Legislative Activity

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 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 "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 Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions to conduct its official duties, including hearings and investigations, from March 1, 2025, through February 28, 2027. It establishes the committee's operational authority, including staffing and resource management, and sets specific spending limits for the two-year period. Additionally, the bill outlines the procedures for funding committee expenses and covering staff-related agency contributions through the Senate’s contingent fund.

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 establishes a federal tax credit for individuals and corporations that donate to scholarship-granting organizations. These organizations provide scholarships to help eligible students cover a wide range of K-12 educational expenses, including private school tuition, tutoring, and educational therapies. The bill includes a $10 billion annual volume cap on these credits and contains robust protections to ensure the autonomy of participating schools and the rights of parents to direct their children's education.

The Protecting Students on Campus Act of 2025 strengthens Title VI enforcement by mandating increased transparency, public awareness campaigns, and standardized reporting of discrimination complaints at institutions of higher education. The bill requires colleges to prominently display civil rights resources and mandates annual audits of institutions with high rates of discrimination complaints. Additionally, it increases federal oversight through regular Congressional briefings and reforms the Department of Education’s complaint-handling processes.

The Offshore Energy Security Act of 2025 mandates that the Secretary of the Interior conduct at least 20 offshore oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico over a 10-year period. The bill establishes fixed deadlines and acreage requirements for these sales while limiting the impact of litigation on lease validity and permit processing. Additionally, the legislation extends and expands existing leasing moratoriums in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, the South Atlantic, and the Straits of Florida through 2035.

The Disaster Housing Reform for American Families Act establishes a five-year pilot program to expedite the construction of manufactured and modular homes as temporary housing for disaster survivors. This legislation also authorizes financial assistance to help disaster-affected families cover closing costs when purchasing homes through federal mortgage programs. Additionally, the bill provides a framework for transitioning these temporary structures into permanent affordable housing once the disaster recovery period concludes.

The Connected Maternal Online Monitoring (MOM) Act aims to improve maternal and child health outcomes by evaluating and expanding Medicaid coverage for remote monitoring devices like blood pressure cuffs and glucose monitors. The bill directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to identify barriers to accessing this technology and provide states with updated resources to better support pregnant and postpartum patients.

This bill amends the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) to exclude locality-based pay adjustments from the "average pay" calculation used to determine retirement annuities. This change applies exclusively to newly hired federal employees who have no prior creditable civilian service. Current federal employees and members remain unaffected by this adjustment.

The Federal Employee Return to Work Act mandates that federal employees who telework at least one day per week be ineligible for annual pay adjustments. Additionally, the bill requires these employees to have their locality pay locked at the "Rest of US" rate, preventing future increases. Certain groups, including employees with disabilities receiving reasonable accommodations and law enforcement officers, are exempt from these pay restrictions.