Legislative Activity

The "Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge Act" officially renames the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge in Texas to honor Jocelyn Nungaray, a 12-year-old murder victim. This act formalizes the prior Executive Order 14229, ensuring that all federal references reflect the new name. The renaming recognizes Ms. Nungaray's love for animals and the refuge's location near Houston.

The "Improving Police CARE Act" ensures that law enforcement agencies have access to standardized trauma kits. It sets performance standards for these kits, which must include essential items like tourniquets and bleeding control bandages. The Act also directs the Bureau of Justice Assistance to develop best practices for training officers and deploying these kits.

The United States Research Protection Act of 2025 amends the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act to clarify the definition of "foreign country" to "foreign country of concern" regarding malign foreign talent recruitment. This act broadens the scope of what constitutes a foreign talent recruitment program by including activities indirectly supported by foreign governments. These revisions aim to strengthen protections against foreign influence in U.S. research and development.

This resolution expresses the Senate's support for designating April 2025 as National Child Abuse Prevention Month to increase awareness and education, build strong families, support survivors, and ensure justice for victims. It recognizes the importance of preventing child abuse and neglect, healing those affected, and ensuring justice for victims of childhood abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse. The resolution highlights the prevalence and impact of adverse childhood experiences and child maltreatment. It also emphasizes the importance of programs that support families and prevent child abuse.

The "Bring the Space Shuttle Home Act" mandates the transfer of the Discovery space shuttle to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, within 18 months, to be displayed for public exhibition promoting STEM education. It requires NASA and the Smithsonian to create a transfer plan within 90 days and authorizes necessary funds for the transfer and ongoing exhibition. The title of the Discovery space shuttle will be transferred to NASA within one year after the physical transfer, with the possibility of later transfer to a nonprofit entity under specific conditions.

The Public Safety Officer Concussion and Traumatic Brain Injury Health Act of 2025 directs the CDC to collect and publicize information on concussions and traumatic brain injuries among public safety officers. This includes research on best practices, protective equipment, and treatment. The goal is to provide resources to medical professionals, public safety employers, and affected officers and their families.

This resolution honors the life and legacy of George Foreman, recognizing his achievements as an Olympic gold medalist, World Heavyweight Champion, ordained minister, and community leader. It celebrates his positive impact on future generations, his commitment to Houston, and his service to vulnerable youth. The resolution directs the Secretary of the Senate to communicate this recognition to the House of Representatives and to Foreman's family.

The SAFE Supply Chains Act prohibits the Department of Defense from procuring certain IT products from unauthorized sources, with waiver options for research or mission-critical needs. It mandates transparency through annual reports and aims to guide ineligible entities toward becoming authorized resellers, ensuring a more secure federal equipment supply chain. The law goes into effect one year after enactment.

The Small Business Taxpayer Bill of Rights Act of 2025 aims to enhance taxpayer rights and protections by modifying standards for awarding costs and fees, increasing civil damages for certain IRS misconduct, and introducing measures such as banning ex parte discussions and limiting lien enforcement on primary residences. The bill also focuses on improving alternative dispute resolution procedures, increasing penalties for unauthorized disclosures, and ensuring fair treatment by the IRS through measures like mandatory termination for misconduct and reviews by the Treasury Inspector General. Additionally, it includes provisions for deductions for audit expenses, term limits for the National Taxpayer Advocate, IRS levy releases due to economic hardship, and the repeal of partial payment requirements for offers-in-compromise. This act seeks to create a fairer and more transparent system for small businesses and individual taxpayers interacting with the IRS.

The "Strengthening Child Exploitation Enforcement Act" amends Title 18 of the U.S. Code to broaden the definition of kidnapping, modify provisions related to sexual abuse, and update penalties for civil rights offenses involving sexual misconduct. These changes include expanding the scope of kidnapping to include deception, clarifying the application of laws regarding interstate travel for sexual abuse offenses, and refining the language and references within existing statutes to enhance clarity and enforcement. The Act also introduces a new offense related to intentional genital contact with minors under specific circumstances. Some of the changes apply retroactively.

