Legislation

The "US Customs and Border Protection Officer Retirement Technical Corrections Act" corrects inequities in retirement benefits for certain CBP officers hired after July 6, 2008, but offered positions beforehand. It ensures these officers receive proper annuity amounts, exempts them from certain mandatory retirement rules, and mandates a review of CBP's hiring practices related to retirement benefits. The Department of Homeland Security and the Office of Personnel Management are directed to make necessary corrections and provide guidance.

This resolution reaffirms the principle that no country should forcibly take territory from another, supporting Ukraine and its allies. It echoes President Reagan's call to stand with democracies against aggression. The resolution asserts that a country's borders and government should not be threatened or attacked by another country.

The "Royalty Transparency Act" mandates greater financial transparency for executive branch employees and advisory committee members, particularly concerning royalty income. It directs the GAO to identify relevant advisory committees, requires detailed reporting of ethics waivers and royalty sources, and ensures public and congressional access to financial disclosures. Additionally, it updates federal acquisition regulations to address potential conflicts of interest related to royalty payments to contractors and grantees.

**Title I:** This bill seeks to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs within the federal government by revoking prior directives, terminating DEI offices, and restricting DEI-related training and activities. **Title II:** This bill restricts federal training programs from including topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and protects employees from mandatory training on these subjects. **Title III:** This bill modifies federal contracting practices by prohibiting the use of federal funds for DEI-related activities and ensuring non-discrimination in federal programs. **Title IV:** This bill restricts the use of federal grant and cooperative agreement funds for diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) initiatives, while exempting certain offices and institutions. **Title V:** This bill aims to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices within federal advisory committees by outlining specific prohibitions, enforcement mechanisms, and responsibilities for agency administrators and heads to ensure compliance. **Title VI:** This bill addresses accreditation standards for higher education institutions and restricts the use of federal funds by the Secretary of Education related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. **Title VII:** This bill eliminates certain diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and related requirements across various federal agencies and acts. **Title VIII:** This bill focuses on the enforcement and legal standing of the Act, ensuring individuals have the right to seek justice if they believe the law has been violated, and clarifies that the law remains effective even if parts of it are deemed unconstitutional.

The "Risky Research Review Act" establishes the Life Sciences Research Security Board, an independent agency within the Executive Branch, to review and make binding determinations on federal funding for high-risk life sciences research. The board will consist of experts appointed by the President and will ensure that proposed research meets safety and security standards before funding is awarded. This act aims to prevent potentially dangerous research from being federally funded without proper oversight. The Board is granted authority to audit, investigate, and enforce compliance, ensuring responsible and secure life sciences research practices.

The "Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act of 2025" mandates an annual report on taxpayer-funded government projects that are significantly behind schedule (more than 5 years) or have exceeded their original cost estimate by at least $1 billion. This report, compiled by the Office of Management and Budget, will detail project descriptions, scope changes, timelines, cost overruns, and reasons for delays, and will be submitted to Congress and made public. The goal is to increase transparency and accountability for large-scale government projects.

This bill amends the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, requiring lobbyists to disclose any foreign government or political party that directs, plans, supervises, or controls their lobbying activities. This disclosure is required even if the foreign entity is not the lobbyist's direct client. The bill is named the "Disclosing Foreign Influence in Lobbying Act."

The "ADS for Mental Health Services Act" requires large digital advertising platforms to report annually on the number, value, and focus of public service advertisements they display, particularly those related to mental, behavioral, and physical health resources. This data will then be compiled into a public report to Congress by the Federal Trade Commission. The goal is to increase transparency and understanding of the support provided for health-related public service announcements on major online platforms. The act does not supersede any existing privacy or data security laws.

The "OPTN Fee Collection Authority Act" amends the Public Health Service Act to enhance organ transplantation network operations by encouraging electronic health record integration and exploring a transplant statistics dashboard. It authorizes the Secretary to collect registration fees from OPTN members to fund these activities, ensuring transparency through public reporting of fee collection and usage. The Comptroller General will review these activities, and the fee collection authority will expire three years after enactment.

