Legislation

The Ending Qualified Immunity Act aims to restore the original intent of civil rights law by eliminating the legal doctrine of qualified immunity. This act prevents state and local government officials from using defenses like "good faith" or "clearly established law" to avoid liability. Consequently, individuals will have a clearer path to sue officials who violate their constitutional rights under Section 1983.

The HEALTH Panel Act establishes a new Panel of Health Advisors within the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) composed of 15 independent experts. This Panel will provide technical guidance and recommendations to improve the CBO's analysis, modeling, and cost estimates related to federal health care policy. The CBO Director must publicly report on how these expert recommendations are incorporated into official CBO projections.

This bill mandates that all national cemeteries managed by the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, or the National Park Service must remain open to the public on all federal legal public holidays. This ensures continuous access for visitors wishing to honor service members and veterans on these significant days.

This bill, the Generating Retirement Ownership through Long-Term Holding Act, allows individuals to defer paying immediate taxes on capital gain dividends from regulated investment companies if those dividends are automatically reinvested into buying more shares. Tax on the deferred gain is recognized only when the shares are eventually sold, redeemed, or upon the owner's death. The legislation also grants these reinvested shares an automatic long-term holding period for tax purposes.

The Small Projects Expedited Execution and Delivery Act (SPEED Act) significantly raises the financial thresholds for transportation projects to qualify for expedited environmental review. Specifically, it doubles the maximum federal assistance cap to $\$12$ million and increases the total project cost limit to $\$70$ million for projects eligible for categorical exclusion. This change aims to speed up the delivery of smaller infrastructure projects by reducing lengthy environmental review requirements for those with limited federal funding.

The Labor Income Fairness and Transparency (LIFT) Act significantly raises the federal minimum wage through a phased schedule, eventually tying future increases to median wage growth. It also phases out subminimum wages for youth, students, and tipped employees, ensuring they reach the standard minimum wage. Furthermore, the bill restores and makes permanent pandemic-era improvements to the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for low-income workers. Finally, it establishes grants for state wage law enforcement and creates an advisory committee for the hospitality industry.

The VA Design-Build Construction Enhancement Act of 2025 encourages the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to prioritize the design-build construction method for future facility projects. Congress finds that this method can lead to faster construction, fewer change orders, and better value for the VA's extensive capital improvement plan. The bill mandates the use of specific federal design-build selection procedures for VA construction contracts.

The Remove the Stain Act officially rescinds the 20 Medals of Honor awarded for actions during the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890. This action is taken because Congress finds that these awards dishonor the integrity of the nation's highest military decoration. Recipients of these specific medals are not required to return the physical award.

The Stop the Scroll Act mandates that social media and anonymous content sharing platforms display conspicuous, hourly-refreshing mental health warning labels to users in the U.S. These labels must detail potential harms and provide access to federal resources like the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), in consultation with the Surgeon General, is tasked with writing and periodically updating the specific regulations for these warnings. Enforcement authority is granted to both the FTC and State Attorneys General, with significant civil penalties for knowing or repeated violations.

The Investing in All of America Act of 2025 updates the Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) program by increasing maximum leverage limits to \$175 million for individual companies and \$350 million for commonly controlled groups, adjusted annually for inflation. The bill also expands investment exclusions for leverage calculations to include investments in businesses located in low-income or rural areas, critical technology sectors, or small manufacturers. Furthermore, it clarifies the definition of investment sources for leverage approval, treating university-affiliated endowments similarly to pension funds.

The Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2025 updates federal grant programs to strengthen the nursing pipeline. It expands eligibility for advanced nursing education grants to cover more specialized roles and updates funding for modernizing nursing school resources like simulation labs. The bill also increases the authorized funding levels for these critical nursing workforce programs through Fiscal Year 2030.

The MARSHALS Act fundamentally restructures the United States Marshals Service (USMS) by officially placing it within the judicial branch of the federal government. This bill transfers oversight and appointment authority from the Attorney General to the Chief Justice, who will appoint the Director and District Marshals in consultation with a newly established Oversight Board. The legislation also clarifies the USMS's authority to protect federal judges and outlines specific conditions under which the Service can assist the Department of Justice and other agencies.

The IHS Provider Expansion Act establishes a new Office of Graduate Medical Education Programs within the Indian Health Service (IHS). This office will be responsible for building and overseeing residency and fellowship training pipelines to increase the number of health professionals serving at IHS facilities. It will coordinate with academic partners and is supported by an interagency team to ensure its sustainable operation.

The Protecting Veteran Community Care Act aims to expand veterans' access to timely community care, particularly for mental health and substance-use services when the VA cannot provide them quickly. This legislation prevents the VA from using its own scheduling delays as a reason to deny veterans access to outside care options. Furthermore, the bill mandates increased transparency by requiring the VA to report detailed metrics on all community care requests and limits the VA's ability to unilaterally change community care access standards without Congressional approval.

The **SCREENS for Cancer Act of 2025** aims to reauthorize and strengthen the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP). This legislation updates program goals to emphasize prevention and actively reduce cancer disparities among underserved populations. It also sets specific funding levels through 2030 and mandates a comprehensive GAO study on program eligibility and access barriers.

The Access Technology Affordability Act of 2025 establishes a new federal tax credit to help offset the cost of essential access technology for blind individuals. This credit covers expenses for hardware or software that converts visual information into usable formats for the taxpayer, their spouse, or a dependent. The credit is capped at \$2,000 over any three-year period and is set to expire for tax years beginning after December 31, 2030.

The ORPHAN Cures Act modifies the Drug Price Negotiation Program by adjusting how the time a drug has been on the market is calculated for negotiation eligibility. Specifically, it excludes the period during which a drug was designated as treating a rare disease (an "orphan drug") from counting toward the negotiation clock. This ensures that drugs developed for rare conditions receive an extended period of market exclusivity before price negotiation can begin.

The Andrew Kearse Accountability for Denial of Medical Care Act of 2025 establishes new federal penalties for officials who negligently fail to provide immediate medical attention to individuals in federal custody experiencing medical distress, resulting in unnecessary harm or death. This Act mandates training for all covered officials and requires investigations by the Inspector General for any such failures. Furthermore, it grants State Attorneys General the authority to file civil suits on behalf of harmed residents.

The Mental Health Excellence in Schools Act establishes a new federal program to increase the number of school-based mental health providers. This program will provide matching federal funds to eligible graduate institutions to help cover the costs for students training in school counseling, social work, and psychology. Participating schools must contribute financially and report annually on student outcomes to ensure accountability.

The REAL ID Gender Requirement Reform Act updates federal identification standards by removing outdated gender documentation rules from the REAL ID Act of 2005. This legislation grants states the flexibility to decide whether to include a gender marker on driver's licenses and IDs. If a state chooses to include this field, it must offer an "unspecified" or "other" option and cannot require applicants to submit extra documentation to select their designation.