Legislation

The Forest Protection and Wildland Firefighter Safety Act of 2025 streamlines firefighting operations by exempting the use of approved fire retardants during wildfire suppression from standard federal water pollution discharge permits. This change ensures that necessary aerial application of Forest Service-qualified products does not require an NPDES permit. The bill focuses on removing regulatory hurdles for essential wildfire control activities.

The Interstate Obscenity Definition Act updates federal law by establishing a specific, three-part test to define "obscene" visual content, focusing on prurient interest and lack of serious value. This legislation clarifies the standard for obscenity in pictures and graphic files across interstate communications. Additionally, it makes technical adjustments to existing communication laws, including changes regarding harassing phone calls.

The Research Advancing to Market Production for Innovators Act aims to accelerate the commercialization of federally funded small business research. It achieves this by improving the review process for SBIR/STTR proposals to prioritize market potential, establishing Technology Commercialization Officials within agencies, and increasing flexibility and assistance options for award recipients. The bill also mandates comprehensive annual reporting to track the real-world impact and success of these innovations.

The Disaster Relief for Farmworkers Act of 2025 establishes a new federal program to provide emergency financial assistance to farmworkers following covered disasters, including natural events and health crises. The Secretary of Agriculture will distribute grants through eligible farmworker organizations to help workers recover from income loss and support community resilience efforts. This act ensures that direct aid reaches migrant and seasonal farmworkers who have recently worked in agriculture.

The Preserving Rural Housing Investments Act clarifies tax rules regarding stock ownership in government-sponsored enterprises like Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Specifically, it ensures that when determining if an organization qualifies as a tax-exempt entity, the U.S. government's ownership stake in these GSEs is disregarded. This change applies to tax years ending after July 30, 2008.

The No Regional Transportation Optimization Act (No RTO Act) prohibits the United States Postal Service (USPS) from implementing its Regional Transportation Optimization initiative if the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) formally determines that the plan will negatively impact rural communities. This measure ensures that rural areas are protected from potentially harmful changes to USPS transportation planning.

The Small Business Liberation Act exempts qualifying small business concerns from certain import duties or requirements imposed by the President under a national emergency declaration. This provision ensures that small businesses are shielded from specific trade restrictions enacted during national emergencies.

The Targeting Child Predators Act of 2025 shifts the authority for issuing certain administrative subpoenas from the Treasury to the Department of Homeland Security. This bill establishes a mandatory 180-day nondisclosure requirement for recipients of these subpoenas if the issuing official certifies that disclosure would seriously impede an investigation. Furthermore, it creates a formal judicial review process allowing recipients to challenge these secrecy orders in federal court.

The Aviation Workforce Development Act expands the qualified uses for 529 college savings plans. This allows individuals to use tax-free funds for specific aviation maintenance and commercial pilot training courses. This change aims to reduce the financial burden of specialized aviation education.

This bill establishes a new category, "Foreign Financial Threat Organizations," allowing the Treasury Secretary to designate foreign entities engaged in fraud against U.S. persons. Once designated, these organizations face immediate asset freezes and penalties equivalent to those imposed on global terrorist organizations. The legislation also mandates reporting on enforcement actions and the return of funds to victims.

The Uplifting First-Time Homebuyers Act of 2025 significantly increases the penalty-free withdrawal limit from retirement accounts for first-time homebuyers. This legislation raises the maximum allowable distribution from $\$10,000$ to $\$50,000$. This change is designed to provide greater financial flexibility for individuals purchasing their first home, taking effect for tax years beginning after December 31, 2024.

The STAND Against Emerging Opioids Act aims to control the emerging threat of tianeptine by reclassifying it under federal law. This bill specifically moves tianeptine, along with its analogues, salts, and isomers, to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act. This scheduling change will take effect 90 days after the Act is signed into law.

The Striking and Locked Out Workers Healthcare Protection Act ensures that employers cannot terminate or alter group health plan coverage for employees during a lawful strike or an employer-initiated lockout. This legislation aims to prevent employers from using health benefits as leverage during labor disputes. The bill also establishes significant civil penalties, including fines up to \$150,000 per violation, for employers who interfere with this coverage, and allows for individual liability for directors and officers involved in such violations.

The Tackling Predatory Litigation Funding Act establishes a new federal excise tax on proceeds received from third-party litigation financing agreements. This tax is calculated at the highest income tax rate plus an additional 3.8 percentage points, applied annually to the proceeds received by a "covered party." The bill also institutes specific withholding requirements on payments made to financiers and reclassifies litigation funding proceeds to ensure this new tax structure is applied.

The Clinical Trial Modernization Act aims to increase diversity and accessibility in medical research by funding outreach to underrepresented populations. It updates anti-kickback laws to allow sponsors to cover participant expenses and provide necessary digital health tools to encourage enrollment. Furthermore, the bill exempts up to \$2,000 annually in payments received by participants from federal income tax.

The Supporting Our Surviving Spouses Act removes the statute of limitations for certain survivor benefit claims filed by the spouses of armed forces members who died in the line of duty on or after September 11, 2001. This change allows eligible survivors to file these specific claims at any time after the law is enacted. The bill ensures that no deadline prevents these survivors from seeking entitled benefits.

The Barriers to Suicide Act of 2025 establishes a new grant program through the Department of Transportation to fund the installation of suicide deterrents like nets and barriers at high-risk locations such as bridges and rail stations. The bill also amends existing law to explicitly allow National Highway System funds to be used for these safety barriers on bridges. Finally, it mandates a study on the effectiveness of suicide prevention measures for structures other than bridges.

The Healthy Food Financing Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2025 ensures continued federal support for projects that improve access to healthy food options. This bill reauthorizes the initiative by significantly increasing mandatory funding levels, starting at \$25 million in FY 2026 and rising to \$50 million annually by FY 2030. These funds are drawn from the Commodity Credit Corporation to support healthy food infrastructure development.

This bill amends Medicare to require cognitive impairment screening during the Annual Wellness Visit and the Initial Preventive Physical Examination. It mandates the use of specific, approved screening tools to detect potential issues like Alzheimer's disease early. The goal is to ensure timely diagnosis, allowing patients and caregivers to access necessary planning and support services sooner.

The More Funding for COPS Act reauthorizes and increases funding for the COPS ON THE BEAT grant program. This legislation extends the authorization for this vital program for an additional five fiscal years, covering 2026 through 2030. The bill specifically increases the maximum authorized funding level to support the hiring of more community police officers.