Legislative Activity

The St. Patrick's Day Act officially designates St. Patrick's Day as a federal holiday. This amendment adds the observance to the list of recognized federal holidays under U.S. Code. Consequently, St. Patrick's Day will now be treated the same as other federal holidays for matters such as federal office closures and employee leave.

The Kangaroo Protection Act of 2025 prohibits the knowing importation, sale, or commercial distribution of kangaroos or kangaroo products derived from four specific species into the United States. This legislation establishes civil and criminal penalties, including fines and potential jail time, for violations of these interstate commerce restrictions. The Secretary of Commerce is tasked with developing the necessary regulations to implement these protections.

The Justice for ALS Veterans Act of 2025 provides increased dependency and indemnity compensation to surviving spouses of veterans who die from ALS, regardless of the duration of the illness. To be eligible, the surviving spouse must have been married to the veteran for at least eight years, and the veteran must have died on or after October 1, 2025. Additionally, the bill requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit a report to Congress identifying other service-connected disabilities that should receive similar treatment as ALS under existing compensation guidelines.

The PAST Act of 2025 significantly strengthens the Horse Protection Act to combat the painful practice of soring in specific horse breeds. This bill increases penalties for violations, establishes stricter licensing and oversight for inspectors, and explicitly bans the use of "action devices" designed to cause unnatural gaits. The legislation aims to enhance enforcement, ensure fairer competition, and hold violators accountable through increased fines and disqualifications.

The MODERN WIC Act of 2025 aims to modernize the WIC program by expanding options for remote certification appointments, including telephone and video calls, and allowing for remote delivery of food benefits. It requires state agencies to offer various formats for certification appointments, ensuring accessibility for individuals with disabilities. The Act also mandates a report to Congress on the use of remote technologies in WIC, focusing on their impact and best practices.

The "Delaware River Basin Restoration Program Reauthorization Act of 2025" reauthorizes and modifies the Delaware River Basin Conservation Program. It broadens the definition of the Basin to include Maryland, allows prioritization of funding for projects benefiting small, rural, or disadvantaged communities, and extends the program's operation until 2032.

The "Protect Our Letter Carriers Act of 2025" aims to protect postal workers by allocating funds for high-security collection boxes and electronic mailbox keys. It also mandates the appointment of dedicated attorneys to prosecute crimes against postal employees and directs the Sentencing Commission to increase penalties for assaulting or robbing them.

The "Protecting VA Employees Act" repeals and modifies sections of Title 38 and Title 5 of the U.S. Code related to employee removal, demotion, and suspension processes within the Department of Veterans Affairs. It restores specific disciplinary and grievance procedures for Veterans Health Administration personnel to their pre-2017 status. The act also renames and redesignates section 714 to "Protections for whistleblowers from removal, demotion, and suspension" and moves it within Chapter 7 of Title 38.

The Patriot Day Act amends title 5 of the United States Code to include "Patriot Day" in section 6103(a). This act formally recognizes Patriot Day as a day of national observance.

This bill designates January 2025 as "National Stalking Awareness Month" to raise public awareness about the prevalence and impact of stalking. It encourages increased support for victims and improved responses from policymakers, the criminal justice system, and community organizations. The aim is to educate the public, reduce underreporting, and promote prevention of stalking nationwide.

This bill supports the designation of January 30, 2025, as CTE and RHI Awareness Day to increase public knowledge of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and repeated head impacts (RHI). It acknowledges the risks and impact of these conditions, particularly for athletes, veterans, and others susceptible to head trauma. The bill encourages further research, early diagnosis, and informed decision-making, while also recognizing the contributions of researchers, affected families, and organizations dedicated to CTE awareness. It also urges the CDC and NIH to include CTE and RHI information in concussion education.

The Bipartisan Restoring Faith in Government Act prohibits members of Congress, their spouses, and dependent children from owning or trading stocks, bonds, commodities, futures, and other covered investments, with exceptions for widely held investment funds and U.S. Treasury bills. It mandates that covered individuals sell or place prohibited financial instruments in a qualified blind trust and submit a compliance pledge. Non-compliance may result in civil penalties and referral to the Attorney General. The bill also amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow for deferral of capital gains taxes on divested assets.

The "CLEAN Public Service Act" terminates future retirement benefits for Members of Congress under the Civil Service Retirement System and the Federal Employees Retirement System, 90 days after enactment of the bill. This act halts government contributions and payroll deductions for congressional retirement, while preserving already earned benefits. Members of Congress can still participate in the Thrift Savings Plan.

The "Securing Our Elections Act of 2025" mandates that voters provide photo identification to cast ballots in federal elections, beginning in 2026. It allows provisional ballots for those without ID, which can be counted if a valid ID or affidavit is provided shortly after the election. The bill requires states to offer free photo IDs to those who cannot obtain one and ensures access to free digital imaging services for copying IDs. States with existing photo ID laws can continue using them upon approval from the Attorney General.

This proposed constitutional amendment changes the rules for ending debates on legislation in the Senate. It mandates that ending a debate requires either adherence to the rules in place on January 3, 2025, unanimous consent, or a three-fifths majority vote of all Senators. This new rule would not apply to presidential nominations.

The "Restoring Faith in Elections Act" aims to standardize and secure federal elections by establishing federal standards for mail-in ballots and election result reporting, introducing automatic voter registration, promoting equal treatment of voting methods, and creating a national database to ensure the accuracy of voter registration lists. This act mandates states to implement automatic voter registration using electronic data from government agencies unless individuals opt out, standardizes election administration procedures, and establishes a National Deconfliction Voting Database to prevent duplicate registrations and ensure voter eligibility. By standardizing these processes, the act seeks to enhance election integrity, increase voter participation, and ensure accurate voter rolls across the United States.

The CLEAN Elections Act requires states to use independent, nonpartisan commissions for Congressional redistricting. States must use similar commissions for state legislative districts to access federal election administration funds. A commission is considered nonpartisan and independent if the number of members from the state's two largest political parties is equal and none of its members are elected officials.

This bill proposes a constitutional amendment to limit the number of terms a person can serve in Congress. Representatives would be limited to six two-year terms, and Senators would be limited to two six-year terms. The term limits would not be applied retroactively to anyone serving before the 118th Congress.

The Election Day Act amends Title 5 of the United States Code to recognize "Election Day" as a federal holiday. This would add Election Day to the list of recognized holidays alongside Columbus Day.

The "Let America Vote Act" aims to increase voter participation and prevent noncitizen voting. It mandates that states allow unaffiliated voters to participate in any primary election without being treated as party members or having their information shared and prohibits non-citizens from voting in any election. Non-compliant states risk losing federal election administration funding, while compliant states can receive transition assistance grants.