Legislation

The Ethics in Energy Act of 2025 prohibits covered electric and natural gas utilities from passing the costs of political influencing activities onto their customers through rate requests. The Act mandates that FERC establish new accounting rules to segregate these "covered expenses" and requires utilities to submit detailed annual reports on all such political spending. Utilities found to have wrongly charged ratepayers for these expenses will face significant financial penalties, with collected funds split between customer rebates and enforcement.

The Identifying Regulatory Barriers to Housing Supply Act aims to address the national housing shortage by encouraging local governments to reform restrictive land use and zoning rules. Recipients of certain federal housing grants must now submit a report every five years detailing their policies on increasing housing types, reducing development restrictions, and streamlining permitting. This measure seeks to clear regulatory roadblocks that currently make building affordable housing too difficult or expensive.

The IRS Accountability and Taxpayer Protection Act mandates that IRS personnel must obtain supervisor approval *before* issuing initial notices regarding tax penalties or the disallowance of certain tax benefits. This legislation aims to increase internal oversight on enforcement actions taken against taxpayers. Additionally, the Treasury Department must annually report publicly on all penalties assessed by the IRS.

The Path to Florida Springs National Park Act mandates a special resource study by the Secretary of the Interior for a 2,800-square-mile area in Central Florida, encompassing significant natural and protected lands. This study must assess the area's national importance and determine its suitability for inclusion in the National Park System. The final report, due three years after funding, will also explore alternative preservation methods and associated federal costs.

This resolution formally recognizes the 20th anniversary of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and celebrates its foundational role in strengthening U.S. energy security and supporting rural economies. It highlights the RFS's success in driving domestic fuel innovation, creating jobs, and improving environmental performance. The measure affirms the ongoing importance of the RFS in achieving national energy, economic, and environmental goals.

This bill establishes the United States-Israel PTSD Collaborative Research Act to foster scientific partnerships between the two nations. It creates a grant program, managed by the Secretary of Defense, to fund joint research projects between U.S. academic or non-profit entities and Israeli institutions specializing in PTSD treatment. The goal is to advance new and improved methods for diagnosing and treating post-traumatic stress disorder.

The Streamlining Rural Housing Act of 2025 directs the Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Agriculture (USDA) to create a joint agreement to coordinate environmental reviews for housing projects they jointly fund. This aims to eliminate redundant processes by establishing a lead agency and allowing for the mutual acceptance of environmental documentation. The bill also mandates the creation of an advisory group composed of various housing stakeholders to ensure efficient implementation without compromising resident safety or environmental standards.

The LIONs Act of 2025 significantly boosts capital access for small businesses by doubling the maximum loan amount available through the SBA's flagship 7(a) loan program, raising the cap from $\$3.75$ million to $\$7.5$ million. Additionally, it doubles the maximum loan amount available to development companies under the Small Business Investment Act, increasing their cap from $\$5$ million to $\$10$ million. This legislation aims to provide substantially larger financing options for neighborhood economic growth.

The Extreme Heat Emergency Act of 2025 amends federal law to officially recognize extreme temperature events, such as severe heat waves and deep freezes, as qualifying conditions for a "major disaster" declaration. This change aims to make areas affected by extreme weather eligible for federal disaster relief funding. The Act specifies that no new appropriations or additional funds are authorized to carry out its provisions.

The Citizen-Only Police Act of 2025 (COP Act of 2025) prohibits federal funding for any local law enforcement agency that employs non-citizens as police officers. This act ensures that federal resources are only allocated to departments where all sworn officers are legal residents or citizens.

The SAFE HIRE Act requires top executives of publicly traded companies to personally certify the accuracy of their annual reports regarding employment eligibility compliance. This certification must confirm the effectiveness of internal controls designed to prevent illegal hiring practices. Executives who knowingly make false certifications or fail to disclose significant hiring violations face severe civil and criminal penalties.

The Patients Deserve Price Tags Act aims to drastically increase healthcare price transparency across the board. It mandates that hospitals, diagnostic labs, and ambulatory surgical centers publicly disclose detailed negotiated rates, cash prices, and gross charges in standardized formats. Furthermore, the bill strengthens requirements for health plans to provide consumers with real-time cost estimates and mandates itemized billing for patients after receiving care. These measures are backed by new compliance checks and significant daily penalties for non-compliance.

The RESTART SUNSET Act of 2025 modernizes federal agency rule review by establishing a new ten-year cycle for evaluating existing and future regulations. This legislation requires agencies to annually report on rules that do not significantly impact small businesses. Crucially, the bill mandates that courts immediately halt the enforcement of any rule that an agency has failed to review according to the new periodic schedule.

The BADGES for Native Communities Act aims to improve public safety and data collection concerning Native communities. The bill establishes a Tribal facilitator for the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System and mandates reports on law enforcement resource needs in Indian Country. Additionally, it creates a demonstration program for BIA officer background checks, a grant program for missing/murdered persons cases, and requires coordination on mental health resources for BIA and Tribal officers.

The Strengthening Local Food Security Act of 2025 establishes a new federal program to fund local and state governments in purchasing food directly from local producers. These governments will then distribute the food to local schools and organizations serving hungry populations, prioritizing underserved communities. The program mandates specific funding allocations for Tribal governments and requires that at least 51% of purchased food comes from small, mid-sized, or underserved producers within a 400-mile radius. Funding is provided through mandatory appropriations and Commodity Credit Corporation funds to supplement, not replace, existing local food relief efforts.

The Eviction Right to Counsel Act of 2025 establishes the Eviction Right to Counsel Fund with $100 million annually to support tenants facing eviction. This fund provides grants to state, local, and tribal governments that enact legislation guaranteeing full legal representation for low-income tenants in eviction proceedings. Priority for funding goes to entities that implement strong tenant protections and commit to using the money primarily for hiring and training legal counsel.

This resolution formally honors the life and heroic sacrifice of Mr. Anderson "Chase" Childers, a former Georgia police officer who died saving swimmers from a deadly rip current in South Carolina. It recognizes his selfless act of bravery, which reflected his lifelong commitment to service and duty. The resolution also expresses condolences to his family and supports public education efforts regarding rip current dangers.

The No Surprises Act Enforcement Act significantly increases financial penalties for group health plans and insurers that violate surprise billing protections. It establishes much harsher penalties, including triple the owed amount plus interest, for late payments following independent dispute resolution determinations. Furthermore, the bill mandates more frequent and detailed transparency reports to Congress regarding enforcement activities and violations found.

The Homeowner Energy Freedom Act repeals specific sections of a previous energy law, effectively eliminating certain established energy programs. This legislation also rescinds any unspent federal funds previously allocated to those now-repealed programs. Additionally, it makes a technical update to existing law by removing references to the now-defunct high-efficiency electric home rebate program.

The Accelerating the Development of Advanced Psychology Trainees (ADAPT) Act expands Medicare coverage for mental health services provided by advanced psychology trainees under the general supervision of a licensed psychologist. This allows doctoral interns and postdoctoral residents to bill for services, improving access to care. The bill also directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to issue guidance to states on covering these trainee services under Medicaid and CHIP.