Legislative Activity

The MAPWaters Act of 2025 aims to modernize public access to federal waterways by requiring federal agencies to standardize, digitize, and publish comprehensive geospatial data on water restrictions and access points. This legislation mandates the creation of a unified, publicly accessible online database detailing fishing restrictions, waterway closures, and access facility locations. The Act explicitly clarifies that it does not alter existing legal definitions of navigable waters or the authority of agencies to regulate fisheries and water use.

This Act, the Disaster Related Extension of Deadlines Act, ensures that tax deadlines postponed due to a disaster also apply to the time limit for filing tax credit or refund claims. Furthermore, it requires the IRS to factor in these disaster-related postponement periods when calculating the deadline for issuing tax collection notices. This standardizes the treatment of deadlines following a declared disaster.

This Act directs the transfer of approximately 40 acres of federal land at the Wounded Knee Massacre site to the Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. The land will be held in a restricted fee status, ensuring it remains a protected memorial and sacred site under tribal jurisdiction. This transfer is conditioned upon the Tribes entering a covenant prohibiting commercial or residential development, except for a memorial or museum.

This bill, the Medal of Honor Act, recognizes the exceptional service of Medal of Honor recipients by significantly increasing their special monthly pension. It adjusts the pension rate to align with compensation for veterans without dependents, ensuring a more fitting recognition of their gallantry. Additionally, the Act extends the date related to certain limitations on pension payments.

The Filing Relief for Natural Disasters Act allows the IRS to postpone tax deadlines for affected taxpayers based on a formal request from a state Governor following a major disaster declaration. This legislation also doubles the automatic postponement period for certain tax deadlines from 60 days to 120 days. These changes aim to provide quicker and more substantial relief to individuals and businesses impacted by state-declared catastrophes.

This Act officially renames the Salem Maritime National Historic Site to the Salem Maritime National Historical Park. It also directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study on expanding the park's boundaries to include historically significant maritime, coastal defense, and military sites in Salem, Massachusetts. The results of this boundary study must be reported to Congress within three years of funding becoming available.

The Alaska Native Village Municipal Lands Restoration Act of 2025 clarifies and updates the process for land held in trust by the State of Alaska for the establishment of Native village municipal corporations under ANCSA. This Act allows Village Corporations to reclaim land previously conveyed into trust if a municipal corporation was never formed, subject to existing public rights-of-way. Furthermore, it eliminates any future requirement for Village Corporations to convey additional land for the purpose of establishing these municipal entities.

This joint resolution expresses Congress's disapproval of a recent rule issued by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) concerning the review of applications under the Bank Merger Act. By invoking the Congressional Review Act, this measure nullifies the specific OCC regulation regarding bank mergers. If enacted, the disapproved rule will have no legal force or effect.

This joint resolution seeks to disapprove and nullify a specific rule issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding California's stringent motor vehicle and engine pollution control standards, known as the "Omnibus Low NOX Regulation." By exercising disapproval under the Congressional Review Act, this measure prevents the EPA's decision on waiving federal preemption for these California standards from taking legal effect. If passed, the EPA's rule will be entirely canceled.

This joint resolution expresses Congressional disapproval of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) rule regarding California's "Advanced Clean Cars II" vehicle pollution standards. By rejecting this rule, Congress is effectively canceling the EPA's decision to grant California a waiver allowing it to set stricter emission standards than federal law typically permits. Consequently, the approved California standards will not take effect.

This resolution expresses the disapproval of Congress regarding a recent rule issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concerning California's motor vehicle and engine pollution control standards. Specifically, it rejects the EPA's proposed regulations covering heavy-duty vehicle emissions, warranties, maintenance, and zero-emission vehicle provisions. By disapproving the rule under the Congressional Review Act, Congress effectively nullifies the EPA's action.

This Joint Resolution expresses the disapproval of Congress regarding a recent rule submitted by the National Park Service concerning motor vehicles within the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. By invoking the Congressional Review Act, this bill effectively nullifies and cancels the Park Service's submitted regulation. As a result, the proposed motor vehicle restrictions will not take effect.

This bill expresses the disapproval of Congress, under the Congressional Review Act, of a specific rule issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The rejected rule concerned the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for the rubber tire manufacturing industry. As a result of this disapproval, the EPA's proposed standards will not take effect.

The ANCHOR Act directs the National Science Foundation to develop a comprehensive plan to significantly upgrade the cybersecurity and telecommunications infrastructure for the U.S. Academic Research Fleet. This plan must assess necessary network capabilities, identify security risks, estimate costs, and propose a funding strategy involving multiple stakeholders. The goal is to ensure research vessels have the necessary high-speed connectivity to support advanced science, crew well-being, and remote expertise.

This resolution establishes expedited procedures in the House of Representatives to consider and vote on joint resolutions disapproving specific rules from the Comptroller of the Currency and the Environmental Protection Agency. It also temporarily waives certain House rules to fast-track the consideration of specific budget reconciliation-related resolutions reported by the Rules Committee. The overall goal is to quickly bring votes on overturning these agency regulations and streamlining certain budgetary measures.

The Simplifying Forms for Veterans Claims Act mandates an independent review of all Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) forms sent to claimants to ensure they are clear and easy to understand. The VA Secretary must hire an outside entity to assess these forms and implement recommendations for improvement within a set timeline. Additionally, this bill slightly extends the expiration date for certain limits on veterans' pension payments.

The Strengthening the Quad Act formalizes U.S. commitment to deepening cooperation with Australia, India, and Japan to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific. It mandates the Secretary of State to deliver a comprehensive strategy detailing current and future Quad efforts across security, economic, and health sectors within 180 days. Furthermore, the bill establishes a new Quad Inter-Parliamentary Working Group to enhance legislative engagement between the four nations.

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.

This bill mandates comprehensive federal reporting to better understand and address violence, aggression, and wellness challenges facing law enforcement officers. It requires the Attorney General to produce detailed reports analyzing attacks on officers, potential new data collection methods for non-criminal aggressive incidents, and the state of officer mental health resources. The goal is to use this improved data to recommend better federal, state, and local responses and support systems for officers.

The Federal Law Enforcement Officer Service Weapon Purchase Act of 2025 establishes a program allowing retiring federal law enforcement officers to purchase their service weapons upon retirement. This program, administered by the GSA, permits eligible officers in good standing to buy the firearm during a six-month window after it is officially retired. The purchase price will be based on the weapon's determined salvage value.