Legislative Activity

This bill amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to establish a uniform 8-digit subheading number for all whiskies. It revises existing subheadings within Chapter 22 of the tariff schedule and directs the United States International Trade Commission to add statistical suffixes to a specific subheading. These changes aim to simplify and standardize the classification and duty treatment of whiskies imported into the United States. The amendments will take effect 15 days after the bill's enactment.

This resolution recognizes AmeriCorps Week (March 9-15, 2025) to honor AmeriCorps members, alumni, and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers for their positive impact on communities. It celebrates 30 years of AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors programs and encourages public awareness of national and community service. The resolution also acknowledges the significant contributions of these volunteers and encourages people of all ages to explore service opportunities within these programs.

The TLDR Act requires websites and online services to provide a short, easy-to-understand summary of their terms of service, including data usage, user liabilities, and data breach history. This summary must be accessible, truthful, and include a data flow diagram. The FTC will enforce these rules, and state attorneys general can also bring civil actions for violations.

The Coast Guard Combat-Injured Tax Fairness Act amends the Combat-Injured Veterans Tax Fairness Act of 2016 to include members of the Coast Guard (when not operating as a service in the Department of the Navy). It requires the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of Transportation to identify and report amounts improperly withheld from severance payments to Coast Guard veterans with combat-related injuries. The Act also ensures that such amounts are not improperly withheld in the future.

The Genomic Data Protection Act aims to protect consumer privacy by granting individuals more control over their genomic data collected by direct-to-consumer testing companies. It requires companies to provide clear notifications about data usage, facilitate data deletion and sample destruction upon request, and inform consumers of their rights during company acquisitions. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is empowered to enforce the Act and create necessary regulations, ensuring compliance and safeguarding consumer interests. This law preserves existing Federal and State laws unless there is a direct conflict.

The VetPAC Act of 2025 establishes the Veterans Health Administration Policy Advisory Commission to assess and provide recommendations to Congress regarding the Veterans Health Administration's operations. The commission, composed of experts appointed by the Comptroller General, will evaluate areas such as healthcare quality, IT, staffing, and budget management. It will then submit annual reports to Congress with its findings and proposed improvements. The Act authorizes funding for the commission's activities and mandates transparency by granting access to information to key congressional entities.

The Haiti Economic Lift Program Extension Act of 2025 extends duty-free treatment for certain apparel articles imported from Haiti to the United States until September 30, 2035, under the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act. It clarifies the applicable percentage for preferential treatment and restores eligibility for specific articles that previously lost it due to revisions in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule. The Act aims to promote economic growth in Haiti through trade preferences.

The Ag Disputes Act aims to bolster U.S. agricultural competitiveness by addressing unfair foreign trade barriers. It mandates the creation of an Agricultural Trade Enforcement Task Force to identify and challenge trade violations, particularly those impacting U.S. agricultural exports. The task force will develop strategies, engage with stakeholders, and report to Congress on its progress, with a specific focus on addressing India's price support programs through World Trade Organization consultations. This act seeks to ensure fair global trade practices and protect American farmers and businesses.

The "Flood Insurance Affordability Tax Credit Act" creates a refundable tax credit for 33% of flood insurance premiums paid by eligible taxpayers for their primary residence, with income limitations. It also establishes a program for advance payments of the tax credit to the Federal Emergency Management Agency on behalf of eligible individuals. This credit aims to make flood insurance more affordable for homeowners.

This resolution authorizes the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions to carry out its duties from March 1, 2025, through February 28, 2027, including making expenditures, employing personnel, and utilizing services from other government agencies. It sets specific limits on the committee's expenses for multiple periods between 2025 and 2027, including funds for consultants and staff training. The resolution outlines the procedures for covering committee expenses, primarily through the Senate's contingent fund, and specifies exceptions for certain routine payments. It also authorizes payments from the Senate's Inquiries and Investigations expense account for agency contributions related to committee employee compensation during the covered periods.

