Legislative Activity

This resolution expresses support for designating October 1, 2025, as "National Animal Rescue Day." The goal is to raise awareness about the importance of animal adoption and the critical work of rescue organizations nationwide. This day aims to encourage spaying and neutering efforts to combat pet overpopulation and promote increased animal adoptions.

The Federal Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act ensures that federal firefighters continue to receive their pay and allowances if Congress delays passing the budget for fiscal year 2026. This legislation also prohibits the reduction in force or layoffs of federal firefighters specifically due to government shutdowns caused by funding lapses. Essentially, this bill protects the paychecks and employment stability of federal firefighters during budget uncertainty.

The Mental Health Services for Students Act of 2025 establishes a new federal program to provide comprehensive, trauma-informed mental health services and supports in schools through grants and contracts. These funds will support partnerships to implement awareness campaigns, staff training on trauma and suicide risk, and direct student and family treatment. The Secretary must ensure equitable distribution of funding, which is capped at \$2 million per award, with Congress authorized to appropriate \$300 million annually for the initial years.

This resolution formally recognizes the critical disparities in mental health access and treatment for Black youth, citing alarming increases in suicide rates among this population. It calls on the current administration to build upon previous efforts and implement recommendations from the *Ring the Alarm* report. The bill specifically urges increased funding, promotion of community education to reduce stigma, and protection of existing mental health service structures.

The Baltic Security Assessment Act of 2025 affirms the critical importance of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to U.S. national security amidst Russian aggression. This bill mandates that the Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense deliver a comprehensive report to Congress detailing emerging military, cyber, and political threats to the Baltic states. The report must also recommend specific actions to enhance U.S. and NATO defense cooperation and bolster Baltic resilience.

The Safe Step Act establishes mandatory, transparent exception processes for health plans that use "step therapy" protocols for prescription drugs. This ensures patients or their doctors can quickly request coverage for a prescribed medication when specific clinical criteria are met, such as previous treatment failure or risk of harm. Plans must decide on standard requests within 72 hours and urgent requests within 24 hours, and approved exceptions must last for at least one year. Furthermore, insurers must report detailed data annually on exception requests, approvals, and denials to the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

This resolution strongly condemns attempts to use federal regulatory power or litigation to suppress lawful speech critical of a political party or the President. It reaffirms the fundamental importance of the First Amendment and warns that such actions resemble tactics used by authoritarian regimes. The bill urges government agencies to protect free expression and ensure accountability, not political censorship.

The Algorithmic Accountability Act of 2025 establishes federal oversight for large entities using complex automated systems, or "covered algorithms," that impact critical consumer decisions like employment or housing. It mandates that these entities conduct rigorous, ongoing impact assessments to test for bias, privacy risks, and performance issues. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is tasked with creating detailed regulations and enforcing compliance, including requiring covered entities to submit annual summary reports detailing their assessment findings. This Act ensures that significant algorithmic decisions are scrutinized for fairness and transparency without overriding stricter state or local regulations.

This joint resolution directs the President to remove U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities initiated after February 20, 2025, against designated terrorist groups or drug trafficking organizations without prior Congressional authorization. It asserts Congress's constitutional power to declare war and finds recent military strikes against vessels lacked proper justification. The bill allows for continued use of forces for self-defense or authorized counternarcotics support, but explicitly states drug trafficking alone does not constitute an armed attack.

The Protecting Free Vaccines Act mandates that most private health insurance plans must cover specific vaccines recommended by the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) without any out-of-pocket costs until January 1, 2030. This requirement also updates coverage rules for Medicare Part D, Medicaid, and CHIP to ensure continuity of coverage for these recommended immunizations. The bill locks in coverage based on the ACIP recommendations in place as of October 25, 2024, across various federal health programs.

The Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act of 2025 mandates that colleges receiving federal funds update their policies to explicitly prohibit and detail procedures for addressing harassment based on protected characteristics, including technology-facilitated abuse. The bill also establishes a competitive grant program, funded up to $50 million annually, to support campus efforts in harassment prevention, training, and support services. This legislation adds new requirements without superseding existing civil rights protections.

This Act, the Ensuring Patient Access to Critical Breakthrough Products Act, aims to speed up Medicare coverage for innovative, FDA-approved "breakthrough devices." It establishes a process for manufacturers to gain a four-year transitional coverage period for these devices, ensuring patients have timely access while long-term coverage decisions are finalized. The bill also allocates funding to CMS to manage these expedited reviews and allows for oversight of provider billing practices related to these new technologies.

The "Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act" expands Medicare coverage to include FDA-approved multi-cancer early detection screening tests starting in 2028. It defines the criteria for these tests, sets payment guidelines, and establishes age and frequency limitations for coverage. The bill ensures that existing cancer screening coverage remains unaffected and allows for waivers of limitations based on recommendations from the United States Preventive Services Task Force.

This constitutional amendment seeks to grant Congress and the states the authority to regulate contributions and expenditures in political campaigns. It specifically allows for the establishment of public financing systems to offset the influence of private money in elections. The amendment ensures that any regulations enacted must not infringe upon the freedom of the press.

This bill establishes a six-year pilot program for hospitals to provide medically tailored, home-delivered meals and nutrition therapy to eligible Medicare patients upon discharge. The goal is to improve health outcomes and reduce hospital readmissions for individuals with diet-sensitive conditions who have difficulty with daily living activities. Participating hospitals will receive payment for these services, which must be provided at no out-of-pocket cost to the patient. The Secretary of Health and Human Services will evaluate the program's effectiveness using data collected from the participating sites.

The **988 LGBTQ+ Youth Access Act of 2025** addresses the high rates of suicide risk among LGBTQ youth by strengthening specialized support through the national crisis hotline. This bill mandates that dedicated resources and services, such as a specific dialing option, must be maintained for LGBTQ individuals contacting 988. Furthermore, it requires that at least 9 percent of appropriated funds for the hotline be specifically reserved to ensure these specialized services for LGBTQ youth remain fully operational.

The Pay Our Troops Act of 2026 ensures that active duty military personnel and essential civilian support staff continue to receive their pay if Congress has not yet passed the full budget for fiscal year 2026. This act provides automatic continuing appropriations from the Treasury to prevent a lapse in military salaries due to budget delays. The funding automatically terminates once a new budget or continuing resolution is passed, or on January 1, 2027, whichever comes first.

The FAMILY Act establishes a national Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance program administered by a new office within the Social Security Administration. This program provides monthly benefits to eligible individuals who take time off for qualified caregiving reasons, including serious health conditions or victims of violence. The Act also sets forth detailed eligibility requirements, benefit calculation formulas, and job protection guarantees for employees utilizing the leave. Finally, it creates a funding mechanism to support existing state-level paid leave programs that meet federal standards.

This act establishes the Fallen Servicemembers Religious Heritage Restoration Program to correct historical errors where Jewish service members killed in WWI and WWII were mistakenly buried under non-Jewish grave markers overseas. The American Battle Monuments Commission will contract with a nonprofit organization to identify these "covered members" and contact their survivors over a five-year period. The legislation also extends a deadline related to certain pension payments.

The Protecting Veteran Access to Telemedicine Services Act of 2025 allows authorized Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare professionals to prescribe and dispense controlled medications to eligible veterans via telemedicine. This provision removes the prior requirement for an initial in-person visit before prescribing these medications remotely. The VA is required to establish specific regulations detailing the process for this telemedicine delivery while ensuring compliance with existing federal drug control laws.