Legislative Activity

The FARMLAND Act of 2025 aims to protect U.S. agriculture and national security by increasing oversight and restrictions on foreign investment in agricultural land. It mandates increased reporting and due diligence requirements for land purchases, enhances the authority of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to review real estate transactions, and prohibits foreign entities from participating in Farm Service Agency programs. The Act also directs the creation of a comprehensive database of foreign-owned agricultural land and allocates funding for enforcement and implementation.

The INNOVATE Act aims to enhance the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) and Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) programs by increasing funding opportunities for small businesses, streamlining technology transition, broadening participation, and protecting American innovation from foreign influence. It refines program administration, sets higher commercialization standards, and extends program authorization through 2028. The Act also seeks to reduce discriminatory practices and ensure a more geographically diverse distribution of funding. Additionally, the legislation focuses on safeguarding intellectual property and national security by preventing the transfer of valuable technology to potential adversaries.

The "Stop Secret Spending Act of 2025" aims to increase transparency in federal spending by mandating the reporting of "other transaction agreements" on USAspending.gov. It requires the Secretary of the Treasury to ensure this data is accessible within three years and to publish annual reports on federal spending data. The Act also directs Inspectors General to submit reports to Congress, mandates specific federal agencies to post information, and instructs the Comptroller General to provide recommendations for updating the Federal Acquisition Regulation.

The "Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act of 2025" mandates an annual report on taxpayer-funded government projects that are significantly behind schedule (more than 5 years) or have exceeded their original cost estimate by at least $1 billion. This report, compiled by the Office of Management and Budget, will detail project descriptions, scope changes, timelines, cost overruns, and reasons for delays, and will be submitted to Congress and made public. The goal is to increase transparency and accountability for large-scale government projects.

The "SCRUB Act of 2025" aims to reduce the economic burden of federal regulations by requiring agencies to repeal existing rules when creating new ones, prioritizing cost savings. It mandates a review of existing regulations, targeting a 33% reduction in regulatory costs by 2026, and requires agencies to include review plans for new rules to ensure regular evaluation and potential repeal. The Act also allows for judicial review of agency compliance and takes effect immediately upon enactment.

The "Unplug the Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Programs Act" seeks to eliminate federal grant programs and funding, including the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program, dedicated to building electric vehicle charging infrastructure. This bill rescinds unspent funds allocated to these programs and prevents any future funding for such projects.

The "Returning SBA to Main Street Act" mandates the Small Business Administration (SBA) to relocate at least 30% of its headquarters employees outside the Washington metropolitan area, ensuring employee pay aligns with their new duty station's locality. The Act also requires a corresponding 30% reduction in the Administration's headquarters office space and enhanced reporting to Congress regarding employee distribution and telework arrangements. This bill prioritizes geographic diversity and in-person customer service, while also ensuring compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The Presidential Allowance Modernization Act of 2025 amends the Former Presidents Act to modernize the benefits and allowances provided to former presidents and their surviving spouses. It sets a fixed annual annuity and allowance, both subject to cost-of-living adjustments, while also limiting the allowance based on the former president's income. The bill increases benefits for surviving spouses, extends benefits to widowers, and requires disclosure of tax information for allowance calculation, while ensuring no changes to existing security provisions for former presidents and their families. Notably, current former Presidents are exempt from the provisions of this act.

The ELECT Act of 2025 eliminates taxpayer financing of presidential election campaigns. It terminates the designation of income tax payments for campaign funding, eliminates the Presidential Election Campaign Fund, and transfers any remaining funds to the Treasury to reduce the deficit. These changes apply to taxable years starting after December 31, 2024, and presidential elections after the enactment of this law.

The "Protecting Taxpayers Wallets Act of 2025" mandates federal agencies to charge labor organizations (unions) for the use of federal resources, including union time, to be paid quarterly into the Treasury's general fund. It establishes penalties for late payments, including interest, suspension of union time, and potential decertification and requires agencies to track union time accurately and prohibits fee waivers. Agency Inspectors General must evaluate compliance every two years.

