Legislative Activity

The "MIRACLE Medical Technology Act of 2025" aims to enhance collaboration between the U.S. and Israel in healthcare by establishing a program focused on joint research and development, innovation, regulatory harmonization, and healthcare system improvements. This includes initiatives in telemedicine, disease prevention, biological product manufacturing, and supply chain resilience. The Act authorizes $8 million per year from 2026-2030 to support these collaborative efforts.

The "No Tax on Tips Act" allows an above-the-line tax deduction for up to $25,000 in qualified tips for workers in traditionally tipped occupations, excluding higher-income earners. It also extends the employer social security tax credit to include beauty service establishments, aiming to reduce the tax burden on tipped workers and incentivize accurate tip reporting. This goes into effect for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2024.

The "Health Care Efficiency Through Flexibility Act" delays the mandatory switch to electronic Clinical Quality Metrics (eCQMs) for Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) until January 1, 2030, allowing them to continue using existing reporting methods. It also establishes a pilot program to test digital quality measure reporting and requires the development of standardized digital reporting methods by 2030, ensuring compatibility across various healthcare settings. A report to Congress is mandated by January 1, 2028, to present the pilot program's findings and recommendations.

The "Thin Blue Line Act" amends the US Code to include the killing or targeting of a law enforcement officer, firefighter, or other first responder as a new aggravating factor for the death penalty. This applies if the victim was targeted because of their official duties or status as a public official.

The "Protecting our Communities from Sexual Predators Act" amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to broaden the scope of individuals who can be detained and deported. It includes those who have committed sexual assault offenses, making them inadmissible to the U.S. and subject to deportation. This expansion applies to individuals who have been charged with, arrested for, or convicted of sexual assault, as well as those who admit to committing such acts.

The Veteran Overmedication and Suicide Prevention Act of 2025 mandates an independent review of veteran suicides and certain other deaths by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. This review will analyze various factors, including prescribed medications, diagnoses, and treatment approaches, to identify patterns and inform updated clinical practice guidelines within the VA. The goal is to improve veteran safety and well-being by addressing potential overmedication and enhancing suicide prevention efforts. A report on the review's findings will be submitted to Congress and made public.

The "Sunshine Protection Act of 2025" aims to establish permanent daylight saving time across the United States, effectively eliminating the need to change clocks twice a year. This bill repeals the provision allowing for standard time and adjusts time zone calculations accordingly. States that previously opted out of daylight saving time are given the option to choose between the new permanent daylight saving time or the previous standard time. The act also updates cross-references to ensure legal consistency with these changes.

This bill proposes a constitutional amendment to mandate a balanced federal budget, limit government spending to 18% of GDP, and require supermajority votes to raise taxes or increase the debt limit. It includes exceptions for declared wars or serious military threats and prevents courts from ordering tax increases to enforce the amendment. The amendment would take effect five years after ratification, giving congress time to create legislation to enforce the amendment.

The "Manatee Protection Act of 2025" designates the West Indian manatee as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, requiring its inclusion on the endangered species list. This action provides increased protections and conservation efforts for the manatee population.

The TCJA Permanency Act makes permanent several tax provisions that were enacted as part of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) and were set to expire. These provisions include modifications to individual income tax rates and brackets, the standard deduction, the child tax credit, and the estate and gift tax exemption. The act also increases the exemption for the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) and adjusts the phase-out thresholds. Additionally, it includes various changes affecting deductions, credits, and exclusions for individuals, families, businesses, and estates.

The "Lowering Costs for Caregivers Act of 2025" expands the use of tax-advantaged health accounts, including HSAs, FSAs, HRAs and Archer MSAs, to cover medical expenses of parents. This allows individuals to use these funds for their parents' or their spouse's parents' medical care. These changes aim to provide financial relief to caregivers by allowing pre-tax dollars to be used for elder care. The provisions apply to expenses and contributions made after December 31, 2024.

The Hurricane Helene and Milton Tax Relief Act of 2025 provides tax relief to individuals and businesses in areas affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. It allows for the use of prior-year income for Earned Income Credit calculations, increases limitations on charitable contributions for hurricane relief, and provides special rules for the use of retirement funds, including penalty-free withdrawals and increased loan limits. The Act also allows for re-contribution of retirement funds withdrawn for home purchases that were impacted by the hurricanes.