Legislative Activity

The American Innovation and R&D Competitiveness Act of 2025 modifies the tax treatment of research and experimental expenditures, allowing taxpayers to deduct these expenses in the year they are incurred rather than capitalizing them. This change applies to expenses related to the taxpayer's business and is effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2021. The act also includes provisions for electing to treat these expenditures as deferred expenses and updates related sections of the tax code.

The MATCH IT Act of 2025 aims to improve patient matching in healthcare by establishing a standard definition for patient match rates, developing a minimum data set for accurate patient identification, and incorporating these standards into health IT certification requirements and Medicare programs. The Act also creates incentives for healthcare providers to achieve high patient match rates through a voluntary bonus program and anonymous data submission, with the goal of reducing medical errors, protecting patient privacy, and lowering healthcare costs associated with patient misidentification.

The Providing Veterans Essential Medications Act ensures that State veterans homes are reimbursed or furnished with high-cost medications for veterans in their care. A "costly medication" is defined as one where the average wholesale price for a one-month supply, plus a 3% transaction fee, exceeds 8.5% of the payment made to the State home for the veteran's care during that month. This aims to alleviate the financial burden on State homes providing essential medications to veterans.

The 25th Anniversary of 9/11 Commemorative Coin Act directs the Treasury Secretary to produce gold and silver coins to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the National September 11 Memorial and Museum. The coins' designs will represent the courage and resilience of those affected, with at least one coin bearing the inscription "Never Forget." Surcharges from the sale of these coins will be donated to the National September 11 Memorial and Museum to support its operations and maintenance. The Act ensures that the coin production does not create any net cost to the Federal Government.

The James Earl Jones Congressional Gold Medal Act directs the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the posthumous presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal to James Earl Jones, honoring his contributions to the United States and his work promoting inclusion in film and theatre. The Secretary of the Treasury will create the gold medal, and bronze duplicates will be made available for sale to the public.

The "Securing Access to Care for Seniors in Critical Condition Act of 2025" amends the Social Security Act to change Medicare payment rules for long-term care hospitals. Beginning October 1, 2026, hospitals will not be subject to site-neutral payment rules for patients discharged under specific high-severity diagnosis groups. This adjustment aims to ensure adequate financial support for hospitals treating the most critical patients.

The "Access to Pediatric Technologies Act of 2025" aims to improve access to medical devices for children by requiring the establishment of national relative value units for qualifying pediatric technologies under Medicare. This ensures that manufacturers can request these units to be established using existing payment methodologies, facilitating appropriate valuation and payment for these specialized devices. The Act does not mandate coverage of any specific technology but streamlines the process for establishing payment rates, thereby encouraging innovation and availability of pediatric medical devices.

The Rural Wellness Act extends provisions from the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 to 2029, adjusting specific allocation timelines. It prioritizes rural development program grants for projects that include behavioral and mental health treatment services. This prioritization includes facilities for prevention, treatment, or recovery and applicants focusing on behavioral and mental health education.

The "Simplifying Veterans Assistance Act of 2025" aims to improve the grant application process for entities seeking to provide comprehensive services to homeless veterans. It requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide clear guidance, best practices, and informational sessions to potential applicants. This will help ensure that more organizations can effectively access resources to support homeless veterans.

The "Pay Our Troops Act of 2025" ensures that members of the Armed Forces, essential Department of Defense civilians, and contractors continue to receive pay and allowances during periods when regular funding is disrupted. This act provides necessary appropriations to cover these costs for fiscal year 2025. The Act's provisions will terminate upon the enactment of regular appropriations, a continuing resolution that provides funding for the same purpose, or on January 1, 2026.

The "Medicaid Provider Screening Accountability Act" mandates states to cross-check Medicaid providers against a federal database monthly, starting in 2028. This ensures providers terminated from Medicare or Medicaid/CHIP in other states are identified. The goal is to enhance provider screening processes within the Medicaid program.

This bill, the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025, seeks to amend the National Labor Relations Act and other labor laws to strengthen protections for workers' rights to organize and collectively bargain. It aims to modernize labor regulations by clarifying definitions, addressing unfair labor practices, enhancing enforcement, and increasing transparency in labor-management relations. The bill introduces measures such as electronic voting in union elections, strengthens whistleblower protections, and mandates studies on collective bargaining practices. Ultimately, the goal is to ensure fair treatment of workers and promote equitable labor practices.

