Legislative Activity

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 "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 "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 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.

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.

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.