Legislative Activity

The Equal Voices Act reforms the size and structure of the U.S. House of Representatives by establishing a new formula to dynamically set the total number of members based on population after each census. This legislation also grants states the option to use multi-member districts and implement Ranked Choice Voting for congressional elections. Furthermore, it creates a temporary commission to recommend House size adjustments if population shifts cause a significant change in representation.

The Financial Empowerment and Protection Act establishes new rules for joint accounts between consenting cohabitating adults, requiring service providers to offer shared account options with full information access for both parties. Additionally, the bill prohibits landlords from charging early lease termination fees to tenants who are victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking and are leaving a covered housing program lease. This legislation aims to increase financial transparency for shared living situations and enhance protections for victims of abuse.

The Climate Change Financial Risk Act of 2025 mandates that the Federal Reserve develop rigorous, science-based climate change risk scenarios. It requires large bank holding companies and nonbank financial firms to undergo biennial climate stress tests to ensure they maintain adequate capital against physical and transition risks. Furthermore, the Act establishes an advisory group of scientists and economists to guide scenario development and requires exploratory surveys of smaller institutions highly exposed to climate impacts.

The Aviation Medication Transparency Act of 2025 mandates the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to create and maintain a public list of medications deemed safe for pilots and air traffic controllers to use while maintaining their medical certification. This list must be developed in consultation with relevant industry and labor groups. The FAA is required to update this comprehensive list annually, ensuring airmen and their doctors have clear guidance on medication approval status and necessary waiting periods.

The GREEN Appraisals Act of 2025 mandates that energy efficiency and renewable energy reports must be considered during the appraisal process for mortgages backed by major federal housing agencies. This ensures borrowers are informed of their right to submit energy reports and that qualified appraisers factor this data into the final property valuation. The bill directs federal agencies to create standards for handling these energy reports without dictating the specific weight an appraiser must assign to the information.

This resolution immediately sets the House of Representatives to consider and vote on H.R. 1101, a bill designed to prohibit unlawful access to the payment system managed by the Bureau of the Fiscal Service within the Treasury Department. It waives standard procedural hurdles to ensure a swift debate and final vote on the legislation. The process limits debate to one hour before moving directly to a final vote.

The Tradeable Energy Performance Standards Act establishes a market-based system under the Clean Air Act requiring large energy and thermal facilities to account for their $\text{CO}_2$ emissions using tradeable emission allowances starting in 2028. Allowances are distributed based on output and declining emissions targets, with facilities able to trade them or pay an escalating Alternative Compliance Payment. The bill also creates a Carbon Mitigation Fund from these payments to support projects that reduce or sequester greenhouse gases.

The Preventing Illegal Weapons Trafficking Act of 2025 mandates the creation of a federal strategy to intercept and seize illegal machinegun conversion devices entering or moving within the U.S. It also enhances penalties by allowing the forfeiture of proceeds derived from illegal machine gun trafficking. Furthermore, the Attorney General must now specifically report on crimes involving these conversion devices in the annual firearms trafficking report.

The Chief Risk Officer Enforcement and Accountability Act mandates that certain large financial firms appoint a qualified Chief Risk Officer (CRO) responsible for overseeing global risk management functions. This bill removes the "publicly traded" requirement, broadens the scope of firms covered, and establishes strict reporting lines for the CRO directly to the CEO and the risk committee. Furthermore, it imposes strict notification and hiring deadlines for replacement CROs, including potential asset growth limitations if the vacancy persists beyond 60 days.

The Pell Grant Sustainability Act aims to increase the buying power of Pell Grants for lower-income students. It indexes the maximum Pell Grant award to inflation, starting with a \$1,060 increase for the 2024-2025 award year, and adjusts it annually based on the Consumer Price Index. This adjustment is added to the maximum Pell Grant specified in the latest appropriation act, ensuring Pell Grants keep pace with rising education costs. The bill also extends provisions of the Higher Education Act related to Pell Grants indefinitely.

