Legislative Activity

The Combatting Money Laundering in Cyber Crime Act of 2025 expands the investigative authority of the U.S. Secret Service to better target financial crimes related to cyber activity. This legislation also increases the information retention period for the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) to ten years. Finally, the bill mandates a Government Accountability Office report to assess the effectiveness of current anti-money laundering efforts against cybercrime.

The Bank Competition Modernization Act modifies the competitive review process for certain bank merger and holding company transactions. Specifically, it limits the antitrust considerations for transactions resulting in an entity with less than a specified asset threshold, currently set at $\$10$ billion. This asset threshold will be automatically adjusted annually based on changes in the U.S. nominal Gross Domestic Product.

This bill, the STUDENT Act, seeks to fundamentally alter the federal charter and operations of the National Education Association (NEA). It imposes strict new requirements on the organization's political activities, membership dues collection from government employees, and governance structure. Furthermore, the Act prohibits the NEA and its affiliates from engaging in strikes or promoting specific controversial ideological beliefs within schools.

This bill aims to protect vital U.S. companies from foreign regulations that target American technology leadership, particularly concerning digital market rules. It prevents U.S. courts from enforcing foreign legal judgments against these critical entities based on such regulations. Furthermore, the President is granted authority to shield these companies from adverse foreign actions when deemed in the national interest.

The **PROTECT USA Act of 2025** aims to shield U.S. companies integral to national interests—especially those in energy, manufacturing, and resource extraction—from foreign sustainability regulations. It generally prohibits these key entities from complying with foreign due diligence rules that conflict with U.S. interests. Furthermore, the bill provides legal protections and penalties against any adverse action taken against these companies for adhering to U.S. law over foreign mandates.

The Expanding Access to Lending Options Act directs the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) to prioritize the safety and soundness of federally chartered credit unions. This legislation primarily amends the Federal Credit Union Act by extending the maximum holding period for certain real estate assets from 15 to 20 years. It also clarifies the eligibility language for property involved in these real estate loans.

The Stopping Proxy Advisor Racketeering Act establishes new rules under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to ensure proxy advisory firms provide unbiased voting recommendations to shareholders. This bill prohibits firms from issuing advice if they have conflicts of interest, such as simultaneously consulting for the company being advised upon or actively working with one side of a shareholder proposal. The legislation grants the SEC authority to impose civil penalties on firms that violate these new standards.

The Separation of Powers Restoration Act of 2025 requires courts to independently decide all legal questions, including interpreting laws and agency rules, when reviewing agency actions. This changes the standard of judicial review, ensuring courts do not defer to an agency's interpretation but make their own judgment. This applies to all agency actions unless explicitly exempted by law.

The Halting Uncertain Methods and Practices in Supervision Act of 2025 (HUMPS Act) aims to increase objectivity and consistency in how banks are rated by regulators. This bill mandates the update of the CAMELS rating system to establish clear, measurable standards for each component. The goal is to ensure that bank supervision focuses strictly on core financial health rather than subjective examiner judgment.

The Insurance Data Protection Act aims to adjust federal regulatory authority over insurance data by limiting the subpoena power of the Office of Financial Research against insurance companies. It also strengthens confidentiality protections for data shared with and held by the Federal Insurance Office and other financial regulators. Furthermore, the bill mandates that financial regulators must seek existing data from other sources before directly collecting information from insurance companies, ensuring data privacy is maintained.

The Restoring Court Authority Over Litigation Act of 2025 seeks to re-establish state and federal courts as the sole regulators of attorney conduct during litigation. This bill explicitly prevents federal agencies from supervising or enforcing rules on lawyers' litigation activities. Furthermore, it bars private lawsuits in federal court against opposing counsel based solely on their actions within a case. Finally, it amends existing law to exempt attorneys engaged in litigation for debt collection from being classified as "debt collectors."

The Law-Enforcement Innovate to De-Escalate Act of 2025 exempts specific, clearly defined less-than-lethal projectile devices from standard federal firearm restrictions under Title 18 of the U.S. Code. This exemption applies only to devices incapable of firing standard ammunition and designed to minimize the risk of serious injury or death. The bill also establishes a process for manufacturers to seek official confirmation from the Attorney General regarding a device's classification.

The "Making the CFPB Accountable to Small Businesses Act of 2025" requires covered agencies to consider the impact of proposed rules on small entities and provide detailed justifications if alternatives aren't adopted. It also requires agencies to describe steps taken to minimize credit costs for small entities.

This bill disapproves and invalidates a rule issued by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) concerning the requirements for companies to notify the FTC before merging or acquiring another company. These requirements include reporting and waiting periods. By disapproving this rule, the bill prevents the FTC from implementing changes to the pre-merger notification process.

The "Stopping Overdoses of Fentanyl Analogues Act" amends the Controlled Substances Act to classify fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs, making them subject to the same penalties as specific fentanyl analogues. This classification applies to substances structurally related to fentanyl through defined chemical modifications, without needing further proof of their analogue status. The Act aims to combat the opioid crisis by more strictly regulating fentanyl-related substances.

The Interstate Commerce Simplification Act of 2025 amends existing federal law to broaden the definition of "solicitation of orders" to include activities that support order solicitation, regardless of other business purposes. This change may subject businesses to income tax in states where they have previously been protected from taxation under federal law.