This resolution authorizes the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship to spend money from the Senate's contingent fund, hire staff, and utilize personnel from other government departments or agencies from March 1, 2025, through February 28, 2027. It sets specific expense limits for the committee during different periods, including allocations for consultants and staff training. The resolution also outlines how the committee will handle its expenses and agency contributions, with payments made from the Senate's contingent fund and Inquiries and Investigations expense account.

The "Prove It Act of 2025" amends Title 5 of the United States Code to require agencies to consider potential indirect costs a proposed rule may impose on small businesses, and allows small businesses to petition the Small Business Administration's Chief Counsel for Advocacy to review an agency's certification that a proposed rule won't significantly impact a substantial number of small entities. Additionally, agency heads must publish guidance and relevant documents on regulations.gov or a similar website for any rule likely to significantly impact a substantial number of small entities, including updated guidance that interprets the rule and agencies must consider indirect costs during the 10-year review period. No additional funds will be allocated to implement this Act or its changes.

The "Family Farm and Small Business Exemption Act" exempts family farms and small businesses from being considered as assets when calculating eligibility for federal financial aid under the Higher Education Act of 1965. This exemption applies to family farms where the family resides and small businesses with 100 or fewer employees that the family owns and controls. These changes will apply to financial aid award years starting after the enactment of this Act.

The "Complete COVID Collections Act" aims to enhance oversight and recovery of funds allocated for COVID-19 relief programs. It expands the authority and extends the term of the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery, harmonizes fraud enforcement timelines, and mandates the Department of Justice and Pandemic Response Accountability Committee to increase transparency in reporting fraud and recovered funds. The Act also prohibits the Small Business Administration from suspending collection efforts on COVID-19 related loans and requires regular reporting to Congress on collection progress and improper payments.

The "Snap Back Inaccurate SNAP Payments Act" amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to improve the calculation and reduce taxpayer costs of payment errors in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). It sets the tolerance level for excluding small errors at $0 and increases the error threshold from 10% to 25%. The bill also introduces a payment error rate reduction based on the percentage of overpayments recouped and requires state agencies to recoup overpayments made to benefit recipients.

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 "Ensuring Accurate and Complete Abortion Data Reporting Act of 2025" mandates that states report abortion data to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to receive Medicaid funding for family planning services. This act requires the CDC to establish a system for collecting standardized abortion data, create a standard reporting worksheet for states, and issue annual reports based on the collected data. States must report data including maternal age, gestational age, race, ethnicity, abortion method, and other variables, and certify the accuracy of their submissions. States providing false information will lose Medicaid payments for family planning services and supplies.

The "Protect Funding for Women's Health Care Act" prohibits federal funds from going to Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its affiliates. It states that the funds will still be available to other eligible entities for women's health services. It does not alter existing abortion-related limitations or decrease overall federal funding for women's health initiatives.

The RED TAPE Act prioritizes easily measured monetary benefits in regulatory decisions, requiring agencies to demonstrate clear financial benefits from regulations while minimizing costs. It amends Title 5 of the U.S. Code to prohibit the consideration of non-monetized or unquantified factors in regulatory impact analyses and benefit-cost analyses. The Act mandates transparency by requiring agencies to publish detailed analyses in the Federal Register and allows affected parties to challenge rules that violate these provisions in court. It applies to rules issued on or after November 9, 2023, with changes effective 30 days after enactment.

Sarah's Law mandates the detention of aliens who were not inspected upon entering the U.S., had a revoked nonimmigrant visa, or violated their visa terms, and are charged with a crime resulting in death or serious bodily injury. It requires the Department of Homeland Security to inform victims and their families about the alien's identity, immigration status, criminal history, custody status, and removal efforts. The law also ensures that it does not diminish any rights crime victims have under existing laws.