The Agricultural Risk Review Act of 2025 amends the Defense Production Act of 1950 to include the Secretary of Agriculture on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) for transactions involving agricultural land, biotechnology, or the agriculture industry. It also requires CFIUS to consider certain agricultural land transactions, particularly those involving foreign entities from China, North Korea, Russia, or Iran, based on notifications from the Secretary of Agriculture. This consideration is triggered when the Secretary of Agriculture believes a transaction involving these countries is a covered transaction based on intelligence information, involves agricultural land, and requires reporting under the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978. These requirements will end for a specific country once that country is removed from the list of foreign adversaries.

The Veterans Fellowship Act establishes a pilot program enabling 3-5 states to offer short-term fellowships to veterans, in partnership with non-profit organizations. These fellowships, lasting up to 20 weeks, include monthly stipends and focus on securing long-term employment. The program is subject to a Comptroller General report to Congress and is authorized to receive $10,000,000 annually from 2025-2029.

The "Broadband Grant Tax Treatment Act" ensures that broadband grants received from federal, state, local, and tribal programs are not counted as taxable gross income. This act prevents a double benefit by disallowing deductions or credits for expenses covered by these grants and requires a reduction in the property's adjusted basis by the grant amount. It applies to grants from programs like the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program and similar initiatives, for taxable years ending after March 11, 2023. The Treasury Secretary is directed to issue regulations to implement these provisions.

The "Protecting American Industry and Labor from International Trade Crimes Act of 2025" aims to combat trade-related crimes by establishing a specialized task force within the Department of Justice, enhancing the investigation and prosecution of illegal activities related to imports and exports. It mandates the Attorney General to develop partnerships, provide training, and submit annual reports to Congress on the progress and financial needs in addressing these crimes. The act allocates \$20 million for fiscal year 2026 to support these efforts, with a focus on bolstering the Criminal Division's capacity to prosecute trade-related offenses.

The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2025 amends the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to address vote dilution, denial, and abridgment claims, and to update which states and political subdivisions are subject to federal oversight based on a history of voting rights violations. It broadens the types of violations that allow a court to retain jurisdiction over a case, clarifies the Attorney General's authority to assign observers, and ensures transparency in voting-related changes. The Act also authorizes the Attorney General to demand documents and information to enforce voting rights and provides grants to small jurisdictions to assist with notification requirements.

The Fighter Force Preservation and Recapitalization Act of 2025 aims to modernize and maintain the Air Force's fighter aircraft fleet by increasing the minimum number of fighter aircraft, requiring detailed reports on the fleet's status, prioritizing the assignment of new aircraft to existing squadrons, and preserving the Air National Guard's fighter capabilities. The act mandates the Air Force to assign at least three out of every four new advanced fighter aircraft to existing Air Force fighter squadrons and maintain at least 25 Air National Guard fighter aircraft squadrons. Additionally, it requires the Secretary of the Air Force to develop and submit an annual modernization plan for the Air National Guard's fighter fleet to Congress. The Act defines specific categories of fighter aircraft to clarify modernization efforts.

The "Access to Credit for our Rural Economy Act of 2025" (ACRE Act) aims to bolster rural economies by excluding interest earned on qualified real estate loans by qualified lenders from gross income. These loans must be secured by rural or agricultural real estate, forestland, or related leaseholds, and cannot be made to foreign adversary entities. For single-family residences, the loan must be used for purchase or improvement, with a principal not exceeding $750,000. The Treasury Secretary is required to report to Congress on the impact of this act.

The "Supporting Disabled National Guardsmen Act" allows National Guard members to be eligible for retirement from the Armed Forces due to disabilities incurred while performing State active duty. It also makes National Guard members eligible for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital care and medical services for disabilities incurred while performing State active duty, as well as for any illnesses or conditions resulting from these disabilities. The VA's ability to provide these services is limited to the extent and amount specifically allocated in advance through appropriations acts. Before the VA can reimburse for care or services, individuals or their healthcare providers are required to first exhaust all other available payment options.