Legislative Activity

The Accountability in Foreign Animal Research Act prohibits U.S. federal funding for biomedical research involving live vertebrate animals conducted in or by entities in specific foreign countries, including China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia. This measure aims to stop the use of U.S. taxpayer dollars to support animal testing in designated nations of concern. The Secretary of Health and Human Services can also add other countries to this restricted list after consulting with relevant departments.

The TRACKS Act mandates increased transparency regarding federal funds distributed to foreign entities, particularly those linked to countries of concern. It establishes new reporting requirements for prime award recipients passing down federal money as subawards to these specified foreign organizations. This legislation aims to ensure the government has full knowledge of where federal spending is directed overseas.

The GHOST Act of 2025 establishes the Russia Sanctions Enforcement Fund to finance the seizure and forfeiture of assets related to Russian sanctions violations. It also creates the Export Enforcement Coordination Center, housed within Homeland Security Investigations, to centralize and improve interagency efforts against illegal exports. The bill mandates strict reporting on the Fund's activities and ensures robust coordination between law enforcement and intelligence communities on export control enforcement.

The Food Security and Farm Protection Act prohibits state and local governments from imposing new regulations on how agricultural products are grown in other states for interstate commerce. It establishes a federal right for affected parties to sue governments over such regulations that interfere with the flow of agricultural goods across state lines. Successful plaintiffs can seek to overturn the regulation and recover economic damages.

The Travel Trailer and Camper Tax Parity Act amends tax law to expand the definition of "floor plan financing interest" to specifically include interest paid on financing for certain towable travel trailers and campers. This change allows businesses selling these recreational vehicles to treat the interest on their inventory financing under special tax deduction rules. This provision takes effect for tax years beginning after December 31, 2024.

This resolution officially designates March 27, 2025, as "National Women in Agriculture Day." It recognizes the vital and substantial contributions of the over 1.2 million female agricultural producers to the U.S. economy and global food supply. The measure encourages citizens to acknowledge the leadership, mentorship, and economic impact women have across the entire agricultural sector.

The Taxpayer-Funded Union Time Transparency Act mandates that federal agencies annually report detailed information regarding the costs and time spent on union-related activities. This includes itemizing employee time spent on official union business, negotiation costs, and the value of government property provided to labor organizations. The goal is to increase public accountability for how taxpayer resources are utilized in connection with federal labor relations.

The Rural Housing Accessibility Act aims to streamline the process for families moving with housing vouchers to new jurisdictions. It requires public housing agencies that do not fully utilize their funds to either absorb incoming housing vouchers or limit billing the initial issuing agency to a maximum of 12 months. This ensures that families moving to new areas receive immediate assistance while placing a time limit on the financial responsibility of the original agency.

The Return to Sender Act focuses on fiscal cleanup by officially repealing specific funding authorizations within Public Law 117-169. This action immediately rescinds any unspent, obligated funds previously set aside under those repealed sections. In essence, the bill cancels old spending authority and returns the remaining money to the Treasury.

The FARMLAND Act of 2025 aims to increase scrutiny and penalties regarding foreign investment in U.S. agricultural land, driven by national security concerns. It enhances disclosure rules, mandates annual risk reports on ownership by certain foreign entities, and empowers the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to review significant real estate purchases by "foreign entities of concern." Furthermore, the bill establishes new enforcement roles within the Department of Agriculture and prohibits foreign persons from participating in Farm Service Agency programs.

The INNOVATE Act is a comprehensive bill designed to significantly reform the SBIR and STTR programs to boost small business innovation, particularly in national security technologies. It increases funding for university partnerships, establishes high-stakes fast-tracking for critical defense technologies, and introduces new limits and entry pathways to broaden participation across America. Furthermore, the legislation tightens security reviews to protect American innovation from foreign risk while streamlining administrative processes for applicants.

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 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 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.

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 "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.

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.