Legislative Activity

The Arts Education for All Act aims to elevate the status and accessibility of arts education across the entire educational spectrum. It mandates evidence-based training for early childhood providers, requires states to integrate arts education into core academic planning and public reporting, and authorizes the use of the arts in juvenile and adult offender reentry programs. Furthermore, the bill directs federal research agencies to study the impact of the arts and restores arts assessment to the national testing schedule.

The Hot Foods Act of 2025 removes the general federal ban on using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to purchase hot, ready-to-eat foods. This legislation clarifies that hot foods are now eligible for purchase with SNAP benefits, while also setting a new rule that limits SNAP-participating retailers to deriving no more than 50% of their gross sales from these ready-to-eat hot items. The act updates existing statutes to reflect this expanded purchasing power for recipients.

This Act establishes a comprehensive security partnership between the United States, Israel, Greece, and the Republic of Cyprus focused on counterterrorism and maritime security in the Eastern Mediterranean. It mandates the creation of new joint training programs, formalizes interparliamentary and executive cooperation groups, and removes previous limitations on defense articles for Cyprus. The legislation also authorizes significant funding for security centers and training initiatives in Cyprus and Greece through fiscal year 2029.

The Early Detection of Vision Impairments for Children Act of 2025 establishes federal funding to help states and eligible groups create comprehensive programs for early vision screening and intervention in children. These grants will support activities such as improving data collection, reaching underserved populations, and building coordinated public health systems for eye care. The bill also authorizes technical assistance grants through the CDC to support states in developing and improving their screening and intervention strategies. Funding is authorized at $5 million annually from fiscal years 2026 through 2030 for the main grant program.

The DETERRENT Act significantly increases transparency requirements for colleges and universities regarding foreign gifts, contracts, and investments, especially those involving "countries or entities of concern." It mandates detailed public disclosure reports, establishes strict prohibitions and waiver processes for contracts with risky foreign entities, and imposes severe financial penalties for non-compliance. Furthermore, the bill requires specified large private institutions to report their holdings in concerning foreign assets annually.

The Modern, Clean, and Safe Trucks Act of 2025 repeals the outdated 12-percent Federal excise tax on new heavy trucks and trailers. This repeal aims to lower costs, encouraging fleet owners to replace aging vehicles with modern, safer, and more fuel-efficient models. By removing this significant tax burden, the bill seeks to accelerate the adoption of cleaner engine technology and improve overall road safety. The Act also includes technical updates to the tax code related to the removal of this long-standing tax.

The Portable Ultrasound Reimbursement Equity Act of 2025 updates Medicare coverage to include diagnostic ultrasound tests. This legislation mandates that Medicare establish separate payments for the transportation and setup of portable ultrasound equipment, mirroring existing payments for portable X-ray services. These changes are set to take effect starting January 1, 2027.

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow distributions from a Health Savings Account (HSA) for the funeral expenses of the account beneficiary to be treated as qualified, tax-free distributions. These expenses, which include burial, cremation, and related services, are capped at a total of \$5,000 per beneficiary. The legislation also clarifies that funeral expenses incurred within 90 days after the account holder's death can be treated as if they occurred before death for tax purposes.

This resolution officially designates March 27, 2025, as "National Women in Agriculture Day" to honor the significant contributions of women across all sectors of U.S. agriculture. It recognizes women as vital producers, leaders, and mentors who drive economic success and support the next generation in farming. The bill encourages the public to celebrate and support the essential role women play in ensuring the nation's food supply and global trade.

The Rural Veterinary Workforce Act aims to encourage more veterinarians to serve in underserved rural areas by making participation in certain loan repayment or forgiveness programs more financially appealing. This bill amends the tax code to exclude amounts received through qualifying state or federal veterinary student loan repayment programs from being counted as taxable income. This tax benefit applies to amounts received for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2025.

This resolution formally recognizes the upcoming 250th anniversary of the United States Marine Corps in 2025. Congress is honoring the Corps' long history, core values of honor, courage, and commitment, and its consistent readiness to defend the nation. The bill encourages the public to join in celebrating this significant milestone and acknowledging the service and sacrifice of all Marines.

The Protecting Kids from Fentanyl Act of 2025 allows states to use Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant funds to purchase life-saving opioid antagonists, such as naloxone, for schools. These funds can also cover essential training for school staff on administering the antagonists and providing fentanyl awareness education to students. This legislation aims to enhance school safety by equipping them to respond to opioid emergencies.

The **SCREENS for Cancer Act of 2025** seeks to reauthorize and update the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP). This legislation expands the program's focus to include cancer prevention and aims to reduce health disparities in screening access. The bill authorizes $235 million annually for fiscal years 2026 through 2030 and mandates a GAO study on program eligibility and service trends.

The Safer Skies Act of 2025 mandates enhanced security screening for certain smaller charter and commuter air carriers that sell individual passenger seats publicly. This legislation requires these specific operations, currently exempt from TSA checkpoints, to adopt the security standards applied to larger commercial airlines. The goal is to raise the baseline security level across a broader segment of air travel operations.

The Helene Small Business Recovery Act grants the President the authority to waive federal rules prohibiting the duplication of disaster benefits upon a Governor's request. This allows small businesses and individuals to receive necessary aid even if they have other forms of assistance, provided it is in the public interest and avoids waste, fraud, or abuse. Importantly, this waiver authority cannot be denied based on the applicant's income level and applies to major disasters declared in 2023 or 2024.

The Fair Access In Residency (FAIR) Act of 2025 aims to ensure equitable treatment of osteopathic (D.O.) and allopathic (M.D.) medical school graduates in residency applications. It requires hospitals receiving Medicare funds to report detailed data on D.O. and M.D. applicants and acceptances for each residency program. Hospitals failing to submit this required data will face a 2% reduction in their Medicare payments. This collected data will also be made publicly available to promote transparency in the residency recruitment process.

This Act imposes immediate sanctions, including asset freezes and visa bans, on the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) for their involvement in terrorism, particularly the October 7th attacks. It also mandates a report from the Secretary of State on designating the Lions Den and the PRC as Specially Designated Global Terrorists. Furthermore, the bill requires ongoing reviews to identify and potentially sanction successor or affiliated terrorist groups.

The SHARE Act of 2025 establishes new federal requirements for the FBI to share criminal history record information with states participating in professional licensing interstate compacts. This information sharing is strictly for the purpose of conducting background checks on applicants seeking to practice a profession in another compact state. States receiving this data are severely restricted on how they can use or further disseminate the detailed criminal history, generally only being permitted to report a binary "satisfactory" or "unsatisfactory" determination back to the compact's Commission.

The Unity through Service Act of 2025 establishes an Interagency Council on Service to advise the President on strengthening recruitment across military, national, and public service opportunities. The bill mandates joint market research between defense and national service agencies and improves transition assistance for separating service members into public sector jobs. Ultimately, the Act aims to foster civic duty by coordinating federal efforts to promote and measure the impact of all forms of national service.

The Air National Guard Squadron Preservation Act of 2025 mandates the recapitalization of the Air National Guard's fighter fleet with advanced and fifth-generation aircraft. It requires the Air Force to maintain production of these modern jets until all legacy aircraft in relevant Guard units are replaced. The bill also directs the GAO to review acquisition challenges and requires annual progress reports on the replacement timeline.