Legislation

The ADOPT Act of 2025 aims to protect families involved in private domestic interstate adoptions by preventing exploitation by unlicensed intermediaries. It establishes new federal crimes for unlawful adoption practices, such as brokering adoptions for compensation or making unauthorized payments to birth parents. The goal is to ensure access to licensed providers and stop the commodification of children in adoption.

The ATF Improvement and Modernization Act (AIM Act) eliminates numerous existing statutory restrictions that have previously limited the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in its use of firearms trace data and its ability to conduct oversight of Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs). This legislation removes several prohibitions on ATF's record-keeping, inspection frequency, and the processing of certain information requests. Furthermore, it revises the legal standard for FFL revocation and license eligibility from requiring a "willful" violation to only a "knowing" violation.

The Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025 aims to ensure that U.S. citizenship is held exclusively by requiring current dual citizens to renounce their foreign citizenship within one year of enactment. Any U.S. citizen who voluntarily acquires foreign citizenship after the law takes effect will automatically lose their U.S. citizenship. Failure to comply with the renunciation requirement by the deadline results in the voluntary relinquishment of U.S. citizenship.

The Stop Shut-Offs During Shutdowns Act recommends a nationwide moratorium on electric and natural gas utility disconnections when the federal government experiences a funding lapse affecting the Department of Health and Human Services. The bill specifically prohibits electric utilities from terminating service during these funding gaps. It also outlines procedures for how utilities can recover costs incurred from maintaining service during the shutdown period.

The End Rent Fixing Act of 2025 prohibits rental property owners from using coordinators to gather and analyze rental data to recommend prices or terms. This bill makes paying for or performing such "coordinating functions" illegal under federal antitrust law. Enforcement is granted to the FTC, the Department of Justice, and State Attorneys General, and allows harmed individuals to sue for treble damages.

The Streamline Transit Projects Act allows large urban transit agencies to assume federal responsibilities for environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for routine projects. Qualified agencies can take over making "categorical exclusion" determinations for designated activities, provided they meet capacity requirements and enter into a formal agreement with the Secretary of Transportation. This reform aims to speed up project delivery by streamlining the environmental compliance process for eligible transit improvements.

The Hospital Adoption Education Act of 2025 directs the Department of Health and Human Services to develop and distribute nationwide educational resources to improve understanding of adoption sensitivities among healthcare providers. This bill establishes programs to educate hospital and birthing center staff on best practices for interacting with prospective birth mothers and adoptive families. The Secretary must consult with an expert committee and provide grants for non-directive adoption education to improve care for families pursuing adoption.

The Strategic Subsea Cables Act of 2025 aims to secure and strengthen the global undersea fiber-optic network critical to the internet. It directs the U.S. government to increase international coordination, impose sanctions for malicious cable damage, and enhance domestic expertise at the State Department. Ultimately, the bill seeks to improve the resilience of this vital infrastructure through diplomacy, threat monitoring, and better coordination between government and industry.

The Targeting Environmental and Climate Recklessness Act of 2025 establishes U.S. policy to impose sanctions on foreign individuals and entities whose actions significantly worsen climate change, illegal deforestation, or harm environmental defenders. This authority allows the President to block assets and restrict visas for those undermining global climate goals or committing related corruption and human rights abuses. The Act emphasizes that these targeted measures are part of a broader strategy that also includes international cooperation and financing. It also directs the consideration of sanctions against those involved in environment-linked corruption and human rights violations against climate advocates.

This bill, the Disclosing Foreign Influence in Lobbying Act, amends the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 to enhance transparency in lobbying activities. It mandates that lobbyists must disclose the names and addresses of any foreign governments or political parties, beyond the direct client, that are involved in directing or controlling their lobbying efforts. This new requirement ensures greater visibility into the ultimate sources of influence directing lobbying work.

The Skills Investment Act of 2025 renames and significantly expands Coverdell savings accounts into "Coverdell Lifelong Learning Accounts" to support workforce training and skill development for all ages. This legislation allows tax-free withdrawals for qualified educational and training expenses, introduces new tax credits for employers, and allows adult beneficiaries to deduct their own contributions. The bill aims to broaden access to lifelong education and career advancement opportunities.

The Expanding Health Care Options for First Responders Act establishes a new Medicare buy-in option for eligible first responders aged 50 to 64 who have retired or become disabled. This provision allows these individuals to access Medicare Parts A, B, and D coverage before the standard age of 65. The bill also ensures eligibility for Affordable Care Act subsidies and creates an oversight board to monitor the program's implementation.

The Disaster Assistance Simplification Act aims to streamline the federal disaster recovery process by establishing a single, unified intake system for all disaster assistance programs. This system will allow survivors to submit one consolidated application, track their status, and enable agencies to share necessary data securely. The goal is to reduce applicant burden and speed up the delivery of aid following a declared disaster.

The Fair Allocation of Interstate Rates Act amends the Federal Power Act to prevent electric transmission providers from charging consumers in one state for the costs of transmission facilities built primarily to implement the energy policies of another state. This prohibits out-of-state consumers from bearing costs unless their home state expressly agrees to the allocation. The law establishes that only consumers in the state whose policy necessitated the facility are considered the "cost causers."

The FDA Modernization Act 3.0 mandates the FDA to update federal regulations by replacing references to "animal tests" with the broader term "nonclinical tests." This action ensures regulatory consistency following recent legislative changes regarding drug development methods. The required interim final rule will take effect immediately upon publication.

This Act enhances safety and wellness in the commercial fishing industry by expanding federal grant programs for safety training and research. It specifically directs funding toward addressing behavioral and physical health risks, such as worker fatigue and substance use disorder, for vessel operators and crew. The legislation also updates the grant award process and increases authorized funding through fiscal year 2029.

The Crime Gun Tracing Modernization Act of 2025 mandates the creation of electronic, searchable firearm record databases by the ATF's National Tracing Center. These databases will consolidate existing firearm transaction records to aid law enforcement investigations. Crucially, the system must be searchable by firearm descriptors but explicitly prohibited from being searched using any personally identifiable information of individuals.

This bill, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer Retirement Technical Corrections Act, adjusts retirement benefits for certain CBP Officers hired around July 2008 to ensure they receive the correct annuity entitlements. It mandates the Secretary of Homeland Security to correct these benefits retroactively for eligible individuals. Furthermore, the Comptroller General must review CBP's hiring practices related to these retirement benefits.

The Platform Accountability and Transparency Act establishes a framework for independent researchers to study large online platforms, overseen by the NSF and FTC. It mandates strict privacy and cybersecurity safeguards for platforms sharing qualified data with approved researchers. Furthermore, the bill requires platforms to increase public transparency regarding their content moderation, algorithms, and advertising practices.

This bill amends the Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience Act to establish new grant programs. It authorizes various federal agencies to award grants to Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations to support tourism and visitor experience initiatives. The legislation authorizes $35 million in appropriations for these grant programs between fiscal years 2025 and 2029.