Legislative Activity

The FORWARD Act expands eligibility for retired or disabled military personnel to contribute to the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) using their military retirement or disability pay. This provision allows eligible former service members to make contributions, though these deposits will not receive any government matching funds. The relevant agencies have 180 days to establish the necessary regulations for this new option.

The Rural Housing Service Reform Act of 2025 aims to modernize and stabilize rural housing programs across the nation. It streamlines administrative processes, establishes permanent protections for existing affordable rental housing, and improves access to repair loans for low-income homeowners. Furthermore, the bill creates new grant opportunities for local development and mandates greater transparency and efficiency in the application review process.

The Expanding the VOTE Act updates language assistance requirements under the Voting Rights Act by modernizing the definition of "voting materials" to include digital information. It also establishes new state responsibilities for providing language assistance and creates a grant program to incentivize voluntary language support beyond current mandates. Furthermore, the bill includes special provisions for unwritten American Indian and Alaska Native languages and mandates a study on lowering thresholds for language assistance coverage.

This resolution officially designates the week of August 3 through August 9, 2025, as "National Farmers Market Week." It recognizes the vital role farmers markets play in supporting local economies, increasing access to healthy food, and connecting communities. The designation aims to shine a spotlight on the significant contributions these markets make nationwide.

The Local Farmers Feeding our Communities Act establishes a new program to support local food producers and strengthen regional food security. This initiative requires the Secretary of Agriculture to fund agreements that ensure nutritious, locally sourced food is purchased and distributed widely, prioritizing small and beginning farmers. Funds must be used to buy minimally processed local products and provide technical assistance to producers. The program is backed by mandatory funding starting in Fiscal Year 2026.

The EATS Act of 2025 significantly updates eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by removing previous restrictions that often disqualified students. This legislation explicitly includes bona fide students enrolled at least half-time in recognized educational programs as eligible participants for food assistance. These changes take effect on January 2, 2026.

The Health Care Fairness for Military Families Act of 2025 significantly improves the TRICARE Young Adult (TYA) program for military dependents. This legislation eliminates the age restriction for TYA eligibility and removes the separate premium requirement for coverage. These changes aim to provide broader and simpler healthcare access for adult children of service members.

This Concurrent Resolution affirms the importance of equal physical access to federally funded facilities for all Americans, especially people with disabilities. It recognizes that current infrastructure often fails to meet the needs of the growing population of people with disabilities. The resolution reaffirms support for existing accessibility laws like the ADA and pledges to use universal design principles in future federal projects. Ultimately, it calls for the removal of existing barriers to ensure full societal participation.

The Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2025 establishes a structured process for distributing up to 2,000 additional, federally funded residency positions annually between fiscal years 2026 and 2032. This distribution prioritizes hospitals serving in underserved areas, those already training above their limit, and those committed to primary care and general surgery training. The bill also mandates a study and report by the Comptroller General on effective strategies to increase diversity within the health professional workforce.

The Healthy Drinking Water Affordability Act establishes the Healthy H2O Program to provide grants for improving drinking water quality in rural areas. These grants help eligible households and small facilities address contamination from issues like lead or PFAS by covering the costs of certified water treatment systems, installation, and testing. The program prioritizes private well owners and requires annual reporting on contamination trends and program effectiveness.

The PAAW Act, or Preventing Animal Abuse and Waste Act, prohibits the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from conducting or supporting research that causes significant pain or distress to dogs and cats. This ban specifically targets studies categorized as causing pain levels D or E according to established animal welfare standards. The prohibition takes effect 90 days after the Act is officially enacted into law.

The ROTOR Act mandates a comprehensive study to investigate cancer prevalence and mortality rates among military rotary-wing pilots and aviation support personnel. This research, conducted by the Defense Health Agency in partnership with the NIH and NCI, will first compare cancer rates in these service members against the general population. If elevated rates are found, a second phase will seek to identify potential toxic exposures or environmental factors linked to helicopter operations that may be causing the increased risk.

This resolution officially supports the designation of the third annual "National Community Health Worker Awareness Week" to recognize the vital role of Community Health Workers (CHWs). It highlights how CHWs serve as trusted cultural bridges connecting diverse communities to essential health and social services. The bill emphasizes the need for sustainable funding to support this proven workforce, which improves health outcomes nationwide.

The First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit Act of 2025 establishes a new, refundable tax credit for eligible first-time homebuyers, equal to 10% of the purchase price, up to a maximum of $15,000. This credit is subject to income and home price phase-outs based on local median figures. Homebuyers may elect to transfer this credit directly to their mortgage lender at closing in exchange for immediate cash. The bill also includes recapture provisions requiring repayment if the home is sold within four years.

This joint resolution expresses the disapproval of Congress regarding the United States Fish and Wildlife Service's recently submitted rule on the "Barred Owl Management Strategy." By invoking the Congressional Review Act, this action nullifies the proposed management strategy, preventing it from taking legal effect. Essentially, Congress is rejecting the USFWS's plan for managing Barred Owls.

The Saving Vet Halls Act of 2025 establishes a new grant program administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs. This program provides funding to Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) specifically for repairing facilities and upgrading technology. Grants are capped at $\$75,000$ or the total project cost (whichever is higher), and organizations receiving funds are ineligible to reapply for five years. The legislation authorizes $\$10$ million to support these essential improvements for VSOs.

The SAVES Act establishes a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) pilot program to award grants to nonprofit organizations that provide service dogs to eligible veterans. These grants, up to $\$2,000,000$ each, will fund the training and provision of service dogs for veterans with qualifying conditions like PTSD or TBI. The bill also extends the expiration date for certain limits on veterans' pension payments until February 2033.

The Fiscal Contingency Preparedness Act mandates that the Treasury Department, in coordination with the OMB, include a new analysis of potential financial risks from major "fiscal shocks" in its annual report. This analysis must assess the short-term and long-term financial impacts of events like recessions, natural disasters, or cyber attacks on the federal government. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) will subsequently review the methodology and findings of this new fiscal assessment.

This bill authorizes the presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal to the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion to recognize their crucial and heroic service as the only all-Black unit defending the D-Day invasion in Normandy. The medal will be struck by the Treasury and ultimately deposited with the Smithsonian Institution for public display. The Act also permits the sale of bronze duplicates to cover production costs, with proceeds returning to the U.S. Mint fund.

The Small Business Payment for Performance Act of 2025 ensures that small businesses receive prompt interim payments when the government mandates changes to their existing construction contracts. Upon requesting an equitable adjustment for contract modifications, the agency must issue an immediate partial payment covering at least 50% of the estimated additional costs. This legislation also mandates that prime contractors promptly pass these interim funds down to affected subcontractors.