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 SEED Act expands the existing educator expense tax deduction to include early childhood educators. This amendment updates the Internal Revenue Code to recognize educators working with very young children alongside traditional K-12 teachers. These changes will apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2025.

This Act officially establishes the Congressional Tribute to Constance Baker Motley Act of 2025 to honor the life and groundbreaking civil rights achievements of the late legal pioneer. The bill authorizes the posthumous presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal to her family in recognition of her service, including her role in *Brown v. Board of Education*. Furthermore, it permits the Treasury to strike and sell bronze duplicates of the medal to cover production costs.

The Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act aims to address healthcare staffing shortages by recapturing unused employment-based immigrant visas from previous years. These recaptured visas are specifically reserved for professional nurses (25,000) and physicians (15,000) to expedite their entry into the U.S. The bill also mandates premium processing for these petitions without imposing extra fees and includes worker protection attestations to prevent displacement of U.S. workers.

The Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act of 2025 significantly updates federal efforts to combat harmful algal blooms (HABs) and hypoxia across all U.S. waters, including freshwater systems. The bill expands the scope of the interagency Task Force, mandates the creation of a five-year national Action Strategy for HABs, and enhances monitoring and forecasting capabilities. It also clarifies agency roles, assigning EPA new duties for freshwater blooms while tasking NOAA with marine and Great Lakes response, and establishes a new incubator program for control technologies.

The Federal Firefighter Cancer Detection and Prevention Act of 2025 mandates specialized, regular cancer screenings for Department of Defense (DoD) firefighters. This includes age-appropriate testing for breast, colon, and prostate cancers, as well as screenings for other cancers identified as prevalent in the profession. The bill ensures firefighters can opt out of any service while requiring documentation of offered versus accepted screenings to track cancer trends.

The Drug Shortage Prevention Act of 2025 aims to strengthen the nation's drug supply chain by improving how manufacturers report potential disruptions for critical medicines. This legislation mandates earlier and more detailed notifications to the government regarding production halts, demand spikes, or supply interruptions for life-supporting drugs. Furthermore, it requires drug makers to report their active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) suppliers twice annually, increasing transparency into the entire supply chain.

The Protecting Public Naval Shipyards Act of 2025 aims to secure the jobs at vital public naval shipyards by prohibiting workforce reductions and hiring freezes. This legislation specifically protects essential roles, including welders, engineers, and nuclear maintenance staff, from budget-driven cuts. The Act ensures the stability of the shipyard workforce while preserving the Secretary of Defense's authority to address individual employee performance or misconduct.

This resolution officially designates July 30, 2025, as "National Whistleblower Appreciation Day." It honors individuals who report waste, fraud, and abuse, recognizing their vital role in government accountability. Furthermore, the bill directs federal agencies to use this day to educate employees and the public about whistleblower rights and acknowledge the importance of their service.

The Energy Savings and Weatherization Reauthorization Act of 2025 extends the critical Weatherization Assistance Program through 2030. This bill significantly increases the average cost limit for weatherizing low-income homes from $\$6,500$ to $\$15,000$ per unit. It also establishes clear standards for defining a "fully weatherized" home, requiring both recommended upgrades and a final quality control inspection.

This bill mandates an independent study comparing the quality of mental health and addiction therapy care provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) versus non-VA providers. The study will examine differences across various treatment settings and report on key outcomes like patient improvement, use of evidence-based practices, and coordination of care. The findings will be submitted to Congress and made publicly available.

The Northern Border Security Enhancement and Review Act updates the schedule for the Northern Border threat analysis, requiring new submissions by September 2, 2025, and every three years thereafter. It mandates that the Department of Homeland Security update its Northern Border strategy every five years, incorporating the latest threat analysis findings. The bill also requires classified briefings on the analysis and directs the development of performance measures for Air and Marine Operations along the northern border, all without authorizing new appropriations.

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 Healthy Drinking Water Affordability Act establishes the Healthy H2O Program to provide financial assistance for improving drinking water quality in rural areas. This program offers grants to eligible homeowners, renters, and small facilities to cover the costs of certified point-of-use or point-of-entry water treatment systems. Funding prioritizes those facing contamination from issues like lead or PFAS, provided recipients meet specific income and water quality documentation requirements. The Act authorizes $10 million annually through fiscal year 2030 to support these voluntary upgrades.

The Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2025 aims to address physician shortages by adding 2,000 new Medicare-funded residency positions annually from 2027 through 2033. These new slots are distributed through an application process, prioritizing hospitals serving rural areas, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), and those supporting new medical schools. Additionally, the bill mandates a study and report on effective strategies for increasing diversity within the healthcare workforce.

The Intelligence Community Property Security Act of 2025 establishes new federal penalties for unauthorized entry onto clearly marked, restricted property belonging to U.S. intelligence agencies. This act amends the National Security Act of 1947 to criminalize trespassing on secure facilities. Penalties escalate based on the number of prior offenses, potentially leading to up to 10 years in prison for repeat violations.

The CANADA Act, or Creating Access to Necessary American-Canadian Duty Adjustments Act, provides relief to small businesses by exempting them from specific import duties imposed due to the national emergency declared on February 1, 2025. This exemption applies to goods imported directly by or for the use of a qualifying small business concern.

This resolution officially designates June 12, 2025, as "Women Veterans Appreciation Day." It serves to recognize the vital and growing contributions of women who have served in the U.S. military throughout history. The day encourages the nation to honor the sacrifices and service of the approximately 2.1 million women veterans.

This bill directs the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) and NIST to develop voluntary guidelines for election offices on the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies. It also mandates a study on how AI was actually used in the 2024 federal elections to inform future updates to these guidelines. The goal is to help election administrators manage the risks and opportunities presented by AI while protecting election integrity.

The Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl (HALT Fentanyl) Act aims to combat the opioid crisis by immediately classifying structurally similar fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I controlled substances. The bill also streamlines the registration process for researchers working with Schedule I drugs and strengthens criminal penalties for trafficking these compounds. The Attorney General is required to issue implementing rules within six months of enactment.