Legislative Activity

The "Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act of 2025" prevents the Department of Veterans Affairs from sharing veterans' personal information with the national instant criminal background check system (NICS) based solely on the appointment of a fiduciary to manage their benefits. Information can only be shared if a judicial authority determines the veteran poses a danger to themselves or others.

The New Markets Tax Credit Extension Act of 2025 permanently extends the New Markets Tax Credit, originally set to expire after 2025, to encourage investment in low-income communities. The bill also adjusts the credit amount for inflation after 2025 and provides alternative minimum tax relief for credits on qualified equity investments made after December 31, 2024. These changes aim to incentivize ongoing investment in economically distressed areas.

The "Alternatives to PAIN Act" aims to improve access to non-opioid pain management for Medicare Part D beneficiaries starting in 2026. It eliminates the standard deductible and places qualifying non-opioid pain management drugs on the lowest cost-sharing tier. The bill also prohibits the use of step therapy and prior authorization requirements for these drugs, ensuring quicker access to alternative pain relief options.

The "Respect State Housing Laws Act" repeals a provision in the CARES Act that restricted states' abilities to enforce their own eviction moratoriums. This change clarifies that state laws regarding evictions should be respected.

The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2025 mandates that new passenger vehicles sold in the U.S. must include standard equipment capable of receiving AM broadcast signals within a few years of the law's enactment. This requirement aims to ensure drivers retain access to crucial emergency alerts, overriding conflicting state or local laws. The bill also directs the GAO to study the reliability of AM radio versus other emergency alert technologies in vehicles.

The "Love Lives On Act of 2025" modifies eligibility rules for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) and Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) payments for surviving spouses who remarry. It allows remarried surviving spouses to receive certain educational benefits and DIC, and it continues annuity payments to surviving spouses who remarry, particularly those whose spouses died on active duty. Additionally, the Act expands the definition of "dependent" under the TRICARE program to include remarried widows or widowers whose subsequent marriage has ended.

The Fair Access to Banking Act aims to ensure equal access to financial services by preventing banks and credit unions from denying services to individuals or entities engaged in lawful activities based on subjective or politically motivated reasons. It sets requirements for banks with over $10 billion in assets, prohibiting them from denying services based on reputational risk and requiring them to justify denials with documented, risk-based standards. The act also allows individuals to sue financial institutions that violate these requirements, with the potential for treble damages and attorney fees awarded to successful plaintiffs. Furthermore, it restricts access to Federal Reserve lending programs and the Automated Clearing House Network for institutions that fail to comply with the Act.

This resolution designates January 2025 as "National Mentoring Month" to recognize the positive impact of mentoring on youth development. It highlights mentoring's role in improving academic achievement, fostering leadership skills, and supporting at-risk youth. The resolution encourages expanding mentoring opportunities to address the significant need for mentors among young people nationwide. It also acknowledges the invaluable contributions of mentoring program staff and volunteers.

The "JOBS Act of 2025" expands Federal Pell Grant eligibility to students enrolled in short-term job training programs (150-600 hours) that lead to credentials in high-demand fields. These programs must meet specific requirements, including alignment with industry needs and assurance from state boards. The act also requires accrediting agencies to assess the quality of these programs and mandates data sharing between the Departments of Education and Labor. Finally, the bill lowers the threshold for the minimum Federal Pell Grant from 10 percent to 5 percent.

The Hearing Protection Act seeks to remove silencers from special regulation under federal tax law, treating them similarly to standard firearms components. This bill preempts state and local governments from imposing special taxes or registration requirements on silencers involved in interstate commerce. Furthermore, it mandates the destruction of existing federal records identifying silencer owners and establishes new serial number marking requirements for manufacturers.

The Rural Hospital Support Act aims to improve Medicare payments to small, rural hospitals by rebasing payment calculations for sole community and Medicare-dependent hospitals to fiscal year 2016, if it results in higher payments. It also extends the Medicare-Dependent Hospital program and the increased payments under the Medicare low-volume hospital program by removing certain deadlines, ensuring continued support for these hospitals. Additionally, the bill prohibits adjustments to payment classifications and weighting factors before October 1, 2015, when using rebased target amounts. These changes are intended to provide financial stability for rural hospitals and maintain access to care in rural communities.

The Purple Heart Veterans Education Act of 2025 allows veterans awarded the Purple Heart after September 11, 2001, to transfer their unused Post-9/11 GI Bill education benefits to eligible family members. It defines eligible dependents, sets conditions for benefit use, and allows veterans to modify or revoke transfers. The bill also addresses scenarios involving the death of the veteran and sets age limits for child transferees, ensuring dependents receive the same educational assistance as the veteran.

The "Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act" expands Medicare coverage to include innovative multi-cancer early detection screening tests starting in 2028. These tests, which use genomic sequencing to detect multiple cancer types, will be covered for eligible beneficiaries with age and frequency limitations. The payment amount for these tests will initially align with that of multi-target stool screening DNA tests. This new coverage aims to improve early cancer detection without affecting existing Medicare-covered cancer screenings.

The "Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025" introduces a federal tax credit for individuals and corporations who donate to scholarship granting organizations that provide educational scholarships to eligible elementary and secondary students. These scholarships can be used for tuition, books, tutoring, and other qualified education expenses. The bill sets a volume cap on the total amount of donations eligible for the tax credit and includes provisions to prevent government control over scholarship organizations and non-public schools. It also exempts these scholarship amounts from gross income.

The "Charitable Act" modifies and extends the deduction for charitable contributions for individuals who do not itemize deductions. For the 2026 and 2027 tax years, the deduction is capped at one-third of the standard deduction for the individual. The bill also eliminates a penalty related to this deduction. These changes are effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2025.

The Laken Riley Act mandates the detention of illegal aliens who commit theft, burglary, larceny, or shoplifting. It empowers state attorneys general to sue the Department of Homeland Security or the Secretary of State if they believe the state or its residents are harmed by violations of immigration enforcement or visa granting. The bill aims to ensure that these aliens are detained throughout their removal proceedings and to provide states with legal recourse against perceived failures in federal immigration enforcement.

The "Main Street Tax Certainty Act" amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to make the deduction for qualified business income permanent. This is achieved by eliminating the expiration date for this deduction. This change provides long-term tax certainty for small businesses.

The "Protecting Life on College Campus Act of 2025" prohibits federal funding to colleges and universities that host or are affiliated with school-based service sites that provide abortion drugs or abortions to students or employees. To remain eligible for federal funds, these institutions must annually certify that their school-based service sites do not offer these services. Compliance with this law protects institutions from penalties under state law.

The "Protecting Individuals with Down Syndrome Act" prohibits abortions performed because of a belief or diagnosis that an unborn child has Down syndrome, and establishes criminal penalties and civil remedies for violations. This bill also requires medical professionals to ask pregnant women about any knowledge or evidence concerning the unborn child having Down syndrome and informs them of the prohibitions of abortion under this section. Additionally, the bill specifies that violations will be considered discrimination under the Rehabilitation Act, potentially resulting in a loss of federal funding.

The ALIGN Act makes full expensing permanent for qualified property placed in service after September 27, 2017, by amending Section 168(k) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. It also removes outdated clauses and updates references within Section 168(k) and amends Section 460(c)(6)(B) to clarify its application to property with a recovery period of 7 years or less. These changes are retroactive, as if included in Public Law 115-97.