Legislation

This resolution honors Hampden-Sydney College as it approaches its 250th anniversary in 2025. It recognizes the college's enduring commitment to liberal arts education, civic responsibility, and developing consequential leaders. The House of Representatives commends the institution for its historical significance and its ongoing contributions to Virginia and the nation.

The SNAP BACK Act ensures that critical nutrition assistance programs, SNAP and WIC, continue without interruption during federal budget delays. It mandates the immediate obligation of appropriated funds and prevents executive branch agencies from withholding these benefits. Furthermore, the bill requires states to maintain enrollment and EBT card functionality, ensuring eligible individuals receive benefits promptly, and provides for the reimbursement of states or tribes that cover funding gaps.

The Medical License Verification Act mandates the Secretary to establish an automated system for verifying the licensing status of applicants for a unique health identifier. This system must confirm that applicants are both licensed and in good standing with their respective State licensing boards before the identifier is issued. This ensures that only properly credentialed healthcare providers receive these identifiers.

The Firearm Access During Shutdowns Act ensures that essential firearm-related government operations continue without interruption during a federal shutdown. This legislation specifically mandates the continuation of the FBI's NICS background check system and related processing at the ATF, Department of Commerce, and Department of State. By deeming these functions essential for protecting life and property, the bill prevents delays in firearm transfers and export licensing during lapses in appropriations.

The "We Want Our Healthcare Money Back Act of 2025" mandates the Inspector General of HHS to regularly report on Medicare and Medicaid fraud investigations and resulting legal actions to key Congressional committees. These reports must detail the number of investigations, prosecutions, civil actions, and the dollar amounts involved in alleged fraud. This reporting requirement is established without authorizing any new appropriations.

The PROMPT Act, or Prompt Reporting and Oversight for Medicare Providing Transparency Act, aims to increase transparency for Medicare beneficiaries. This bill mandates that the Secretary of Health and Human Services must provide an explanation of benefits (EOB) to beneficiaries no later than 30 days after payment is made for a furnished item or service under the Medicare program.

This Senate resolution urges the Department of Agriculture to immediately use its contingency funds and interchange authority to ensure the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is fully financed. The Senate asserts the administration has a legal obligation to use these existing resources to support millions of vulnerable Americans through November. This measure expresses a position and does not enact new law.

The Secure Takedown and Obstruction Prevention (STOP) Act establishes a new federal offense for barricading oneself while forcibly resisting or evading arrest by a federal law enforcement officer. This legislation aims to enhance officer safety by penalizing individuals who create dangerous standoffs during apprehension attempts. Penalties range from up to three years in prison, increasing to five years if aggravating circumstances like weapon possession or risk of serious harm are present.

The Innovation Fund Act establishes a competitive grant program administered by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to reward local governments that have successfully increased their housing supply. These grants aim to support activities that expand the availability of attainable housing through various local initiatives, such as zoning reform and streamlining development processes. The program prioritizes entities demonstrating innovative policies and significant growth in housing supply, while explicitly prohibiting federal preemption of local land use policies.

The LABEL Act mandates clear and conspicuous labeling for consumers regarding the country of origin and whether fish products are farm-raised or wild-caught. This information must be displayed prominently using a font size no smaller than the description of the fish itself. The requirements will take effect 180 days after the bill is enacted.

The Nitazene Sanctions Act aims to combat the production and flow of dangerous 2-benzylbenzimidazole opioids, which are potent synthetic substances. The bill mandates a report detailing China's role in precursor production and outlines strategies for international cooperation to curb this flow. Furthermore, it amends the Fentanyl Sanctions Act to specifically target Chinese entities and officials involved in opioid trafficking and expands the authority to impose sanctions on foreign governments materially contributing to this crisis.

The Stress Testing Accountability and Transparency Act mandates that the Federal Reserve establish clear, public rules for the models and assumptions used in financial stress tests. It requires the public disclosure of stress test scenarios at least 60 days in advance. Furthermore, the bill explicitly prohibits the Federal Reserve from conducting climate-related stress tests on bank holding companies or nonbank financial companies.

The Northern Border Security Enhancement and Review Act updates the schedule for the Northern Border threat analysis, requiring new submissions by September 2, 2025, and every three years thereafter. It mandates that the Department of Homeland Security update its Northern Border strategy every five years, incorporating the latest threat analysis findings. The bill also requires classified briefings on the analysis and directs the development of performance measures for Air and Marine Operations along the northern border, all without authorizing new appropriations.

The Safer Supervision Act of 2025 aims to reform federal supervised release by requiring individualized assessments before imposing supervision and establishing a presumption for early termination based on compliance. The bill also mandates a report on providing law enforcement availability pay to probation officers and allows certain prisoners without supervision terms to apply earned time credits for early release. Finally, it directs the GAO to study federal post-release supervision practices and workforce needs.

The Financial Stability Oversight Council Improvement Act of 2025 revises the authority of the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) regarding nonbank financial companies. It requires the FSOC to first determine that other actions are impractical or insufficient, in consultation with the company and its primary regulator, before voting to designate a nonbank firm as systemically important. This aims to ensure that designation is a measure of last resort for addressing significant financial threats.

The Community Bank Deposit Access Act of 2025 creates a limited exception to deposit broker rules for certain custodial deposits held by eligible community banks. This provision allows these smaller, well-capitalized institutions to accept these specialized deposits without them counting against liability limits, provided they meet specific asset and rating criteria. Additionally, the bill imposes interest rate restrictions on covered institutions that accept these deposits while not being well capitalized.

The Pay Our Capitol Police Act ensures the United States Capitol Police receives necessary funding for salaries and benefits for Fiscal Year 2026, even if full appropriations are delayed. This continuing appropriation covers essential personnel, including officers, civilian staff, and contractors supporting security operations. The authority automatically terminates upon the enactment of a full-year appropriation or on September 30, 2026.

The Keeping Deposits Local Act modifies how reciprocal deposits held by agent institutions are calculated to ensure they are not classified as funds obtained through a deposit broker. It establishes specific tiered percentages based on an institution's total liabilities for this calculation and requires agent institutions to maintain strong CAMELS ratings. Furthermore, the bill mandates the FDIC and the Federal Reserve to conduct a comprehensive study on the performance, usage, and risks associated with reciprocal deposits, reporting their findings to Congress within six months.

The Merchant Banking Modernization Act amends the Bank Holding Company Act to significantly increase the minimum holding period for merchant banking investments. This legislation mandates that covered investments must be held for a minimum of 15 years. This new minimum applies to both future and existing merchant banking investments.

The Bank Competition Modernization Act modifies the competitive review process for certain bank merger and holding company transactions. Specifically, it limits the antitrust considerations for transactions resulting in an entity with less than a specified asset threshold, currently set at $\$10$ billion. This asset threshold will be automatically adjusted annually based on changes in the U.S. nominal Gross Domestic Product.