Legislative Activity

This resolution celebrates the 204th anniversary of Greek independence and reaffirms the strong relationship between the United States and Greece, rooted in shared democratic values. It recognizes Greece's role as a valued NATO ally and acknowledges the contributions of the Greek-American community to the United States. The resolution also highlights the importance of the U.S.-Greece partnership in areas like energy security and regional stability.

The Major Richard Star Act allows veterans with combat-related disabilities to receive both veteran's disability compensation and military retired pay concurrently, without reduction. This act amends Title 10 of the United States Code to ensure that disability retirees with combat-related disabilities are not subject to reductions in retired pay due to receiving veteran's disability compensation. These changes will take effect the first day of the month following the enactment of the Act.

The Forest Service Accountability Act requires the President, with Senate approval, to appoint the Chief of the Forest Service. Appointees must have significant experience in forest and natural resources management. The President must submit a nomination within 30 days of the bill's enactment.

The PARC Act ensures that all National Park System units that charge an entrance fee must accept cash as a form of payment. This guarantees that individuals have access to these parks, regardless of their payment method.

The "Choice in Automobile Retail Sales Act of 2025" repeals the EPA's multi-pollutant emissions standards for light and medium-duty vehicles. It also amends the Clean Air Act to prevent regulations from mandating specific technologies in vehicles or limiting vehicle availability based on engine type. The EPA must revise existing regulations to comply with these changes within 24 months.

The "Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act of 2025" amends the Clean Air Act to limit states' ability to set emission standards that restrict the sale or use of new gas-powered vehicles. It clarifies that state standards limiting gas-powered vehicles are subject to federal regulation and requires the EPA to revoke any conflicting waivers granted after January 1, 2022. This bill aims to preserve consumer choice in vehicle purchases by preventing states from effectively banning gas-powered cars.

The "Protecting Life and Integrity in Research Act of 2025" prohibits the federal government from conducting, funding, or supporting research using human fetal tissue obtained from induced abortions. It allows for research on fetal tissue from miscarriages or stillbirths and promotes the development of alternative cell lines. The bill also prohibits the solicitation or acceptance of fetal tissue donations from induced abortions.

The "GATE Act of 2025" prohibits National Laboratories from admitting citizens of China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and Cuba as visitors or assignees, with exceptions for US citizens and lawful permanent residents. The Secretary of Energy may waive this prohibition if the benefits outweigh the risks, after consulting with intelligence officials. Congress must be notified within 30 days of any waiver issued, including the reasons for the waiver.

The "Securing American Agriculture Act" directs the Secretary of Agriculture to annually assess and report on the United States' dependency on critical agricultural products and inputs from China. The report will identify supply chain vulnerabilities and recommend ways to reduce reliance on China, including boosting domestic production. This aims to safeguard American agriculture by addressing potential threats and vulnerabilities in the supply chain.

The "Accelerating Broadband Permits Act" aims to speed up the approval process for broadband infrastructure projects. It mandates federal agencies to track and address delays in processing communications use applications, report these delays to Congress, and set up alerts for applications nearing the approval deadline. Additionally, the act broadens the definition of covered projects to include those with an expected investment of over $5,000,000 that are subject to NEPA and involve broadband construction.

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.

This bill redesignates the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center in Casper, Wyoming, as the "Barbara L. Cubin National Historic Trails Interpretive Center" in honor of Barbara L. Cubin. It amends existing law to reflect this change, ensuring all references to the center will now bear her name.

The "Farmers Freedom Act of 2025" amends the Clean Water Act to redefine "navigable waters" and exclude "prior converted cropland" from federal oversight. It defines key terms like "abandoned," "agricultural purpose," and "prior converted cropland" to clarify which lands are exempt. The bill also prevents the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers from regulating prior converted cropland under the "change in use policy."

The Bureau of Land Management Mineral Spacing Act modifies permitting requirements for oil and gas leases under the Mineral Leasing Act when the federal government owns a minority of the mineral rights in a drilling unit or when wells on non-federal land access federal mineral estates. It limits the Secretary of the Interior's authority to require permits to drill, bonds, land access, mitigation, or surface reclamation approvals in certain situations. The Act requires lessees to notify the Secretary of the Interior when submitting state drilling permits and provide access agreements for inspections. This act does not apply to Indian lands and does not affect royalty payments.

The "Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act of 2025" adds the Secretary of Agriculture to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to address transactions involving agricultural land, biotechnology, and industry. It mandates the Committee to review agricultural land transactions involving foreign entities from countries of concern like China, North Korea, Russia, and Iran, as identified by the Secretary of Agriculture. This ensures scrutiny of foreign investments in U.S. agriculture that could pose national security risks. The requirements terminate for a covered country once it is removed from the list of foreign adversaries.

The "No American Land for Communist China Act" aims to safeguard U.S. national security by preventing Chinese government entities and businesses with significant Chinese government ownership from purchasing real estate near sensitive federal lands, including those managed by the Departments of Interior, Defense, Agriculture, and Energy, as well as Indian country. The President is tasked with enforcing this prohibition.

The "Broadband Buildout Accountability Act" shields the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program from the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), with a specific exception for 5 U.S. Code § 552, to balance transparency and program efficiency.

This resolution supports designating February 15-22, 2025, as National FFA Week, celebrating the National FFA Organization's role in developing future leaders through agricultural education. It also recognizes the 90th anniversary of New Farmers of America and the 75th anniversary of the Future Farmers of America federal charter.

This resolution designates March 7, 2025, as "National Speech and Debate Education Day" to recognize the importance of speech and debate in education. It highlights the role of educators in developing crucial communication, critical thinking, and collaboration skills. The resolution encourages schools, businesses, and communities to celebrate and promote speech and debate education.

The "Chemical Tax Repeal Act" repeals excise taxes on specific taxable chemicals and substances listed under subchapters B and C of Chapter 38 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. This repeal is set to take effect on January 1, 2025.