Legislative Activity

This bill aims to reauthorize and update funding for municipal grants under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act. These grants support projects focused on improving sewer overflow systems and promoting the reuse of stormwater runoff. The legislation authorizes $350 million annually for these critical water infrastructure improvements from fiscal year 2026 through 2031.

The Rail Passenger Fairness Act aims to restore Amtrak's statutory right to priority over freight trains on shared tracks, which has been frequently ignored by freight railroads, causing significant passenger delays. This bill grants Amtrak the direct authority to file civil lawsuits in federal court to enforce these crucial preference rights. By ensuring passenger trains run on time, the Act is expected to improve service reliability and generate substantial cost savings.

The Bipartisan Bulletproof Vest Partnership Program Expansion Act increases the federal share of grant funding for certain public safety activities from 50% to 60%. This change aims to reduce the financial burden on states for purchasing essential equipment. Additionally, the Act authorizes $60 million annually for this program from fiscal years 2026 through 2030.

The Defense Industry Pricing Transparency Act requires defense contractors to report significant price increases on non-competitive or sole-source government contracts. Contractors must notify the contracting officer within 30 days if a price exceeds established historical or contractual benchmarks by 25% or 50%. Failure to report these hikes will result in the contractor's noncompliance being logged in the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS).

The Defense Contractor Competition Act mandates that the Comptroller General conduct a comprehensive assessment of the competitive effects resulting from mergers and acquisitions within the defense industry over the past decade. This report must analyze the effectiveness of post-merger remedies, information sharing between regulatory bodies, and the impact of vertical integration on competition. Ultimately, the Act aims to ensure a sustainable and competitive defense industrial base by reviewing past consolidation efforts.

The Best Price for Our Military Act of 2025 aims to ensure fair pricing in government defense contracts. This bill prohibits contractors from using cost or pricing data older than 30 days as a defense in pricing disputes after a final contract price has been established. This change prevents contractors from justifying inflated prices with stale information.

The All Aboard Act of 2025 is a comprehensive bill designed to significantly modernize and expand American passenger and freight rail networks. It establishes major funding streams to incentivize the transition to zero-emission locomotives, electrify infrastructure, and improve high-performance rail service nationwide. The Act also mandates strong labor protections, workforce development programs, and prioritizes investments in environmental justice communities.

The Insurrection Act of 2025 completely rewrites the rules governing when the President can deploy the U.S. Armed Forces domestically to suppress insurrection or quell severe domestic violence. This deployment is strictly limited to being a last resort, requiring specific triggers such as overwhelming local failure or the denial of constitutional rights. Before acting, the President must issue a proclamation and provide a detailed report to Congress, whose approval is required to extend military authority beyond seven days. The Act also establishes expedited congressional procedures for reviewing and approving the deployment and allows for judicial review of the President's legal basis for action.

The No Corporate Crooks Act prohibits individuals convicted of specific financial and white-collar crimes (such as fraud, embezzlement, and tax evasion) while serving as a CEO from being appointed to positions within the executive branch. This legislation aims to prevent corporate executives convicted of serious offenses from holding government roles. Any individual found in violation of this restriction must be immediately removed from their executive branch service.

The Striking and Locked Out Workers Healthcare Protection Act ensures that employers cannot terminate or alter group health plan coverage for employees during a lawful strike or an employer-initiated lockout. This legislation aims to prevent employers from using health benefits as leverage during labor disputes. The bill also establishes significant civil penalties, including fines up to \$150,000 per violation, for employers who interfere with this coverage, and allows for individual liability for directors and officers involved in such violations.

The Depot Investment Reform Act of 2025 updates how the Department of Defense calculates the minimum capital investment required for certain depots. This reform shortens the look-back period for these investment calculations from three preceding fiscal years to only the preceding, current, and following fiscal years. This change aims to ensure investment levels are based on more current financial data.

The Public Service Worker Protection Act expands the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) to explicitly cover all public employees, including those working for federal, state, and local governments. This change brings public sector workers under the general protections afforded by OSHA. While the expansion takes effect generally within 90 days, states without an existing OSHA plan are given a three-year transition period before federal oversight applies to their employees.

The Saving Our Veterans Lives Act of 2025 establishes a new Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) program to provide eligible veterans and former service members with secure, U.S.-made firearm storage lockboxes or vouchers. This initiative aims to promote safe firearm storage as a suicide prevention measure through distribution and public awareness campaigns. The law explicitly states that participation will not affect an individual's legal right to own firearms or require any form of firearm registration.

This bill designates the United States Postal Service facility located at 521 Thorn Street in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, as the "Mary Elizabeth 'Bettie' Cole Post Office Building." It ensures that all references to this facility in U.S. documents and records will reflect this new designation.

The Railway Safety Act of 2025 establishes comprehensive new safety standards across the freight rail industry, focusing heavily on trains transporting hazardous materials. The bill mandates stricter rules for train operations, requires enhanced rail car inspections, and sets a phase-out date for older, less safe tank cars. Furthermore, it increases civil penalties for safety violations, institutes a minimum two-person crew requirement for most freight trains, and funds infrastructure improvements like advanced track monitoring.

The "Assistance for Local Heroes During Train Crises Act" establishes a fund to reimburse local emergency responders for costs incurred during hazardous train events, defined as incidents involving hazardous materials. It mandates immediate initial funding of at least $250,000 to eligible entities upon declaration of such an event, with potential for additional funds up to $3,000,000. The Act also requires railroads to provide advance notice and real-time location updates to local emergency responders regarding hazardous material shipments and establishes fees for rail shippers/carriers of hazardous materials to fund the reimbursement fund.

The DERAIL Act aims to improve railroad safety by updating the definition of "high-hazard flammable train" to include trains carrying flammable liquids or gases. It also mandates that railroad carriers report derailments involving toxic inhalation materials to relevant authorities within 24 hours.