Legislative Activity

This resolution urges the people of the United States to observe October 2025 as Italian and Italian American Heritage Month. It seeks to honor the profound and diverse contributions made by Italian Americans throughout U.S. history and culture. The measure encourages appropriate ceremonies and activities to celebrate this rich heritage.

This resolution officially supports the designation of September 2025 as National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. The goal is to draw critical attention to ovarian cancer, the deadliest gynecologic cancer, due to vague symptoms leading to late-stage diagnoses. By raising awareness, the measure aims to encourage earlier detection, improve access to care for underserved populations, and support increased federal research funding.

This resolution officially recognizes the significant challenge of "diaper need" affecting families nationwide and expresses support for designating September 15–21, 2025, as National Diaper Need Awareness Week. It highlights how a lack of diapers impacts infant health, childcare access, and parental employment. The bill encourages public support and donations to the hundreds of local diaper banks working to provide this essential resource to struggling families.

This bill provides temporary funding to continue government operations for Fiscal Year 2026 while establishing the main spending blueprint for the year. It includes numerous short-term extensions for existing health, veteran, and miscellaneous programs, primarily through October 2025. Additionally, the legislation makes several targeted, permanent changes, such as enhancing Affordable Care Act subsidies and increasing funding for specific security and defense programs.

The FAMILY Act establishes a national Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance program administered by a new office within the Social Security Administration. This program provides monthly benefits to eligible individuals who take time off for qualified caregiving reasons, including serious health conditions or victims of violence. The Act also sets forth detailed eligibility requirements, benefit calculation formulas, and job protection guarantees for employees utilizing the leave. Finally, it creates a funding mechanism to support existing state-level paid leave programs that meet federal standards.

This bill, the Congressional Tribute to Constance Baker Motley Act of 2025, posthumously awards the Congressional Gold Medal to the pioneering civil rights attorney and federal judge, Constance Baker Motley. The legislation recognizes her historic achievements, including her role in *Brown v. Board of Education* and her service as the first African-American woman appointed as a federal judge. The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to strike the medal, and provisions are made for selling bronze duplicates to cover production costs.

This Act officially renames the Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in West Haven, Connecticut, to the Captain Paul W. Bud Bucha VA Medical Center. The designation honors the life and service of Medal of Honor recipient Paul W. Bud Bucha, recognizing his heroism in Vietnam and lifelong advocacy for veterans' mental health. This legislation ensures all official records reflect the new name of the facility.

The Access to Fertility Treatment and Care Act mandates that private health insurance plans covering obstetrical services must also cover a broad range of fertility treatments, ensuring cost-sharing rules are comparable to other medical services. This legislation also extends mandatory fertility coverage to the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) and TRICARE plans if they cover maternity care. Furthermore, the bill establishes new benefits for veterans and their families through the VA, requires State Medicaid plans to cover fertility treatment, and adds fertility care to Medicare coverage with a 100% payment rate and no deductible for patients starting in 2026.

The BEACON Act establishes a new Office of Inspector General (IG) within the Executive Office of the President (EOP) to provide oversight. This EOP IG will operate under the President's direction regarding highly sensitive matters like intelligence or confidential sources. The bill also mandates new, detailed reporting requirements for the EOP IG, including certification of full access to information and reporting on any presidential limitations on investigations.

The Expanding Access to Mental Health Services in Schools Act of 2025 establishes a new federal grant program to increase the number of mental health professionals in high-need school districts. This funding is specifically designed to help eligible agencies recruit, hire, and retain school counselors, psychologists, and social workers. Grantees must demonstrate a plan to improve student-to-provider ratios and report annually on staffing improvements and provider retention.

The End Diaper Need Act of 2025 aims to combat diaper insecurity by significantly increasing federal funding through the Social Services Block Grant program to help states distribute diapers and adult incontinence supplies to low-income families and individuals. Additionally, the bill expands tax-advantaged savings accounts, such as HSAs and FSAs, to explicitly cover the cost of medically necessary diapers and related supplies. This dual approach seeks to ensure access to essential hygiene products for vulnerable populations.

The Children Don't Belong on Tobacco Farms Act amends child labor laws to prohibit individuals under 18 from having direct contact with tobacco plants or dried tobacco leaves. This change ensures that agricultural work involving direct handling of tobacco falls under federal child labor protections. The bill specifically updates exemptions to reflect this new restriction on youth employment in tobacco agriculture.

The American Family Act fundamentally overhauls the Child Tax Credit by replacing the annual lump sum with a system of advance, refundable monthly payments delivered directly to families. These monthly allowances vary based on the child's age, with higher amounts provided for younger children. The bill also establishes a separate, smaller credit for other dependents and outlines procedures for annual renewal and reconciliation of advance payments when filing taxes.

The Paycheck Fairness Act significantly strengthens federal equal pay protections by broadening definitions of sex discrimination, tightening employer defenses against pay disparities, and increasing penalties for violations. It also prohibits employers from using salary history in hiring decisions and mandates new data collection by the EEOC to better enforce anti-discrimination laws. Furthermore, the bill establishes new training and outreach programs to combat systemic wage bias.

The Further Additional Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act, 2025 extends government funding and several critical healthcare programs through April 11, 2025, preventing disruptions in services such as community health centers, Medicare provisions, and telehealth. It also addresses budgetary considerations to ensure the Act is not subject to certain spending constraints. Additionally, the Act extends protections for facilities against drone threats, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission whistleblower program, and the authorization for the National Cybersecurity Protection System. Finally, the bill allocates additional funding to the Department of Defense, FEMA, and the Office of Navajo and Hopi Relocation.

The American Apprenticeship Act aims to expand apprenticeship opportunities by providing grants to states for pre-apprenticeship programs and related instruction. It requires states to develop strategic plans that promote collaboration between industry, education, and labor, with a focus on expanding opportunities in non-traditional sectors and for underrepresented groups. The Act also directs the Secretary of Labor to identify in-demand occupations suitable for apprenticeship programs and report findings to Congress. Finally, it authorizes $15 million in appropriations annually from 2026 to 2031 to support these initiatives.

Ethan's Law establishes federal requirements for the secure storage of firearms to prevent unauthorized access by minors and prohibited persons, making improper storage a civil violation with escalating penalties if injury or death results. The bill also creates a federal grant program to incentivize states and Tribes to adopt matching safe storage laws. Furthermore, Congress declares that failing to comply with these storage requirements constitutes negligence and may be considered the direct cause of resulting firearm injuries.

The "Responsibility in Drug Advertising Act of 2025" amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to regulate direct-to-consumer drug advertising, including a 3-year ban on advertising for newly approved drugs, with a waiver option for public health benefits. It also allows the Secretary to prohibit advertising if significant adverse health effects are identified and requires revised advertising regulations within one year.

The "Expanded Food Safety Investigation Act of 2025" allows the Secretary to request access to concentrated animal feeding operations for microbial sampling when investigating foodborne illness outbreaks or addressing public health needs. These operations must provide reasonable access for sampling of plants, animals, water, and the environment. The collected data will be shared with relevant agencies to help prevent foodborne illnesses. Refusal to provide reasonable access for microbial sampling is now a prohibited act under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.