Legislative Activity

The Wall Street Tax Act of 2025 establishes a new federal tax on covered financial trading transactions involving securities and derivatives. This transaction tax rate will gradually increase from 0.02 percent in 2026 to 0.1 percent by 2030. The responsibility for paying the tax falls on exchanges, brokers, or the involved parties, depending on how the trade is executed. The bill also includes specific rules for foreign corporations and provides detailed definitions and exceptions for what constitutes a taxable security or derivative.

The Healthy Food Financing Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2025 secures dedicated funding for the Healthy Food Financing Initiative through fiscal year 2029 and beyond. This bill authorizes the Secretary to allocate increasing amounts, starting at \$25 million in 2025 and stabilizing at \$50 million annually from 2029 onward. The funding will be sourced from the Commodity Credit Corporation.

This concurrent resolution expresses Congress's strong support and deep appreciation for America's law enforcement professionals. It recognizes the increasing dangers, high trauma exposure, and current staffing shortages facing officers nationwide. The resolution calls for enhanced safety measures, better resources, increased penalties for assaulting officers, and improved mental health support for law enforcement personnel. Ultimately, it urges all levels of government to provide the necessary support for officers to effectively protect their communities.

This Act, named in honor of Daniel J. Harvey, Jr. and Adam Lambert, aims to reduce veteran suicide by strengthening mental health resources during the transition from military service to civilian life. It mandates updated mental health and suicide risk briefings within the Department of Defense's Transition Assistance Program (TAP). Furthermore, the bill enhances the VA's Solid Start Program by requiring specific outreach regarding healthcare enrollment and mental health services.

The HCBS Relief Act of 2025 significantly increases federal Medicaid funding for states that commit to improving their Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) programs. This temporary boost requires states to use the extra funds to raise provider reimbursement rates, increase worker compensation, and expand access to services for eligible individuals. States must ensure this new federal money supplements, rather than replaces, existing state spending on HCBS.

This Act mandates the relocation of the Department of Energy's Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management from Washington, D.C., to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, by the end of 2026. The Secretary of Energy must complete this move despite any conflicting federal regulations regarding office locations. Furthermore, the Secretary is required to report to Congress one year after the move detailing employee attrition related to the relocation and its impact on labor negotiations.

The STOP CSAM Act of 2025 significantly overhauls federal protections for child victims and witnesses in court proceedings by expanding definitions of abuse and strengthening rules around protecting personal information. It mandates stricter reporting requirements for online service providers regarding child sexual exploitation material and imposes substantial penalties for non-compliance. Furthermore, the Act expands civil remedies, allowing victims to sue online platforms directly for damages related to hosting or promoting such content. Finally, it facilitates the payment of restitution to vulnerable victims by allowing for the appointment of trustees to manage those funds.

The Maximizing Opioid Recovery Emergency Savings (MORE Savings) Act aims to increase access to evidence-based opioid treatments by testing the elimination of Medicare cost-sharing for these services in select states. It also mandates that private health plans eliminate cost-sharing for essential opioid medications, behavioral health services, and recovery support. Finally, the bill enhances federal Medicaid matching funds for medication-assisted treatment and allows states to cover related recovery support services.

The Choice Neighborhoods Initiative Act of 2025 establishes a competitive grant program managed by the Secretary of HUD to revitalize severely distressed neighborhoods marked by extreme poverty. Grantees must submit comprehensive transformation plans focused on improving housing, fostering economic self-sufficiency, and coordinating community services. A core requirement of the Act is the one-for-one replacement of any public or assisted housing units demolished as part of the revitalization effort. The law also mandates robust resident involvement and guarantees displaced residents the right to return to the newly developed housing.

The Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act restricts how consumer reporting agencies can share your credit report when you are seeking a residential mortgage loan. Specifically, it limits the sharing of these reports unless they are connected to a firm offer of credit or are being sent to parties directly involved in your current mortgage, such as the originator or servicer. This ensures that your sensitive financial information is only accessed by relevant parties during the home loan process.

