Legislative Activity

The "Pay Our Troops Act of 2025" ensures that members of the Armed Forces, essential Department of Defense civilians, and contractors continue to receive pay and allowances during periods when regular funding is disrupted. This act provides necessary appropriations to cover these costs for fiscal year 2025. The Act's provisions will terminate upon the enactment of regular appropriations, a continuing resolution that provides funding for the same purpose, or on January 1, 2026.

The SPEED for BEAD Act amends the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to streamline broadband deployment grants. It renames the "Equity" program to "Expansion," allows funds for workforce development, and permits removal of high-cost locations from project areas. The act also prohibits certain conditions related to labor, climate change, and network management, and ensures consideration of all broadband technologies.

The Fighter Force Preservation and Recapitalization Act of 2025 aims to modernize and maintain the Air Force's fighter aircraft fleet by increasing the minimum number of fighter aircraft, requiring detailed reports on the fleet's status, prioritizing the assignment of new aircraft to existing squadrons, and preserving the Air National Guard's fighter capabilities. The act mandates the Air Force to assign at least three out of every four new advanced fighter aircraft to existing Air Force fighter squadrons and maintain at least 25 Air National Guard fighter aircraft squadrons. Additionally, it requires the Secretary of the Air Force to develop and submit an annual modernization plan for the Air National Guard's fighter fleet to Congress. The Act defines specific categories of fighter aircraft to clarify modernization efforts.

This bill expresses support for designating March 6, 2025, as "Great Lakes Day" to recognize the environmental and economic importance of the Great Lakes region. It highlights the Great Lakes' significance as a vital freshwater resource, economic driver, and ancestral home to Native American Tribes. The bill also supports initiatives like the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and encourages efforts to protect Lake St. Clair. Ultimately, it aims to raise awareness about the need to preserve and protect the Great Lakes for future generations.

The Access to Credit for our Rural Economy Act of 2025 (ACRE Act) creates a new federal tax incentive for qualified lenders. This incentive excludes income earned from interest on loans secured by rural or agricultural real property from taxation. The goal is to encourage lending for agricultural, forestry, and certain rural home improvement purposes while prohibiting loans to foreign adversary entities.

The Aviation Workforce Development Act amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow expenses for aviation maintenance and commercial pilot courses to be considered qualified higher education expenses for qualified tuition programs. This change applies to distributions made after the enactment of this law, aiming to support workforce development in the aviation sector.

The Improper Payments Transparency Act requires the President's budget to include detailed information on improper payment amounts and rates for programs at executive agencies, including explanations for these payments and trends over the past three years. It also requires information on incomplete corrective actions and future steps to address improper payment issues.

The "EARLY Minds Act" amends the Public Health Service Act to emphasize early intervention for mental health by requiring states to outline prevention strategies in their plans. States can use up to 5% of their funding to support these programs. The Secretary must report to Congress biennially on state prevention and early intervention activities, including outcomes and demographics.

The "Supporting Farm Operations Act of 2025" freezes the wage rate for H-2A nonimmigrant workers at the level it was on December 31, 2023, through December 31, 2026. Additionally, the bill directs the Secretary of Labor to use a primary duties evaluation when deciding the required wage for employees who perform multiple duties or tasks.

The Military and Educational Data Integration Act mandates a process for State educational agencies to access certain Armed Forces data of individuals who graduated high school in their state, including education level, test scores, and military service details. This data sharing initiative aims to integrate military data into state education systems while adhering to strict confidentiality and data security standards to protect individual privacy. The goal is to provide states with comprehensive data to better understand and support the educational and career pathways of their graduates.

The "No American Land for Communist China Act" prohibits the President from allowing individuals or entities associated with the Chinese government from purchasing real estate near covered federal lands. Covered lands include those managed by the Departments of Interior, Defense, Agriculture (Forest Service), and Energy, as well as Indian country. This restriction applies to entities with at least 25% equity interest held by Chinese government-affiliated individuals or businesses. The Act defines "United States" broadly to include states, territories, and other U.S. possessions.

The "Volunteer Driver Tax Appreciation Act of 2025" aims to increase tax benefits for individuals who use their personal vehicles for charitable purposes. Starting after 2024, the bill allows the Secretary to set a higher mileage rate for charitable contributions, matching the standard rate used for business expenses. This adjustment seeks to provide greater financial relief to volunteer drivers by increasing their eligible deductions.

The "Parity for Athletic Recreation Act" or "PAR Act" removes the restriction that prohibits bond proceeds from being used for private or commercial golf courses and country clubs. This change applies to bonds issued after the enactment of this Act. Additionally, it affects the empowerment zone employment credit and applies to empowerment zone businesses and opportunity zones.

The "Right to Equitable and Professional Auto Industry Repair Act" or the "REPAIR Act" ensures vehicle owners and independent repair shops have access to necessary vehicle data, repair information, and tools, preventing manufacturers from creating barriers to repairs. It establishes an advisory committee to address competition issues in the auto repair industry and mandates that car buyers are informed of their rights to choose repair options. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is empowered to enforce the Act, protecting consumers from unfair restrictions on vehicle repair and ensuring control over their vehicle data.

This bill expresses the House of Representatives' goal that nearly every student in the U.S. achieves grade-level reading proficiency, which is essential for success in school, work, and life. It encourages the use of structured literacy approaches, diagnostic assessments, and one-on-one tutoring to improve reading levels. The bill also urges state and local governments to collaborate with private groups to implement effective literacy programs for both students and adults.

The "DOC Access Act of 2025" aims to enhance health care coverage under vision and dental plans by ensuring fair payment practices, protecting doctors' choices in labs and suppliers, and respecting state laws. It allows optometrists and dentists to charge their standard rate for non-covered services if the plan's payment is unreasonable, while ensuring they can only charge the contracted rate for dental cleanings. The bill also gives doctors more control over agreement extensions with limited benefit plans and allows them to opt out of certain provisions. Ultimately, this act seeks to balance federal guidelines with state oversight in regulating health insurance issuers and dental or vision benefit plans.

The Leveling the Playing Field 2.0 Act aims to strengthen U.S. trade laws by addressing unfair subsidies, currency undervaluation, duty evasion, and circumvention of trade remedies. It refines the process for handling successive trade investigations, ensuring that the International Trade Commission considers prior findings and assesses cumulative effects on domestic industries. The act also empowers authorities to counteract cost distortions in foreign countries and prevent importers from avoiding duties. Additionally, it includes provisions related to trade with Canada and Mexico and sets effective dates for new regulations.

The "No Industrial Restrictions in Secret Act of 2025" or "No IRIS Act of 2025" prevents the EPA Administrator from utilizing assessments produced by the EPA's Integrated Risk Information System program. This prohibition extends to developing regulations, enforcement actions, permitting, and informing air toxics assessments.

The "Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025" extends the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000, providing continued financial support to states and counties with federal lands through 2026. It extends secure payments, distribution of payments, and the authority for special projects on federal land. Additionally, it extends the Resource Advisory Committee pilot program and makes several technical corrections to the original Act.

The "Death Tax Repeal Act" eliminates both estate and generation-skipping transfer taxes, effective from the date of enactment. It adjusts gift tax calculations by setting the lifetime gift exemption at $10,000,000, with inflation adjustments after 2011. The Act also includes transitional rules for applying certain sections of the Internal Revenue Code during the enactment year.