Legislative Activity

Lulu's Law requires the Federal Communications Commission to include shark attacks in wireless emergency alerts. This will allow people in affected areas to receive timely warnings about potential shark attacks.

The Insurance Data Protection Act aims to protect the confidentiality of insurance companies' data by limiting the subpoena power of the Office of Financial Research and ensuring that financial regulators coordinate with other agencies before collecting data from insurance companies. It facilitates the sharing of non-public information among federal and state agencies and insurance regulators while maintaining confidentiality and legal privileges. The act also clarifies that existing agency disclosure requirements apply to data submitted to financial regulators.

The Water Research Optimization Act of 2025 amends the Coordinated Ocean Observations and Research Act of 2020, to designate the National Water Center as the primary hub for federal water research and development under NOAA. It directs the National Weather Service to integrate federal water research into its operations, promotes consistency in hydrological operations, and mandates the use of advanced supercomputing for water resources modeling. The act also tasks the Under Secretary with supervising River Forecast Centers and coordinating activities with the Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology.

The Child Care Availability and Affordability Act aims to make child care more accessible and affordable for families by expanding employer-provided child care credits, increasing tax-free dependent care assistance, and creating a refundable household and dependent care tax credit. The employer-provided child care credit is expanded by increasing the amount of qualified child care expenditures and the maximum credit amount, with special rules for small businesses. The amount excludable for dependent care assistance programs is increased from $5,000 to $7,500 (or $2,500 to $3,750). A new refundable tax credit is created for employment-related expenses paid for household services and care of qualifying individuals, with the credit amount varying based on income and the number of qualifying individuals.

The Child Care Workforce Act aims to improve child care quality and affordability by establishing a pilot program that provides grants to States, Indian Tribes, and Tribal organizations. These grants will be used to supplement the wages of child care workers, with the goal of attracting and retaining qualified staff, improving worker well-being, enhancing the quality of care, and increasing access to affordable child care options. The Act requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to evaluate the program's effectiveness and report to Congress. It also authorizes necessary appropriations for fiscal year 2026 and subsequent years.

The "Clergy Act" allows clergy members who previously opted out of Social Security to revoke that exemption, enabling them to receive Social Security benefits. To do so, they must file an application by the due date of their federal income tax return for the second taxable year starting after December 31, 2027. The Commissioner of Internal Revenue, in collaboration with the Commissioner of Social Security, must also develop a plan to inform clergy members about this new option.

The "Retirement Fairness for Charities and Educational Institutions Act of 2025" modifies regulations for 403(b) plans under the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Securities Act of 1933, and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These modifications broaden exemptions from registration provisions for certain interests, participations, or securities related to 403(b) plans, especially those subject to Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, or where the employer acts as a fiduciary, or are governmental plans as defined in section 414. The goal is to expand the types of trusts, plans, and accounts that are excluded from being defined as investment companies. It also updates a section regarding exemptions from registration requirements for securities, adding a reference to plans described in section 3(a)(12)(C)(iv) of the Act.

The WALL Act of 2025 allocates $25 billion for constructing a physical barrier on the southern border. It offsets this spending by tightening eligibility requirements for tax credits like the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit, requiring E-Verify for federal benefits and housing programs, and increasing fines for illegal entry and visa overstays.

The Laken Riley Act mandates the detention of illegal aliens who commit theft, burglary, larceny, or shoplifting. It empowers state attorneys general to sue the Department of Homeland Security or the Secretary of State if they believe the state or its residents are harmed by violations of immigration enforcement or visa granting. The bill aims to ensure that these aliens are detained throughout their removal proceedings and to provide states with legal recourse against perceived failures in federal immigration enforcement.

This concurrent resolution asserts that any joint interpretation of Annex 14-C of the USMCA, such as the one proposed by the United States Trade Representative, has no legal effect unless explicitly approved by Congress. It emphasizes that Congress holds the authority over international trade agreements and their modifications. It also prohibits U.S. agencies from using the joint interpretation in legal proceedings or claiming it has legal consequences for U.S. individuals until Congress formally approves it.