The "Protect Medicaid Act" prohibits federal Medicaid funding for state administrative costs associated with providing health benefits to unauthorized immigrants. It requires the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services to report to Congress, detailing how states differentiate and fund health benefits for non-citizens ineligible for Medicaid, ensuring compliance with federal funding rules. The report will also analyze the impact of providing covered outpatient drugs to these non-citizens on drug prices.

The "Improve and Enhance the Work Opportunity Tax Credit Act" amends the Internal Revenue Code to modify and enhance the Work Opportunity Tax Credit by adjusting wage limitations, modifying the treatment of summer youth employees, and removing the age limit for qualified supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits recipients. It updates the calculation of the credit based on qualified first-year wages and increases wage limitations for qualified veterans based on specific criteria. These changes aim to incentivize employers to hire individuals from specific target groups, promoting employment opportunities. Most of these amendments apply to individuals starting work after December 31, 2024.

The "Fairness for Disabled Young Adults Act" amends the Social Security Act to increase the age threshold for child's insurance benefits based on disability from 22 to 26 years old. This change impacts multiple sections of the Social Security Act related to disability benefits and eligibility.

The "Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025" introduces a federal tax credit for individuals and corporations who donate to scholarship granting organizations that provide educational scholarships to eligible elementary and secondary students. These scholarships can be used for tuition, books, tutoring, and other qualified education expenses. The bill sets a volume cap on the total amount of donations eligible for the tax credit and includes provisions to prevent government control over scholarship organizations and non-public schools. It also exempts these scholarship amounts from gross income.

The "Protecting Students on Campus Act of 2025" aims to increase awareness and oversight of civil rights protections under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 on college campuses. It mandates a Title VI awareness campaign, requires institutions to display information about how to file complaints, and orders monthly briefings to Congress on civil rights complaints. The Act also requires institutions to report discrimination complaints annually and mandates audits of institutions with the highest complaint rates, as well as directs the Inspector General to study discrepancies in complaints submitted to higher education institutions versus the Office of Civil Rights. Additionally, the Office for Civil Rights must continue investigating complaints even if they have been addressed by another agency or the institution's internal processes.

The "Connected MOM Act" directs the Department of Health and Human Services to investigate and report on the use of remote monitoring devices in state Medicaid programs for pregnant and postpartum women. The report will identify barriers to coverage and the impact on maternal health outcomes. Following the report, the Department of Health and Human Services will update resources for state Medicaid programs to align with the report's recommendations.

The "Disaster Housing Reform for American Families Act" establishes a pilot program allowing the President to contract for manufactured or modular homes to provide temporary disaster housing, available within 90 days of a major disaster. These homes must meet specific construction and safety standards and can potentially become permanent affordable housing after the disaster. The bill also directs the creation of guidelines for transferring these homes to local affordable housing programs and allows financial aid for closing costs on federal mortgages for disaster victims. This pilot program will end 5 years after the enactment of this bill.

The Offshore Energy Security Act of 2025 mandates the Department of Interior to conduct at least 20 offshore oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico between 2026 and 2035, each offering a minimum of 74,000,000 acres. It protects existing leases from legal challenges and extends the moratorium on oil and gas leasing in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico until December 31, 2035, while newly including the South Atlantic Planning Area and the Straits of Florida Planning Area in the moratorium. The bill allows leases within moratorium areas for environmental conservation.

The Federal Employee Return to Work Act changes the pay and locality adjustments for federal employees who telework regularly. Covered employees will not receive annual pay adjustments and their pay will be based on the "Rest of US" locality pay scale, regardless of where they work. This change will take effect at the start of the fiscal year following the enactment of the Act.

This bill amends Title 5 of the United States Code to exclude locality pay adjustments from the calculation of retirement annuities for new federal employees. It defines "revised average pay employee" as someone who is newly employed and covered under this chapter after the enactment date, and has no prior civilian service that counts toward retirement. This change affects the computation of retirement benefits for those who fit this definition.