Legislative Activity

This resolution supports the designation of September 19, 2025, as "National Stillbirth Prevention and Awareness Day" to recognize the tens of thousands of families affected by stillbirth. It celebrates the passage of the Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act of 2024, which aims to increase federal funding for stillbirth prevention research. Furthermore, the resolution urges the President to issue a proclamation encouraging national observance and action to reduce stillbirth rates.

The Equal Campus Access Act of 2025 ensures that public colleges receiving federal funding must grant religious student organizations the same rights, benefits, and privileges afforded to all other student groups. This prevents institutions from denying resources or penalizing religious groups based on their beliefs, practices, speech, leadership selection, or conduct standards. Essentially, the bill mandates equal treatment for all student organizations on campus to maintain federal funding eligibility.

This joint resolution formally honors the thirteen U.S. service members who were killed in the August 26, 2021, bombing at Abbey Gate during the withdrawal from Afghanistan. It recognizes their ultimate sacrifice in service to the nation and expresses deep gratitude to their families. The resolution also designates a National Day of Remembrance to ensure their faithful service is never forgotten.

The Financial Exploitation Prevention Act of 2025 allows investment companies to voluntarily adopt rules enabling them to postpone the redemption of shares for vulnerable investors suspected of being financially exploited. If a company opts in, it can delay payouts for up to 25 business days while investigating potential exploitation of an older or impaired adult. Companies must also establish internal procedures and notify customers that such delays are possible under these specific circumstances.

This resolution formally condemns the assassination of Charlie Kirk and honors his life and legacy as a devoted husband, father, and founder of Turning Point USA. It recognizes his commitment to encouraging civil discourse on college campuses across the nation. The Senate also extends its deepest sympathies to his surviving family.

The Ski Hill Resources for Economic Development Act establishes a dedicated "Ski Area Fee Retention Account" to hold fees collected from ski area permits on National Forest land. These retained funds are primarily directed back to the specific forest unit where they were collected to support administration, permit processing, and facility maintenance. The bill ensures these fees supplement, rather than replace, existing congressional appropriations for Forest Service operations.

The RESULTS Act of 2025 aims to significantly improve the accuracy of Medicare payment rates for common clinical diagnostic laboratory tests. It mandates that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) contract with an independent, certified entity to collect payment data from a massive, nationwide private insurance claims database. This shift ensures payment rates are based on comprehensive, validated external data rather than relying solely on self-reported information. If this external data is unavailable, default inflation-adjusted rates will apply until accurate data collection resumes.

This bill amends the Community Development Banking and Financial Institutions Act to enhance liquidity for Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs). It authorizes the Fund to provide capitalization assistance, such as purchasing loans or offering guarantees, to organizations that support CDFIs. The legislation significantly raises the funding cap for this assistance and mandates annual reporting to Congress on its impact.

The Prevent Government Shutdowns Act of 2025 establishes an automatic, 14-day continuing funding mechanism to keep federal programs operational if Congress fails to pass a full budget by the start of the fiscal year. This automatic funding continues in two-week increments until a final budget is enacted, while simultaneously imposing strict travel and procedural limitations on Congress and federal employees during these lapses. The Act is designed to prevent government shutdowns by ensuring continuity of essential services while incentivizing timely budget passage.

The Protecting Regular Order for Veterans Act of 2025 mandates quarterly budget briefings for Congress by the VA Secretary and places new restrictions on critical skills bonuses for senior executives. Additionally, the bill establishes a new Veterans Experience Office, reporting directly to the Secretary, tasked with improving beneficiary satisfaction and reporting on customer feedback data to Congress. This new office will sunset on September 30, 2028, following a review by the Comptroller General.

The LETITIA Act significantly increases criminal penalties for public officials who commit financial crimes, including bank fraud, lying on loan applications, and tax fraud. This legislation establishes mandatory minimum sentences and higher fines that escalate based on the number of prior offenses committed by the official. Furthermore, it directs the Department of Justice and the Department of the Treasury to issue guidance ensuring rigorous investigation and enforcement of these enhanced statutes against public servants.

The Merchant Banking Modernization Act updates regulations for bank holding companies regarding their merchant banking investments. This legislation extends the minimum holding period for these investments to 15 years. This new minimum duration applies retroactively to investments already held by banks.

The MORE USDA Grants Act aims to boost economic opportunities in rural areas, specifically targeting counties with significant federal land ownership and low populations. This bill lowers the required local matching funds by 50% for qualifying USDA grants in these designated areas. It also mandates priority consideration and enhanced technical assistance for grant applications submitted by local and Tribal governments within these counties. Furthermore, the Secretary of Agriculture is empowered to offer flexibility in grant scoring and requirements that disadvantage smaller, isolated communities.

The MORE DOT Grants Act aims to increase transportation funding opportunities for specific rural areas designated as "High-Density Public Land Counties." This bill lowers the required local matching funds by 50% for eligible DOT grant programs in these counties. It also mandates technical assistance and gives priority to applicants from these areas that have not recently received funding from the specific program. Finally, the legislation allows for greater flexibility in application requirements for these local and Tribal governments.

This bill prohibits non-U.S. citizens from voting in any election within the District of Columbia. It also repeals the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022, effectively undoing that prior legislation. The measure ensures that only citizens can participate in D.C. local elections and ballot initiatives.

The Forest Bioeconomy Act aims to boost the commercialization of wood-based products and renewable fuels by establishing a new Office of Technology Transfer within the Forest Service. The bill also creates a Joint Mass Timber Science and Education Program to advance research, education, and practical application of engineered wood products in construction. Furthermore, it authorizes a pilot program to provide innovation vouchers to small businesses for research and development in the forest products industry.

The Equal Shot Act of 2025 aims to prevent discrimination against businesses within the firearms industry when applying for financial assistance from the Small Business Administration (SBA). This legislation explicitly prohibits the SBA from denying loans or guarantees solely based on an applicant's status as a firearm entity, affiliate, or trade association. The Act first establishes clear definitions for these industry participants to ensure fair and equal consideration for all qualified applicants.

The Protecting Air Ambulance Services for Americans Act of 2025 aims to reform how Medicare pays for emergency air ambulance services. It requires the Secretary of HHS to update the payment system using newly collected cost and usage data from providers. Furthermore, the bill mandates the timely finalization of data collection rules and directs the GAO to study the true costs of these essential emergency transports.

This resolution formally honors the significant economic and cultural contributions of small, domestic firearm manufacturers to the United States. It recognizes these businesses as vital to supporting American manufacturing, job creation, and the traditions of recreational shooting sports. Furthermore, the resolution designates August 2025 as "National Shooting Sports Month."

The Cell-Site Simulator Warrant Act of 2025 generally prohibits law enforcement and intelligence agencies from using cell-site simulators ("Stingrays") domestically without a warrant that proves necessity and limits scope. Evidence obtained illegally is inadmissible in court, and agencies must disclose potential service disruptions when seeking authorization. The Act establishes strict oversight, including required annual reporting to Congress on the use of these surveillance tools.