Legislation

The "Strategy and Investment in Rural Housing Preservation Act of 2025" aims to preserve and improve affordable multifamily rental housing in rural areas by establishing a Housing Preservation and Revitalization Program. This program allows the Secretary to restructure existing loans, offer rental assistance contracts, and provide technical assistance to maintain affordable housing for low-income residents and farm laborers. The act also provides rural housing vouchers to eligible households and requires the Secretary of Agriculture to develop a plan and advisory committee to further preserve affordable rental projects and prevent tenant displacement. Finally, it allocates funding for technological improvements to manage multifamily housing loans.

This bill designates the U.S. Postal Service facility at 840 Front Street in Casselton, North Dakota, as the "Commander Delbert Austin Olson Post Office." It mandates that all official references to this facility will reflect this new designation.

The "Do No Harm Act" amends the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 to clarify that religious freedom cannot be used to justify discrimination, deny access to healthcare, or violate labor protections. It ensures the RFRA only applies to lawsuits involving the government, preventing its use in disputes between private parties. This bill aims to protect civil rights and ensure equal access to services, benefits, and opportunities.

The Caribbean Basin Security Initiative Authorization Act authorizes the State Department and USAID to carry out the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative in eligible Caribbean countries. The initiative aims to promote safety, security, and the rule of law; counter transnational crime; advance law enforcement and justice sector capacity; promote crime prevention; strengthen security sector disaster response; combat corruption; counter malign influence; and support effective messaging of U.S. security assistance. It requires the Secretary of State and USAID Administrator to submit an implementation plan and annual progress reports to Congress. The Act also promotes natural disaster response and resilience in beneficiary countries through coordination, information sharing, and improved rapid-response mechanisms.

The "Accountability for Endless Wars Act of 2025" aims to limit military engagements by automatically terminating both future and existing authorizations for the use of military force and declarations of war. Future authorizations or declarations would expire 10 years after enactment, while existing ones would end 6 months after this Act is enacted.

This bill amends the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act by defining "evidence-based" to include activities, services, or materials that demonstrate a statistically significant effect on improving participant outcomes through experimental, quasi-experimental, or correlational studies. It also allows for strategies based on research findings likely to improve outcomes, with ongoing evaluation efforts. States will be required to prioritize funding for these evidence-based programs using reserved funds.

The "Farewell to Foam Act of 2025" bans the sale and distribution of expanded polystyrene food service ware, loose fill, and coolers starting January 1, 2028. The EPA Administrator is tasked with enforcing the ban, with escalating fines for repeat offenders, and is authorized to allow states to carry out enforcement. This act aims to reduce environmental pollution caused by polystyrene foam products.

The "Woman on the Twenty Act of 2025" mandates that all $20 bills printed after December 31, 2028, will feature a portrait of Harriet Tubman on the front. It also requires the Secretary of the Treasury to release the preliminary design of the new $20 bill to the public by December 31, 2026.

The Child Care Availability and Affordability Act aims to make child care more accessible and affordable for families by expanding employer-provided child care credits, increasing tax-free dependent care assistance, and creating a refundable household and dependent care tax credit. The employer-provided child care credit is expanded by increasing the amount of qualified child care expenditures and the maximum credit amount, with special rules for small businesses. The amount excludable for dependent care assistance programs is increased from $5,000 to $7,500 (or $2,500 to $3,750). A new refundable tax credit is created for employment-related expenses paid for household services and care of qualifying individuals, with the credit amount varying based on income and the number of qualifying individuals.

The Coast Guard Combat-Injured Tax Fairness Act amends the Combat-Injured Veterans Tax Fairness Act of 2016 to include members of the Coast Guard (when not operating as a service in the Department of the Navy). It requires the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of Transportation to identify and report amounts improperly withheld from severance payments to Coast Guard veterans with combat-related injuries. The Act also ensures that such amounts are not improperly withheld in the future.

The "Enhancing Native Elders' Longevity, Dignity, Empowerment, and Respect Act" or the "Native ELDER Act" amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to improve services and support for older Native Americans. It establishes the Older Americans Tribal Advisory Committee to advise the Assistant Secretary on Native American issues, extends funding for specific programs, and requires reports on caregiver support, in-home services, and program accessibility for Indian tribes. The act also directs the development of technical assistance and training programs for grantees under title VI.

