Legislation

The Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2025 aims to address physician shortages by adding 2,000 new Medicare-funded residency positions annually from 2027 through 2033. These new slots are distributed through an application process, prioritizing hospitals serving rural areas, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), and those supporting new medical schools. Additionally, the bill mandates a study and report on effective strategies for increasing diversity within the healthcare workforce.

The Federal Firefighters Families First Act aims to improve compensation and retirement benefits for federal firefighters to ensure pay equity and improve recruitment and retention. This legislation updates pay calculation formulas and mandates that overtime hours be included when determining retirement annuities. Furthermore, the Act establishes a maximum average workweek for federal firefighters, not to exceed 60 hours.

The Keep Call Centers in America Act of 2025 aims to incentivize keeping customer service jobs within the United States. Title I penalizes companies that move call center operations overseas by making them ineligible for federal grants and loans, while Title II mandates that businesses must disclose if a customer service agent is located outside the U.S. or if AI is being used. Furthermore, the bill requires that all call center work under federal contracts must be performed domestically. Customers must also be given the immediate option to transfer to a U.S.-based human agent if they request it.

This joint resolution seeks to disapprove and nullify the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) recent Interim Final Rule regarding National Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Emission Standards for Aerosol Coatings. By utilizing the Congressional Review Act process, this measure prevents the specific EPA regulation from taking legal effect. In short, Congress is rejecting the EPA's latest standards for aerosol coating emissions.

This joint resolution seeks to disapprove and nullify a specific rule issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concerning Indiana's emissions budget and allowance allocations under the Revised Cross-State Air Pollution Rule Update. Through this congressional action, the EPA's recently finalized regulation will be prevented from taking effect.

This resolution officially designates August 21st as Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day to honor victims and recognize the devastating impact of the illicit fentanyl crisis. The day aims to raise public awareness about the extreme dangers of fentanyl poisoning and encourage communities to promote drug prevention efforts. It calls upon the public to commit to healthy, drug-free living and support educational initiatives against this deadly substance.

The Protecting Air Ambulance Services for Americans Act of 2025 aims to improve the Medicare payment system for emergency air ambulance services. This bill directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to update payment rates using newly collected cost data from providers. Furthermore, it mandates the timely finalization of data collection rules and requires the GAO to study the true operating costs of air ambulance services to inform future payment adjustments.

This bill authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to enter into a lease for a new Vet Center in Mankato, Minnesota. The authorization permits spending up to \$1,400,000 for this lease agreement. This authority is specifically available for fiscal years 2025 through 2026, contingent upon the availability of appropriations.

The Healthy Drinking Water Affordability Act establishes the Healthy H2O Program to provide grants for improving drinking water quality in rural areas. These grants help eligible households and small facilities address contamination from issues like lead or PFAS by covering the costs of certified water treatment systems, installation, and testing. The program prioritizes private well owners and requires annual reporting on contamination trends and program effectiveness.

The Educational Toy Tax Relief Act prohibits the President from imposing or continuing any duties (taxes) on specific baby and toddler items, such as educational toys, playpens, and tricycles, under the authority of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). This legislation immediately ends any existing or previously imposed similar duties on these products. The goal is to provide tax relief for essential items designed for children under three years old.

The Fisheries Modernization Act of 2025 expands federal disaster relief eligibility for certain freshwater fisheries, specifically including those impacted by infrastructure-related failures. This amendment allows freshwater fisheries, like the crawfish industry, to qualify for aid due to issues like water quality problems or environmental events stemming from infrastructure operation. The bill broadens the criteria for disaster declarations while maintaining existing eligibility for marine and anadromous fisheries.

The Safe Drinking Water for Disadvantaged Communities Act mandates that funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act designated for lead pipe replacement must be distributed as forgivable loans or grants. This funding is exclusively targeted toward disadvantaged communities to ensure equitable access to safe drinking water infrastructure upgrades.

The Ban Corporate PACs Act restricts the ability of corporations to establish separate segregated funds for political purposes. Under this bill, only nonprofit corporations will be permitted to set up these political action committees. Furthermore, these funds will be prohibited from soliciting contributions from stockholders and their families. Existing non-nonprofit corporate political funds must dissolve within one year of the Act's enactment.

The Corporate Crime Database Act of 2025 establishes a new, public, and searchable national database managed by the Bureau of Justice Statistics to track federal enforcement actions against corporate offenses. This database will require federal agencies to report detailed information on violations, enforcement outcomes, and involved entities. The Act mandates annual public reporting and analysis of the data to Congress, including estimates of victim harm and recommendations for future crime prevention.

The Share Holder Allocation for Rewards to Employees Plan Act (SHARE Plan Act) establishes a new corporate tax incentive for U.S. companies that distribute a significant amount of their stock equity to employees through formal, broad-based plans. Eligible "SHARE corporations" receive a 3 percentage point reduction in their corporate income tax rate. Crucially, stock received by employees under a qualified SHARE plan is excluded from the employee's gross income for federal tax purposes. The bill sets strict requirements for plan structure, employee participation, and minimum equity distribution ratios to qualify for these benefits.

The Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act of 2025 requires institutions receiving federal student aid (Title IV) to annually certify they will not participate in non-expressive commercial boycotts against U.S. strategic partners. Furthermore, institutions seeking Title VI funding must certify that they will maintain reciprocal academic and research exchange opportunities with these partners. Failure to certify results in ineligibility for federal funding programs.

This Act establishes a framework for financial institutions to safely test innovative Artificial Intelligence (AI) products and services through designated "AI Test Projects." Regulated entities can apply to use alternative compliance methods for specific rules during these supervised tests, provided they demonstrate public benefit and manage risk. Federal financial regulators must review these applications, generally within 120 days, and issue annual reports to Congress on the outcomes of the testing.

This bill officially renames the United States Postal Service facility located at 1019 Avenue H in Fort Madison, Iowa. The facility will now be known as the "Martin L. Graber Post Office." This designation requires all official records and documents to use the new name.

The Transparency, Readability, Understandability, Truth, and Helpfulness in Labeling Act mandates clear front-of-package labeling for foods high in added sugars, sodium, or saturated fat. These labels must use a prominent "High in" warning icon to help consumers make healthier choices quickly. Furthermore, the law requires a specific warning on labels if a product contains non-nutritive (artificial) sweeteners, especially for products marketed to children. These requirements aim to align food labeling with current dietary guidelines and public health concerns.

The Urban Indian Health Parity Act ensures that urban Indian organizations providing healthcare services under contract with the Indian Health Service can receive the same enhanced federal medical assistance matching funds (FMAP) currently available to tribes. This change expands access to federal healthcare dollars for these vital community organizations. The bill aims to achieve parity in federal funding for urban Indian healthcare providers.