Legislative Activity

The HELP Copays Act requires that financial assistance provided by non-profit organizations and drug manufacturers must count toward a patient's deductible, copayments, and out-of-pocket maximums for prescription drugs. This change ensures that patient assistance dollars directly reduce the amount a patient must pay before their coverage fully kicks in. The legislation specifically applies to specialty drugs and those subject to utilization management. These provisions will take effect for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2026.

The Homeless Children and Youth Act of 2025 significantly amends the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to broaden the definition of homelessness, particularly for children and youth. It mandates increased public reporting of homelessness data through required HMIS disclosures by HUD. Furthermore, the bill modifies grant scoring criteria and planning requirements to better ensure services reach vulnerable populations and align with local needs.

The College Athletics Reform Act establishes comprehensive federal standards for college athletics, primarily by securing Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rights for college athletes and prohibiting restrictions on their ability to earn compensation or obtain professional representation. The bill also introduces new regulations for sports agents, mandates significant expansion of financial and participation data disclosure by institutions, and establishes a new Commission to study and recommend future governance structures for college sports. Finally, it amends broadcasting law to exempt certain large athletic association media agreements from antitrust scrutiny.

This resolution celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), recognizing its landmark achievement in guaranteeing a free, appropriate public education for every child with a disability. It honors the law's transformative impact since 1975, which ensured access, protected rights, and established critical early intervention services. The resolution reaffirms the commitment to fully implementing IDEA so all students with disabilities have the opportunity to thrive.

The Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act focuses primarily on improving pediatric drug development and ensuring patient access to necessary treatments. This legislation mandates new research requirements for molecularly targeted pediatric cancer drugs, strengthens FDA enforcement of pediatric study completion, and extends incentives for developing drugs for rare pediatric diseases. Additionally, the bill updates organ transplant network functions and establishes an Abraham Accords Office within the FDA to enhance international regulatory cooperation.

The SAWMILL Act establishes the Timber Production Expansion Guaranteed Loan Program within the Department of Agriculture. This program provides loan guarantees to rural sawmills and wood-processing facilities located near federal lands needing ecological restoration. These facilities must help substantially reduce the cost of removing vegetation from high-priority federal lands. The total loan guarantees are capped at $220 million.

The Floodplain Enhancement and Recovery Act aims to promote ecosystem restoration projects in floodplains by streamlining regulatory processes. This bill exempts such projects from certain map change fees and allows for conditional approval within regulatory floodways under specific engineering and safety criteria. Ultimately, it directs FEMA to issue guidance to facilitate these beneficial restoration efforts.

The Health Tech Investment Act aims to establish clear payment guidelines for algorithm-based healthcare services under Medicare. This bill mandates that the Secretary of Health and Human Services ensure appropriate payment for these new technologies using manufacturer-submitted cost data when assigned to a new technology Ambulatory Payment Classification (APC). Furthermore, it clarifies payment policies for software as a service under the hospital outpatient prospective payment system.

The Alzheimer’s Screening and Prevention Act of 2025 (ASAP Act) amends Medicare to cover early detection screening tests for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias starting in 2028. This coverage applies to FDA-cleared tests, including genomic sequencing and other equivalent diagnostic methods, designed to detect pre-symptomatic or early-stage conditions. The bill ensures these screenings are added to the list of covered medical services under Medicare.

This bill, the "SEC Data Protection Act," mandates that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) establish comprehensive data protection policies for sensitive, nonpublic information received from investment advisers. The SEC must adopt these rules within one year, ensuring the safeguarding and restricted access of proprietary data. This legislation aims to protect sensitive information collected by the Commission during its oversight of investment advisers.

This resolution officially recognizes and supports the goals of National Rural Health Day to honor the vital role of rural communities and their healthcare providers. It acknowledges the unique challenges faced by rural residents, such as limited access to care and hospital closures. The bill expresses a commitment to advancing policies that improve the accessibility and affordability of healthcare in rural America.

The Restoring Food Security for American Families and Farmers Act of 2025 aims to strengthen domestic food security by repealing specific sections of a prior reconciliation act. This action effectively revives the original laws that were previously amended by the repealed provisions. The bill seeks to revert existing agricultural and food-related statutes to their pre-amendment status.

The Appraisal Industry Improvement Act aims to strengthen the appraisal profession by setting new competency and education standards for appraisers handling FHA-insured mortgages. It also updates requirements for appraisal management companies and expands the national registry to include state credentialed trainee appraisers. Furthermore, the bill authorizes grants to support appraiser workforce development and expands representation on the Appraisal Subcommittee.

The Veterans Earned Education Act expands the eligibility for service members to transfer Post-9/11 educational assistance benefits to their dependents. This change modifies existing service requirements, specifically adding pathways for individuals who have completed at least 17 years of service or who are retired under specific Armed Forces chapters to transfer these educational benefits. The legislation broadens the scope of who can transfer these earned benefits to family members.

The Right to Enroll Act of 2025 extends the annual open enrollment period for health insurance exchanges specifically for the 2026 plan year. This legislation mandates that the open enrollment period will run from November 1, 2025, through May 1, 2026.

The K2 Veterans Total Coverage Act of 2025 establishes a presumption of service connection for a comprehensive list of diseases affecting veterans who served at Karshi Khanabad Air Base in Uzbekistan. This means certain serious illnesses, including various cancers, cardiovascular, and neurological conditions, will be presumed to be related to their military service. This change amends existing law to provide expanded benefits eligibility for these veterans.

This bill, the Servicemember Credit Monitoring Enhancement Act, updates the Fair Credit Reporting Act to clarify and standardize the term used for service members eligible for credit monitoring services. It replaces the outdated term "active duty military consumer" with the broader and more accurate term "uniformed services member consumer." This ensures consistent protection and access to credit monitoring for all eligible members of the uniformed services.

This resolution designates October as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month to highlight the widespread and devastating impact of intimate partner violence across all demographics. It recognizes the urgent need to eliminate domestic violence and supports increased funding for intervention and prevention programs. The resolution underscores the severe physical, emotional, and economic toll this abuse takes on individuals, families, and communities.

The American Energy Independence and Affordability Act is a comprehensive bill designed to lower energy costs by extending and adjusting key tax incentives across energy production, efficiency, and clean vehicle adoption. It stabilizes support for renewable energy manufacturing, extends deadlines for energy-efficient building credits, and ensures consumer incentives for electric vehicles remain available through 2032. Overall, the legislation aims to provide long-term certainty for energy investments and consumer adoption of cleaner technologies.

The Head Start Shutdown Protection Act of 2025 ensures that states, local governments, or school districts are reimbursed for any of their own funds used to keep Head Start and Early Head Start programs operational during a lapse in federal appropriations. This legislation protects these vital early childhood education services from disruption caused by government shutdowns. By guaranteeing reimbursement, the Act encourages local entities to maintain program continuity without bearing the financial burden.