Legislation

The "Protect our Parks Act of 2025" aims to bolster the National Park Service by ensuring full staffing for visitor safety, enjoyment, and resource protection, including the reinstatement of employees removed earlier in 2025. It also allows the continuation of already authorized and funded projects under existing legislation like the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act and the Great American Outdoors Act.

The TRACE Act mandates the Attorney General to enhance the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System by including a data field that indicates whether a missing person's last known location or unidentified remains were found on Federal land. It also requires an annual report to Congress detailing the number of cases involving missing persons or unidentified remains found on these lands, broken down by the responsible federal agency. "Federal land" is defined as land owned by the U.S. and managed by the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of the Interior, or the Secretary of Defense, specifically for land and water projects handled by the Army Corps of Engineers. This aims to improve tracking and reporting of missing persons and unidentified remains cases on federal lands.

The Food Secure Strikers Act of 2025 amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to eliminate the restriction that prevents striking workers from being eligible for SNAP benefits. This bill ensures that striking workers are not automatically disqualified from receiving food assistance.

This bill authorizes the President to award the Medal of Honor to Thomas H. Griffin for his extraordinary heroism as an Army Captain during the Vietnam War. Griffin repeatedly risked his life between March 1-3, 1969, to lead his battalion against the North Vietnamese Army, saving over 300 allied soldiers despite being shot three times. The original Silver Star awarded to Griffin did not fully recognize his valor, and new evidence supports upgrading his recognition to the Medal of Honor. This authorization overrides the usual time limits for awarding the Medal of Honor.

The Mental Health in Aviation Act of 2025 aims to improve mental health support for aviation professionals by updating FAA regulations to encourage help-seeking, streamlining the special issuance process for mental health conditions, and increasing the number of aviation medical examiners. It also mandates the implementation of recommendations from the Mental Health and Aviation Medical Clearances Aviation Rulemaking Committee and authorizes funding for a public information campaign to reduce stigma around mental health care in the aviation industry. The Act authorizes appropriations for fiscal years 2026-2029 to support these initiatives.

The American Students First Act aims to restrict federal financial aid to public colleges and universities that offer in-state tuition or state financial aid to students who are not lawfully present in the United States. This bill amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, potentially impacting institutions that provide benefits to undocumented students.

The Dennis and Lois Krisfalusy Act expands eligibility for memorial headstones and markers furnished by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. This act removes the restriction that this benefit only applies to those who die on or after November 11, 1998, allowing more veterans to be honored with memorial headstones or markers.

The "Stop Giving Big Oil Free Money Act" aims to eliminate royalty exemptions for oil and gas companies operating in the Gulf of Mexico by requiring them to renegotiate existing leases to include royalty payments when oil and gas prices meet certain thresholds. It restricts the issuance of new leases and the transfer of existing leases to companies that have not agreed to these terms. The Act also allows the Secretary of the Interior to modify older leases to include similar price thresholds for royalty suspension provisions, ensuring fair compensation to taxpayers.

The Gas-Operated Semi-Automatic Firearms Exclusion (GOSAFE) Act amends Title 18 to restrict the import, sale, manufacture, transfer, receipt, or possession of specific gas-operated semi-automatic firearms, devices that increase a firearm's rate of fire, and large capacity ammunition feeding devices (over 10 rounds). The bill provides exceptions for governmental use, certain transfers to family members, and firearms lawfully possessed before enactment, and it allows Byrne grants to be used for buy-back programs for gas-operated semi-automatic firearms and large capacity ammunition feeding devices. It also tasks the Attorney General and ATF with publishing a list of prohibited firearms, reviewing applications for new firearms, and establishing a Firearm Safety Trust Fund to cover associated costs. Finally, the bill establishes penalties for violations of the Act.

This bill directs the Librarian of Congress to replace hardbound versions of the Annotated Constitution and its supplements with digital versions to promote cost-effectiveness, efficiency, and expanded availability. It mandates the creation of digital decennial revised editions and cumulative pocket-part supplements, ensuring their availability on a public Library of Congress website. The bill eliminates the requirement for the Congressional Research Service to prepare hardbound versions.

