Legislative Activity

The Ensuring Justice for Camp Lejeune Victims Act of 2025 makes technical corrections to the 2022 Camp Lejeune Justice Act to clarify standards for proving harm and venue for trials. This legislation sets specific caps on attorney fees and retroactively applies these changes to all existing and future claims filed under the original 2022 Act. The bill ensures that existing statutes of limitations for filing claims remain unchanged.

The Veterans Energy Transition Act of 2025 (VET Act) establishes a new grant program administered by the Secretary of Labor to incentivize organizations to hire active duty military members, veterans, and their spouses for jobs in the energy industry. These grants reimburse employers for training, recruitment, and other costs associated with employing these "covered individuals." The program prioritizes hiring those with relevant skills and aims to coordinate with existing transition services to ensure effective job placement.

The Cancer Drug Parity Act of 2025 mandates that group health plans treat the cost-sharing for oral (take-at-home) anticancer drugs the same as they treat cost-sharing for intravenously administered cancer drugs. This ensures patients do not face higher out-of-pocket expenses for necessary oral chemotherapy medications. The Act also requires the GAO to study the financial impact of this new parity requirement on patients.

The Recycling and Composting Accountability Act aims to improve national recycling and composting efforts by requiring the EPA to gather comprehensive data on current infrastructure capabilities and material flows. This legislation mandates detailed reports on composting facilities, materials recovery facilities (MRFs), and the development of standardized national recycling rates. Furthermore, it directs studies to measure how much recyclable material is lost from the circular market and ensures federal agencies report on their own waste diversion activities.

This resolution expresses support for designating June 2025 as "National Dairy Month" to recognize the vital role of the dairy industry. It highlights the industry's significant contributions to American health, noting that dairy is a key source of essential nutrients like calcium and Vitamin D. Furthermore, the resolution commends the nation's family-owned dairy farms for their economic impact and agricultural heritage. It also strongly opposes unfair regulations that hinder dairy farmers.

The Occupational Therapy Mental Health Parity Act aims to clarify and ensure proper coverage of occupational therapy services under Medicare for treating mental health and substance use disorders. It mandates the Secretary of Health and Human Services to educate stakeholders on billing and payment rules within the Medicare Benefit Policy Manual. This ensures providers are correctly reimbursed when using occupational therapy for mental health treatment.

The Kids on the Go Act of 2025 mandates that every state must designate a Safe Routes to School Coordinator. States that comply with this requirement will receive an increased federal funding share of 95% for eligible Safe Routes to School projects. This aims to boost state efforts in improving safety for students traveling to and from school.

The Clean Water SRF Parity Act of 2025 expands eligibility for federal water pollution control funding to include qualified nonprofit organizations for treatment works projects. It also establishes specific rules for how funds can be used by privately owned treatment works, ensuring assistance primarily benefits users rather than shareholders. Furthermore, the Act prohibits states from providing additional subsidies to these specific nonprofit and privately owned entities receiving assistance under these new provisions.

The Northern Border Security and Staffing Reform Act addresses critical staffing shortages within Customs and Border Protection (CBP), particularly along the northern border. It mandates an immediate hiring push to counteract anticipated mass retirements and current personnel deficits. Furthermore, the bill updates threat analysis requirements to specifically focus on staffing projections, retirement risks, and local recruitment strategies for northern ports of entry.

The Knock Out Cancer Act aims to aggressively combat cancer by significantly increasing funding for the National Cancer Institute's research efforts through 2030. The bill also mandates a comprehensive report from the Department of Health and Human Services to address and recommend solutions for ongoing cancer drug shortages. Ultimately, this legislation seeks to accelerate breakthroughs, improve survival rates through better detection awareness, and reduce cancer-related deaths.

The Veterans PTSD Screening Act mandates the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to conduct a study on using RNA sequencing as a diagnostic tool for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in veterans. This research will investigate if genetic testing can accurately identify biological markers related to PTSD. The VA must complete the study by September 2027 and report its findings to Congress by September 2028.

The Expanding Seniors Access to Mental Health Services Act aims to improve mental health care access for seniors under Medicare. This bill separates clinical social worker services from standard skilled nursing facility payments, ensuring they are billed distinctly. Furthermore, it expands Medicare coverage for clinical social workers to include health and behavior assessment and intervention services, effective January 1, 2026.

The Drug-price Transparency for Consumers Act of 2025 mandates that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs covered by Medicare or Medicaid must disclose the Wholesale Acquisition Cost (WAC) for a 30-day supply, provided the cost exceeds $35. This aims to increase consumer awareness of drug pricing, as current advertising practices often drive demand for expensive, newly approved medications without providing cost transparency. Failure to comply with this new disclosure requirement will result in significant civil monetary penalties.

The Connecting Small Businesses with Career and Technical Education Graduates Act of 2025 aims to strengthen the pipeline between skilled CTE graduates and small businesses. This legislation mandates that Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) and Women's Business Centers actively educate businesses on hiring CTE graduates and connect these programs with entrepreneurial resources. The bill officially defines CTE by referencing existing federal law to ensure consistent standards.

This resolution strongly condemns the rise of antisemitism in the United States and around the world. It specifically honors the memory of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, who were tragically murdered while promoting peace. Ultimately, Congress reaffirms its commitment to combating all forms of hate and ensuring the vigorous enforcement of laws protecting religious freedom.

This resolution expresses strong support for designating May 2025 as "National Electrical Safety Month" to combat the significant dangers posed by electrical hazards. It encourages citizens to proactively inspect their homes, install modern safety devices like GFCIs and AFCIs, and ensure smoke alarms are functional. Ultimately, the goal is to raise awareness and promote safe electrical practices to reduce fires, injuries, and deaths nationwide.

The Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025 aims to streamline and modernize the prior authorization process within Medicare Advantage plans. This bill mandates the adoption of electronic prior authorization systems and significantly increases transparency regarding approval rates and decision times starting in 2027. Furthermore, it establishes new enrollee protections and grants the Secretary authority to enforce faster decision timeframes for medical services.

The Barriers to Suicide Act of 2025 establishes a new grant program through the Department of Transportation to fund the installation of suicide deterrents like nets and barriers at high-risk locations such as bridges and rail stations. The bill also amends existing law to explicitly allow National Highway System funds to be used for these safety barriers on bridges. Finally, it mandates a study on the effectiveness of suicide prevention measures for structures other than bridges.

The Kidney Donation Anti-Discrimination Act prohibits life insurance companies from denying coverage, increasing premiums, or canceling policies solely because an individual is a living kidney donor. This federal law ensures that living donors are not penalized financially for their altruistic act, unless unrelated health risks are present. Individuals harmed by discrimination under this Act have the right to sue in federal court.

The Fair Wage Act of 2025 fundamentally reforms the federal minimum wage by tying it to local costs of living, establishing regional minimum wages based on Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) and nonmetropolitan areas. This legislation also adjusts the minimum cash wage for tipped employees to 30% of the new regional standard and modifies the subminimum wage for younger workers. These changes aim to create a more localized and dynamic wage floor, taking effect on the first day of the third month following enactment.