Legislative Activity

The Improving Veteran Access to Care Act aims to enhance healthcare accessibility for our nation's veterans. This legislation focuses on streamlining processes and improving the overall quality of care available to those who have served.

This Act mandates the Department of Veterans Affairs to expand essential services, including telehealth and mail-order pharmacy benefits, to eligible veterans residing in the Freely Associated States. It also requires the VA to provide beneficiary travel payments to these veterans and submit regular progress reports to Congress. Additionally, the bill extends a current limitation on pension payments by two months.

This bill reauthorizes and amends key grant programs under the American Battlefield Protection Program, extending funding through 2035 and increasing federal cost-sharing for interpretation and restoration projects. It also mandates the Secretary of the Interior to conduct comprehensive studies on nationally significant sites related to the French and Indian War and the Mexican-American War. The legislation aims to enhance the preservation and interpretation of these historic battlefields through updated grant structures and new site assessments.

The Essential Caregivers Act of 2025 establishes a resident's right to designate at least one "essential caregiver" who must be granted in-person access to the resident in healthcare facilities, even during periods of restricted visitation. This right is designed to prevent the isolation and decline seen during the COVID-19 pandemic by ensuring family support remains available. Facilities can only deny access under strict, time-limited conditions if the caregiver violates agreed-upon safety protocols.

This act establishes the Law Enforcement Officer and Firefighter Recreation Pass Act, providing eligible law enforcement officers and firefighters with a free annual National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass. The bill defines eligible individuals as those employed by federal, state, local, or tribal governments whose duties involve fire suppression or criminal law enforcement/supervision. The Secretary of the Interior is tasked with making these passes available upon proof of eligibility.

The Presidential Fitness Test Act of 2025 establishes the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition to advise the President on national fitness goals. This Council is tasked with reestablishing the Presidential Fitness Test as the primary means for earning a Presidential Fitness Award. It will also develop strategies to expand sports participation and address national security threats posed by declining youth fitness. The Council will operate for two years unless extended by the President.

The Mammography Access for Veterans Act of 2025 permanently expands and solidifies the Department of Veterans Affairs' telescreening mammography program. This legislation mandates that comprehensive mammography services, including telescreening, full-service, or mobile options, must be available nationwide in every state and Puerto Rico within two years. Furthermore, it ensures that all offered mammography programs are fully accessible to veterans with disabilities.

The Back the Blue Act of 2025 establishes new federal crimes and harsher penalties for killing or assaulting law enforcement officers and other public safety officials. The bill also creates specific aggravating factors for the federal death penalty in such cases and places new restrictions on federal habeas corpus relief for related state convictions. Finally, it expands federal protections allowing active and retired law enforcement officers to carry firearms in various federal locations.

The More Homes on the Market Act aims to encourage homeowners to sell by significantly increasing the tax exclusion on profits from the sale of a principal residence. This bill raises the maximum exclusion from $250,000 to $500,000 for single filers and from $500,000 to $1,000,000 for married couples filing jointly. Furthermore, these new thresholds will be adjusted for inflation annually starting in 2026.

This resolution strongly condemns the Government of Iran for its ongoing, state-sponsored persecution of the Baha'i religious minority. It highlights decades of systematic human rights abuses, including imprisonment, job discrimination, and violence against Baha'is. The resolution urges the Iranian government to immediately release all religious prisoners and reverse discriminatory policies. Furthermore, it calls on the U.S. President and Secretary of State to condemn these actions and utilize existing authorities to impose sanctions on responsible Iranian officials.

This act, the Veterans Affairs Peer Review Neutrality Act of 2025, aims to strengthen the quality of care within the Veterans Health Administration by eliminating conflicts of interest in medical peer reviews. It mandates that reviewers with direct involvement in a case must recuse themselves. Furthermore, it ensures that reviews of VA medical facility peer review committee members are conducted by a neutral committee at a different VA facility.

The Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act of 2025 enhances the FDA's authority to require pediatric investigations for new molecularly targeted cancer drugs. It also extends the priority review voucher program designed to incentivize the development of treatments for rare pediatric diseases until September 2030. Furthermore, the bill mandates studies to assess the effectiveness of these new drug investigation requirements and the existing voucher program.

This bill, the Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2025, mandates an increase in disability compensation and dependency and indemnity compensation rates for veterans. Effective December 1, 2025, these rates will be raised by the same percentage as the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for that year. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs is required to implement these increases and publish the adjusted rates.

This bill, the Improve and Enhance the Work Opportunity Tax Credit Act, extends and significantly increases the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) for employers hiring from targeted groups through 2030. It raises the base credit amount, adjusts key figures for inflation, and adds qualified military spouses as an eligible group. Furthermore, the legislation mandates federal agencies to promote the hiring of WOTC-eligible individuals within critical sectors like manufacturing and healthcare.

The STEWARD Act of 2025 establishes a grant program through the EPA to improve recycling infrastructure and accessibility, with a specific focus on supporting underserved communities. Additionally, the bill mandates comprehensive data collection and reporting on national recycling and composting performance to better track infrastructure, market trends, and material diversion. Together, these measures aim to modernize waste management systems and increase the efficiency of circular markets across the United States.

The Alzheimer's Screening and Prevention Act (ASAP Act) amends Medicare to cover early detection screening tests for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias beginning in 2028. This coverage applies to FDA-cleared tests designed to detect pre-symptomatic or early-stage conditions. The legislation specifically outlines the types of genomic and imaging tests that will qualify for Medicare payment.

This resolution officially designates November 22, 2025, as National Adoption Day and November 2025 as National Adoption Month. The measure aims to raise national awareness about the children awaiting adoption and celebrate those involved in adoption. It encourages all Americans to promote safety, permanency, and well-being for children across the nation.

This resolution officially designates November 20, 2025, as "National Rural Health Day." It recognizes the unique healthcare challenges faced by rural communities, including provider shortages and hospital vulnerability. The Senate expresses support for rural health providers and commits to advancing policies that improve healthcare access and affordability in these areas.

This resolution officially designates October 16, 2025, and October 16, 2026, as "World Food Day." It acknowledges the severe global hunger and malnutrition crisis, recognizing the increasing number of people facing food insecurity worldwide. The bill encourages the American people to observe these days with appropriate activities to promote awareness and action against hunger. Finally, it reaffirms the U.S. commitment to global food security through humanitarian aid and agricultural innovation.

The NOPAIN for Veterans Act mandates that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) must include specific, FDA-approved non-opioid pain management drugs in its national formulary. This ensures veterans have access to alternatives that do not act on opioid receptors for pain relief. The bill sets clear deadlines for the inclusion of these non-opioid products.