Legislation

The "National Garden for America's 250th Anniversary Act" establishes a National Garden of American Heroes, with construction to begin by July 4, 2026, pending the Secretary of the Interior's approval of the location. A task force will oversee planning, design, and construction, primarily funded through private contributions and a newly established National Garden Fund. The fund will cover establishment and maintenance, with the National Park Service responsible for upkeep post-opening and authorized to charge visitation fees if needed. Regular reports to Congress will track the Garden's progress and maintenance.

The "Habitat Connectivity on Working Lands Act of 2025" promotes wildlife habitat connectivity and migration corridors on working agricultural lands through various conservation programs. It expands the Regional Conservation Partnership Program, increases payment limitations for the conservation reserve program, and incentivizes wildlife habitat connectivity under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. The Act also supports research and extension grants for virtual fencing and encourages conservation practices that support landscape corridors and hydrologic connectivity for native big game species and biodiversity.

The "Farmers Market Expansion Act of 2025" amends the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program to include tree nuts as an eligible food purchase. This expansion aims to provide seniors with more healthy options at farmers' markets, supporting both their nutritional needs and local agriculture.

The "Expanding Medical Education Act" aims to increase the number of medical schools and osteopathic medical schools, especially in underserved areas, by providing grants to institutions of higher education. These grants will support the establishment, improvement, or expansion of medical schools, with a focus on recruiting students from disadvantaged backgrounds and developing curriculum tailored to the needs of underserved populations. The act requires regular reporting on the program's impact and outcomes, ensuring accountability and continuous improvement in addressing healthcare workforce shortages and access to care.

The "National Weather Service Communications Improvement Act" mandates the National Weather Service to modernize its communication system by October 1, 2027, replacing NWSChat with a commercial instant messaging service hosted on a public cloud. This upgrade aims to enhance user experience, accommodate growth, and improve performance. The Act allocates up to $3,000,000 annually from 2026 to 2029, using existing National Weather Service funds for the project.

The RECOVER Act establishes a three-year pilot program within the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide grants to non-profit mental health providers. These grants will facilitate culturally competent, evidence-based mental health care for veterans, with a focus on those in underserved areas. The program aims to improve veterans' access to mental health services and encourage enrollment in the VA system. It authorizes $20,000,000 per year from 2025-2027 to carry out the pilot program.

The "Ensuring Medicaid Eligibility Act of 2025" prevents the implementation of a Medicaid streamlining rule issued on April 2, 2024. It mandates verification of citizenship or immigration status before Medicaid enrollment and requires states to verify income-based eligibility quarterly. Additionally, the bill limits Medicaid coverage for parolees, asylum seekers, and recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

The Veterans Mental Health and Addiction Therapy Quality of Care Act mandates an independent study comparing the quality of mental health and addiction care provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) providers versus non-VA providers. This study will assess health outcomes, use of evidence-based practices, coordination between providers, patient satisfaction, integrated care, continuous monitoring, and wait times. The results will be reported to Congress and made public.

The "Restoring Temporary to TANF Act" mandates that states allocate a minimum of 25% of their federal TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) grants towards core work activities. These activities encompass work supports, education, training, apprenticeships, short-term benefits, work activities as defined in section 407(d), and case management for individual responsibility plans. This requirement is set to begin on October 1, 2026.

The Shareholder Political Transparency Act of 2025 requires corporations to disclose their political contributions and expenditures to the SEC and shareholders, including details on recipients, amounts, and purposes. The SEC will make these reports public and assess corporate compliance annually, while the GAO will evaluate the SEC's oversight effectiveness. This aims to increase transparency and accountability in corporate political spending, ensuring shareholders are informed about how their investments are used to influence elections and public policy.

The "Internal Revenue Service Math and Taxpayer Help Act" requires the IRS to improve notices of math or clerical errors by providing clear explanations of errors, itemized computations of adjustments, and clear instructions for requesting abatements. It also mandates a pilot program for sending notices via certified mail and requires a report to Congress on the effectiveness of these changes.

The "Ensuring Workers Get PAID Act of 2025" establishes a Payroll Audit Independent Determination (PAID) program, encouraging employers to voluntarily correct unintentional Fair Labor Standards Act violations related to unpaid minimum wages or overtime. This program allows employers to self-audit their payroll practices, report potential violations, and resolve them under the supervision of the Department of Labor. Employees will have the option to accept or decline settlement offers, with acceptance resulting in a waiver of their right to private action against the employer for the identified violations. The Act aims to streamline the resolution of wage and overtime disputes, benefiting both employers and employees through efficient compliance and compensation.

The Wastewater Infrastructure Pollution Prevention and Environmental Safety Act, or WIPPES Act, mandates that certain disposable wipe products carry a "Do Not Flush" label and symbol to prevent damage to wastewater infrastructure. It establishes specific requirements for the placement, size, and visibility of the label on various packaging types. The Act prohibits marketing these products as flushable and grants the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) the authority to enforce these regulations, preempting differing state laws. These regulations will take effect one year after the law is enacted.

The "Mobility Means Freedom Tax Credit Act" introduces a tax credit for individuals, covering 50% of the cost of qualified mobility devices like wheelchairs, scooters, and walkers, including enhancements. The credit is limited to three devices per tax year. It ensures that expenses used for the credit cannot also be used for other deductions, and it applies to expenses incurred after the bill's enactment.

The Rural Housing Accessibility Act aims to improve housing voucher portability, particularly in rural areas. It requires public housing agencies that are not fully utilizing their funds to accept housing vouchers from other jurisdictions. These agencies must decide whether to absorb the voucher costs or bill the initial agency for a limited time. The bill ensures that families with vouchers receive housing assistance payments and limits the billing period to 12 months.

The Uyghur Human Rights Protection Act designates certain residents of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region as Priority 2 refugees, waives the presumption that certain individuals seeking asylum are immigrants, and encourages allies to offer similar accommodations. It addresses persecution by the Chinese government, including forced detention, political indoctrination, and human rights violations against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities. The act also requires regular reports on the processing of refugee applications and prioritizes diplomatic efforts to support these individuals in third countries. Finally, the Act ensures that applying for refugee or asylum status does not negatively impact nonimmigrant status applications and terminates 10 years after enactment.

This bill nullifies the Bureau of Land Management's Henry Mountains and Fremont Gorge Travel Management Plan published in January 2025. The Secretary of the Interior is prohibited from implementing, administering, or enforcing the travel management plan, effectively rendering it void.

The "Helene Small Business Recovery Act" allows the President to waive the rule against receiving duplicate benefits from different federal programs after a major disaster or emergency, upon a Governor's request. The President can grant this waiver if it's in the public's best interest and won't lead to misuse or fraud, considering factors like cost-effectiveness, fairness, and FEMA's recommendations. The President must approve or deny the waiver within 45 days, and loans cannot be considered a duplication of assistance if all federal aid is used for disaster-related losses. This applies to major disasters declared in 2023 or 2024.

The "Weather Innovation for the Next Generation Act of 2025" directs the National Weather Service to establish a program researching how obstructions like wind turbines impact weather radar performance. The program will test technologies and develop solutions to mitigate these impacts, focusing on technology-based solutions and collaboration with various entities. It requires annual reports to Congress and a final recommendation on the need for further research. The program is set to conclude by September 30, 2030.

The "National Taxpayer Advocate Enhancement Act of 2025" allows the Taxpayer Advocate to directly appoint counsel who will report to them. It modifies the language regarding who the Taxpayer Advocate's office can employ. These changes are retroactive to 1998.