Legislative Activity

The Emergency Relief for Federal Contractors Act of 2025 allows individuals affected by a federal government shutdown to make penalty-free withdrawals of up to $30,000 from their retirement plans. These "Federal Government shutdown distributions" allow affected contractors, grantees, and D.C. employees to access funds during a lapse in appropriations lasting at least two weeks. Withdrawals are spread out over three tax years for income tax purposes, and individuals have three years to repay the withdrawn amount.

This resolution officially recognizes Hispanic Heritage Month, running from September 15 to October 15, 2025. It celebrates the immense and vital contributions of Latinos to the United States across culture, the economy, and civic life. The bill encourages all Americans to observe this month with appropriate programs and activities honoring this heritage.

The China Military Power Transparency Act of 2025 extends the requirement for the annual report on China's military and security developments until 2030. This legislation updates the report's scope to include critical new areas such as Chinese cooperation on nuclear and drone development, foreign farmland acquisitions, and detailed analysis of potential Taiwan conflict scenarios. The updated report must also specifically address the role of Chinese cyber capabilities in a conflict with the U.S.

The Medicare Advantage Prompt Pay Act establishes stricter deadlines for Medicare Advantage organizations to pay providers for clean claims starting in 2027. These rules mandate payment within 14 days for electronically submitted claims from directly contracted providers and within 30 days for all other clean claims. The bill also introduces interest penalties for late payments and allows for civil monetary penalties for non-compliance, requiring MA plans to report detailed payment timeliness data.

The Restoring American Mineral Security Act of 2025 aims to bolster U.S. supply chains for critical minerals by countering unfair trade practices, particularly those from China. The bill establishes the Critical Minerals Security Alliance to coordinate with trusted partners on trade and supply goals. Furthermore, it creates a dedicated trust fund, financed by import duties on minerals from adversarial nations, to directly support domestic mining, processing, and related manufacturing projects.

The WAGER Act, or Withdrawing Arduous Gaming Excise Rates Act, exempts certain legal sports wagers from the federal excise tax on authorized wagers. This tax break applies only if the bet complies with state law or an approved Tribal-State gaming compact where the wager was placed. This change takes effect for all sports bets made after the Act's enactment.

The MORE DOT Grants Act aims to increase transportation funding opportunities for specific rural areas designated as "High-Density Public Land Counties." This bill lowers the required local matching funds by 50% for eligible DOT grant programs in these counties. It also mandates technical assistance and gives priority to applicants from these areas that have not recently received funding from the specific program. Finally, the legislation allows for greater flexibility in application requirements for these local and Tribal governments.

The MORE USDA Grants Act aims to boost economic opportunities in rural areas, specifically targeting counties with significant federal land ownership and low populations. This bill lowers the required local matching funds by 50% for qualifying USDA grants in these designated areas. It also mandates priority consideration and enhanced technical assistance for grant applications submitted by local and Tribal governments within these counties. Furthermore, the Secretary of Agriculture is empowered to offer flexibility in grant scoring and requirements that disadvantage smaller, isolated communities.

The Chief Herbert D. Proffitt Act of 2025 expands eligibility for the Public Safety Officers Death Benefits program to include certain retired law enforcement officers. This legislation provides benefits to retired officers, or their families, if their injury or death resulted from a targeted attack directly related to their prior service. These changes are effective immediately and apply retroactively to qualifying incidents occurring on or after January 1, 2012.

The Stop the Scammers Act establishes a new whistleblower incentive and protection program within the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), allowing individuals to receive awards of 10% to 30% of collected penalties for providing original information leading to successful enforcement actions. Furthermore, the Act invalidates predispute arbitration agreements that attempt to waive these new whistleblower rights. Finally, this bill increases the annual funding cap for the CFPB, allowing it to receive up to 12 percent of the Federal Reserve's prior year earnings.

This resolution expresses support for designating July 10, 2025, as Journeyman Lineworkers Recognition Day. It honors the critical, often dangerous work these essential employees perform to maintain the nation's power grid 24/7. The day commemorates their service, especially during emergencies, and recognizes the sacrifice of those who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

The FULL HOUSE Act modifies federal tax law regarding gambling losses, effective for tax years after December 31, 2025. This legislation limits the deduction of gambling losses to the amount a taxpayer has won from gambling during that same tax year. Consequently, individuals will no longer be able to use net gambling losses to offset income earned from non-gambling sources.

The Tribal Tax and Investment Reform Act of 2025 aims to strengthen Tribal sovereignty and boost economic development by granting Indian Tribes parity with states in certain tax matters, including excise taxes and bond issuance. The bill significantly reforms rules surrounding Tribal pension plans, ensuring they receive fair treatment and establishing clear fiduciary standards. Furthermore, it introduces targeted tax incentives, such as expanding the New Markets Tax Credit for tribal areas and clarifying the tax-exempt status of certain tribal charities and health-related loan repayments. Finally, the Act improves Tribal child support enforcement capabilities and ensures Tribal welfare benefits are excluded from federal income calculations.

The Protect Vulnerable Immigrant Youth Act aims to remove annual numerical caps on employment-based visas specifically for special immigrant juveniles. This change ensures that these vulnerable youths are no longer subject to the same yearly visa limitations as other categories. By updating relevant sections of the Immigration and Nationality Act, the bill prioritizes their access to available visas.

The Rare Earth Magnet Security Act of 2025 establishes a new tax credit to incentivize the domestic production and sale of high-performance rare earth magnets in the U.S. This credit offers up to \$30 per kilogram, but is contingent on using predominantly U.S.-sourced component materials and excludes magnets made with materials from "non-allied foreign nations." The credit begins to phase out after 2034 and producers can elect to receive the benefit as an immediate cash payment.

The Strategic Grazing to Reduce Risk of Wildfire Act mandates that federal agencies develop a comprehensive strategy within 18 months to utilize targeted livestock grazing for wildfire risk reduction on National Forest System and BLM lands. This plan must outline how grazing will be used for fuel reduction, invasive species control, and post-fire recovery, while considering emergency needs and modern technology. The strategy requires extensive consultation with stakeholders, including Tribes, local governments, and permit holders, ensuring it complements existing land management plans.

This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to create a comprehensive plan for identifying, testing, and deploying emerging and innovative technologies to enhance U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) operations. The plan must detail how CBP will integrate new tools, assess their impact on privacy and civil liberties, and establish clear metrics for success. It also formalizes the role of CBP Innovation Teams in rapidly adapting commercial technology to address border security gaps.

The Pacific Partnership Act affirms the U.S. commitment to the Pacific Islands region, recognizing its strategic importance and deep historical ties. The bill mandates the President to develop a comprehensive "Strategy for Pacific Partnership" by 2026, detailing U.S. goals, threat assessments, and action plans for the region. Furthermore, it enhances coordination with allies on aid programs and grants diplomatic immunities to the Pacific Islands Forum. The Act also requires annual reporting on transnational crime affecting the islands.

The Autonomy for Disabled Veterans Act modifies the maximum funding the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) can provide for necessary home improvements and structural alterations for disabled veterans receiving home health services. This bill increases the maximum benefit amount to $\$10,000$ for new applicants and establishes an automatic annual adjustment based on construction cost inflation. The law also limits any single veteran to a total of three such structural alterations under this specific benefit.

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.