Legislative Activity

This resolution formally condemns the assassination of Charlie Kirk and honors his life and legacy as a devoted husband, father, and founder of Turning Point USA. It recognizes his commitment to encouraging civil discourse on college campuses across the nation. The Senate also extends its deepest sympathies to his surviving family.

The Ski Hill Resources for Economic Development Act allows the Forest Service to retain and reinvest fees collected from ski area permits. These funds will be used to improve ski area program administration, reduce wildfire risk, repair and maintain facilities, and support recreational activities. This act ensures that revenue generated from ski areas directly benefits those areas and other National Forest System units. It specifies how the funds are to be distributed and prohibits their use for wildfire suppression or land acquisition.

The Enhancing First Response Act mandates the FCC to hold annual hearings and issue reports following major disaster communications outages to identify areas for improvement. It also requires the Office of Management and Budget to officially classify 911 dispatchers as a protective service occupation. Furthermore, the bill directs the FCC to report on the enforcement and effectiveness of existing laws regarding multi-line phone system compliance for emergency calls.

The Protect Consumers from Reallocation Costs Act of 2025 prohibits the EPA from reassigning the renewable fuel obligations of small refineries that have received an exemption extension. This ensures that the obligated volume remains with the exempt refinery rather than being shifted to other obligated parties. Furthermore, the fuel produced by these exempt small refineries must still be counted when calculating a company's total production for compliance purposes.

The CDFI Fund Transparency Act requires the Secretary of the Treasury to testify before key Congressional committees regarding the operations of the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund. This testimony is mandated only when requested jointly by the chairs of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and the House Committee on Financial Services. This ensures regular oversight of the Fund's activities by Congress.

This bill amends the Community Development Banking and Financial Institutions Act to enhance liquidity for Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs). It authorizes the Fund to provide capitalization assistance, such as purchasing loans or offering guarantees, to organizations that support CDFIs. The legislation significantly raises the funding cap for this assistance and mandates annual reporting to Congress on its impact.

The Headwaters Protection Act of 2025 reauthorizes and significantly improves the Water Source Protection Program to better safeguard national forest watersheds. This legislation expands eligibility for water protection projects to include more local entities and private partners, while prioritizing work that builds resilience against drought and wildfire. The bill also sets stricter standards to ensure forest management activities do not degrade long-term watershed health and increases annual funding authorization for these critical restoration efforts. Importantly, the Act explicitly preserves all existing state and federal water rights and laws.

The Endangered Species Recovery Act of 2025 officially renames the foundational Endangered Species Act of 1973 to the Endangered Species Recovery Act. This change is purely titular, meaning all existing laws and regulations will now reference the new title. The bill ensures consistency by updating all official government documents to reflect the new name immediately.

The MORE USDA Grants Act aims to boost economic opportunities in rural areas, specifically targeting counties with significant federal land ownership and low populations. This bill lowers the required local matching funds by 50% for qualifying USDA grants in these designated areas. It also mandates priority consideration and enhanced technical assistance for grant applications submitted by local and Tribal governments within these counties. Furthermore, the Secretary of Agriculture is empowered to offer flexibility in grant scoring and requirements that disadvantage smaller, isolated communities.

The McCarran-Walter Technical Corrections Act updates the criteria for determining membership in federally recognized Indian Tribes or Canadian First Nations for specific immigration purposes. This legislation removes the previous requirement for proving a minimum blood quantum. Instead, eligibility is now based on current membership or eligibility for membership in a recognized U.S. Tribe, or registration/membership in a Canadian First Nation under the *Indian Act* or a self-governing First Nation.

This bill prohibits non-U.S. citizens from voting in any election within the District of Columbia. It also repeals the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022, effectively undoing that prior legislation. The measure ensures that only citizens can participate in D.C. local elections and ballot initiatives.

The Equal Shot Act of 2025 aims to prevent discrimination against businesses within the firearms industry when applying for financial assistance from the Small Business Administration (SBA). This legislation explicitly prohibits the SBA from denying loans or guarantees solely based on an applicant's status as a firearm entity, affiliate, or trade association. The Act first establishes clear definitions for these industry participants to ensure fair and equal consideration for all qualified applicants.

This resolution formally honors the significant economic and cultural contributions of small, domestic firearm manufacturers to the United States. It recognizes these businesses as vital to supporting American manufacturing, job creation, and the traditions of recreational shooting sports. Furthermore, the resolution designates August 2025 as "National Shooting Sports Month."

The DAIRY PRIDE Act aims to ensure food products labeled as "milk," "cheese," or other standardized dairy terms actually meet established definitions. This legislation prevents companies from selling non-dairy items across state lines using official dairy names unless they meet strict ingredient and sourcing standards. The FDA is required to quickly issue new guidance on enforcing these labeling requirements.

The Protecting Access to Credit for Small Businesses Act prohibits the Small Business Administration (SBA) from issuing any new direct loans under its primary Section 7(a) loan program. While the SBA can no longer originate these loans directly, it must continue to manage and service any existing direct 7(a) loans. This change shifts the focus of the program away from direct government lending.

The Promotion and Expansion of Private Employee Ownership Act of 2025 aims to significantly boost employee ownership in S corporations through Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs). This bill extends crucial tax deferral benefits for stock sales to ESOPs and establishes new offices within the Treasury and Labor Departments to provide technical assistance and advocacy. Furthermore, it amends the Small Business Act to ensure ESOP-owned businesses do not automatically lose small business status when they transition to majority employee ownership.

The Housing Supply Expansion Act of 2025 updates federal law by removing the requirement that manufactured homes must sit on a permanent chassis to qualify under federal safety standards. This Act mandates that all states must certify to HUD within one year that they treat these homes equally across financing, taxation, and sales regulations. States failing to certify risk having the sale of non-chassis manufactured homes prohibited within their borders. The law also requires annual compliance updates and federal coordination to ensure consistent treatment of these housing types.

The CLEAR Waters Act narrows the definition of "navigable waters" under federal law. This legislation explicitly excludes features like wastewater treatment systems, ephemeral streams, and groundwater from federal water protection regulations. The goal is to clarify which bodies of water fall under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.

The 287(g) Program Protection Act mandates that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) must approve nearly all requests from state and local law enforcement agencies seeking agreements to assist with federal immigration enforcement. This legislation significantly restricts DHS's ability to deny or terminate these agreements, requiring extensive justification and advance notice for any denial or cancellation. Furthermore, the bill transfers authority over the Breached Bond Detention Fund to DHS and requires annual reporting on program performance and recruitment efforts.

This resolution officially designates July 26, 2025, as the "National Day of the American Cowboy." It recognizes the historical and ongoing contributions of cowboys and cowgirls, celebrating the values of honesty, courage, and hard work they represent. The bill encourages all Americans to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies honoring this vital part of American culture.