Legislative Activity

The SAFE STEPS for Veterans Act of 2025 aims to improve falls prevention among veterans by establishing an Office of Falls Prevention within the VA, mandating falls risk assessments and prevention services, and promoting research and education on falls prevention. The act also requires updated safe patient handling policies and explores the feasibility of a home improvement pilot program to prevent falls. Additionally, the bill expands the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Healthy Aging and Age-Friendly Communities to include the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

The SERVE Act aims to bolster military recruitment by improving access to potential applicants in high schools and colleges, establishing new JROTC affiliation types, creating a pilot program to recognize military-friendly schools, and prioritizing service academy applications from schools with above-average military enlistment rates. The act also designates a National Week of Military Recruitment and mandates several reports to Congress on the implementation and effectiveness of these initiatives.

The "Canadian Snowbird Act" allows Canadian citizens aged 50 and older who own or rent a U.S. residence to stay in the United States for up to 240 days per year as visitors. It also ensures that these individuals are considered non-resident aliens for tax purposes, and sets forth that owning property in the U.S. is not indicative of intent to abandon their Canadian residence. Spouses of qualified Canadian retirees may also be admitted under the same terms.

The "Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act" authorizes the presentation of three Congressional Gold Medals to honor the 1980 U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team for their historic "Miracle on Ice" victory. These medals will be given to the Lake Placid Olympic Center, the United States Hockey Hall of Fame, and the US Olympic and Paralympic Museum for public display. The Act also allows for the creation and sale of bronze duplicates to fund the medal production.

Recognizes the crucial role of linemen in maintaining the nation's energy infrastructure and public safety. It also supports designating April 18, 2025, as National Lineman Appreciation Day to honor their contributions and dangerous work.

This bill amends the Small Business Act to allow small businesses to receive disaster loans for damages caused by prolonged power outages. These loans can be used to purchase energy resilience systems and replace spoiled food and drink. The bill defines "prolonged power outage" based on the number of affected homes and businesses, the extent of uninsured losses, and the duration of the outage.

This bill nullifies the Department of Energy's rule regarding energy conservation standards for gas-fired instantaneous water heaters. By disapproving the rule, the bill prevents the new energy conservation standards from taking effect.

The Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to limit consumer reporting agencies from sharing credit report information when a person requests a credit report for a residential mortgage loan. Consumer reporting agencies can only furnish this information if the entity has a firm offer of credit or insurance, has the consumer's authorization, or has an existing relationship with the consumer as a mortgage lender, servicer, or financial institution. This act aims to protect consumers' privacy during the home buying process by limiting the amount of entities that get access to their credit information. The changes will take effect 180 days after the Act is enacted.

The Pet and Livestock Protection Act of 2025 directs the Secretary of the Interior to remove the gray wolf from the list of endangered and threatened wildlife, as previously established in the 2020 rule. This action must be completed within 60 days of the Act's enactment. The Act explicitly prohibits any judicial review of this reissuance.

The Great Lakes Mapping Act of 2025 mandates the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to complete a high-resolution survey and map of the Great Lakes lakebeds by 2030, coordinating with various stakeholders. The collected data will be made public and integrated into nautical charts. The Act allocates $50 million annually from 2025 to 2029 for this initiative.

The Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025 aims to increase affordable housing options by updating state housing credit formulas, refining tenant eligibility rules, and improving credit eligibility and determination. This includes adjusting income verification processes, modifying student occupancy rules, and protecting domestic abuse victims. The bill also focuses on Native American and rural assistance by addressing housing needs in Indian areas and streamlining income eligibility for rural projects. Additionally, it revises rules for exempt facility bonds and renames the "low-income housing tax credit" to the "affordable housing tax credit" while encouraging data sharing and discouraging discriminatory land use policies.

The "Protecting American Families and Servicemembers from Anthrax Act" requires the Secretaries of Health and Human Services and Defense to develop a 10-year strategy for maintaining anthrax countermeasures and protecting civilians, service members, and military dependents. It also mandates a report to Congress on weaponized anthrax threats, including multi-drug resistant strains, and requires annual updates to this report. The goal is to ensure the availability of necessary countermeasures and enhance defense against anthrax threats.

The "Innovative Therapies Centers of Excellence Act of 2025" directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to establish at least five geographically distributed centers of excellence focused on researching and providing innovative therapies for conditions such as PTSD, depression, and substance use disorder, utilizing treatments like Ketamine and Psilocybin. These centers must meet high scientific standards, collaborate with medical schools, and include veteran representation. The Act authorizes \$30 million annually for research and education activities at these centers, with oversight through annual reports to Congress.

The "1071 Repeal to Protect Small Business Lending Act" repeals Section 704B of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, eliminating requirements for financial institutions to collect and report data on small business loans. This aims to reduce compliance costs for financial institutions, particularly smaller ones like community banks and credit unions. The goal is to alleviate regulatory burdens and improve credit access for small businesses by removing these data collection requirements.

The "Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act" prohibits Federal Reserve Banks from offering financial products or services directly to individuals, maintaining accounts for individuals, or issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC) directly or indirectly. It also blocks the Federal Reserve from testing, creating, or implementing a CBDC, or using it to implement monetary policy, without explicit congressional authorization. The bill clarifies that these restrictions do not apply to digital versions of the dollar that are open, permissionless, and private, like physical currency.

The "RIFLE Act" repeals the existing tax on firearm transfers outlined in Section 5811 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. Additionally, it amends related sections of the code to align with the repeal. The act clarifies that it does not grant the Consumer Product Safety Commission any authority over firearms regulated under the Internal Revenue Code.

This bill establishes a House Select Committee to investigate and propose policies to combat Mexican drug cartels and their international networks. The committee, composed of up to 21 members, will analyze cartel operations, evaluate current counter efforts, and recommend legislative proposals to relevant House committees. It must submit policy recommendations by December 31, 2025, and a final report by December 31, 2026, after which the committee will terminate.

The "Stop Harassing Owners of Rifles Today Act" or "SHORT Act" modifies firearm regulations by redefining "firearm" under the National Firearms Act, removing short-barreled rifles and shotguns from certain restrictions, and preempting state laws that tax, mark, record, or register these weapons. The Act also mandates the destruction of records related to these specific weapons held by the Attorney General.

The Safer Skies Act of 2025 expands security screening requirements for air carrier operations that operate under specific regulations, conduct passenger-carrying operations for compensation, offer individual seats in advance, provide publicly available schedules, operate airplanes with more than nine passenger seats, and do not use TSA-managed checkpoints. This act mandates that these operations comply with security screening standards outlined in federal regulations and requires the TSA Administrator to revise rules and policies to ensure compliance.

The "Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act" enables individuals with valid concealed carry permits or the legal right to carry concealed firearms in their home state to do so across state lines, provided they are not federally prohibited from possessing firearms and carry a valid photo ID. This law respects private and state/local government restrictions on firearms, protects individuals from unwarranted arrest, and allows legal action for violations of these rights. It also permits concealed carry in National Parks and other federal lands open to the public and clarifies that handguns include magazines and ammunition.