Legislative Activity

This bill supports the designation of January 30, 2025, as CTE and RHI Awareness Day to increase public knowledge of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and repeated head impacts (RHI). It acknowledges the risks and impact of these conditions, particularly for athletes, veterans, and others susceptible to head trauma. The bill encourages further research, early diagnosis, and informed decision-making, while also recognizing the contributions of researchers, affected families, and organizations dedicated to CTE awareness. It also urges the CDC and NIH to include CTE and RHI information in concussion education.

The "Global Health, Empowerment, and Rights Act" aims to ensure that foreign nongovernmental organizations are eligible for assistance under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, part I, regardless of the health or medical services they provide with non-U.S. government funds if such services are legal in their country. It also prevents these organizations from facing stricter requirements than U.S. organizations regarding the use of non-U.S. government funds for advocacy and lobbying.

The FIRE Act of 2025 directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to establish a program enhancing wildfire forecasting, detection, and smoke dispersion prediction. This program will collaborate with the U.S. weather industry and academic institutions to improve early wildfire detection and risk communication. The Act also authorizes the creation of weather research testbeds and allocates $15 million for fiscal year 2026 to support these efforts.

The "Sustainable Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Services in the Home Act" expands access to in-home cardiopulmonary rehabilitation services by allowing them to be delivered via telehealth, including designating a patient's home as a provider-based location. It broadens originating sites for telehealth services and waives geographic requirements for in-home cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation programs. The Act directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish standards for designating a patient's home as a provider-based organization, aligning with the Hospital Without Walls program.

The "Semiconductor Technology Advancement and Research Act of 2025" or "STAR Act of 2025" incentivizes domestic semiconductor design by adding qualified semiconductor design expenditures to the advanced manufacturing investment credit. This includes a 25% tax credit for these expenditures, covering in-house and contract design expenses for semiconductor design conducted in the United States. This credit aims to boost innovation and development in semiconductor technology. The credit will terminate for construction beginning or expenditures made after December 31, 2036.

This bill expresses the House of Representatives' disapproval of the President's decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement, recognizing climate change as a threat and highlighting the increasing costs of extreme weather events. It commends entities supporting the Agreement, urges the President to reconsider, and encourages Congress to prioritize U.S. leadership on climate change.

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 Child and Animal Abuse Detection and Reporting Act amends the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act. It mandates the inclusion of data pertaining to animal abuse within the national clearinghouse, which is a repository for information related to child abuse and neglect. This inclusion aims to recognize and address the correlation between animal abuse and child abuse, facilitating more comprehensive prevention and intervention strategies.

The "Health Care Providers Safety Act of 2025" authorizes the Secretary to award grants to health care providers. These grants will enhance the physical and cyber security of healthcare facilities, personnel, and patients. Funds can be used for security services, upgrades to physical access, cyber security, video surveillance, data privacy, and structural improvements.

The "Assuring Medicare's Promise Act of 2025" aims to bolster the solvency of Medicare's Hospital Insurance Trust Fund by expanding the application of the net investment income tax. It directs revenue from the net investment income tax to the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund and broadens the base of the tax to include trade or business income for high-income individuals, with certain income thresholds and phase-in provisions. This act amends both the Social Security Act and the Internal Revenue Code to ensure the financial stability of Medicare.

The BEACH Act of 2025 reauthorizes funding for state and local programs that monitor coastal recreation water quality and notify the public of potential contamination. It broadens water quality monitoring to include upstream waters and allows grant funds to identify pollution sources. The act also extends the authorization of appropriations through 2029 and requires the EPA to update guidance on water contamination testing technology.

The Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection and Pollution Prevention Act permanently withdraws approximately 225,504 acres of federal land and waters in Minnesota's Rainy River Watershed from mining and mineral leasing activities to protect the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Voyageurs National Park. It allows for the removal of certain materials like sand and gravel if it does not harm the environment. The Act aims to preserve water quality, air quality, and the ecological integrity of the Rainy River Watershed.

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the railroad track maintenance credit from $3,500 to $6,100, adjusting for inflation after 2025. It applies to qualified expenditures starting January 1, 2024, for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2024.

The Muhammad Ali Congressional Gold Medal Act authorizes the presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal to Muhammad Ali posthumously, in recognition of his achievements as an athlete, civil rights champion, and humanitarian. Following the presentation, the medal will be given to his wife, Lonnie Ali. The Act also permits the creation and sale of bronze duplicates of the gold medal to cover production costs, with proceeds deposited into the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.

The Equal COLA Act aims to provide fair cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) annuities. Starting December 1 of each year, annuity payments will be increased based on the percentage change in the price index between the base quarters of the current and previous years, rounded to the nearest 1/10 of 1 percent. This adjustment applies to COLAs made after the enactment of this Act and to annuities starting before, on, or after that date, ensuring retirees receive adequate support to keep pace with inflation.

The FAIR Act mandates a 3.3% increase in basic pay for federal employees under statutory pay systems and prevailing rate employees in 2026. Additionally, it increases locality pay for federal employees by 1% in 2026.

The "Saving the Civil Service Act" limits the ability to reclassify civil service positions, maintaining competitive service standards. It requires OPM approval for certain position changes and sets restrictions on the number of employees that can be moved between service types during a presidential term. Employee consent is mandated for transfers between different service schedules. The Office of Personnel Management is tasked with creating regulations to implement the provisions of this act.

The Veterans Member Business Loan Act amends the Federal Credit Union Act to include loans to veterans as member business loans. The term "veteran" will be defined according to title 38, section 101 of the U.S. Code. This change aims to support veteran entrepreneurship by increasing their access to capital through credit unions. The changes will be effective six months after the enactment of this Act.

The "Rosie the Riveter Commemorative Coin Act" directs the Department of Treasury to mint and issue gold, silver, and half-dollar coins in 2028 to honor the women who contributed to the World War II Home Front. The coin designs will represent the legacy of these women, with input from the Rosie the Riveter Trust, the Commission of Fine Arts, and the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee. Surcharges from the coin sales will go to the Rosie the Riveter Trust to support the Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park and educational programs. This act ensures that the coin minting incurs no net cost to the government and recognizes the invaluable contributions of women during WWII.

The SALT Deductibility Act repeals the limitation on individual taxpayer's ability to deduct state and local taxes. This change removes the deduction cap that was put in place and will be effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2024.