Legislation

The Expanding Medical Education Act establishes new federal grants to help medical and osteopathic schools establish, upgrade, or expand programs, prioritizing those in medically underserved areas. These funds are intended to support the recruitment and training of diverse students, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, and develop curricula focused on culturally competent care. The Secretary of HHS must report regularly to Congress on the impact of these grants on the healthcare workforce in underserved communities.

This bill, the Doris Miller Congressional Gold Medal Act, authorizes the posthumous presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal to honor Doris Miller for his extraordinary heroism during the attack on Pearl Harbor. The legislation directs the Secretary of the Treasury to strike the medal and mandates its placement with the Smithsonian Institution for public display and research. The Act also permits the sale of bronze duplicate medals to cover production costs, with proceeds deposited back into the U.S. Mint Public Enterprise Fund.

The Farmers’ Market Expansion Act of 2025 amends the Seniors Farmers' Market Nutrition Program to enhance purchasing options for seniors. This bill specifically updates the list of eligible foods under the program. The key change allows seniors to use their benefits to purchase tree nuts at participating farmers' markets.

This bill reauthorizes the Military and Civilian Partnership for Trauma Readiness Grant Program under the Public Health Service Act. It extends the authorization for this grant program, which supports trauma readiness training and coordination between military and civilian medical systems. The reauthorization shifts the funding authorization period from fiscal years 2019-2023 to fiscal years 2025-2029.

This Act officially authorizes the adjustment of the boundaries for Big Bend National Park. The Secretary of the Interior is permitted to acquire approximately 6,100 acres of land or rights through donation or exchange to expand the park. Crucially, this expansion explicitly prohibits the use of eminent domain to secure the additional property.

The Air National Guard Squadron Preservation Act of 2025 mandates the recapitalization of the Air National Guard's fighter fleet with advanced and fifth-generation aircraft. It requires the Air Force to maintain production of these modern jets until all legacy aircraft in relevant Guard units are replaced. The bill also directs the GAO to review acquisition challenges and requires annual progress reports on the replacement timeline.

The DETERRENT Act significantly increases transparency requirements for colleges and universities regarding foreign gifts, contracts, and investments, especially those involving "countries or entities of concern." It mandates detailed public disclosure reports, establishes strict prohibitions and waiver processes for contracts with risky foreign entities, and imposes severe financial penalties for non-compliance. Furthermore, the bill requires specified large private institutions to report their holdings in concerning foreign assets annually.

The Ensuring Medicaid Eligibility Act of 2025 blocks a specific 2024 rule aimed at streamlining Medicaid processes. This bill mandates that citizenship or satisfactory immigration status must be verified before enrollment in Medicaid can occur. Furthermore, it requires quarterly income re-verification for certain enrollees and prohibits federal Medicaid funding for medical services provided to parolees, TPS, and DACA recipients.

The Virginia Beach Heroes Act establishes special tax provisions to support the families of law enforcement officers killed in Virginia Beach on February 22, 2025. This bill ensures that donations made to these families qualify as charitable contributions. Furthermore, it protects charities distributing funds to the surviving spouses or dependents from adverse tax consequences, provided payments are made in good faith and follow reasonable guidelines.

The Let Pregnancy Centers Serve Act of 2025 aims to protect pregnancy resource centers from discrimination by federal and state entities due to their commitment to offering life-affirming alternatives to abortion. This bill prohibits government agencies receiving federal funds from penalizing organizations that do not perform, refer for, or counsel in favor of abortion. Furthermore, it strengthens enforcement by allowing qualified parties to directly sue government entities for violating these conscience protections.

The Recognizing Community Organizations for Veteran Engagement and Recovery (RECOVER) Act establishes a three-year Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) pilot program to award grants to non-profit organizations. These grants fund the provision of culturally competent, evidence-based mental health care specifically for veterans. Recipients cannot charge veterans for this care and must encourage them to enroll in the VA system for ongoing services. The VA must report on the program's outcomes, including veteran engagement and care quality, after the pilot concludes.

The Brake for Kids Act of 2025 establishes a national public safety messaging campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of illegally passing a stopped school bus. This initiative will be funded using existing allocations from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The required campaign must utilize broad outreach methods, including national television, radio, social media, and edge service advertising.

The Cameras in the Courtroom Act mandates that the Supreme Court must allow television cameras to record all of its open court sessions. The Court can only vote to block coverage for a specific case if a majority of justices agree it would violate due process rights. This legislation aims to increase public access to Supreme Court proceedings.

The Dual Loyalty Disclosure Act mandates that candidates running for office must disclose any dual citizenship they hold with a foreign country on their official campaign paperwork. This new requirement ensures voters are aware of a candidate's foreign citizenship status. The disclosure must be included after the principal campaign committee is established.

The Electronic Filing and Payment Fairness Act extends the existing "mailbox rule" to electronic submissions made to the Internal Revenue Service. This means that documents and payments submitted digitally will be considered officially received on the date they are sent, not the date the IRS processes them. This change ensures fairness for taxpayers utilizing electronic filing methods.

This bill nullifies the Bureau of Land Management's Henry Mountains and Fremont Gorge Travel Management Plan dated January 2025. It explicitly prohibits the Secretary of the Interior from implementing or enforcing that specific decision record. Essentially, the measure voids the existing travel management plan for the affected areas.

The Habitat Connectivity on Working Lands Act of 2025 updates federal conservation programs to prioritize wildlife movement and migration corridors, especially for big game species. It expands partnership programs and allows for cost-sharing on existing CRP lands to improve connectivity. The bill also boosts research into non-physical livestock management tools like virtual fencing to reduce barriers to animal movement.

The Defining Male and Female Act of 2025 establishes statutory definitions for "male" and "female" across all federal laws, based strictly on biological sex determined at conception (sperm or egg production). This legislation explicitly defines sex as an immutable biological classification, while stating that subjective gender identity will not be recognized as a replacement for biological sex in federal contexts. The Act also clarifies related terms like "mother," "father," "man," and "woman" based on these biological standards.

The Reduce Bureaucracy to Uplift Families Act aims to ensure more federal funds directly benefit families by lowering the maximum percentage states can spend on administrative costs for certain programs from 15% to 10%. This legislation also clarifies that case management services count toward this new administrative spending cap. States failing to comply with these new limitations face a potential penalty of up to a 5% reduction in their federal grant funding the following year. All provisions of this Act are scheduled to take effect on October 1, 2026.

This bill, the Board of Veterans’ Appeals Attorney Retention and Backlog Reduction Act, aims to improve attorney retention at the Board of Veterans' Appeals. It specifically allows non-supervisory attorneys at the Board to be promoted up to the GS-15 pay grade. This change is intended to enhance career opportunities for these essential legal professionals.