The Disaster Relief Medicaid Act establishes a temporary, simplified Medicaid pathway for survivors of federally declared disasters, effective January 1, 2027. This pathway provides two years of coverage with relaxed income verification rules, ensuring immediate access to necessary healthcare. The bill also mandates 100% federal funding for these services and supports state efforts to rapidly deploy medical assistance and home care teams following a disaster. Finally, it adjusts Medicare enrollment rules to prevent penalties for survivors delayed by the disaster period.

The Medicare and Medicaid Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act of 2025 expands essential healthcare coverage under both programs. This bill mandates that Medicare begin covering routine dental, vision, and hearing services, including hearing aids, through a phased-in payment schedule reaching 80% coverage by the eighth year. Additionally, it increases the federal matching rate to 90% for states covering these specific dental, vision, and hearing services for certain adults under Medicaid. These comprehensive changes aim to integrate crucial preventative and restorative care into federal health programs.

The Protect IVF Act establishes a federal right to access fertility treatments, such as IVF, based on widely accepted medical standards. It prohibits states from enacting or enforcing rules that create unnecessary roadblocks or conflict with these established medical practices. The law empowers individuals, providers, and insurers to sue to strike down restrictive state laws that interfere with evidence-based fertility care. Ultimately, this Act ensures that decisions regarding fertility treatment remain between patients and their doctors, overriding conflicting state regulations.

The Court Legal Access and Student Support Act of 2025 (CLASS Act) prohibits institutions of higher education receiving federal aid from forcing students into mandatory arbitration or waiving their right to sue the school in court. This legislation exempts student enrollment agreements from federal arbitration requirements, ensuring students retain the ability to pursue legal claims against their institutions. These new provisions will take effect one year after the bill is enacted into law.

The Fit to Serve Act prohibits the Department of Defense from discriminating against service members or recruits based on their gender identity. This means military standards, involuntary separation, and access to medically necessary healthcare cannot be based on an individual's gender identity. The bill ensures that a service member's gender identity cannot be used to deny entry, continued service, or force them to serve under the sex assigned at birth.

The AFIDA Improvements Act of 2025 updates the rules for reporting foreign ownership of U.S. farmland under the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978. This bill lowers the minimum reporting threshold to 1% ownership for certain foreign investors and clarifies enforcement procedures for the Secretary of Agriculture. Furthermore, it mandates information sharing between the Department of Agriculture and national security officials (CFIUS) regarding these foreign investment disclosures. The Act also requires updates to official handbooks and an analysis of implementing a fully electronic reporting system.

This bill, the Striking and Locked Out Workers Healthcare Protection Act, prohibits employers from terminating or altering group health plan coverage for employees during a lawful strike or a lockout intended to gain leverage in collective bargaining. The Act establishes significant civil penalties, up to $\$150,000$ per violation, for employers who illegally cut off this coverage. Furthermore, it allows for individual directors and officers to be held personally liable for these violations.

The Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2025 addresses the growing public health crisis of obesity, particularly among Medicare beneficiaries. This bill expands Medicare coverage for intensive behavioral therapy by allowing more types of qualified healthcare providers to furnish the treatment. Furthermore, it amends Medicare Part D to allow coverage for prescription medications used to treat obesity or weight management in individuals with related health conditions. Finally, the Act requires the Secretary of HHS to report regularly to Congress on the implementation and coordination of federal obesity-related efforts.

The Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act repeals key liability protections for gun manufacturers found in the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA). This legislation also mandates that records from the federal Firearms Trace System database must be discoverable and admissible as evidence in civil proceedings. The bill aims to allow victims of gun violence greater access to information for civil lawsuits.

The Susan Muffley Act of 2025 mandates that the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) recalculate guaranteed pension benefits for participants in specific, named pension plans. This recalculation ensures beneficiaries receive their full vested plan benefit, ignoring standard federal guarantee limits. The PBGC must issue catch-up lump-sum payments with interest to those previously underpaid. Funding for these increased benefits will be provided through a newly established Treasury trust fund.