit for seeking justice in these cases.

The DAIRY PRIDE Act aims to ensure food products labeled as "milk," "cheese," or other standardized dairy terms actually meet established definitions. This legislation prevents companies from selling non-dairy items across state lines using official dairy names unless they meet strict ingredient and sourcing standards. The FDA is required to quickly issue new guidance on enforcing these labeling requirements.

The No Tax Treaties for Foreign Aggressors Act mandates the termination of the U.S.-China Income Tax Convention if the President determines the People's Liberation Army has initiated an armed attack against the Republic of China. Upon this determination, the Secretary of the Treasury must notify China of the treaty's termination within 30 days. The President must also inform key Senate committees when this action is taken.

The Pacific Ready Coast Guard Act mandates annual planning and detailed budget displays for all Coast Guard operations in the Pacific region, beginning in 2026. The bill also requires several key reports from the Commandant concerning the feasibility of establishing a standing Indo-Pacific maritime group, identifying locations and costs for forward operating bases by 2030, and expanding Coast Guard attaché presence in the region. Furthermore, it directs a study on integrating State Department consular officers into Navy and Coast Guard missions to Pacific Island countries.

This Act authorizes the planning and design of infrastructure improvements for the Tye Gate and Arnold Gate at Dyess Air Force Base in Texas. The legislation sets cost ceilings for each project and specifies that existing military construction planning funds must be used for these design activities. The design requirements emphasize efficiency, utility management, and traffic coordination for both gate modernization efforts.