Legislative Activity

This resolution expresses unwavering support for the United States-Japan alliance in the face of escalating political, economic, and military pressure from the People's Republic of China. It condemns China's coercive actions against Japan following statements regarding Taiwan's security. The resolution reaffirms the U.S. commitment to Japan's defense, including the Senkaku Islands under Article V of the mutual security treaty. Finally, it commends Japan for its efforts to maintain regional peace and stability while increasing its defense capabilities.

This bill establishes the Calumet National Heritage Area across parts of Indiana and Illinois, recognizing its unique blend of industrial history, cultural diversity, and significant natural resources. It designates the Calumet Heritage Partnership as the local entity responsible for managing the area. The legislation requires the submission of a management plan within three years, while federal funding authority is set to terminate 15 years after enactment.

The Acquisition Reform and Cost Assessment Act of 2025 (ARCA Act) fundamentally reorganizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) acquisition structure to improve oversight and efficiency for major programs. It establishes a new Chief Acquisition Officer and an Office of Acquisition to centralize control over procurement and logistics. The bill also mandates independent verification, validation, and rigorous cost assessment for all major VA acquisition programs exceeding specified financial thresholds. Finally, it improves hiring for the acquisition workforce and standardizes the requirements development process to ensure better program outcomes.

The Back the Blue Act of 2025 establishes new federal crimes and harsher penalties for killing or assaulting law enforcement officers and other public safety officials. The bill also creates specific aggravating factors for the federal death penalty in such cases and places new restrictions on federal habeas corpus relief for related state convictions. Finally, it expands federal protections allowing active and retired law enforcement officers to carry firearms in various federal locations.

The SAFE Chips Act of 2025 establishes strict new export controls on advanced integrated circuits to foreign adversary countries. This law mandates a license for the export or transfer of these specified high-performance chips, with a policy to deny all such applications. The bill specifically defines "advanced integrated circuit" based on technical performance thresholds or existing export control classifications, excluding those not designed for data center use.

The Reliable Artificial Intelligence Research Act of 2025 establishes a program within the Department of Homeland Security to fund research focused on improving AI security and reliability. This initiative will specifically support advancements in adversarial robustness, interpretability, and red-teaming through dedicated prize competitions. The Act authorizes significant funding to drive innovation in making critical AI systems more trustworthy and understandable.

The Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act of 2025 enhances the FDA's authority to require pediatric investigations for new molecularly targeted cancer drugs. It also extends the priority review voucher program designed to incentivize the development of treatments for rare pediatric diseases until September 2030. Furthermore, the bill mandates studies to assess the effectiveness of these new drug investigation requirements and the existing voucher program.

This bill, the Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2025, mandates an increase in disability compensation and dependency and indemnity compensation rates for veterans. Effective December 1, 2025, these rates will be raised by the same percentage as the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for that year. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs is required to implement these increases and publish the adjusted rates.

This Act, the Conscience Protections for Medical Residents Act, amends Medicare rules to prohibit residency programs from requiring participation in abortion training. Programs that mandate abortion training or discriminate against residents who opt out or refuse to participate will no longer qualify as "approved" under Medicare. This ensures medical residents are not forced to perform, assist, or refer for abortions as a condition of their training.

This Act establishes the Fallen Servicemembers Religious Heritage Restoration Program, managed by the American Battle Monuments Commission. The program aims to identify Jewish servicemembers mistakenly buried under non-Jewish markers in overseas cemeteries. It authorizes funding for contracts with nonprofit organizations over ten years to help correct these historical errors and properly honor these fallen service members.

The Alzheimer's Screening and Prevention Act (ASAP Act) amends Medicare to cover early detection screening tests for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias beginning in 2028. This coverage applies to FDA-cleared tests designed to detect pre-symptomatic or early-stage conditions. The legislation specifically outlines the types of genomic and imaging tests that will qualify for Medicare payment.

The Flight Risk Reduction Act amends federal law to establish a new presumption against pretrial release for non-citizens who are not lawful permanent residents. This change mandates a detention hearing for these individuals and requires courts to presume detention is necessary. Crucially, defendants cannot use ties to family or employment in the U.S. to overcome this presumption.

The NOPAIN for Veterans Act mandates that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) must include specific, FDA-approved non-opioid pain management drugs in its national formulary. This ensures veterans have access to alternatives that do not act on opioid receptors for pain relief. The bill sets clear deadlines for the inclusion of these non-opioid products.

This resolution recognizes the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War and honors the service and sacrifice of all United States veterans who served during the conflict. It expresses deep gratitude to those who served, remembers those lost or missing in action, and acknowledges the hardships many veterans faced upon returning home. The resolution also reaffirms the nation's commitment to supporting these veterans and ensuring their legacy is preserved for future generations.

The Fairness in Filing Act amends the National Labor Relations Act to require that all unfair labor practice charges filed with the NLRB must be submitted in good faith and supported by evidence or a certification explaining the lack of documentation. This legislation also mandates that the Board must provide charged parties with evidence before a hearing to allow for inspection and copying. Finally, the Act establishes penalties, including a fine of up to \$5,000, for individuals who file charges without good faith or engage in a pattern of filing frivolous claims.

The Union Members Right to Know Act amends the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act to require labor organizations to provide members with detailed information regarding their rights under federal law. This bill mandates that unions disclose summaries of the LMRDA, religious accommodation rights regarding dues, and *Beck* rights to all members. Furthermore, it restricts the use of member funds for non-representational activities unless the member provides specific, time-limited written authorization.

This resolution officially designates the week of November 3 through November 7, 2025, as National Veterans Small Business Week. It recognizes the significant contributions of the over 1.65 million veteran-owned small businesses to the U.S. economy. The bill supports creating a business-friendly environment and expresses appreciation for veterans' continued service through entrepreneurship.

The Restoring Integrity in Fiduciary Duty Act mandates that retirement plan fiduciaries must evaluate investments based *only* on pecuniary factors that materially affect risk and return, prohibiting the subordination of financial interests to non-financial goals. If financial factors are equal, fiduciaries must use a specific tie-breaking standard (*capita aut navia*) and document their reasoning. Furthermore, the bill clarifies that exercising shareholder rights, such as proxy voting, must be done solely in the economic interest of participants and beneficiaries.

The Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship Opportunity Act of 2025 modifies existing provisions for the STEM Scholarship program. This bill adjusts eligibility criteria and recalculates certain numerical values related to the scholarship. Furthermore, it establishes new priority guidelines for recipients and mandates that the scholarship benefit can only be used after exhausting other educational assistance entitlements.

The Justice for America’s Veterans and Survivors Act of 2025 mandates that the Department of Veterans Affairs submit an annual report detailing the causes and manner of death for deceased veterans for five years. This report must include specific data points, such as service-connected disability ratings and primary/secondary causes of death. The goal is to provide Congress with comprehensive data on veteran mortality trends.