Legislative Activity

The American Music Fairness Act updates federal copyright law to require terrestrial radio broadcasters to pay royalties for the music they play, ensuring equitable treatment with digital music services. The bill establishes a fair royalty-setting process while providing significant fee protections for small and local broadcasters. It also includes safeguards to ensure these changes do not negatively impact the royalties of songwriters or musical work copyright owners.

The Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds Congressional Gold Medal Act authorizes the posthumous awarding of the Congressional Gold Medal to Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds. This honor recognizes his extraordinary heroism during World War II, when he defied Nazi orders to protect approximately 200 Jewish-American soldiers under his command at a prisoner of war camp.

The Sustainable Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Services in the Home Act permanently codifies Medicare coverage for cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation services delivered via telehealth. By removing geographic restrictions and allowing these services to be provided in a patient's home, the bill ensures continued access to essential care beyond the COVID-19 era. These changes are set to take effect on January 1, 2026.

The Choices for Increased Mobility Act of 2025 updates Medicare billing to create distinct categories for ultralightweight manual wheelchairs based on materials like titanium and carbon fiber. This legislation allows suppliers to charge beneficiaries the difference between the standard Medicare payment and the actual cost of these advanced mobility devices. To ensure transparency, the bill also mandates that suppliers provide written notice of these potential out-of-pocket costs to patients.

The Access to Pediatric Technologies Act of 2025 aims to improve patient care by streamlining the Medicare payment process for qualifying pediatric medical devices. The bill requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish national physician fee schedule payment rates for these devices upon a manufacturer's request. This initiative seeks to ensure that innovative, pediatric-specific technologies are more accessible to the patients who need them.

The Veterans Health Care Freedom Act establishes a three-year pilot program designed to increase veteran access to care by removing geographic and administrative barriers to choosing both VA and community-based providers. Following the pilot, the bill mandates permanent reforms to expand veteran choice across the entire VA health care system. These changes aim to streamline care coordination and ensure veterans have greater flexibility in selecting their primary, specialty, and mental health care providers.

The Help Independent Tracks Succeed (HITS) Act amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow producers of qualified U.S.-based sound recordings to immediately deduct production costs rather than capitalizing them over time. By expanding existing tax provisions currently available to film and television, the bill aims to provide financial relief to independent music creators. The deduction is subject to a $150,000 annual cap and includes provisions for bonus depreciation.

The "Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act" amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to strengthen enforcement against non-citizens who commit violent crimes. It establishes new grounds for inadmissibility and deportation for individuals convicted of sex offenses, domestic violence, stalking, child abuse, and the violation of protection orders.

The CONTAINER Act authorizes states bordering Canada or Mexico to place movable, temporary structures on federal land to assist with border security without requiring prior federal permits. States must provide 45 days' notice for initial placements, which are permitted for one year with the option for 90-day extensions if operational control of the border has not been achieved.

The CLEAR Act of 2025 aims to enhance immigration enforcement by affirming and incentivizing the authority of state and local law enforcement to assist federal authorities. The bill mandates increased information sharing, expands federal detention capacity, and provides financial support and training to state and local agencies that cooperate in identifying and detaining individuals unlawfully present in the United States. Additionally, it establishes legal protections for participating officers and agencies while formalizing procedures for the transfer of custody to federal officials.

The Make the Migrant Protection Protocols Mandatory Act of 2025 amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to require the Department of Homeland Security to implement the Migrant Protection Protocols. This legislation mandates that certain non-Mexican migrants seeking admission at the southern border be returned to Mexico to await the outcome of their U.S. immigration proceedings.

The FAIR PREP Act of 2025 prohibits the IRS from developing or operating its own electronic tax preparation and filing services, effectively ending programs like the Direct File pilot. The bill mandates that the IRS focus on its traditional administrative roles while preserving existing partnerships, such as the IRS Free File Program. By restricting the agency's ability to act as a tax preparer, the legislation seeks to ensure that tax filing services remain primarily within the private sector.

This resolution urges the NCAA to revoke its current transgender student-athlete eligibility policy, arguing it discriminates against female athletes. It calls for the NCAA to prevent transgender-identifying males from competing in women's sports and to require member conferences to adopt a biological sex-based policy. The resolution also asks all U.S. sports governing bodies to protect women's sports for biological women and girls.

The Fair Play for Girls Act mandates that the Attorney General submit a comprehensive report to Congress analyzing the challenges facing female athletes in sports. This report will evaluate issues such as fair competition, the impact of biological males in women’s sports, and the prevalence of harassment and abuse against female athletes. Additionally, the legislation requires the development of policy recommendations to better protect and support women and girls in athletics.

This resolution designates October 10, 2025, as "American Girls in Sports Day" to recognize the positive impact of sports participation on young girls. It emphasizes the importance of fair competition and protecting opportunities for biological women in sports, referencing concerns about biological men displacing women and girls. The resolution urges sports organizations to protect biological women and girls in sports.

The National Human Trafficking Database Act establishes a federally funded program to help states collect and report comprehensive, county-level data on human trafficking. This information will be compiled into a public, national database managed by the Department of Justice to track trends in prosecutions, survivor services, and related criminal activity. The bill mandates strict protections for survivor confidentiality and ensures that data collection efforts do not impact federal funding decisions.

The End Child Trafficking Now Act aims to combat the exploitation of minors at the border by requiring adults to provide documentation or DNA evidence to prove a familial relationship when entering the United States. The bill also establishes new criminal penalties for adults who knowingly use unrelated minors to gain entry into the country.

The SAVE Girls Act establishes a $50 million grant program to combat the smuggling and trafficking of young women and girls between the ages of 12 and 24. This initiative provides critical funding to state, tribal, and local organizations to prevent border smuggling and support victims of trafficking. The bill also ensures that these provisions do not create a private right of action against the federal government.

The PRINTS Act aims to combat child trafficking at the U.S. border by mandating the fingerprinting of noncitizen children suspected of being trafficking victims. The bill establishes federal criminal penalties for adults who use minors to gain unlawful entry into the country and mandates improved information sharing between federal agencies. Additionally, it requires the Department of Homeland Security to provide increased transparency through annual reports and monthly public data on trafficking-related apprehensions.