Legislation

The "Declaration of Energy Independence Act" amends the Mineral Leasing Act to lower royalty and rental rates for onshore oil and gas leases, aiming to encourage domestic energy production. It sets new minimum bid amounts, adjusts rental fees, and revises noncompetitive leasing terms to stimulate oil and gas development on federal lands. The act also includes provisions for extending leases on low-production mineral estates and reducing royalty payments under certain conditions.

The United States-Taiwan Expedited Double-Tax Relief Act aims to reduce double taxation and encourage economic activity between the U.S. and Taiwan by lowering tax rates on certain income for Taiwanese residents and businesses in the U.S., contingent upon Taiwan offering reciprocal benefits to U.S. individuals and companies. Additionally, the United States-Taiwan Tax Agreement Authorization Act outlines the process for establishing a tax agreement with Taiwan, ensuring congressional oversight and adherence to existing U.S. tax laws, to further reduce double taxation.

The Native American Education Opportunity Act establishes a program allowing Tribes to create education savings accounts (ESAs) for Native American students, funded with $8,000 annually for each participating student to be used for various educational expenses, including private schooling, tutoring, and college costs. It also authorizes the Bureau of Indian Education to approve and fund charter schools, and allocates additional funds to Tribes that manage education savings account programs. Finally, the bill requires a review of the program's implementation within three years.

This bill expresses support for designating February 2025 as "Hawaiian Language Month" or "'Olelo Hawai'i Month" to recognize and celebrate the Hawaiian language (lelo Hawaii). It acknowledges the historical suppression of lelo Hawaii and the ongoing revitalization efforts. The bill also commits to preserving, protecting, and promoting the use, practice, and development of lelo Hawaii, urging all people in the United States to participate in celebrating lelo Hawaii Month.

The Veteran's Choice Accountability Act requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to evaluate all VA programs that provide hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care to identify and maintain centers of excellence. Additionally, the Act mandates an evaluation of the implementation of the VA Budget and Choice Improvement Act to be submitted to Congress within two years.

The Handgun Permit to Purchase Act aims to reduce gun violence by providing grants to states, local governments, and Indian tribes to develop, implement, and evaluate handgun purchaser licensing requirements. To be eligible for a grant, applicants must have a handgun purchaser licensing law that includes certain requirements such as the applicant being at least 21 years old, submitting to a background check, and reapplying for the license every 5 years or less. Grant funds must be used to improve the recipient's handgun purchaser licensing program. This act authorizes the appropriation of necessary funds to carry out this grant program.

This bill disapproves and nullifies the Environmental Protection Agency's rule that revises national drinking water regulations for lead and copper. By disapproving the rule, the changes to lead and copper regulations will not be implemented.

The WHO is Accountable Act prohibits federal funds from being used to rejoin or contribute to the World Health Organization (WHO) until the Secretary of State certifies that the WHO has met specific reform criteria. These criteria include ensuring the WHO is not influenced by the Chinese Communist Party, has increased transparency, and is not involved in politically charged issues. The Act also requires the WHO to grant observer status to Taiwan and ensure that no WHO directive is legally binding on U.S. citizens as a condition of U.S. membership.

The "One Agency Act" consolidates federal antitrust enforcement by transferring the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) antitrust functions, staff, assets, and funding to the Department of Justice (DOJ). This aims to streamline antitrust enforcement, eliminate overlap, and improve efficiency. The Attorney General is granted authority to restructure the Antitrust Division and manage ongoing investigations, consent decrees, and information gathering related to antitrust matters. The FTC is prohibited from initiating new antitrust actions without the Attorney General's approval during a transition period.

The "FUEL Reform Act" repeals Title IX of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, thereby eliminating Department of Agriculture bioenergy subsidy programs and other related subsidy programs.

The CHIP IN for Veterans Act makes permanent a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) program that allows the VA to accept donations of facilities and improvements to better serve veterans. This program, initially established in 2016, helps the VA enhance its resources through community support. The Act codifies the program's details into section 8104A of title 38, United States Code, ensuring its continued operation and impact.

This bill expresses the House of Representatives' disapproval of the President's decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement, recognizing climate change as a threat and highlighting the increasing costs of extreme weather events. It commends entities supporting the Agreement, urges the President to reconsider, and encourages Congress to prioritize U.S. leadership on climate change.

This proposed constitutional amendment limits the number of times a person can be elected President to a maximum of three terms. It also specifies that someone who has served more than two years of another President's term can only be elected twice. The amendment requires ratification by three-fourths of the states within seven years.

This resolution authorizes the Senate Committee on Finance to spend money from the Senate's contingent fund, hire staff, and utilize personnel from other government entities to fulfill its duties. It sets specific limits on committee expenses, allocating \$7,638,723 from March 1, 2025, through September 30, 2025, \$13,094,954 from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026 and \$5,456,231 from October 1, 2026, through February 28, 2027, for these activities. The resolution also outlines the procedure for covering committee expenses and lists exceptions for when vouchers (receipts) are not needed.

This resolution urges the NCAA to revoke its current transgender student-athlete eligibility policy, arguing it discriminates against female athletes. It calls for the NCAA to prevent transgender-identifying males from competing in women's sports and to require member conferences to adopt a biological sex-based policy. The resolution also asks all U.S. sports governing bodies to protect women's sports for biological women and girls.

The SERVE Our Communities Act authorizes the Attorney General to issue grants to state and local governments that allow courts to assess an individual's potential danger to the community when setting bail and that have taken action to reduce repeat offenses by violent offenders. These actions include enacting laws, increasing efforts to recruit law enforcement, or running public education programs to counter anti-police sentiment. The grants can be used as described in section 211(b) of the Second Chance Act of 2007. \$10,000,000 is authorized to be appropriated for each fiscal year from 2026 through 2031 to implement this section.

The "Supporting Transit Commutes Act" allows employers to deduct the cost of providing certain transportation benefits, like transit passes or parking, to their employees. The deduction is limited to the amount described in section 132(f)(2)(A). If employees can choose between the transportation benefit and cash, the deduction is reduced to 50%.

This proposed constitutional amendment would permanently set the number of Supreme Court justices at nine. The composition would include one chief justice and eight associate justices. For the amendment to be enacted it must be ratified by three-fourths of the states within seven years of being submitted.

The REMOTE Act mandates executive departments to monitor and report on the network usage of teleworking employees, comparing their login activity and network traffic to that of employees working from headquarters. It requires the use of Personal Identity Verification Cards or Common Access Cards for logins and directs the publication of this data in budget justification materials, while protecting personally identifiable information. Additionally, the act amends reporting requirements for Chief Human Capital Officers, requiring them to detail telework's impact and provide justification for telework revocations.

This resolution supports the use of natural gas as an affordable and "green" energy source, emphasizing its economic and environmental benefits. It opposes methane emission fees that could raise costs for Americans and harm natural gas producing regions. The resolution also advocates for increased domestic natural gas production, infrastructure, and exports, highlighting the role of U.S. natural gas in reducing global emissions and supporting energy security.