Legislative Activity

The Wildfire Emergency Act of 2025 addresses wildfire risk through three main avenues: establishing a novel financing pilot program to accelerate large-scale forest restoration, increasing community resilience through infrastructure hardening and home weatherization updates, and building capacity via new research centers and workforce development grants. This comprehensive bill seeks to leverage private investment for ecological work while simultaneously making communities safer and developing the necessary skilled workforce for future mitigation efforts.

The American Values Act seeks to permanently enact provisions that prevent foreign aid from being used to fund abortions, involuntary sterilizations, or related biomedical research as methods of family planning. It also prohibits lobbying for or against abortion with foreign aid funds and ensures that the Peace Corps Act aligns with these restrictions.

This resolution designates the week beginning February 3, 2025, as "National Tribal Colleges and Universities Week," recognizing the vital role of TCUs in providing culturally relevant education to American Indians, Alaska Natives, and other students. TCUs serve over 230 federally recognized Indian Tribes by offering high-quality postsecondary education and workforce preparation. The resolution encourages the public to participate in activities and programs that support these institutions.

The "Defund the CFPB Act" amends the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 to eliminate the funding available to the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, effectively defunding the agency. This would be achieved by capping the amount the Director of the Bureau may request to fund the Bureau's activities to $0.

The "Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025" introduces a federal tax credit for individuals and corporations who donate to scholarship granting organizations that provide educational scholarships to eligible elementary and secondary students. These scholarships can be used for tuition, books, tutoring, and other qualified education expenses. The bill sets a volume cap on the total amount of donations eligible for the tax credit and includes provisions to prevent government control over scholarship organizations and non-public schools. It also exempts these scholarship amounts from gross income.

The Laken Riley Act mandates the detention of illegal aliens who commit theft, burglary, larceny, or shoplifting. It empowers state attorneys general to sue the Department of Homeland Security or the Secretary of State if they believe the state or its residents are harmed by violations of immigration enforcement or visa granting. The bill aims to ensure that these aliens are detained throughout their removal proceedings and to provide states with legal recourse against perceived failures in federal immigration enforcement.

This resolution designates January 26 through February 1, 2025, as "National School Choice Week," recognizing the importance of diverse educational options (public, charter, magnet, private, online, and homeschooling). It emphasizes the role of parents in choosing the best educational environment for their children and encourages awareness of the benefits of school choice. The resolution supports celebrating educational choice and acknowledges the contributions of students, parents, teachers, and school leaders.

The Grizzly Bear State Management Act of 2025 instructs the Secretary of the Interior to reissue a final rule delisting the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem population of grizzly bears from the list of endangered and threatened wildlife, as previously published in the Federal Register. This reissuance must occur within 180 days of the Act's enactment and bypasses standard regulatory considerations and judicial review.

The "Freedom from Government Surveys Act" amends Title 13 of the U.S. Code to make the American Community Survey voluntary. It removes penalties for not participating and mandates that the survey includes a clear statement informing recipients that their participation is not required.

This concurrent resolution recognizes the significant historical and ongoing contributions of tax-exempt fraternal benefit societies to communities across the United States. It acknowledges their extensive volunteer network and substantial charitable giving, which helps to meet various needs and support financial security. The resolution affirms that their tax-exempt status continues to benefit the country and that their work should be encouraged.

The "Protecting Life in Health Savings Accounts Act" amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to restrict the use of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), Archer MSAs, health flexible spending arrangements, health reimbursement arrangements, and retiree health accounts for abortion expenses. Exceptions are made only in cases of rape, incest, or when the woman's life is in danger, as certified by a physician. These provisions generally take effect for taxable years starting after December 31, 2025, with some provisions also applying to expenses incurred after this date.

The "Dignity for Aborted Children Act" requires abortion providers to offer patients the option to take possession of fetal remains for interment or cremation, or to release the remains to the provider for proper disposal. Abortion providers must obtain consent, maintain records, and submit annual reports on abortion procedures and fetal tissue disposal. Non-compliance can result in fines and imprisonment, but patients are exempt from prosecution. The act does not override state laws regarding the interment or cremation of human remains.

The Veterans Health Care Freedom Act establishes a pilot program within the Department of Veterans Affairs, allowing eligible veterans to choose their healthcare providers, including both VA and non-VA facilities. This program requires veterans to select a primary care provider to coordinate their care but allows them to choose any specialist within the covered care system. After four years, the bill makes these conditions on healthcare provider choice permanent, enabling veterans to receive care at any VA facility, regardless of their Veterans Integrated Service Network. The pilot program will be carried out using existing Veterans Health Administration funds.

The POLICE Act of 2025 amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to make any alien who assaults a law enforcement officer deportable. It requires the Department of Homeland Security to publish an annual report detailing the number of aliens deported for assaulting a law enforcement officer.

The "Unborn Child Support Act" amends the Social Security Act to include unborn children in child support enforcement, allowing mothers to seek child support from the biological father starting from the first month of conception. It ensures states establish and enforce these obligations while protecting the interests and safety of both the mother and the unborn child, with collections potentially dating back to conception, and prevents the modification of these requirements through experimental projects. These changes take effect two years after enactment.

The "Stop Wasteful Advertising by the Government Act" or the "SWAG Act" aims to prevent federal agencies from using taxpayer dollars for wasteful advertising practices. It prohibits the use of federal funds for swag and mascots, with limited exceptions for recruitment, census purposes, and existing military mascots. The Act also mandates agencies to report on their public relations and advertising spending, including return on investment, to Congress annually.

The "Promoting Domestic Energy Production Act" amends the Internal Revenue Code to change how intangible drilling and development costs are calculated for adjusted financial statement income, specifically regarding depreciation and depletion expenses. It allows companies to deduct these costs, aligning financial statement income calculations more closely with taxable income calculations. These changes apply to taxable years starting after December 31, 2025.

The "No Tax Dollars for Terrorists Act" aims to prevent financial and material support from foreign countries and NGOs to the Taliban, especially from those receiving U.S. aid. It mandates the Secretary of State to identify entities supporting the Taliban, develop a strategy to discourage such support, and report regularly to Congress on the strategy's implementation and impact. The Act also requires reports on U.S.-funded cash assistance programs in Afghanistan and the status of the Afghan Fund, including measures to prevent Taliban access to these funds.

The ALIGN Act makes full expensing permanent for qualified property placed in service after September 27, 2017, by amending Section 168(k) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. It also removes outdated clauses and updates references within Section 168(k) and amends Section 460(c)(6)(B) to clarify its application to property with a recovery period of 7 years or less. These changes are retroactive, as if included in Public Law 115-97.

The Foreign Adversary Risk Management (FARM) Act aims to protect U.S. agriculture by including it under the oversight of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). This bill adds the Secretary of Agriculture to the CFIUS committee and expands CFIUS authority to review transactions that could result in foreign control of U.S. businesses involved in agriculture. Additionally, the Secretary of Agriculture and the Comptroller General are required to analyze foreign influence in the U.S. agriculture industry and submit a report to Congress.