Legislation

This resolution clarifies that United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 only addressed seating arrangements and does not validate the People's Republic of China's "One China Principle" regarding Taiwan's status. It asserts that the U.S. "One China Policy" is distinct from Beijing's claims and does not endorse PRC sovereignty over Taiwan. The bill strongly opposes PRC efforts to use the resolution to exclude Taiwan from international organizations and supports Taiwan's meaningful participation globally.

The HERO Act establishes a national system to track suicides among public safety officers to better understand prevention needs. It also creates grant programs to fund peer-support and wellness programs for fire, EMS, and healthcare workers. Finally, the bill mandates the development of educational resources to improve mental health treatment for first responders dealing with trauma and PTSD.

The Broadcast Freedom and Independence Act of 2025 aims to safeguard the independence of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from political pressure. It explicitly prohibits the FCC from revoking broadcast licenses or denying business transactions based on the viewpoints or opinions expressed by broadcasters. This legislation ensures that regulatory actions are focused on legal compliance rather than content censorship.

The Lobbying Disclosure Improvement Act mandates that lobbyists must now disclose on their registration forms whether they qualify for an exemption under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. This change enhances transparency by requiring registrants to explicitly state their status regarding representation of foreign entities.

The Water Conservation Rebate Tax Parity Act expands the current tax exclusion for energy efficiency subsidies to include payments received for making homes more water-efficient. This means that rebates from utilities or governments for installing water, storm water, or wastewater management improvements will generally not be counted as taxable income. The bill clarifies which types of improvements qualify and which entities can provide these tax-free subsidies. These changes apply to subsidies received after December 31, 2021.

The RESTORE Act establishes the National Freedom Settlements Preservation Program to formally recognize, research, and preserve communities founded by formerly enslaved African Americans after the Civil War. This program, managed by the Secretary of the Interior, will create a federal effort to honor these settlements' legacy of self-determination through documentation, historic designation, and grant funding. The law authorizes appropriations to support cultural heritage, research, and capacity building for these historically neglected communities.

The Securing American Agriculture Act mandates an annual report from the Secretary of Agriculture detailing U.S. reliance on China for critical farming supplies like fertilizers, seeds, and veterinary drugs. This study must assess domestic production capabilities and identify supply chain vulnerabilities that China could exploit. The goal is to provide Congress with actionable recommendations for reducing dependency through onshore or nearshore production.

The Broadband Grant Tax Treatment Act excludes certain federal grants received for deploying broadband infrastructure from gross income, making those funds tax-free. This exclusion prevents taxpayers from claiming a deduction or credit for expenses covered by these grants. The bill ensures that the basis of property purchased with these tax-free funds is appropriately adjusted. This provision applies to grants received in taxable years ending after March 11, 2023.

The PAST Act of 2025 significantly strengthens the Horse Protection Act to combat the painful practice of soring in specific horse breeds. This bill increases penalties for violations, establishes stricter licensing and oversight for inspectors, and explicitly bans the use of "action devices" designed to cause unnatural gaits. The legislation aims to enhance enforcement, ensure fairer competition, and hold violators accountable through increased fines and disqualifications.

The Protecting Americans’ Social Security Data Act restricts political appointees and special government employees from accessing sensitive Social Security beneficiary data systems. It establishes a right for individuals to sue the government or responsible parties for unauthorized access or disclosure of their private Social Security information, including specified minimum damages. Furthermore, the bill mandates the Inspector General to investigate such violations and report findings to Congress within 30 days. Finally, it requires the GAO to conduct a comprehensive study on the impact of these new privacy and enforcement measures.

This bill amends the Coastal Zone Management Act to establish a conclusive presumption that a coastal state concurs with certain federal activities under its management program. Specifically, it mandates automatic agreement for federal projects related to national security, critical infrastructure, disaster recovery, or those in economically distressed areas. This presumption can only be overturned if the Secretary issues a written decision within 30 days stating the activity is not covered.

The PAW Act of 2025 allows taxpayers to treat certain pet-related expenses as deductible medical expenses for federal income tax purposes. Specifically, it permits the deduction of veterinary care costs for service animals, and sets annual limits of up to \$1,000 for both veterinary care and health insurance for regular pets. These limits for non-service animals will be adjusted for inflation beginning in tax years after 2025.

The Risky Research Review Act establishes the Life Sciences Research Security Board to oversee and approve federal funding for "high-risk life sciences research," which includes Dual Use Research of Concern (DURC) involving dangerous pathogens. This new independent agency will review proposals to determine if the potential risks to public health or national security outweigh the anticipated benefits before any funding is awarded. The Act mandates strict attestation requirements for applicants and outlines penalties for non-compliance or misrepresentation regarding high-risk research activities.

This bill, the Hatch Act Enforcement Transparency and Accountability Act, aims to increase public oversight of how the Office of Special Counsel enforces political activity restrictions for federal employees. It mandates new, detailed reporting to Congress regarding investigations and disciplinary actions against both career and non-career appointees. Furthermore, the legislation requires the OSC to publish anonymized, demographic statistics on Hatch Act allegations on its website.

The HOPE for Homeownership Act imposes a new federal excise tax on large investment entities, such as hedge funds, that purchase or hold excess single-family residences. This legislation aims to discourage large-scale corporate ownership of homes by applying penalties upon acquisition and for holding too many units. Furthermore, taxpayers subject to these new taxes will be disallowed from claiming standard mortgage interest and depreciation deductions on those residential properties.

The Fairness in Veterans’ Education Act eliminates the requirement for certain service members to repay contributions made toward their Post-9/11 Educational Assistance benefits if they do not complete their full service commitment. This change aims to provide greater fairness in how veterans access their earned education benefits. The new rule will take effect on August 1, 2025.

The BEAD FEE Act of 2025 aims to ensure fairness and efficiency in broadband deployment by regulating fees charged by local governments for projects funded under the BEAD Program. This legislation mandates that any fees associated with broadband infrastructure construction must be competitively neutral, transparent, and directly tied to the actual, reasonable costs incurred. Consequently, grant funds will be withheld from entities that impose non-compliant or discriminatory fees.

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to create an exception to the Base Erosion and Anti-Abuse Tax (BEAT). Specifically, it prevents certain payments made to foreign related parties from being treated as "base erosion payments." This exception applies only if the foreign recipient company and the payment itself are subject to an effective foreign income tax rate of at least 15 percent. The legislation directs the Treasury to issue regulations to implement this calculation and prevent tax abuse.

The Disclosing Foreign Influence in Lobbying Act amends the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 to enhance transparency regarding foreign influence in lobbying activities. This legislation mandates that lobbyists must now disclose the name and address of any foreign government or political party that directs, plans, supervises, or controls their lobbying efforts. This ensures the public and regulators are aware of foreign entities influencing domestic lobbying work.

The Wildland Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act of 2025 establishes permanent, higher base pay rates for federal wildland firefighters based on their GS grade. It also creates a significant daily premium pay bonus for time spent responding to qualifying wildfire incidents. Finally, the bill mandates new paid rest and recuperation leave for firefighters following deployment to ensure proper recovery.