Legislation

The RESTORE Act establishes the "National Freedom Settlements Preservation Program" to recognize, research, preserve, and honor Freedom Settlements (communities founded by formerly enslaved African Americans after emancipation). It authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to award grants to property owners, tribal, state, or local governments, and community organizations for preservation, research, and educational activities related to these settlements. The Act also requires a study to identify key sites and establishes a registry of Freedom Settlements. Finally, it authorizes appropriations of \$3,000,000 per year for fiscal years 2026 through 2031 to carry out the grant program.

The "No Invading Allies Act" restricts the President from using the U.S. Armed Forces to invade or seize territory from Canada, Panama, and Greenland without congressional authorization, a declaration of war, or a national emergency. It reinforces the U.S. commitment to international order, alliances, and opposition to territorial aggression. The Act also limits the use of funds for military actions in these countries without proper authorization or in the absence of a national emergency, with specific time constraints during such emergencies. This law does not alter existing constitutional powers, treaties, or previously approved activities.

The "Securing American Agriculture Act" mandates an annual report from the Secretary of Agriculture to Congress, assessing U.S. dependency on critical agricultural products and inputs that could be weaponized by China. This report will analyze domestic production capacity, identify supply chain vulnerabilities, and recommend ways to reduce reliance on China, encouraging domestic or near-shore production. The assessment covers key areas such as agricultural equipment, fuel, fertilizers, feed, veterinary products, crop protection chemicals, and seeds. The Secretary is required to protect the confidentiality of information provided for the assessment.

The "Defund NPR Act" eliminates all direct and indirect federal funding to National Public Radio (NPR) and any successor organization. It prevents public broadcast stations from using federal funds to pay dues to or acquire programming from NPR. The bill also removes references to NPR in specific sections of the Communications Act of 1934.

The Protecting Mushroom Farmers Act directs the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation to research and develop a policy insuring mushroom production or revenue. It requires a report to be submitted to the House and Senate Agriculture Committees within one year, detailing the research results and recommendations.

The "Retirement Proxy Protection Act" amends ERISA to clarify that managing shareholder rights, like proxy voting, is part of a fiduciary's duty to act prudently and solely in the financial interest of retirement plan participants. It sets requirements for exercising these rights, including cost considerations, fact evaluation, and record-keeping, while prohibiting the subordination of financial interests to non-financial objectives. The act allows for "safe harbor" proxy voting policies that focus on economic interests, while mandating the monitoring of advisors and periodic review of policies.

The Chief Risk Officer Enforcement and Accountability Act enhances risk management in financial companies by requiring the appointment of experienced Chief Risk Officers (CROs) responsible for identifying, managing, and reporting risks. CROs must report directly to both the risk committee and the CEO, ensuring the independence of the risk-management function. The act also mandates prompt notification and action for CRO vacancies and directs regulatory agencies to establish risk committees and appoint CROs in certain banks.

The Hatch Act Enforcement Transparency and Accountability Act increases transparency and accountability in the enforcement of the Hatch Act, which restricts certain political activities of federal employees. It requires the Special Counsel to report to Congress on allegations of prohibited political activity, particularly those involving noncareer employees, and to provide detailed explanations for decisions not to pursue complaints. The act also mandates the public disclosure of anonymized data on Hatch Act investigations, including demographic information of employees involved, to enhance transparency and oversight.

The "Tanning Tax Repeal Act of 2025" eliminates the federal excise tax on indoor tanning services. This bill removes Chapter 49 from the Internal Revenue Code, effectively repealing the tax. The repeal is applicable for services provided after the bill's enactment.

The "Preventing Deepfakes of Intimate Images Act" amends existing laws to allow civil actions against individuals who disclose intimate digital depictions without consent, defining key terms and outlining available relief. It also establishes federal offenses for disclosing or threatening to disclose such depictions with harmful intent, setting penalties and protecting interactive computer service providers. This bill aims to protect individuals from the nonconsensual spread of digitally altered intimate images.

The "Empowering Families in Special Education Act" ensures that parents are informed of their right to include knowledgeable individuals, like service providers, in their child's IEP meetings. This notification must be provided before the first IEP meeting of each school year, empowering families to advocate effectively for their children's special education needs.

The Wildland Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act of 2025 aims to improve compensation and working conditions for federal wildland firefighters by establishing special base rates of pay, providing incident response premium pay, and granting paid rest and recuperation leave following deployments to qualifying incidents. These changes will take effect after the expiration of previously authorized temporary salary increases for federal wildland firefighters. The Act also allows for the transfer of funds to ensure the continuation of base salary increases.

This bill aims to raise awareness of the racial disparities in the impact of colorectal cancer on the Black community. It encourages increased screening, further research, and expanded coverage for at-risk individuals to combat the disproportionately high rates of colorectal cancer and death among Black Americans. The bill also urges further research into why young adults are increasingly contracting and dying from colorectal cancer.

The "Promptly Ending Political Prosecutions and Executive Retaliation Act of 2025" modifies the process for removing legal actions involving federal officials to a different jurisdiction, especially concerning the President, Vice President, and former holders of those offices. It establishes a clearer path for federal officials to claim immunity from state charges in federal court, presuming immunity unless proven otherwise by clear and convincing evidence. The Act also restricts the evidence courts can consider when determining immunity and ensures legal representation for federal officials in these cases. These changes apply retroactively to ongoing cases and those initiated after the Act's enactment.

The "Water Conservation Rebate Tax Parity Act" modifies the income exclusion for conservation subsidies, applying to amounts received after December 31, 2021. It includes subsidies from public utilities, state or local governments for water conservation, storm water management, or wastewater management measures for a taxpayer's primary residence. The act defines key terms such as "water conservation or efficiency measure," "storm water management measure," "wastewater management measure," and "public utility".

The Haiti Economic Lift Program Extension Act of 2025 extends duty-free treatment for certain apparel articles imported from Haiti to the United States until September 30, 2035, under the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act. It clarifies the applicable percentage for preferential treatment and restores eligibility for specific articles that previously lost it due to revisions in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule. The Act aims to promote economic growth in Haiti through trade preferences.

The PAST Act of 2025 amends the Horse Protection Act to strengthen enforcement against horse soring, a cruel practice used to create an exaggerated gait. It bans action devices and weighted shoes, increases penalties for violations, and mandates the licensing and oversight of qualified inspectors, prioritizing veterinarians, to ensure fair competition and protect horses. The Act also requires the USDA to publish violation information and sets clear disqualification periods for horses found to be sore, aiming to eliminate soring in specific horse breeds.

The 25th Anniversary of 9/11 Commemorative Coin Act directs the Treasury Secretary to produce gold and silver coins to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the National September 11 Memorial and Museum. The coins' designs will represent the courage and resilience of those affected, with at least one coin bearing the inscription "Never Forget." Surcharges from the sale of these coins will be donated to the National September 11 Memorial and Museum to support its operations and maintenance. The Act ensures that the coin production does not create any net cost to the Federal Government.

The "People and Animals Well-being Act of 2025" allows taxpayers to use certain veterinary care costs as medical care expenses. Specifically, it allows costs for service animal care and pet health insurance to be considered medical expenses. Additionally, it allows up to $1,000 in veterinary care expenses and $1,000 for pet health insurance for a taxpayer's pet to be considered medical expenses. This limit will be adjusted for inflation starting in 2026.

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude certain payments to foreign related parties from being treated as base erosion payments if those payments are subject to a foreign income tax rate of at least 15%. It directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue regulations for determining the effective foreign income tax rate and to prevent tax avoidance. These changes apply to taxable years beginning after the bill's enactment.