The "Crucial Communism Teaching Act" aims to educate high school students about the history and dangers of communism and similar ideologies, highlighting their contrast with American principles of freedom and democracy. It directs the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation to develop a civic education curriculum and oral history resources, featuring stories from victims of communism. The curriculum will cover past and present communist regimes, focusing on human rights abuses and aggression against democratic entities. The Foundation will collaborate with education officials to implement the curriculum in high schools.

This bill amends Title 49 of the U.S. Code to create an exception for Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands from certain eligibility requirements related to essential air service. This change aligns their treatment with that of Alaska and Hawaii under existing law.

The "FDA Modernization Act 3.0" mandates the replacement of animal testing references with "nonclinical testing" references in specific sections of the Code of Federal Regulations, aligning with the FDA's efforts to modernize drug development and evaluation. This change aims to promote innovative, non-animal testing methods for assessing the safety and effectiveness of new drugs and biological products. The Act requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to implement these changes through an interim final rule within one year.

This resolution supports the Rise Up for LGBTQI+ Youth in Schools Initiative, advocating for safe and inclusive K-12 learning environments free from discrimination and erasure for all students, especially LGBTQI+ youth. It recognizes the challenges LGBTQI+ students face, including bullying, discrimination, and legislative attacks, and emphasizes the importance of affirming policies and practices to improve their well-being and educational outcomes. The resolution encourages states and localities to support the initiative and enact protective laws and policies.

The "Studying NEPA's Impact on Projects Act" mandates the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) to publish an annual report detailing the impacts of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) on various projects. This report will include data on NEPA-related lawsuits, the length and costs of Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) and Environmental Assessments (EA), EIS timelines, and a list of categorical exclusions. The CEQ is required to make this report publicly available and submit it to specific Senate and House committees. The goal of the act is to increase transparency and understanding of NEPA's effects on project development and environmental compliance.

The "Expanding Partnerships for Innovation and Competitiveness Act" establishes a nonprofit corporation called the Foundation for Standards and Metrology to support the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The Foundation will advance measurement science, technical standards, and technology to boost U.S. economic security and collaboration among researchers, higher education, industry, and nonprofits. It is governed by a Board of Directors and will support international metrology, conduct research, expand facilities, and promote the commercialization of federally funded research. The Foundation will submit annual reports and undergo audits to ensure transparency and accountability.

The Solidify Iran Sanctions Act of 2025 amends the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 to permanently sanction Iran for its weapons programs, support for terrorism, and destabilizing activities in the Middle East. This act repeals the sunset clause of the Iran Sanctions Act, ensuring the sanctions remain in effect indefinitely. The goal of this bill is to fully implement and enforce sanctions against Iran.

The TANF State Expenditure Integrity Act of 2025 aims to prevent the misuse of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) subrecipient funds by establishing a monitoring framework and a dedicated TANF Program Integrity Unit. It increases funding for monitoring activities and requires states to directly compensate families in need if TANF funds are intentionally misused. The Act mandates annual reports to Congress and the implementation of new regulations to ensure proper enforcement.

The Postal Service Clusterbox Responsibility Act requires the Postal Service to maintain cluster box units that it has primarily maintained for at least 20 years and that are owned by a non-public entity, as long as the owner allows the maintenance. The Postal Service is required to add mailboxes to these units upon request and must establish a "Cluster Box Unit Maintenance Fund." The USPS must issue regulations to carry out the act within 180 days of enactment.

The Firearm Due Process Protection Act aims to protect individuals' Second Amendment rights by ensuring due process in firearm-related matters. It allows individuals affected by Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act violations to take legal action, shifting the burden of proof to the government to justify denying firearm ownership. Additionally, it mandates the FBI to provide annual reports to Congress on the challenges to the accuracy of NICS records. The Act reinforces the importance of due process in protecting the right to bear arms.