Legislative Activity

The "Expanding Child Care Access Act of 2025" introduces a tax credit, up to $5,000, for qualified child care startup expenses incurred by licensed family child care providers. This credit aims to support individuals starting or expanding licensed child care services within their primary residence, covering expenses such as licensing fees, supplies, insurance, and necessary equipment or renovations. The credit is available for a limited time and cannot be claimed for expenses already covered by other deductions or credits.

The Dennis and Lois Krisfalusy Act expands eligibility for Department of Veterans Affairs headstones, markers, and burial receptacles. This bill removes the restriction that an individual must have died on or after November 11, 1998, to be eligible.

The Supporting the Local Radio Freedom Act prevents Congress from imposing new performance fees on local radio stations for playing music. It emphasizes the mutually beneficial relationship between broadcasters and the recording industry, where radio provides free publicity that boosts music sales and supports artists. The act recognizes local radio's crucial role in communities by providing news, weather updates, and public service announcements. Ultimately, this bill aims to protect local radio stations and businesses from economic harm, ensuring they can continue serving their communities without additional financial burdens.

The "Office of Gun Violence Prevention Act of 2025" establishes an Office of Gun Violence Prevention within the Department of Justice, led by a Director appointed by the Attorney General, to coordinate gun violence prevention efforts, evaluate related laws and programs, and recommend evidence-based policies to Congress and the President. The Director will also convene an advisory council comprising various officials and at least 12 additional individuals representing gun violence survivors, community violence intervention service providers, and other relevant groups. The Office will also assist communities affected by gun violence with crisis response activities, such as providing access to mental health services and suicide prevention resources. Finally, the act authorizes the appropriation of necessary funds to carry out the provisions of the bill.

The "Ending DOGE Conflicts Act" mandates that special government employees with financial ties to companies contracting with the federal government must adhere to strict financial disclosure requirements. It requires the Director of the Office of Government Ethics to certify these employees' financial reports and prohibits them from performing official duties until compliance is confirmed.

The "Fighting Trade Cheats Act of 2025" increases penalties for fraudulent and grossly negligent violations of U.S. customs laws, including banning violators and their affiliates from importing goods. It also allows private parties harmed by customs fraud to sue for damages and injunctive relief. The Act excludes those who commit fraud from participating in the importer of record program.

The "Give Kids a Chance Act of 2025" aims to improve pediatric drug development and access by requiring more research into pediatric cancer drugs, ensuring completion of pediatric studies, and extending priority review vouchers for rare pediatric disease treatments. The act also addresses organ transplantation network improvements, limitations on orphan drug exclusivity, and establishes an FDA office to coordinate with Abraham Accords countries on regulatory standards. Additionally, the act allocates funding for pediatric drug studies and mandates reports and studies to assess the effectiveness of these changes.

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 "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.

This proposed constitutional amendment clarifies that constitutional rights are exclusively for natural persons, not corporations or other artificial entities, which can be regulated by the people. It aims to ensure equal access to the political process by allowing regulation of campaign finance, stating that spending money to influence elections is not protected speech. The amendment also explicitly protects the freedom of the press.

The Federal Infrastructure Bank Act of 2025 establishes a Federal Infrastructure Bank to provide financial support for infrastructure projects across the U.S. by offering loans, equity investments, and loan guarantees to eligible entities. A Federal Infrastructure Bank Holding Company will be established to oversee the Bank, and the Federal Reserve will regulate both entities. The Holding Company and the Bank are exempt from most taxes, and investors in the Holding Company can receive a tax credit. The act prioritizes revenue-generating projects and rural infrastructure development, while prohibiting funding for projects connected to specific foreign entities.

The "Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025" permits schools participating in the National School Lunch Program to offer a wider variety of milk options, including whole milk (both flavored and unflavored, organic and non-organic), reduced-fat, low-fat, fat-free, and lactose-free milk. It specifies that milk fat from any fluid milk offered is not considered saturated fat when measuring compliance with saturated fat content limits for meals. The bill also prohibits schools from purchasing milk from China state-owned enterprises.

The Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act of 2025 expands public safety officer benefits to include deaths and disabilities caused by exposure-related cancers, presuming that certain cancers diagnosed within 15 years of service are line-of-duty injuries if the officer served for at least 5 years. It defines "exposure-related cancer" and allows for updates to the list based on medical evidence, while also permitting individuals to petition for additions. The Act also clarifies "line of duty action" and applies retroactively to claims dating back to January 1, 2020, with a three-year window for filing claims based on these amendments.

The East Palestine Health Impact Monitoring Act of 2025 mandates a longitudinal study on the health impacts resulting from the February 3, 2023, train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. It directs the Department of Health and Human Services to fund a consortium of higher education institutions to conduct the study and provide progress reports to Congress. The Act authorizes the appropriation of funds through fiscal year 2026 to support the study's execution until September 30, 2030.

The "No DeepSeek on Government Devices Act" prohibits the use of the DeepSeek application on government devices, with exceptions for law enforcement, national security, and security research. The Office of Management and Budget is tasked with creating guidelines for executive agencies to remove DeepSeek from their information technology. Any authorized use of DeepSeek under the exceptions requires documented risk mitigation actions.

The "Family Farm and Small Business Exemption Act" amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to exclude the net value of a family farm (on which the family resides) or a small business (with no more than 100 employees and owned/controlled by the family) from consideration as an asset when determining financial need for federal student aid. This change aims to make higher education more accessible for students from family farm and small business backgrounds.

The "Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow's Workforce Act" amends Section 529 savings accounts to include expenses related to postsecondary credentialing programs. This allows 529 funds to cover costs like tuition, fees, books, supplies, and testing fees for recognized programs and credentials, as defined by the bill. These changes would apply to distributions made after the bill is enacted.

The "Marc Fischer Memorial Act" aims to combat the flow of synthetic drugs, particularly fentanyl, into Federal prisons through the mail. It mandates the Director of the Bureau of Prisons to develop and implement a strategy to equip all Federal correctional facilities with the technology and processes needed to scan mail, protect staff and inmates, and ensure timely delivery of mail copies while maintaining legal mail privileges. The strategy includes assessing current practices, identifying necessary resources, and providing a budgetary proposal for implementation, with ongoing reporting to Congress on its effectiveness.

The CLEAR Act amends the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to include entities established under Section 3161, ensuring their records are accessible to the public. This change applies to all FOIA requests made after the Act's enactment, regardless of when the records were created.

The Taxpayer Data Protection Act limits access to the Treasury Department's payment systems to Treasury employees or contractors with satisfactory performance reviews and security clearances. It sets specific criteria for individuals accessing the system, including conflict of interest restrictions, training, and ethics agreements. The Act also mandates the Treasury Department's Inspector General to investigate and report to Congress on any unauthorized system use.