Legislative Activity

The "Combating Rural Inflation Act" directs the Bureau of Labor Statistics to create a monthly Consumer Price Index for Rural Consumers, starting in January 2026. This index will track changes in typical spending for people living in rural communities in the United States.

The Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2025 requires the Department of Education to consider the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of antisemitism when evaluating discrimination complaints under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, concerning race, color, and national origin. This aims to address rising antisemitism in educational settings. The Act clarifies that it does not expand the Department of Education's authority, change existing discrimination standards, reduce existing rights, or infringe upon First Amendment rights.

The "Love Lives On Act of 2025" amends titles 10 and 38 of the United States Code to improve benefits and services for surviving spouses. This act modifies Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) rules, allowing surviving spouses who remarry to still receive benefits. Additionally, it ensures continued Survivor Benefit Plan annuity payments for certain remarried surviving spouses and expands TRICARE eligibility to include remarried widow/widowers whose subsequent marriage ended.

The "Spent Fuel Prioritization Act of 2025" amends the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, changing how the Energy Secretary prioritizes accepting high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel. Priority is given to waste from decommissioned reactors, reactors in densely populated areas, areas with high earthquake risk, and areas with national security risks due to continued on-site storage. This aims to address the most urgent risks associated with storing nuclear waste.

The US-Kazakhstan Trade Modernization Act allows the President to extend nondiscriminatory trade treatment to products from Kazakhstan, which would formally remove Kazakhstan from Title IV of the Trade Act of 1974. This action acknowledges Kazakhstan's compliance with emigration requirements since 1997 and its membership in the World Trade Organization since 2015, further solidifying trade relations between the United States and Kazakhstan.

The "QUIET Act" aims to regulate robocalls using artificial intelligence by requiring disclosure when AI is used to mimic a real person in robocalls or text messages. It mandates that callers reveal the use of AI at the beginning of the communication. The Act also doubles the penalties for illegal robocalls or texts that use AI to impersonate individuals with the intent to defraud or cause harm.

The 9/11 Memorial and Museum Act authorizes a one-time grant between $5,000,000 and $10,000,000 to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum for operations, security, and maintenance. To receive the grant, the museum must offer free admission to certain groups, provide free admission hours to the general public, and allow annual federal audits of its financial records. The museum must also submit annual reports to Congress detailing how the grant funds were used. No additional funds are authorized beyond the initial appropriation for this grant.

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 "American CANS Act" amends the Tariff Act of 1930, mandating that country-of-origin labels for canned agricultural products be clearly displayed on the front label or top of the can. This aims to increase consumer awareness of the source of their canned goods. The updated labeling requirements will apply to imported agricultural products 18 months after the law is enacted.

The "Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Reauthorization Act" reauthorizes and expands programs aimed at supporting the mental health of healthcare providers. It requires annual reports on education and awareness initiatives, broadens eligibility for entities receiving funds, and extends funding for mental health support programs through 2030. The Act prioritizes reducing administrative burdens on healthcare workers to improve access to mental health services.

The "Stop the Wait Act of 2025" eliminates the waiting period for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, phasing it out completely by 2030. It also waives the 24-month waiting period for Medicare eligibility for certain SSDI recipients who lack minimum essential health coverage, allowing them to access Medicare retroactively to the start of their SSDI entitlement. The Act establishes special enrollment periods for Medicare Part B for these newly eligible individuals.

This bill recognizes February 4, 2025, as National Cancer Prevention Day to raise awareness about cancer prevention and risk reduction. It supports the Cancer Moonshot's goal to reduce the cancer death rate and emphasizes the importance of early detection, knowledge expansion, and collaboration with experts to combat cancer.

This resolution addresses concerns over Iran's nuclear program, support for terrorist groups, and threats to the United States, Israel, and their allies. It highlights Iran's non-compliance with international agreements, advancements in uranium enrichment, and destabilizing actions in the Middle East. The resolution affirms that all options should be considered to address Iran's nuclear threat, while clarifying that it does not authorize military force. It demands Iran cease all activities that threaten the United States, Israel and its allies.

The "Protect Our Clothes from PFAS Act" modifies the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, specifically altering the requirements for a garment to be classified as water resistant by removing a sentence from the additional notes. This change may impact import duties and trade regulations related to water-resistant clothing.

The Parity Enforcement Act of 2025 amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, introducing civil monetary penalties for group health plans, service providers, and administrators that fail to meet mental health and substance use disorder parity requirements. This act enables the Department of Labor to enforce parity in mental health benefits, similar to protections against genetic information discrimination, ensuring equitable access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment. These changes will be effective for plan years starting one year after the Act's enactment.

The "Banning Strategic Petroleum Reserve Oil Exports to Foreign Adversaries Act" prohibits the Secretary of Energy from selling or exporting petroleum products from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to China, North Korea, Russia, Iran, or any entities controlled by them, including the Chinese Communist Party. The Secretary of Energy can waive this prohibition if it is deemed to be in the national security interest of the United States. A rule to carry out this section must be issued within 60 days of the enactment of this Act.

The "Non-Recognition of Russian Annexation of Ukrainian Territory Act" prohibits the United States from recognizing Russia's claim of sovereignty over any portion of Ukraine. It also prevents any federal department or agency from taking actions that would imply recognition of such claims.

The "Health Out-of-Pocket Expense Act of 2025" or the "HOPE Act of 2025" establishes tax-exempt "Hope Accounts" for eligible individuals to pay for qualified medical expenses. Contributions to these accounts are capped at \$4,000 annually for self-only or married individuals with family coverage, and \$8,000 for heads of household with family coverage, with employer and Medicaid contributions limited to 50% of the individual's limit. Distributions used for qualified medical expenses are tax-free, while non-qualified distributions are subject to income tax and a 30% penalty, with exceptions for distributions after death or due to disability. These provisions will take effect for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2025.

The "Lower Grocery Prices Act" directs the Comptroller General to study grocery costs for U.S. consumers over the past 20 years. The study will analyze the Consumer Price Index for food and other economic data to understand the impact on consumers. Within 180 days, a report with findings and recommendations to lower food costs will be submitted to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, the House Committee on Financial Services, and the Senate Committee on Finance.

The "Keeping Drugs Out of Schools Act of 2025" establishes a grant program, managed by the Office of National Drug Control Policy, to support local schools in partnering with community coalitions for effective drug prevention programs. Grants, up to $75,000 per year, will fund the implementation of detailed drug prevention plans developed by the schools and coalitions. The Act allocates $7 million annually from 2026-2031 for these grants, emphasizing the importance of supplementing existing drug prevention funding and utilizing evidence-based evaluation criteria.