Legislative Activity

The Promoting United States Leadership in Standards Act of 2025 aims to bolster American influence in setting global technical standards for Artificial Intelligence and other critical emerging technologies. It mandates federal agencies to report on their standards participation and requires the creation of an informational web portal to aid U.S. industry involvement. Furthermore, the bill establishes a five-year pilot program, funded up to \$5 million annually, to provide grants encouraging the hosting of key standards-setting meetings within the United States.

This resolution strongly condemns the recent acts of violence, arson, and domestic terrorism targeting electric vehicles, charging stations, and dealerships across the United States. Congress officially declares that such destructive acts are unacceptable and highlights ongoing law enforcement actions against these incidents. The measure serves as a formal statement disapproving of the attacks on EV infrastructure.

The United States Leadership in Immersive Technology Act of 2025 aims to secure American leadership in virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technologies, recognizing them as critical to future economic competitiveness and national security. The bill establishes a Principal Advisor and an Immersive Technology Advisory Panel to guide federal strategy, set standards, and promote ethical development. This panel is tasked with studying the technology's economic impact and recommending policies to foster innovation while protecting privacy and security.

This resolution honors the life and legacy of Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, a pioneering female surgeon during the Civil War who received the Medal of Honor for her meritorious service. It recognizes her contributions to medicine, her advocacy for women's rights, and her embodiment of service, courage, and resilience as a U.S. hero. The resolution also commits to preserving her story to inspire future generations to pursue justice and equality.

The Restoring Law and Order Act of 2025 establishes the "Make America Safe Again Grant Program" to provide $500 million in federal funding to state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies. These grants are intended to combat violent crime, hire more officers, target vehicle theft and drug offenses, and improve criminal investigations. The bill mandates that funds previously allocated for diversity, equity, or inclusion initiatives be redirected to support this new public safety grant program.

The Romance Scam Prevention Act establishes new federal requirements for online dating services to protect users from fraud. If a service bans a user for fraud risk, they must notify members who previously messaged the banned individual with specific details and safety warnings. The FTC is tasked with enforcing these national standards, which aim to prevent romance scams across online platforms.

The ROUTERS Act mandates a study by the Secretary of Commerce to assess the national security risks and cybersecurity vulnerabilities associated with consumer routers and modems supplied by companies linked to "covered countries." This report must detail the findings regarding equipment from these flagged nations and be submitted to relevant Congressional committees within one year of enactment.

The Federal Workforce Freedom Act prohibits federal employees from organizing or participating in labor unions for collective bargaining purposes. This legislation immediately terminates all existing collective bargaining agreements between federal agencies and unions. Furthermore, the Act repeals Chapter 71 of title 5 of the U.S. Code, which previously governed federal labor-management relations.

The NCAA Accountability Act of 2025 establishes mandatory due process requirements for major athletic associations during investigations and disciplinary actions, ensuring fairness through defined timelines, formal notices, and arbitration rights for member schools. The Act grants the Attorney General enforcement authority, including the power to levy significant civil penalties for non-compliance. Furthermore, covered associations must submit annual reports detailing enforcement actions to the Attorney General and state Attorneys General. This legislation protects member institutions from losing privileges simply for exercising the rights granted under this new law.

The Patients Before Middlemen Act aims to increase transparency and fairness in Medicare Part D prescription drug plans by regulating Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) and improving pharmacy access. The bill requires PBMs to limit their compensation to bona fide service fees and mandates extensive annual reporting on drug costs and rebates. Additionally, it establishes standards to ensure all pharmacies have fair access to Medicare networks and protects independent pharmacies.

The "WHO is Accountable Act" prohibits federal funds from being used to rejoin or contribute to the World Health Organization (WHO) unless the Secretary of State certifies that the WHO has met specific reform criteria. These criteria include ensuring the WHO is free from political influence (particularly from the Chinese Communist Party), is transparent and accountable, and focuses on its core mission without engaging in politically charged issues. The Act also requires the WHO to grant observer status to Taiwan and ensure its directives are not legally binding on U.S. citizens.

The "No Immigration Benefits for Hamas Terrorists Act" amends immigration laws to prevent individuals involved in the Hamas attacks against Israel from entering or receiving immigration benefits in the United States. It applies to those who participated in, planned, financed, supported, or otherwise facilitated the attacks. The Act also mandates an annual report to Congress detailing the number of individuals found inadmissible or removable due to their connection to the attacks.

The "Taiwan Travel and Tourism Coordination Act" aims to boost tourism and travel cooperation between the U.S. and Taiwan. It directs the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Travel and Tourism to collaborate with Taiwanese authorities to strengthen both tourism industries, improve travel, and coordinate visitor safety. Additionally, it requires a report from the Secretary of Homeland Security on the feasibility of establishing a preclearance facility in Taiwan to enhance trade, tourism, and security. The Act also mandates regular reports to Congress on these cooperation efforts and the preclearance facility analysis.

The Tax Administration Simplification Act modifies several key tax procedures. It extends the deadline for S corporations to file election forms, aligns individual estimated tax payment deadlines, and applies the "mailbox rule" to electronic tax submissions and payments, treating the transmission date as the filing date.

The GRACIE Act of 2025 aims to improve child welfare investigations by establishing a grant program within the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. These grants will support states in recording and securely storing child welfare interviews with children and adults for at least five years. The goal is to enhance transparency, accountability, and evidence collection in child protective services. Funds are to be used exclusively for costs associated with recording and retaining child welfare interviews.

The SALONS Stories Act aims to support domestic violence prevention by increasing grant funding to states that require cosmetologists and barbers to undergo training on recognizing and responding to signs of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and dating violence. This training will equip them to refer clients to resources for victims. The Attorney General can increase grants to eligible states by up to 10% for up to three years, with $5,000,000 authorized annually from 2027 through 2033 for this purpose.

The "Protecting Our Supreme Court Justices Act of 2025" increases the maximum prison sentence from 1 to 5 years for anyone who tries to influence a judge, juror, witness, or court officer by picketing or parading near a courthouse.

The "RETIREES FIRST Act" adjusts the income thresholds at which Social Security benefits become taxable, raising them to \$34,000 for individuals and \$68,000 for joint returns, and adjusts for inflation after 2025. It ensures no negative impact on Social Security and Railroad Retirement funds by allocating funds to cover any reduction in transfers to these funds. The bill reallocates non-security discretionary appropriations to cover the cost of retiree tax relief, with the Office of Management and Budget required to publish annual reports detailing rescissions. These changes would apply to tax years beginning after December 31, 2025.

The "Federal Freeze Act" temporarily freezes federal hiring and salaries for one year, with exceptions for positions related to law enforcement, public safety, national security, and emergency response. Additionally, it mandates a reduction in the number of federal employees by 2% within two years and 5% within three years, again excluding law enforcement, public safety, national security, and emergency response roles.

This bill proposes across-the-board rescissions to nonsecurity discretionary spending, reducing such appropriations by 1% in fiscal year 2026, 2% in 2027, and 5% in 2028 and subsequent years. The rescissions take effect the day after appropriations are available and apply pro rata across all applicable accounts. The Office of Management and Budget is required to report to Congress on the specific rescissions made each fiscal year.