Legislative Activity

The Veterans Nutrition and Wellness Act of 2025 directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to establish a pilot "Food is Medicine" program. This program will provide eligible veterans with medically-tailored meals and groceries, nutrition education, and cooking classes. The goal is to improve health outcomes for veterans with chronic conditions or maternal health needs, while also evaluating cost savings and program effectiveness. The program is authorized for fiscal years 2025-2028 and will terminate three years after enactment.

The "Veterans Mental Health Crisis Referral Enhancement Act of 2025" establishes a pilot program within the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide veterans experiencing a mental health crisis with referrals to non-Department mental health care providers. This three-year program, operating in at least three locations, aims to connect veterans with approved providers within one week. The Act requires annual reports to Congress on the program's implementation and outcomes, as well as a final evaluation report. It also authorizes $3,000,000 to be appropriated for each of the fiscal years 2025 through 2027 to carry out the pilot program.

The Human Trafficking and Exploitation Prevention Training Act aims to combat human trafficking by establishing a demonstration project that trains students, teachers, and school personnel to understand, recognize, prevent, and respond to signs of human trafficking and child exploitation. The Act authorizes grants to eligible entities for implementing training programs and requires data collection and reporting to Congress on the project's outcomes, including the number of survivors identified and served. This act allocates $15 million annually from 2026 to 2029 to support these initiatives.

The "CREEPER Act 2.0" prohibits the importation, transportation, sale, and distribution of child sex dolls, defined as anatomically correct dolls, mannequins, or robots with features resembling a minor, intended for sexual acts, with penalties including fines and imprisonment for violations. This bill aims to prevent the exploitation and abuse of minors by criminalizing the trafficking and possession of these dolls.

The "Criminal Alien Gang Member Removal Act" amends immigration law to define "criminal gang" and broadens the criteria for inadmissibility and deportability to include alien gang members. It allows the Secretary of Homeland Security to designate groups as criminal gangs, subject to Congressional notification and judicial review, and mandates the detention of inadmissible or deportable gang members. The Act also restricts asylum, temporary protected status, special immigrant juvenile visas, and parole eligibility for gang members, and applies retroactively.

The "Federal Initiative to Guarantee Health by Targeting Fentanyl Act" amends the Controlled Substances Act to classify fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs, targeting substances structurally related to fentanyl through specific chemical modifications. This aims to combat the opioid crisis by addressing fentanyl analogs, while clarifying that mandatory minimum sentences do not apply to controlled substances described in subsection (e)(1) of schedule I.

The "Performing Artist Tax Parity Act of 2025" modifies tax deductions for performing artists by adjusting the income threshold for deduction phaseouts, clarifying deductible expenses to include commissions, and increasing the threshold for nominal employers. The adjusted gross income (AGI) threshold is $100,000, and the nominal employer threshold is $500. Both amounts will be adjusted for inflation after 2025. This ensures fair tax treatment and helps offset professional expenses.

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 "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 "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 "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 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 "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 "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.

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 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.