Legislative Activity

The Ensuring Veterans’ Final Resting Place Act of 2025 makes technical updates to VA regulations regarding burial benefits. This bill clarifies the process when a veteran's family chooses to provide their own urn or marker instead of receiving one from the VA. The legislation also reorganizes benefit numbering for clarity, applying these changes to veterans who passed away on or after January 5, 2021.

The Veterans SPORT Act mandates that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) must now provide eligible veterans with coverage for adaptive prostheses and terminal devices specifically designed for sports and other recreational activities. This amendment expands the medical services the VA furnishes, ensuring veterans have access to necessary equipment for physical recreation.

The Review Every Veteran’s Claim Act of 2025 prohibits the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from denying a veteran's claim for benefits solely because the veteran failed to appear for a scheduled medical examination. This legislation ensures that missed appointments do not automatically result in claim rejection, requiring the VA to consider all other evidence submitted. The bill broadens existing protections to cover all claims for benefits administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

The Raising Awareness for Youth Suicide Prevention Act (RAYS Act) requires school districts receiving federal funds to provide students with easy access to mental health and suicide prevention resources. Under this legislation, contact information for crisis lifelines must be included on student identification cards or prominently displayed on school websites and digital portals. Additionally, the bill mandates federal outreach campaigns to ensure students, parents, and staff are well-informed about available mental health support.

The Health Care for Homeless Veterans Act grants the Department of Veterans Affairs permanent authority to provide essential treatment and rehabilitation services to homeless veterans suffering from serious mental illness. By removing previous expiration dates, this legislation ensures these critical support programs remain a permanent fixture of VA care.

The Joint Medical Facilities Fund Act of 2026 permanently establishes a dedicated fund to streamline the joint operation and financing of medical facilities shared by the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs. This legislation formalizes funding mechanisms, maintenance protocols, and administrative oversight to ensure efficient resource allocation for combined federal healthcare centers.

The Dalilah Law restricts the issuance of commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) to U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and holders of specific work visas. It mandates English proficiency for all applicants and requires states to recertify current CDL holders to maintain federal transportation funding. Failure to comply with these eligibility and testing requirements will result in the withholding of federal funds for non-compliant states.

The No Funding for Foreign Agents Act prohibits the U.S. federal government from providing any direct or indirect financial assistance to entities controlled by agents of specified "covered foreign principals." This restriction targets entities acting for or under the direction of governments or political parties from a list of designated nations. The bill clearly defines who qualifies as an agent and what constitutes financial assistance, while including specific exceptions for certain existing foreign assistance programs.

The Student Loan Tax Elimination Act aims to reduce the cost of federal student loans by eliminating origination fees. This change will apply to new Federal Direct Loans and Direct Consolidation Loans disbursed or applied for after July 1 following the enactment of the law.

The PELL Act eliminates federal grant programs that provide funding to institutions based on the racial or ethnic demographics of their student bodies. It replaces this funding structure by significantly increasing the maximum award amount for the need-based Federal Pell Grant program. Furthermore, the bill prohibits federal agencies from considering the racial composition of institutions when awarding grants.

This bill officially renames the United States Postal Service facility located at 520 South Walnut Street in Bloomington, Indiana, as the "Curt Cignetti Post Office." This designation requires all official documents and records to use the new name for the facility.

The AI Workforce PREPARE Act is comprehensive legislation designed to help the U.S. government understand, forecast, and respond to the impact of Artificial Intelligence on the American workforce. It establishes new data collection methods, creates specialized research hubs, and mandates public forecasting competitions to track AI adoption and job displacement. Ultimately, the bill aims to ensure that federal job training, unemployment, and workforce policies are informed by the best available data on AI's evolving role in the economy.

The Putting American Workers First Act amends the National Labor Relations Act to prohibit employers and labor organizations from employing or representing unauthorized aliens. This measure establishes these actions as unfair labor practices, though it includes a good-faith exception based on using established employment verification systems. Furthermore, discharging an unauthorized alien cannot be used as evidence of animus against an employee's protected labor rights.

The GAIN AI Act of 2025 establishes strict export controls on advanced integrated circuits to designated "countries of concern." It mandates that exporters must certify they have given U.S. persons a right of first refusal before selling these critical components abroad. Furthermore, the bill sets standards for designating "trusted United States persons" to potentially exempt them from certain licensing requirements.

The Providing Complete Information to Retirement Investors Act establishes new disclosure requirements for certain pension plans that offer participants investment choices. Before directing investments outside of designated options, participants must receive a notice including a projected retirement balance based on three different assumed rates of return. This legislation clarifies the definition of a "designated investment alternative" to specifically exclude brokerage windows.

The Protecting Ballot Measures From Foreign Influence Act of 2025 amends existing campaign finance law to explicitly prohibit foreign nationals from contributing or donating to influence state or local ballot initiatives and referendums. This legislation extends the current ban on foreign money in U.S. elections to cover all local voting measures. The goal is to safeguard the integrity of state and local democratic processes from outside interference.

The Gas Can Freedom Act of 2025 repeals existing federal laws concerning portable fuel containers, including the Portable Fuel Container Safety Act of 2020. This legislation voids all current regulations issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) based on those repealed acts. Furthermore, the bill explicitly prohibits the CPSC from issuing any future rules mandating flame mitigation devices or child-resistant features on gasoline containers.

This bill directs the United States Postal Service (USPS) to establish a single, unique ZIP Code for 69 specific communities across the nation. The USPS must complete this designation for the listed locations within 270 days of the bill's enactment. This measure aims to improve mail sorting and clarity for residents in these designated areas.

The Small Business Investor Tax Parity Act of 2025 updates the tax code to allow certain dividends from Business Development Companies (BDCs) to qualify for the existing qualified business income deduction. This change specifically targets dividends derived from a BDC's net interest income, provided the BDC has elected to be treated as a Regulated Investment Company. The provisions are set to take effect for tax years beginning after December 31, 2026.

The Forced Abortion Prevention and Accountability Act establishes a new federal crime for knowingly forcing an abortion on a woman using drugs, carrying penalties up to 25 years in prison. This legislation also allows victims to file civil lawsuits seeking substantial damages, including compensation for physical and psychological injuries. The bill strictly defines terms like "abortion-inducing drug" and "informed consent" to ensure clear enforcement of these protections.