Legislation

The Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act of 2025 exempts from immigrant visa limits individuals eligible for visas under the Immigration and Nationality Act, provided they have a parent who naturalized under specific sections of law related to Filipino veterans who served during World War II. This exemption aims to facilitate the reunification of families of Filipino veterans who served with the United States Armed Forces during World War II.

The "Embassy Construction Integrity Act of 2025" restricts the State Department from acquiring or leasing buildings for diplomatic posts abroad if a Chinese government-controlled entity was involved in its construction or has an ownership stake. It also restricts agreements with these entities for construction work on such buildings. The Secretary of State must notify Congress of any exceptions made in the interest of national security, along with justifications and risk mitigation plans.

The "Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act" increases consumer protection in the household goods shipping industry by allowing the Secretary to enforce penalties for violations, enabling states to use grant money for enforcement and retain penalties, and setting requirements for registration. This includes defining "principal place of business," requiring disclosure of relationships within the transportation industry, and allowing the Secretary to withhold or revoke registration for non-compliance.

The "Tax Relief Unleashed for Seniors by Trump Act" aims to provide tax relief to seniors by increasing the income thresholds for excluding Social Security benefits from gross income. For single individuals, the threshold is raised from $25,000 to $50,000, and for married couples filing jointly, it increases from $32,000 to $64,000. These amounts will be adjusted for inflation beginning after 2026. The changes apply to taxable years starting after December 31, 2025.

The "Agriculture Export Promotion Act of 2025" aims to bolster U.S. agricultural exports by increasing funding for the Market Access Program and the Foreign Market Development Cooperator Program. It amends the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 to extend and significantly increase financial support for these programs through 2029. These changes seek to address the competitive disadvantage faced by U.S. producers due to increased foreign competition and the impact of inflation on static funding levels. By increasing funding, the Act strives to enhance access to foreign markets, stimulate economic growth, and create jobs within the agricultural sector.

The Direct Medical Care Freedom Act of 2025 clarifies that direct medical care arrangements, where individuals pay a fixed periodic fee for medical services from practitioners, are not considered health plans under the Internal Revenue Code. It allows fees paid for these arrangements to be treated as medical expenses and mandates that fees for arrangements provided through employment are reported on employee W2 forms. This applies to primary care, specialty care, or other subsets of medical services, and will take effect for months beginning after December 31, 2024.

The SMARTER Act repeals a section of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978. It prohibits electric utilities from recovering smart grid system deployment costs from ratepayers. State regulatory authorities and nonregulated utilities must consider this standard within one year and make a determination within two years, with exemptions for states that have recently addressed the standard.

This bill renames the Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Dallas, Texas, to the "Eddie Bernice Johnson VA Medical Center" in honor of Congresswoman Johnson's service to veterans as a nurse and legislator. All references to the medical center will reflect this new designation.

The "No More Funding for NPR Act of 2025" prohibits any direct or indirect federal funding to National Public Radio (NPR), including through public broadcast stations, with exceptions only for FEMA disaster response and urgent public safety information dissemination. It also rescinds any unspent federal funds allocated to NPR for fiscal years 2025 and 2026.

The LITTLE Act of 2025 aims to lower infant and toddler tuition costs by providing tax credits to both childcare providers and families. It establishes a tax credit for childcare providers to cover 30% of qualified startup expenses, capped at $10,000. The act also increases and makes refundable the household and dependent care tax credit for eligible families, with the amount of expenses that can be claimed for the credit set at $7,500 for one qualifying individual and $15,000 for two or more.

The "No Kill Switches in Cars Act" repeals a section of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The repealed section required the Department of Transportation to create a rule mandating that all new cars have advanced drunk and impaired driving prevention technology. This bill prohibits the government from requiring car manufacturers to install kill switches in vehicles.

The Taxpayer Data Protection Act limits access to the Treasury Department's payment systems to Treasury employees or contractors with satisfactory performance reviews and security clearances. It sets specific criteria for individuals accessing the system, including conflict of interest restrictions, training, and ethics agreements. The Act also mandates the Treasury Department's Inspector General to investigate and report to Congress on any unauthorized system use.

The "Passport Sanity Act" prohibits the State Department from offering a gender designation other than male or female on passport applications. It also stops the State Department from issuing passports, passport cards, or Consular Reports of Birth Abroad that include an unspecified "X" gender designation.

The CARGO Act of 2025 prohibits the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from funding research or programs involving live animals outside of the United States. This bill addresses concerns over the lack of oversight and potential mistreatment of animals in foreign research projects funded by American taxpayers. The Act ensures that NIH funding for animal research is restricted to projects conducted within the U.S. and its territories.

The Chronic Disease Flexible Coverage Act allows individuals with health savings accounts to use those funds for certain services and items that help manage chronic conditions. These services and items will be treated as preventive care under IRS guidelines. The Act does not change any other existing or future rules regarding preventative services as long as they remain consistent with the Act.

The "Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow's Workforce Act" amends Section 529 savings accounts to include expenses related to postsecondary credentialing programs. This allows 529 funds to cover costs like tuition, fees, books, supplies, and testing fees for recognized programs and credentials, as defined by the bill. These changes would apply to distributions made after the bill is enacted.

The SECURE Firearm Storage Act mandates that federally licensed firearms importers, manufacturers, and dealers must secure all firearms in their inventory with hardened steel rods or locked in a safe when the business is closed. It also requires secure storage for paper records of firearm transactions and allows the Attorney General to set additional security requirements. Noncompliance can result in civil penalties, license suspension, or revocation, and all firearms license applications must include a plan for compliance with these new storage requirements.

The "Make Gaza Great Again Act" aims to ensure cooperation from Middle Eastern countries (excluding Israel) in providing humanitarian entry to Palestinians from Gaza. It authorizes the President to impose sanctions on foreign individuals who refuse to grant such entry, including blocking their assets and denying them entry into the U.S. The bill also allows the President to suspend a country's status as a major non-NATO ally and halt foreign assistance if they refuse to allow humanitarian entry to Palestinians from Gaza.

The Alpha-gal Allergen Inclusion Act amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to include alpha-gal, a sugar found in non-catarrhine primate mammals and red algae, as a major food allergen. This will require food labels to clearly identify the presence of alpha-gal. The amendment will take effect 18 months after the enactment of this Act, with an exception for mammal-derived ingredients where alpha-gal is below a detectable limit as determined by the Secretary.

The Navajo Nation Rio San José Stream System Water Rights Settlement Act of 2025 seeks to resolve Navajo Nation water rights claims in the Rio San José Stream System by ratifying a settlement agreement between the Navajo Nation, the State of New Mexico, and other parties. The Act establishes a trust fund for the Navajo Nation to manage and utilize for water-related projects and infrastructure, while also defining the scope and limitations of the Navajo Nation's water rights. It also addresses the water rights of individual allottees and allows for the expansion of the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project service area. The Act includes waivers and releases of certain claims, and requires specific actions by the Secretary of the Interior and the State of New Mexico to ensure the agreement's enforceability.