The "Broadcast Freedom and Independence Act of 2025" aims to protect viewpoint expression in broadcasting by preventing the FCC from punishing broadcasters based on their viewpoints or imposing viewpoint-related conditions on broadcast approvals. It affirms the FCC's authority to address violations related to lotteries, fraud, obscenity, and content inciting violence or illegal activities. This act reinforces the FCC's independence and ensures broadcasters are not intimidated into aligning with any political agenda.

The Hershel "Woody" Williams National Medal of Honor Monument Location Act designates a site within the Reserve area of Washington, D.C., for the construction of the National Medal of Honor Monument. This monument, authorized in 2021, will honor Medal of Honor recipients from all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces. The goal is to commemorate their valor and inspire future generations by establishing a lasting tribute near the Lincoln Memorial. Construction will adhere to federal regulations, ensuring the monument appropriately represents the extraordinary actions and spirit of American heroes.

The Financial Integrity and Regulation Management Act (FIRM Act) removes "reputational risk" as a supervisory factor for federal banking agencies when overseeing financial institutions. This bill prohibits these agencies from using reputational risk to regulate, supervise, or examine banks, ensuring that all legal businesses and citizens have equal access to financial services. The Act requires federal banking agencies to report to Congress on their implementation of these changes.

The "Telehealth Coverage Act of 2025" expands access to telehealth services under Medicare by making permanent the expanded access to telehealth services, allowing a broader range of healthcare providers to offer telehealth services, and removing in-person requirements for certain telehealth services. It also requires the use of specific codes or modifiers on claims for telehealth services in certain circumstances and extends acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities. Additionally, the act requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to create and share updated guidance on how to improve telehealth services for people with limited English proficiency, includes in-home cardiopulmonary rehabilitation services as part of outpatient services, and allows entities to participate in the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP) by offering only online services. Finally, it requires the Secretary to educate physicians and non-physician practitioners under Medicare regarding periodic screening for medication-induced movement disorders in at-risk patients.

Tyler's Law mandates a study by the Department of Health and Human Services on fentanyl testing practices in hospital emergency departments during overdoses. The study will assess testing frequency, costs, benefits, risks, and impacts on patient experience. Following the study, the DHHS will issue guidance on routine fentanyl testing, ensuring clinicians' awareness of substances included in drug tests, and the effects of fentanyl testing on future overdose risk and health outcomes.

The "RTP Full Funding Act of 2025" aims to ensure the Recreational Trails Program (RTP) receives full funding, commensurate with the fuel taxes paid by nonhighway recreation vehicles. It directs the Federal Highway Administration to provide Congress with accurate estimates of nonhighway fuel taxes collected, ensuring the RTP is funded appropriately under existing law without affecting other highway programs. This will allow for the continued support of trail infrastructure development and maintenance.

The Chesapeake Bay Conservation Acceleration Act of 2025 aims to improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay watershed by supporting agricultural producers in implementing conservation activities, reauthorizing and expanding the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, and establishing a pilot program for conservation practices. The act also invests in workforce development for food and agricultural sciences, authorizes direct hiring for the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and transfers regulatory oversight of invasive catfish species to the Commissioner of Food and Drugs. This legislation seeks to accelerate conservation efforts, enhance water quality, and promote sustainable agricultural practices in the Chesapeake Bay region.

The "Abandoned Well Remediation Research and Development Act" directs the Secretary to establish a program for research, development, and demonstration to improve data collection, plugging, remediation, and repurposing of abandoned wells, as well as strategies to mitigate their environmental impacts. The program aims to enhance technologies for identifying wells, understanding methane emissions, improving the efficiency of plugging and repurposing wells, and assessing impacts on groundwater quality. The Act authorizes appropriations totaling \$162.5 million over five years for this program.

The "Intergovernmental Critical Minerals Task Force Act" establishes a task force to assess and address the United States' reliance on foreign nations, especially China, for critical minerals and to mitigate associated national security risks. The task force will develop recommendations to secure domestic supply chains, promote cooperation among government levels, and enhance domestic mining, processing, and recycling capacities. Additionally, the act mandates a study by the Comptroller General on the regulatory environment affecting critical mineral supply chains.