Legislative Activity

The San Gabriel Mountains, Foothills, and Rivers Protection Act of 2025 designates new wilderness areas and protects segments of local rivers within the Angeles National Forest. This legislation formally adds over 28,000 acres to the National Wilderness Preservation System and designates specific sections of Little Rock Creek and Cooper Canyon Creek as part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The Act also mandates studies for potential future protection of segments of the San Gabriel River. Finally, it includes provisions ensuring tribal access for cultural purposes and allowing for the continued use of certain pre-existing water facilities.

The Essential Caregivers Act of 2025 protects the rights of residents in long-term care facilities to designate an essential caregiver who can provide support and companionship. This legislation ensures that these caregivers maintain in-person access to residents even during public health emergencies when general visitation is restricted. By establishing clear protocols and an appeals process, the bill aims to prevent the harmful effects of isolation and ensure residents continue to receive vital care and advocacy.

The Housing Our Communities Act establishes a competitive grant program administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This program provides funding to states, cities, and regional agencies specifically for planning and implementing strategies to increase affordable housing supply and access. Grant funds must be used for activities like updating zoning codes, developing housing plans, and implementing strategies that coordinate housing with transportation access.

This bill, the Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act, officially authorizes Congress to award Congressional Gold Medals to the 1980 U.S. Men's Olympic Ice Hockey Team for their historic "Miracle on Ice" victory. The medals will be struck by the Treasury and permanently displayed at specific national sports museums. The Act also permits the sale of duplicate bronze medals to cover production costs.

The Restoring American Mineral Security Act of 2025 aims to secure the U.S. supply of critical minerals by establishing a **Critical Minerals Security Alliance** with trusted international partners to counter market dominance by foreign adversaries. The bill authorizes the creation of a **trust fund**, financed by duties on imports from countries of concern, to support domestic mining, processing, and manufacturing projects. It also increases U.S. tariffs on certain critical minerals and derivative products sourced from designated "foreign countries of concern."

The Protect America's Workforce Act nullifies a specific Executive Order issued in March 2025 concerning exclusions from federal labor-management relations programs. This legislation ensures that any existing collective bargaining agreements between federal agencies and employee unions remain fully in effect until their stated expiration dates. The Act also prohibits the use of federal funds to implement the overturned Executive Order.

The Workforce of the Future Act of 2025 mandates federal studies on AI's impact on jobs and establishes new grant programs to expand technology education and workforce training. Title I requires comprehensive reports from key departments detailing necessary future skills and policy recommendations. Title II creates federal grants to boost K-12 technology education and fund retraining for workers in AI-affected industries.

This concurrent resolution commends state and local governments for championing reproductive rights as human rights following the overturning of *Roe v. Wade*. It declares that denying abortion care leads to severe health risks and highlights the criminalization of pregnancy outcomes across the U.S. The resolution urges states to repeal abortion restrictions and affirm that reproductive rights are fundamental human rights.

This bill officially designates the United States Postal Service facility located at 130 South Patterson Avenue in Santa Barbara, California, as the **Brigadier General Frederick R. Lopez Post Office Building**. This change ensures all federal records and documents will use the new name for this specific post office.

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.

This resolution expresses the House of Representatives' support for Design for Recycling (DFR) initiatives. DFR encourages manufacturers to design products using maximum recyclable components to limit waste and reduce environmental impact. The bill highlights the significant economic and environmental benefits of increasing recycling and supporting the domestic recycled materials industry.

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 Contracting Accountability and Transparency (CAT) Act mandates that public housing agencies publicly disclose key details about their contracts on their websites. This new requirement, established by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, aims to increase transparency in public housing contracting. Agencies must post information such as vendor names, contract solicitation details, and submitted bids.

The Point-Access Housing Guidelines Act of 2025 directs the Department of Housing and Urban Development to establish federal guidelines for the construction of point-access block residential buildings, which are typically five-story buildings served by a single internal stairway. These guidelines will focus on fire safety, construction costs, and housing affordability, while also authorizing pilot project grants to test the feasibility of these structures. The Act aims to provide model language to help local governments permit these buildings to potentially increase housing supply without preempting existing state or local building codes.

The Rural Housing Regulatory Relief Act streamlines the process for providing federal housing assistance in rural areas by exempting certain residential construction or modification projects on existing infill sites from full environmental review under NEPA. This aims to reduce administrative delays and costs associated with building affordable homes where infrastructure already exists. The Secretary of Agriculture must report to Congress in five years on the impact of this exemption.

The Housing Supply Expansion Act of 2025 updates the federal definition of a manufactured home to include those built without a permanent chassis. It mandates new HUD safety standards and requires states to certify that their laws treat these homes equally to traditionally built manufactured homes. Failure to certify will result in a state prohibition on the sale or installation of these newly defined homes.

This bill proposes amending the House Rules to increase the threshold required for disciplinary action against a Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner. Specifically, it mandates that a supermajority of at least 60% of votes cast must support any resolution for censure, disapproval, or removal from committee membership. This change establishes a higher bar for imposing these specific forms of House discipline.

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 bill, the Airport TIFIA Financing Certainty Act, expands eligibility for Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) credit assistance to a wider range of airport-related projects. It broadens the types of aviation facilities and equipment that can qualify for federal financing, regardless of revenue generation or public accessibility. Additionally, the legislation adjusts project selection criteria and raises the threshold for streamlined program administration.

This bill, the Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act, updates how Medicare physician payments are adjusted annually starting in 2026. It mandates that the annual update to the Medicare physician fee schedule conversion factor will be directly tied to the estimated percentage increase in the Medicare Economic Index (MEI). This change ensures physician payment updates reflect economic changes measured by the MEI for 2026 and beyond.