Legislation

The "Working Families Tax Cut Act" renames the standard deduction to the "guaranteed deduction" and increases it for the 2026 and 2027 tax years. It provides a bonus guaranteed deduction, with amounts varying based on filing status, and adjusts for inflation after 2026. The bonus deduction is reduced for taxpayers with higher incomes. These changes are effective for tax years starting after December 31, 2025.

The Choice in Affordable Housing Act of 2025 aims to increase landlord participation in the Housing Choice Voucher program, particularly in high-opportunity neighborhoods, by offering financial incentives such as one-time payments, security deposit assistance, and landlord liaison bonuses. It also establishes a fund to support these initiatives and authorizes funding for the Tribal HUD-VASH program. The bill streamlines housing quality standards by accepting inspections from other housing programs and allowing pre-approval of units and modernizes the Section 8 Management Assessment Program. Finally, it mandates the use of small area fair market rents in certain metropolitan areas to expand housing options and requires annual reports on the Act's effectiveness.

The School Bus Safety Act of 2025 mandates new safety requirements for school buses, including 3-point seatbelts, fire suppression systems, automatic emergency braking, and enhanced training for school bus operators. It also requires studies on motion-activated detection systems and safety belt alerts, and establishes a grant program to help states and local agencies implement these safety measures.

The HELP Copays Act ensures that financial assistance from non-profits and drug manufacturers counts towards a person's deductible, coinsurance, and copay limits for health insurance plans. Beginning in 2026, this includes a "safe harbor" provision to protect high-deductible health plans. These changes apply to specialty drugs and those subject to utilization management, while still allowing the use of tools like prior authorization. The Act is effective for health plans starting on or after January 1, 2026.

The Scientific EXPERT Act of 2025 aims to improve drug development for rare diseases by mandating the Secretary to develop a process for Foundation-led meetings. These meetings will focus on discussing challenges in developing drugs for rare diseases, involving experts from the FDA, clinicians, patient representatives, and industry. The goal is to facilitate collaboration and gather input to inform the FDA's risk-benefit assessments, with meeting outcomes and FDA responses reported publicly. The act allocates funding for these meetings and requires annual reports to Congress on their impact.

The "Secret Ballot Protection Act" amends the National Labor Relations Act to require that labor organizations can only be recognized or bargained with if they have been selected by a majority of employees in a secret ballot election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). It prohibits employers and labor organizations from circumventing this requirement. The Act also mandates the NLRB to conduct secret ballot elections to determine the continued representation by a labor organization and directs the NLRB to update its regulations to align with these changes within 6 months.

The "Lifespan Respite Care Reauthorization Act of 2025" reauthorizes the lifespan respite care program, which provides grants to states to support family caregivers. The bill updates the definition of "family caregiver" to include any "unpaid individual" and extends funding for the program through fiscal year 2030.

This bill designates March 2025 as Endometriosis Awareness Month to highlight the need for increased research, early detection, and better treatment options for endometriosis. It acknowledges the significant impact of the disease on women's health, quality of life, and the high costs associated with diagnosis and care. The bill supports increased education for healthcare providers and culturally competent care, and encourages the public to participate in awareness and educational activities. The bill also shows commitment to supporting and funding endometriosis research for more effective treatments, increasing fertility, and, ultimately, a cure.

The "Defending American Jobs and Affordable Energy Act of 2025" repeals four executive orders related to energy policy issued on January 20, 2025. It prevents federal funds from being used to implement these orders, while ensuring the law does not diminish any existing presidential powers. The four executive orders that are repealed involve American energy, international environmental agreements, declaring a national energy emergency, and offshore wind leasing.

The "Book Minimum Tax Repeal Act" eliminates the corporate alternative minimum tax, modifying tax calculations and credit applications for corporations. It adjusts the tentative minimum tax rates based on taxable excess and makes conforming amendments to related sections of the Internal Revenue Code. These changes apply to taxable years starting after December 31, 2024.

