Legislative Activity

The "Death Tax Repeal Act" eliminates both estate and generation-skipping transfer taxes, effective from the date of enactment. It adjusts gift tax calculations by setting the lifetime gift exemption at $10,000,000, with inflation adjustments after 2011. The Act also includes transitional rules for applying certain sections of the Internal Revenue Code during the enactment year.

The DRIVE Act of 2025 ensures that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) travel reimbursement rate for veterans' medical appointments will never fall below the standard federal employee mileage rate. This legislation mandates that the VA must process and pay these mileage allowances within 90 days of a veteran submitting a complete request. Essentially, the bill aims to increase equity and speed in compensating veterans for necessary travel to VA healthcare.

The Officer John Barnes Act requires the Bureau to inform claimants of their benefit eligibility determination within 270 days of receiving a claim.

This bill mandates the President to designate Ansarallah (the Houthi movement) as a foreign terrorist organization within 30 days. It further requires the President to determine and report to Congress if specific individuals are officials, agents, or affiliates of Ansarallah within 30 days of the designation.

The "Combating Illicit Xylazine Act" aims to combat the illegal use of xylazine by adding it to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act, which would allow for increased regulation and tracking of the substance. The bill includes exemptions and delayed effective dates for certain requirements to ease the transition for legitimate users, such as veterinarians and animal handlers. It also directs the Sentencing Commission to review sentencing guidelines for xylazine-related offenses and mandates reports to Congress on the prevalence and impact of illicit xylazine use. Finally, it will include xylazine in Arcos tracking.

The "National Right-to-Work Act" amends both the National Labor Relations Act and the Railway Labor Act to protect an employee's right to choose whether or not to join or support a labor union. It eliminates the possibility of mandatory union membership or dues payments as a condition of employment, ensuring that employees cannot be forced to join or support a union against their will.

The United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025 seeks to bolster the defense relationship between the United States and Israel through joint initiatives and increased cooperation. It establishes programs to counter unmanned systems, extend anti-tunnel and counter-UAS cooperation, and promote collaboration in emerging technologies like AI and cybersecurity. The act also mandates the establishment of a Defense Innovation Unit office in Israel and assesses integrated air and missile defense in the U.S. Central Command region. Finally, it explores Israel's potential inclusion in the national technology and industrial base.

The "Protecting Privacy in Purchases Act" prevents payment card networks from assigning a unique merchant category code to firearm retailers. The Attorney General is responsible for enforcing the Act, investigating complaints, and reporting to Congress. This law overrides state and local laws regarding merchant category codes for firearm retailers and does not establish a private right of action.

The "Protect Medicaid Act" prohibits federal Medicaid funding for state administrative costs associated with providing healthcare benefits to unauthorized immigrants. It requires a report from the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services on how states that offer health benefits to non-lawfully admitted noncitizens handle Medicaid program administration costs separately. The report will also cover how these states fund programs for non-lawfully admitted noncitizens and analyze the impact of these non-lawfully admitted noncitizens receiving outpatient drugs purchased under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program or the 340B drug discount program.

The "Stop Human Trafficking of Unaccompanied Migrant Children Act of 2025" aims to protect unaccompanied alien children by establishing stricter vetting standards for sponsors, including background checks for all adults in the household and mandatory home visits. It also requires retroactive vetting of past sponsors and detailed monthly reports to Congress on the placement and well-being of these children. The goal is to prevent human trafficking and ensure the safety of unaccompanied migrant children placed with sponsors in the United States.

The Disabled Veterans Housing Support Act ensures that veterans' service-connected disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs is not considered when determining income eligibility for housing assistance programs. This change aims to make housing more accessible for disabled veterans. Additionally, the Act requires a report to Congress reviewing the impact of disability compensation on eligibility for HUD programs, identifying inconsistencies, and suggesting improvements to better assist veterans and underserved communities.

The "Health Care Provider Shortage Minimization Act of 2025" aims to address healthcare provider shortages by clarifying the tax status of qualified locum tenens physicians and advanced care practitioners. It ensures that these temporary healthcare providers are not classified as employees for tax purposes, provided they meet specific conditions such as working under a written contract and for no more than one continuous year at a service site. This clarification applies to services performed after the Act's enactment.

The "Diagnostics Testing Preparedness Plan Act of 2025" requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and regularly update a plan for the rapid development, validation, production, and distribution of diagnostic tests in response to public health emergencies. This plan aims to improve coordination between public and private entities, consider new technologies, address medical supply needs, and ensure efficient test distribution. The Secretary is authorized to contract with public and private entities to enhance domestic diagnostic testing capacity and must release the plan within one year, updating it every three years thereafter.

The "HALT Fentanyl Act" permanently classifies fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs under the Controlled Substances Act, streamlining research registration processes while maintaining controls. It also updates penalties for trafficking, importing, and exporting fentanyl-related substances, treating them similarly to fentanyl analogues. Additionally, the Act addresses technical errors in previous legislation and mandates the Attorney General to issue rules for implementation.

The "Fair Access to Banking Act" aims to prevent financial institutions from denying services to legal businesses based on subjective or political reasons. It prohibits large banks, credit unions, and payment card networks from discriminating against legal businesses and requires them to provide fair access to financial services based on impartial, risk-based standards. Financial institutions that violate these provisions may face penalties, including ineligibility for taxpayer-funded discount window lending programs and civil penalties. Individuals or businesses who are unfairly denied services can sue the financial institution in U.S. district court.

The "PATROL Act" prevents the Department of Justice from suing states for building barriers along their borders to prevent illegal immigration and protect their territory. This bill specifically applies to civil actions under Section 9 or 10 of the Act of March 3, 1899, concerning unauthorized obstruction of navigable waters. The term "barrier" includes physical structures like walls, fences, or floating buoys.

The "Superior National Forest Restoration Act of 2025" aims to facilitate mineral development within Minnesota's Superior National Forest by rescinding a land withdrawal order and expediting the review and approval process for mining plans. It mandates the reissuance of canceled mineral leases and prospecting permits, establishes fixed terms for renewed leases, and limits judicial review of these reissued leases or permits. The Act also enables the issuance of permits for surface land use necessary for mining operations.

The "Primary Care Enhancement Act of 2025" modifies the treatment of direct primary care (DPC) arrangements for health savings account (HSA) purposes. It excludes DPC arrangements from being considered a health plan under certain conditions, such as DPC arrangements solely covering primary care services from primary care practitioners for a fixed periodic fee, with limits on monthly fees, and it treats DPC fees as medical expenses. This act also mandates the reporting of DPC fees on W-2 forms and adjusts fee limits for inflation.

The 9/11 Memorial and Museum Act authorizes a one-time grant between $5,000,000 and $10,000,000 to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum for operations, security, and maintenance. To receive the grant, the museum must offer free admission to certain groups, provide free admission hours to the general public, and allow annual federal audits of its financial records. The museum must also submit annual reports to Congress detailing how the grant funds were used. No additional funds are authorized beyond the initial appropriation for this grant.

The Dismantle DEI Act of 2025 aims to immediately rescind diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) mandates across the federal government, including shutting down related offices and banning specific ideological training for federal personnel and contractors. The bill prohibits the use of federal funds for DEI activities by grant recipients and mandates that federal advisory committees cease all such practices or face termination. Furthermore, it establishes strong enforcement mechanisms, allowing individuals to sue violators and seek financial penalties for non-compliance.