The "Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act" amends patent infringement laws to include patents related to the manufacturing of biological products. It sets limits on the number of patents a reference product sponsor can assert in an infringement action against a biological product applicant, with exceptions for certain circumstances and types of patents. These changes aim to balance patent protection with the goal of increasing access to affordable biological medications. The amendments apply to applications submitted after the enactment of this act.

The "Project Safe Neighborhoods Reauthorization Act of 2025" reauthorizes and modifies the Project Safe Neighborhoods Grant Program to reduce violent crime by allowing grant funds to be used for hiring crime analysts, covering overtime costs, and acquiring technology. It also requires the Attorney General to submit an annual report to the Judiciary Committees of the Senate and the House of Representatives detailing how the funds were spent, the community outreach efforts undertaken, and the number and description of violent crimes committed. Additionally, the bill includes support for multi-jurisdictional task forces and is also known as the Officer Ella Grace French and Sergeant Jim Smith Task Force Support Act of 2025. Finally, the bill extends the authorization of appropriations through fiscal years 2026 through 2030.

The "Driving Forward Act" permanently exempts qualifying school bus drivers from specific pre-trip vehicle inspection skills tests outlined in the Federal Register. States participating in this exemption must submit annual reports to the Secretary of Transportation for six years, detailing the number of drivers licensed under this exemption.

The "Drug Competition Enhancement Act" aims to prevent pharmaceutical manufacturers from engaging in "product hopping," a practice that stifles generic and biosimilar competition by switching patients to a new version of a drug before lower-cost alternatives can enter the market. It defines specific actions as unfair competition, including hard switches (removing the original drug) and soft switches (disadvantaging the original drug), while providing manufacturers the opportunity to justify their actions under certain circumstances. The bill empowers the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to enforce these provisions through investigations, injunctions, and financial penalties, ensuring a fair marketplace for drug competition. This act does not limit other antitrust laws or FTC authority.

The "Feral Swine Eradication Act" reauthorizes and modifies the feral swine eradication and control program, renaming it from a "pilot program" and updating key definitions. It allocates $75 million annually from 2025-2030, adjusts cost-share percentages between federal and producer contributions, and mandates monitoring of eradicated areas to prevent reoccurrence. The Act also requires regular reports to Congress on program activities and outcomes.

The Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act amends the Taiwan Assurance Act of 2020, mandating the Secretary of State to review and reissue guidelines on relations with Taiwan every five years, ensuring alignment with U.S. objectives. It requires updated reports to Congress detailing any changes, particularly the removal of self-imposed restrictions on engagement with Taiwan. This act reinforces U.S. commitment to Taiwan by promoting more flexible and robust diplomatic interactions.

The "Portable Ultrasound Reimbursement Equity Act of 2025" amends the Social Security Act to include portable diagnostic ultrasound tests under Medicare coverage, similar to existing coverage for portable X-ray services. This bill ensures separate Medicare payments for the transportation and setup of portable ultrasound equipment, mirroring the payment structure for portable X-ray services. The Secretary is required to establish supplier requirements for portable ultrasound services, aligning them with existing standards for portable X-ray services. These changes will take effect for services provided on or after January 1, 2027.

The Big Bend National Park Boundary Adjustment Act allows the Secretary of the Interior to acquire approximately 6,100 acres of land to expand Big Bend National Park through donation or exchange, not eminent domain. Upon acquisition, the Secretary will revise the Park's boundary to include the land and manage it accordingly. The map detailing the specific tracts to be included in the boundary adjustment will be available for public inspection at the National Park Service offices.

This bill mandates the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to disinter the remains of Fernando V. Cota from Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in Texas. The disinterment must occur within one year of the bill's enactment, with prior notification to Cota's next of kin. Following disinterment, the remains will be given to the next of kin or, if unclaimed, appropriately disposed of by the Secretary.

The "Improving Access to Addiction Medicine Providers Act" amends the Public Health Service Act. It includes "diagnosis" in the Minority Fellowship Program's focus on health disparities. It also adds "addiction medicine" to the list of mental health fields covered by the program.