Legislation

The Securities Clarity Act of 2025 establishes a new category of digital assets called "investment contract assets." This legislation explicitly excludes these newly defined digital assets from the definition of a "security" across major federal financial laws, including the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The primary goal is to create regulatory certainty by carving out specific digital assets from traditional securities regulation.

The Strengthen Wood Product Supply Chains Act of 2025 aims to ensure fair and timely enforcement procedures under the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 regarding detained imported goods. This bill establishes strict deadlines for government agencies to either release, test, or seize detained merchandise. If deadlines are missed, the action is treated as a seizure, granting importers clear rights to administrative review and judicial appeal.

This bill, the Coordinated Support for Rural Small Businesses Act, strengthens the Small Business Administration's (SBA) focus on rural enterprises by establishing a dedicated Assistant Administrator to lead the Office of Rural Affairs. The legislation mandates increased coordination between the SBA and the Department of Agriculture to improve program awareness and address specific rural challenges, such as access to capital. Furthermore, the Act requires the SBA to host targeted outreach events and submit annual public reports detailing the office's operations and coordination efforts to Congress.

This bill permanently extends the existing exemption allowing qualified school bus drivers to skip the engine compartment portion of the commercial driver's license (CDL) skills test. It mandates the Secretary of Transportation to maintain this specific "under-the-hood" inspection waiver indefinitely. States utilizing this permanent exemption must still submit annual reports on the number of drivers licensed under it for the next six years.

The American Students First Act penalizes public colleges that offer in-state tuition rates or state financial aid to undocumented students. If a college is found to violate these provisions, it will lose all federal financial assistance for the following fiscal year. This measure aims to restrict benefits for non-lawfully present aliens at the expense of federal funding for the institution.

This Act imposes immediate sanctions, including asset freezes and visa bans, on the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) and its affiliates for their involvement in terrorism, particularly the October 7th attacks. It also mandates the Secretary of State to report on designating the PRC and the Lions' Den as global terrorists. The legislation further requires ongoing reviews to identify and address successor or affiliated terrorist groups.

This resolution officially supports the goals of Financial Literacy Month by recognizing the widespread financial challenges facing American households. It highlights the urgent need for improved personal finance education due to low budgeting rates and high levels of household debt. The bill calls upon federal, state, and local entities to promote programs that enhance financial understanding and responsible money management.

The Ensuring Workers Get PAID Act of 2025 establishes a new voluntary Payroll Audit Independent Determination (PAID) program for employers to self-audit and correct unintentional minimum wage and overtime violations under the FLSA. This program aims to expedite the recovery of back wages for employees, building on the success of a previous pilot, while offering employers certain protections if they cooperate in good faith. Approval requires the employer to fix the violation, accurately calculate and pay back wages, and confirm they are not currently facing litigation over the issues identified. The Act also strictly prohibits employer retaliation against workers participating in the settlement process.

The Baseball Diplomacy Act removes specific government restrictions that currently hinder Cuban nationals coming to the U.S. to play professional baseball. This legislation exempts these athletes from certain financial and trade controls, ensuring they can earn and take their wages home. Furthermore, it streamlines the visa process by limiting the initial stay to the baseball season while allowing for easier re-entry for subsequent seasons with the same team.

The Improve Transparency and Stability for Families and Children Act modifies the deadlines for states to obligate and expend funds received under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, beginning in fiscal year 2027. This legislation allows states to reserve a limited percentage of future funds for later use, provided they notify the Secretary of Health and Human Services. The goal is to ensure timely use of federal assistance while offering limited flexibility for state planning.

The Comparison of Sustainable Transportation Act (COST Act) mandates two key studies comparing alternative fuel options for the federal fleet. First, it requires a cost analysis for replacing gasoline vehicles with either electric vehicles (EVs/PHEVs) or flex-fuel ethanol vehicles, including infrastructure costs. Second, it directs an analysis of the full lifecycle emissions for gasoline, flex-fuel, and electric vehicles. Both studies must be completed and made public within one year of enactment.

The Assisting Small Businesses Not Fraudsters Act prohibits the Small Business Administration (SBA) from providing financial assistance to individuals or businesses associated with someone finally convicted of fraud related to specific federal loans or grants. This measure aims to prevent those who have committed financial misconduct from receiving further government aid. The restrictions apply to the convicted individual and any small business concern where that person is an owner, officer, or key employee.

The DOGE POUND Act of 2025 severely restricts access to sensitive, individually identifiable health information systems managed by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Only individuals already authorized before January 20, 2025, or those who meet a strict set of new security, ethics, and service requirements, may access these specified systems. Knowingly violating these access restrictions results in severe penalties, including up to five years in prison. Furthermore, the HHS Inspector General must promptly report all unauthorized access incidents to Congress.

The John W. Walsh Alpha-1 Home Infusion Act of 2025 amends Medicare to specifically cover augmentation therapy for individuals with severe Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency Disorder when administered in the home. This legislation establishes new payment rules under Medicare Part B for the necessary intravenous kits and associated nursing services. The goal is to ensure qualified home infusion suppliers are reimbursed directly for providing this essential, ongoing maintenance treatment.

The Ensuring Sound Guidance Act of 2025 focuses on strengthening fiduciary duties by prioritizing pecuniary (financial) factors in investment advice unless clients explicitly agree otherwise. It also mandates the SEC to study environmental disclosure practices within the municipal bond market and investigate the effectiveness of current rules preventing corruption in the solicitation of municipal securities business. The bill requires the SEC to report its findings and recommend necessary regulatory or legislative actions within one year of enactment.

The Building Youth Workforce Skills Act amends existing law to allow local areas to use designated youth workforce funds to pay for training services for eligible in-school and out-of-school youth through individual training accounts. This change standardizes how young people can access training, aligning their options with those available to adults and dislocated workers.

The National Taxpayer Advocate Enhancement Act of 2025 grants the National Taxpayer Advocate the explicit authority to hire and directly supervise lawyers within their office. This change modernizes the structure of the Taxpayer Advocate Service by ensuring appointed counsel report directly to the Advocate. The bill clarifies employee descriptions to align with this new hiring power.

The Lowering Egg Prices Act of 2025 aims to reduce costs by streamlining the handling of surplus broiler hatching eggs sold to commercial egg breakers for processing into liquid egg products. This bill exempts these specific surplus eggs from certain current shell egg regulations. It also mandates the creation of a new rule within 180 days to establish appropriate temperature and time limits for holding these eggs before processing.

This bill establishes the Commission on National Agricultural Statistics Service Modernization to overhaul how the government collects farm data. The Commission will study and recommend ways to modernize the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) using new technology and improved data quality. It is tasked with reducing survey burdens on farmers and improving data timeliness, especially for specialty crops. The Commission must submit its final recommendations to Congress and the President within two years of enactment.

The Recovery of Stolen Checks Act allows taxpayers whose original IRS refund check was lost or stolen to elect to receive the replacement refund via direct deposit. This change aims to provide a faster and more secure method for taxpayers to receive their rightful funds. The Treasury Secretary is required to establish the necessary procedures for this option.