This bill, the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025, seeks to amend the National Labor Relations Act and other labor laws to strengthen protections for workers' rights to organize and collectively bargain. It aims to modernize labor regulations by clarifying definitions, addressing unfair labor practices, enhancing enforcement, and increasing transparency in labor-management relations. The bill introduces measures such as electronic voting in union elections, strengthens whistleblower protections, and mandates studies on collective bargaining practices. Ultimately, the goal is to ensure fair treatment of workers and promote equitable labor practices.

The Presidential Allowance Modernization Act of 2025 amends the Former Presidents Act to modernize the benefits and allowances provided to former presidents and their surviving spouses. It sets a fixed annual annuity and allowance, both subject to cost-of-living adjustments, while also limiting the allowance based on the former president's income. The bill increases benefits for surviving spouses, extends benefits to widowers, and requires disclosure of tax information for allowance calculation, while ensuring no changes to existing security provisions for former presidents and their families. Notably, current former Presidents are exempt from the provisions of this act.

The "Stop Secret Spending Act of 2025" aims to increase transparency in federal spending by mandating the reporting of "other transaction agreements" on USAspending.gov. It requires the Secretary of the Treasury to ensure this data is accessible within three years and to publish annual reports on federal spending data. The Act also directs Inspectors General to submit reports to Congress, mandates specific federal agencies to post information, and instructs the Comptroller General to provide recommendations for updating the Federal Acquisition Regulation.

The "Protecting Veteran Access to Telemedicine Services Act of 2025" enables VA healthcare professionals to use telemedicine for prescribing controlled substances to veterans, even without prior in-person exams. This is intended to increase access to care. The VA Secretary will be responsible for setting the regulations of this new process. The bill does not change existing requirements under the Controlled Substances Act.

The "Improving Flood and Agricultural Forecasts Act of 2025" aims to enhance weather forecasting by maintaining and improving the National Mesonet Program. This program will integrate environmental data from various sources, increase data density for better forecasts, and support local weather monitoring. The Act authorizes specific appropriations through 2029 and prioritizes assistance to underrepresented areas, ensuring data quality and promoting collaboration to improve weather predictions and warnings.

The Modernizing Access to Our Public Oceans Act aims to standardize, publish, and improve public access to data regarding recreational use of federal waterways and fishing restriction areas. It directs the Secretary of Commerce to develop data standards, create a public website with geographic data on waterway and fishing restrictions, and coordinate with other agencies and stakeholders to ensure data compatibility and accessibility. The Act ensures that existing regulations and authorities regarding navigable waters and fisheries management remain unchanged.

The Disaster Resiliency and Coverage Act of 2025 aims to increase household disaster resilience through a grant program for pre-disaster mitigation activities, tax exclusions for state-based catastrophe loss mitigation payments and certain emergency agricultural assistance, and a tax credit for disaster mitigation expenditures. The grant program will provide funds to states and tribal governments for mitigation activities on individual homes in high-risk disaster areas, while the tax exclusions and credit offer financial relief and incentives for individuals and agricultural producers affected by disasters. This act seeks to encourage proactive measures to protect homes and businesses from the impact of future disasters.

The Guidance Out Of Darkness (GOOD) Act mandates that federal agencies publish all guidance documents online in a single, designated location, ensuring transparency and accessibility for the public. This includes both new and existing guidance, with clear labeling and organization. The Act also requires agencies to maintain a record of rescinded guidance documents and report on agency compliance. The goal of this act is to increase government transparency.

This bill aims to block the sale of specific defense articles and services to Israel, including bombs, guidance kits, fuzes, and related support equipment, as outlined in Transmittal No. 2413. The disapproval extends to both the direct military equipment and associated logistical and technical support.

This resolution expresses support for comprehensive political reforms aimed at restoring public trust in government. These reforms include measures such as prohibiting contributions from PACs and lobbyists, imposing lifetime lobbying bans on members of Congress, and banning members from trading stocks. The resolution also supports establishing term limits for members of Congress and Supreme Court Justices, as well as instituting a binding code of ethics for Supreme Court Justices.

The "Romance Scam Prevention Act" requires online dating services to notify users if they receive a message from a previously banned user, warning them about potential fraud and providing safety tips. This notification must include the banned user's information, a fraud warning, and guidance on avoiding scams. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is responsible for enforcement, and the Act protects dating services from liability related to these notifications while preventing conflicting state laws.