Legislative Activity

The Native American Seeds Act of 2025 directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish a program to collect, produce, and preserve Native American seeds in consultation with Indian Tribes. This legislation mandates the development of seed banks and nurseries to support these culturally significant seeds. Furthermore, the Act requires collaboration with Tribes to identify and protect these seeds while ensuring the confidentiality of sensitive Tribal information.

The Back the Blue Act of 2025 establishes new federal crimes and harsher penalties for killing or assaulting law enforcement officers and other public safety officials. The bill also creates specific aggravating factors for the federal death penalty in such cases and places new restrictions on federal habeas corpus relief for related state convictions. Finally, it expands federal protections allowing active and retired law enforcement officers to carry firearms in various federal locations.

This resolution strongly condemns the Government of Iran for its ongoing, state-sponsored persecution of the Baha'i religious minority. It highlights decades of systematic human rights abuses, including imprisonment, job discrimination, and violence against Baha'is. The resolution urges the Iranian government to immediately release all religious prisoners and reverse discriminatory policies. Furthermore, it calls on the U.S. President and Secretary of State to condemn these actions and utilize existing authorities to impose sanctions on responsible Iranian officials.

The LAB Personnel Act of 2025 aims to protect the specialized workforce within the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) forensic laboratories. This bill specifically prohibits any hiring freezes or workforce reductions affecting these critical laboratory analysts and biometric personnel. However, the Act preserves the Attorney General's authority to manage personnel issues related to employee misconduct or poor performance.

The Dark and Quiet Skies Act of 2025 aims to protect federally funded astronomical research from interference caused by satellites and spacecraft. It establishes a Center of Excellence to foster cooperation between federal agencies and private industry in developing voluntary best practices for mitigating optical and radio interference. This Center will conduct research, test mitigation techniques, and share findings to ensure clear skies for scientific observation.

This resolution officially designates November 22, 2025, as National Adoption Day and November 2025 as National Adoption Month. The measure aims to raise national awareness about the children awaiting adoption and celebrate those involved in adoption. It encourages all Americans to promote safety, permanency, and well-being for children across the nation.

This resolution officially designates November 20, 2025, as "National Rural Health Day." It recognizes the unique healthcare challenges faced by rural communities, including provider shortages and hospital vulnerability. The Senate expresses support for rural health providers and commits to advancing policies that improve healthcare access and affordability in these areas.

The Preventive Health Savings Act requires the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to analyze certain legislation for potential long-term savings resulting from preventive healthcare measures. Upon request, the CBO Director must estimate and report on these future budget outlay reductions if the legislation is projected to lower federal spending through preventive care. These estimates are supplementary and do not affect compliance with existing budgetary enforcement rules.

This resolution officially recognizes November as National Native American Heritage Month. It celebrates the rich cultures, histories, and significant contributions of Native Americans to the United States across various fields. The resolution also reaffirms the government's commitment to tribal self-governance and the government-to-government relationship with Indian Tribes.

The Shutdown Fairness Act ensures that federal employees, active-duty military, and supporting contractors who worked or were employed during a lapse in appropriations receive their full compensation retroactively and going forward. It appropriates necessary funds to agencies to cover "standard employee compensation" for all "covered employees" and "covered contract employees" for the entire duration of any funding lapse. This aims to guarantee that affected personnel are paid promptly, regardless of furlough status or scheduled pay dates during the shutdown period.

The Shutdown Fairness Act ensures that essential government employees, military personnel, and supporting contractors who must work during a lapse in appropriations receive their guaranteed pay. This bill automatically sets aside necessary funds from the Treasury to cover the salaries and benefits of these "excepted employees" for the duration of the shutdown. These special appropriations remain available until a full-year budget is enacted, at which point the payments are reconciled against the new funding law.

This resolution officially designates the week of November 3 through November 7, 2025, as National Veterans Small Business Week. It recognizes the significant contributions of the over 1.65 million veteran-owned small businesses to the U.S. economy. The bill supports creating a business-friendly environment and expresses appreciation for veterans' continued service through entrepreneurship.

The Firearm Access During Shutdowns Act of 2025 designates essential firearm-related operations as necessary for protecting human life or property during a government shutdown. This ensures that key functions, such as the FBI's NICS background check system and critical ATF, Commerce, and State Department licensing activities, continue without interruption. Employees performing these duties will be considered "excepted employees" and must continue to work.

The REPO for Ukrainians Implementation Act of 2025 builds upon existing law to facilitate the use of frozen Russian sovereign assets for Ukraine's benefit. It formally recognizes the Porto Declaration urging the repurposing of these assets and grants the President authority to transfer non-confiscated Russian assets into an interest-bearing Ukraine Support Fund. Furthermore, the bill mandates the investment of these funds and requires the quarterly obligation of at least $250 million to provide assistance to Ukraine. Finally, it requires the executive branch to report on the location of Russian sovereign assets globally and engage diplomatically with key allies to encourage asset repurposing.

The Judicial Efficiency Improvement Act restructures the federal appellate system by splitting the Ninth Circuit into a new Ninth Circuit and a new Twelfth Circuit. This legislation adjusts the total number of judicial circuits to fourteen and establishes new judgeships across various federal courts. The Act also sets forth a transition plan for handling existing cases and outlines a staggered schedule for adding new district court judgeships through 2035.

The STREAMLINE Act updates federal regulations to modernize anti-money laundering reporting requirements. It significantly raises the cash transaction reporting threshold from $\$10,000$ to $\$30,000$ and adjusts thresholds for Suspicious Activity Reports. Furthermore, the bill mandates that these reporting thresholds be reviewed and adjusted every five years to account for inflation. The Treasury Department is also required to review and streamline existing reporting forms and processes.

The Shutdown Fairness Act ensures that federal employees deemed "excepted" and required to work during a government shutdown, starting in fiscal year 2026 or later, are guaranteed to receive their salaries and allowances. This automatic funding from the Treasury Department covers essential personnel and their supporting contractors until a full-year budget or continuing resolution is enacted. The goal is to provide financial certainty for workers performing emergency duties during funding lapses.

This resolution formally recognizes the 250th anniversary of the United States Postal Service, acknowledging its vital role in American history and infrastructure since 1775. Congress celebrates the USPS for connecting communities and commerce across the nation for two and a half centuries. The resolution honors current and past postal employees and encourages the public to celebrate this historic milestone.

The Employee Rights Act mandates that union representation must be chosen through a secret ballot election run by the NLRB, and it prohibits non-lawful workers from voting in union elections. The bill also tightens the definition of an employee versus an independent contractor and limits the use of employee contact information provided for organizing drives. Furthermore, it restricts union dues spending to bargaining activities unless explicit, time-limited written consent is obtained from the employee.

This resolution officially designates the week of October 5 through October 11, 2025, as "National Community Policing Week." It recognizes the vital role of community policing in building trust between law enforcement and residents to enhance public safety. The bill encourages collaboration between citizens and police to find lasting solutions to crime and strengthen community relationships.