The INNOVATE Act aims to enhance the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) and Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) programs by increasing funding opportunities for small businesses, streamlining technology transition, broadening participation, and protecting American innovation from foreign influence. It refines program administration, sets higher commercialization standards, and extends program authorization through 2028. The Act also seeks to reduce discriminatory practices and ensure a more geographically diverse distribution of funding. Additionally, the legislation focuses on safeguarding intellectual property and national security by preventing the transfer of valuable technology to potential adversaries.

The Oregon Recreation Enhancement Act designates the Rogue Canyon and Molalla Recreation Areas to protect their natural resources, mandates wildfire risk assessments and mitigation plans for these areas, and expands the Wild Rogue Wilderness Area. The Act also withdraws certain federal lands in Curry and Josephine Counties from uses like mining and mineral leasing, while preserving existing recreational and forest management activities.

The "Avian Flu Vaccination Strategy Act" mandates the Secretary of Agriculture to create a poultry vaccination strategy against highly pathogenic avian influenza, ensuring it aligns with World Trade Organization rules. This strategy must be developed within 180 days and finalized within one year, following consultation with the United States Trade Representative.

The "End Tobacco Loopholes Act" aims to equalize and increase excise taxes across all tobacco products, including setting specific rates for roll-your-own tobacco, pipe tobacco, smokeless tobacco, cigars, and creating a new tax for nicotine. It adjusts tax rates for inflation starting in 2025 and imposes floor stock taxes on existing inventories. The act also provides a transition rule for businesses manufacturing or importing taxable nicotine, allowing them to continue operating while their permit application is pending if submitted within 90 days of enactment.

The "Stop Shackling and Detaining Pregnant Women Act" seeks to protect the health and safety of pregnant, lactating, and postpartum individuals in immigration detention by limiting their detention and restricting the use of restraints. It mandates pregnancy testing upon intake, generally prohibits detention unless the individual poses an immediate and serious risk, and ensures access to comprehensive healthcare services. The Act also requires detailed reporting on the detention and treatment of pregnant individuals and mandates training for DHS employees.

This bill recognizes and celebrates the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Marine Corps on November 10, 2025. It acknowledges the Marine Corps' distinguished history, readiness, and role as a premier fighting force. The bill also encourages Americans to celebrate the anniversary through various activities and community engagement.

The Veterans Fellowship Act establishes a pilot program enabling 3-5 states to offer short-term fellowships to veterans, in partnership with non-profit organizations. These fellowships, lasting up to 20 weeks, include monthly stipends and focus on securing long-term employment. The program is subject to a Comptroller General report to Congress and is authorized to receive $10,000,000 annually from 2025-2029.

The "Nuclear Weapons Abolition and Conversion Act of 2025" expresses the sense of Congress that the U.S. should take a leading role in the global elimination of nuclear weapons. Once all nuclear-weapon states verifiably commit to eliminating their arsenals, the bill redirects funding from nuclear weapons programs towards clean energy development, economic conversion, and addressing critical human and infrastructure needs. This includes retraining nuclear industry employees and environmental restoration.

The HOME Investment Partnerships Reauthorization and Improvement Act of 2025 reauthorizes and reforms the HOME Investment Partnerships Program to provide affordable housing by allocating funding, modifying qualification thresholds, and streamlining processes for participating jurisdictions. It modifies affordable housing qualifications, eliminates deadlines for committing funds, reforms homeownership resale restrictions, requires on-site inspections of home properties, and establishes a home loan guarantee program. The bill also refines the processes for community housing development organizations to better serve low- and moderate-income individuals, and makes technical corrections to fix errors and modernize the language in the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act. These changes aim to increase the availability of affordable housing options, improve living conditions, and ensure efficient use of government funds.

The "Coast Guard Sustained Funding Act of 2025" ensures that Coast Guard military personnel, civilian employees, and contract employees continue to receive their pay and allowances even during lapses in government appropriations. It designates necessary funding for these individuals during periods when a general appropriation bill for the Coast Guard has not been enacted before the start of a fiscal year. This act clarifies the circumstances under which funds are available and defines which civilian and contract employees are qualified to receive pay during funding lapses.