The "Stop Sexual Harassment in K-12 Act" aims to prevent and address sex-based harassment in schools by increasing the number of Title IX coordinators, providing training for school staff, and implementing anonymous sex-based harassment surveys. It requires schools to increase Title IX coordinators, trains staff to respond to signs of sex-based harassment, and mandates annual, anonymous surveys to assess the prevalence of such harassment. The Act also ensures that existing protections and remedies for victims of discrimination are not overridden. Finally, the Act allocates funding for grants to help schools implement these measures and conduct training programs.

The "IDs for an Inclusive Democracy Act" mandates the Social Security Administration to issue free federal identification cards to U.S. residents who apply within 3 years, functioning similarly to a state-issued ID or driver's license. A task force will be established to determine the requirements for producing and providing the identification. The United States Postal Service, in consultation with the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration, will develop a process, modeled after the passport application process, allowing individuals to apply for the ID through the Postal Service. The Act also authorizes the appropriation of necessary funds to implement the Act.

The Gun Trafficker Detection Act requires non-licensed firearm owners to report lost or stolen firearms to the Attorney General and local law enforcement within 48 hours, and it mandates the Attorney General to establish a web-based portal for such reporting. States must allocate a portion of their grant funding to manage data on lost or stolen firearms. The act also establishes penalties for failing to report or for falsely reporting the loss or theft of a firearm, and it updates the national criminal background check system accordingly.

The Vehicle Energy Performance Act of 2025 incentivizes the purchase of high-energy performance vehicles through a tax credit based on exceeding the median energy performance of the previous model year, while disincentivizing the purchase of low-energy performance vehicles through a fee on manufacturers. It also refines fuel economy testing and labeling for dual-fueled vehicles to reflect real-world usage. The tax credit is capped at \$5,000, and the low energy performance fee starts in model year 2029.

This bill directs the EPA to establish a voluntary labeling program for apparel, providing consumers with information about the greenhouse gas emissions associated with a product's lifecycle. Apparel sellers can apply to use the label, which will include a numerical summary of emissions, a QR code for detailed information, and a summary of voluntary commitments to reduce emissions. The EPA will verify label information, certify verifying entities, and publish regular reports on the program's effectiveness. The bill also includes provisions for technical assistance, voluntary commitments, a public database, consumer outreach, and penalties for fraudulent label use.

The "Educators Expense Deduction Modernization Act of 2025" increases the tax deduction for eligible educators' expenses from $250 to $1,000. This extension of benefits is applicable through 2026 and is effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2025.

The Period PROUD Act of 2025 increases funding for the Social Services Block Grant Program, earmarking $200 million annually from 2026-2029 for providing menstrual products to low-income individuals. States will distribute these funds to eligible entities, who will then provide free products, conduct community outreach, and improve access to menstrual products. The Department of Health and Human Services will evaluate the program's effectiveness and report to Congress. This act ensures that access to menstrual products does not affect eligibility for other federal needs-based programs.

The "Voluntary Food Climate Labeling Act" establishes a voluntary program, managed by the EPA, for food producers to display a label detailing the greenhouse gas emissions associated with a product's lifecycle. This label will include numerical summaries of emissions from production to disposal, verified by EPA standards, and accessible via a QR code. The act also creates a public database, encourages voluntary emission reduction commitments from manufacturers, and includes consumer education and penalties for misuse of the label.

The "Methane Emissions Mitigation Research and Development Act" aims to reduce methane emissions by establishing programs within the Department of Energy and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). These programs will focus on methane leak detection and mitigation research, development, and demonstration, as well as the creation of national facilities for advancing methane detection and quantification. The Act authorizes specific appropriations for fiscal years 2026 through 2030 to support these initiatives, fostering collaboration between government, academia, and the private sector. Ultimately, the goal is to improve methane emissions measurement technologies, data sharing, and the implementation of effective leak detection and repair strategies.

The "Reinforcing the Grid Against Extreme Weather Act of 2025" aims to bolster the resilience of the U.S. electrical grid by improving interregional electricity transfer capabilities. It directs the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to establish regulations that mandate minimum transfer capabilities between neighboring transmission planning regions to ensure reliability during extreme events. The Act requires regional transmission entities to develop and regularly update plans for interregional transmission projects, with FERC overseeing the approval and implementation of these plans. This will be achieved by identifying, selecting, and allocating costs for interregional transmission projects needed to meet the minimum transfer capability.