Legislative Activity

This resolution congratulates the students, parents, teachers, and leaders of public charter schools for their ongoing contributions to American education. It highlights the growth, academic achievements, and parental choice offered by these tuition-free public schools. The measure officially recognizes and supports the goals of the 26th Annual National Charter Schools Week, scheduled for May 11–17, 2025.

The High-Quality Charter Schools Act establishes a new federal tax credit for individuals who donate to eligible, high-performing charter school organizations for expansion purposes. This section sets an annual national cap of $5 billion on these credits, distributed via state allocations and a national pool on a first-come, first-served basis. Furthermore, the bill imposes penalties on recipient organizations that fail to spend these qualified contributions within a five-year period. Finally, the Act ensures that participation in this program does not compromise the organizational autonomy of the charter schools involved.

This resolution strongly condemns the Russian Federation for the abduction, forced transfer, and illegal deportation of Ukrainian children. It asserts that the return of all abducted children must be a prerequisite before finalizing any peace agreement to end the war. The bill highlights Russia's intent to erase Ukrainian identity through forced adoption and citizenship changes, actions deemed violations of international law and potential war crimes.

The TAKE IT DOWN Act establishes new federal crimes for the intentional sharing of nonconsensual intimate images, including realistic AI-generated deepfakes, with enhanced penalties for content involving minors. It mandates that online platforms create clear reporting systems and remove reported nonconsensual intimate content within 48 hours. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is empowered to enforce these notice and removal requirements against covered platforms.

The Empower Charter School Educators to Lead Act revises federal grant management for high-quality charter schools to enhance technical assistance and oversight for authorizing agencies. The bill establishes new experience and planning requirements for educator-led groups applying for pre-charter planning grants. It also adjusts the required percentages for how states must allocate these federal grant funds across various authorized activities.

The PROTECT Our Children Reauthorization Act of 2025 updates and extends key federal efforts to combat child exploitation. This bill revises the National Strategy to focus on emerging technology trends and mandates detailed resource planning for law enforcement. It also modifies the operations of Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Forces, clarifying their duties, expanding partnerships, and providing liability protections for lead prioritization decisions. Finally, the Act adjusts grant funding allocations and authorizes specific funding levels through fiscal year 2028.

The Kids Online Safety Act establishes a comprehensive "duty of care" requiring online platforms to design features that mitigate specific harms to minors, such as those related to mental health and exploitation. It mandates that platforms provide minors with default, restrictive safety settings and robust parental controls over data sharing and recommendations. Furthermore, the legislation demands significant transparency regarding algorithmic ranking systems and grants the FTC enforcement authority.

This resolution officially designates the week of May 11 through May 17, 2025, as "National Police Week." It serves to honor the valor and integrity of law enforcement officers across the nation. The resolution specifically remembers the officers killed in the line of duty during 2024 and encourages the public to observe this week to show appreciation for law enforcement personnel.

The Justice for Angel Families Act expands crime victim compensation funds to support immediate family members of individuals murdered by unlawfully present aliens or international drug cartel members. It also establishes a new Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement Office within DHS to proactively assist victims of crimes committed by non-citizens. This new office will provide support services, information regarding immigration proceedings, and custody updates to victims and their families. The Director must also submit annual reports to Congress detailing the impact on these crime victims.

The Protecting Privacy in Purchases Act prohibits payment card networks and processors from requiring firearms retailers to use a unique Merchant Category Code (MCC) that singles them out. This ensures that credit and debit card transactions for firearms and ammunition are treated the same as general retail purchases. The Attorney General is tasked with enforcing this prohibition and reporting annually to Congress on compliance efforts.

The INDEX Act mandates that investment advisers managing passively managed funds must ensure actual investors have a say in proxy voting by adhering to proportional voting instructions. If instructions are not received for non-routine matters, advisers generally cannot vote those shares unless specific exceptions apply. This legislation aims to enhance investor democracy by clarifying proxy voting responsibilities for funds tracking market indexes.

The National Taxpayer Advocate Enhancement Act of 2025 grants the National Taxpayer Advocate the explicit authority to hire and appoint legal counsel who will report directly to their office. This change strengthens the independence and capabilities of the Taxpayer Advocate Service. The provisions are effective retroactively to 1998.

This resolution formally commends Southeastern Louisiana University (SLU) on the occasion of its Centennial anniversary. It recognizes the university's significant history, growth since its founding in 1925, and its ongoing service to the State of Louisiana and the United States. The Senate directs that official notice of this commendation be sent to key university leaders.

This Act establishes a "single point of contact" within the Social Security Administration (SSA) to assist victims of Social Security number misuse or lost cards. This dedicated contact will manage the entire resolution process, ensuring continuity and coordination across SSA departments. The goal is to streamline service and reduce the burden on individuals affected by identity theft involving their SSN.

The CRAWDAD Act expands emergency assistance programs to better support agricultural producers facing disaster-related losses. It specifically updates the Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program to include drought as an eligible trigger and explicitly covers losses to crawfish harvest due to adverse weather or drought. Additionally, the bill broadens the definition of "livestock" under the Livestock Forage Disaster Program to ensure coverage for unweaned animals.

The Protecting Access to Ground Ambulance Medical Services Act of 2025 extends critical Medicare payment provisions for ambulance services. This bill delays the expiration of special payment rules for "super rural" areas until January 1, 2028, while also implementing temporary payment increases for both super rural and standard ground ambulance services during that transition period. The goal is to ensure continued financial stability and access to essential ground ambulance care.

This resolution expresses strong support for designating the week of May 4 through May 10, 2025, as National Small Business Week. It aims to celebrate the vital contributions of the over 34.5 million small businesses that support tens of millions of jobs nationwide. The bill honors the hard work and entrepreneurial spirit of small business owners in every community.

The Immigration Parole Reform Act of 2025 significantly overhauls the use of immigration parole, requiring the Secretary of Homeland Security to grant it only on a strict case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit. The bill narrowly defines these reasons and restricts parole from being used as a pathway to adjust status for most recipients. Furthermore, it establishes specific parole provisions for certain military family members and Cuban nationals, while also creating a mechanism for legal challenges against improper implementation.

The Preventing Power Outages Act revises federal funding criteria to enhance the resilience of the electric grid and prevent outages. It mandates the use of specific reliability metrics (SAIDI, SAIFI, CAIDI) that count all outages over five minutes, prioritizing areas with the worst historical performance for federal grants. Furthermore, the Act prohibits bundling requirements for grant applications and extends the program's funding timeline through 2031.

This Act prohibits the use of federal funds for gender transition procedures across several major programs. It specifically denies federal Medicaid, CHIP for minors, and Medicare funding for these procedures. Furthermore, the bill prevents individuals from claiming medical expense tax deductions for gender transition procedures.