Legislative Activity

The Reuniting Families Act is comprehensive legislation designed to significantly reform U.S. immigration by reducing massive visa backlogs and prioritizing family reunification across various categories. It achieves this by recapturing unused visas, reclassifying certain family members as "immediate relatives," and creating new pathways for permanent partners and refugees to join their loved ones. Ultimately, the bill aims to keep families together, speed up legal immigration processes, and address past discrimination in the visa system.

The HELP Copays Act requires that financial assistance provided by non-profit organizations and drug manufacturers must count toward a patient's deductible, copayments, and out-of-pocket maximums for prescription drugs. This change ensures that patient assistance dollars directly reduce the amount a patient must pay before their coverage fully kicks in. The legislation specifically applies to specialty drugs and those subject to utilization management. These provisions will take effect for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2026.

The Right to Read Act of 2025 amends federal education law to establish a comprehensive "right to read" for all students, ensuring access to evidence-based instruction, effective school libraries, and diverse reading materials. The bill defines key terms like "effective school library" and mandates that states and local agencies detail plans to support these resources and protect students' First Amendment rights regarding information access. Furthermore, it authorizes significant new funding to improve literacy programs, support school librarians, and mandates national data collection on school library resources.

The Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act aims to overhaul immigration detention by establishing mandatory, high standards based on ABA guidelines and increasing transparency through rigorous, unannounced inspections. The bill prohibits the use of private, for-profit detention facilities within three years and ends the mandatory detention of most noncitizens, prioritizing release or community-based alternatives. Furthermore, it establishes new due process rights, including timely custody hearings, a presumption of release, and prohibitions on detaining children or using solitary confinement.

The Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act focuses primarily on improving pediatric drug development and ensuring patient access to necessary treatments. This legislation mandates new research requirements for molecularly targeted pediatric cancer drugs, strengthens FDA enforcement of pediatric study completion, and extends incentives for developing drugs for rare pediatric diseases. Additionally, the bill updates organ transplant network functions and establishes an Abraham Accords Office within the FDA to enhance international regulatory cooperation.

The Food Assurance and Security Act establishes a mandatory, interagency program to annually measure and report on food insecurity and hunger in the United States. This program requires the Census Bureau to conduct a standardized food security supplement as part of its Current Population Survey. The resulting data will be analyzed and published by the Department of Agriculture in an annual public report submitted to Congress.

The Lowering Drug Costs for American Families Act aims to significantly reduce prescription drug expenses for consumers. It expands the federal drug price negotiation program to cover more drugs and extends negotiated prices to most private health insurance plans. Furthermore, the bill applies inflation rebates to the commercial market and establishes new annual out-of-pocket spending caps for prescription drugs under private insurance starting in 2027. It also sets specific, lower cost-sharing requirements for covered insulin products.

The Servicemember Student Loan Affordability Act of 2025 extends existing protections by imposing a 6% interest rate cap on new loans servicemembers take out to consolidate or refinance pre-existing student debt during their military service. This amendment specifically targets the refinancing of prior student loans, ensuring servicemembers do not face excessive interest rates on this debt while serving. The bill clarifies that this cap only applies when the refinancing exclusively covers eligible student loans.

The NOAA Data Preservation Act aims to ensure the uninterrupted storage of critical National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) data sets. This legislation restricts the Secretary of Commerce from canceling cloud storage contracts unless a comprehensive plan for seamless data transition and protection is established in collaboration with NOAA. The bill focuses on maintaining continuous access to vital environmental data.

The Find It Early Act mandates that certain individuals at increased risk for breast cancer receive additional, recommended screenings with no out-of-pocket costs. This coverage requirement applies across private health plans, Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. These provisions are set to take effect starting January 1, 2026.

The John Lewis Every Child Deserves a Family Act prohibits discrimination based on religion, sex, or marital status in federally funded child welfare services. This aims to increase the number of stable, family-like placements for children, especially for LGBTQ youth who are overrepresented in foster care. The bill mandates federal guidance, training, and data collection to improve safety and well-being outcomes for all children involved in the system.

This resolution supports the goals of Transgender Day of Remembrance by recognizing the ongoing epidemic of violence targeting transgender people, particularly transgender women of color. It memorializes the lives lost this year and highlights the systemic barriers, including discrimination and lack of healthcare access, faced by the transgender community. The bill calls for urgent action from the government to protect these lives through inclusive legislation and policies that ensure dignity and respect for all individuals.

This resolution expresses support for designating November 2025 as "National Career Development Month." It recognizes the vital role of career development in individual success and economic competitiveness. The bill affirms the value of career professionals and encourages broad participation in career development activities across all stages of life.

The Recognizing the Role of Direct Support Professionals Act aims to address the critical shortage and high turnover among Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) who assist individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The bill mandates that the Office of Management and Budget review and revise the Standard Occupational Classification system to establish a distinct code for DSPs. This change will allow for more accurate labor market data collection to better support these essential workers. The Act does not authorize any new funding.

The Alzheimer’s Screening and Prevention Act of 2025 (ASAP Act) amends Medicare to cover early detection screening tests for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias starting in 2028. This coverage applies to FDA-cleared tests, including genomic sequencing and other equivalent diagnostic methods, designed to detect pre-symptomatic or early-stage conditions. The bill ensures these screenings are added to the list of covered medical services under Medicare.

The Global Respect Act aims to promote and protect the human rights of LGBTQI individuals worldwide. It mandates the President to identify and report foreign persons responsible for human rights violations against LGBTQI people, leading to their inadmissibility to the United States. Furthermore, the Act requires enhanced tracking and reporting of violence and discrimination targeting individuals based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics in the annual human rights reports.

The EXPERTS Act of 2025 aims to enhance transparency and accountability in the federal rulemaking process. It introduces new disclosure requirements for studies submitted during public comment periods and mandates greater public awareness of agency actions. Furthermore, the bill establishes the Office of the Public Advocate to improve public involvement and explicitly requires agencies to consider social equity in their cost-benefit analyses. Finally, it streamlines the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) review timeline and clarifies judicial review standards for agency interpretations.

The End Rent Fixing Act of 2025 prohibits rental property owners from hiring coordinators or engaging in activities that involve collecting, analyzing, or recommending rental prices or terms across multiple properties. This coordinated activity is deemed an unlawful restraint of trade under existing antitrust laws. The bill grants enforcement power to the FTC, the Attorney General, and State Attorneys General, while also allowing injured persons to sue for treble damages. Furthermore, it lowers the pleading standard for civil lawsuits brought under this Act and related antitrust claims.

The Restoring Food Security for American Families and Farmers Act of 2025 aims to strengthen domestic food security by repealing specific sections of a prior reconciliation act. This action effectively revives the original laws that were previously amended by the repealed provisions. The bill seeks to revert existing agricultural and food-related statutes to their pre-amendment status.

The Bivens Act of 2025 amends existing law to redefine the scope of civil actions that can be brought against individuals acting under federal authority. This legislation specifically revises Section 1979 of the Revised Statutes concerning such lawsuits. The core change narrows the focus of these civil actions to exclusively target persons acting under the authority of the United States.