Legislative Activity

This resolution formally condemns the assassination of Charlie Kirk and honors his life and legacy as a devoted husband, father, and founder of Turning Point USA. It recognizes his commitment to encouraging civil discourse on college campuses across the nation. The Senate also extends its deepest sympathies to his surviving family.

The STUDENT Act mandates that student loan lenders must now clearly disclose the total amount of interest a borrower will pay over the life of the loan. This calculation must be based on the standard repayment plan for the borrower's total outstanding principal balance. The goal is to provide borrowers with greater transparency regarding the full cost of their student loans.

The Prevent Government Shutdowns Act of 2025 establishes an automatic, 14-day continuing funding mechanism to keep federal programs operational if Congress fails to pass a full budget by the start of the fiscal year. This automatic funding continues in two-week increments until a final budget is enacted, while simultaneously imposing strict travel and procedural limitations on Congress and federal employees during these lapses. The Act is designed to prevent government shutdowns by ensuring continuity of essential services while incentivizing timely budget passage.

The Protecting Older Americans Act of 2025 invalidates pre-dispute arbitration agreements for claims of age discrimination against individuals aged 40 and older. This legislation ensures that employees alleging age discrimination can pursue their claims in court rather than being forced into arbitration based on prior agreements. Federal courts, not arbitrators, will decide if this new rule applies to a specific dispute.

The Protecting Regular Order for Veterans Act of 2025 mandates quarterly budget briefings for Congress by the VA Secretary and places new restrictions on critical skills bonuses for senior executives. Additionally, the bill establishes a new Veterans Experience Office, reporting directly to the Secretary, tasked with improving beneficiary satisfaction and reporting on customer feedback data to Congress. This new office will sunset on September 30, 2028, following a review by the Comptroller General.

This resolution celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), recognizing its foundational role in strengthening American energy security and supporting rural economies. It affirms that the RFS has successfully driven innovation, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and provided significant economic benefits nationwide. The bill concludes by supporting the continued diversification of the nation's transportation fuel supply through the RFS.

The Ethanol for America Act of 2025 mandates that the EPA swiftly finalize rules regarding E15 fuel labeling and underground storage tank compatibility within 90 days of enactment. This legislation ensures existing underground storage tanks are automatically deemed compatible with E15 fuel, simplifying compliance for station owners. Furthermore, it requires that all new or replacement components installed after the rule takes effect must be compatible with future 100% ethanol blends.

This bill aims to improve veterans' healthcare by updating community care program eligibility and notification processes, enhancing mental health treatment program standards and access, and modernizing the VA's healthcare system through online tools and streamlined processes. It focuses on ensuring timely access to care, accommodating veterans' preferences, and improving the overall quality and efficiency of VA services. The bill also mandates increased transparency and accountability through regular reports to Congress.

This bill, the Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act of 2025, significantly strengthens protections for individuals working under federal contracts and grants, including those with the DoD and NASA. It broadens the scope of who is protected and what types of disclosures—such as reporting waste or safety dangers—are covered. Furthermore, the legislation explicitly voids any agreement, including mandatory arbitration clauses, that attempts to waive these new whistleblower rights and remedies.

The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Justice Grant Reauthorization Act extends the authorization period for key addiction and recovery justice programs. This legislation removes previous funding caps and extends the program authorization from 2023 to 2030. This ensures continued federal support for vital community-based justice initiatives addressing substance use disorders.

The Chief Herbert D. Proffitt Act of 2025 expands eligibility for the Public Safety Officers Death Benefits program to include certain retired law enforcement officers. This legislation provides benefits to retired officers, or their families, if their injury or death resulted from a targeted attack directly related to their prior service. These changes are effective immediately and apply retroactively to qualifying incidents occurring on or after January 1, 2012.

The College Transparency Act establishes a secure, new Postsecondary Student Data System to track student enrollment, completion, and post-college outcomes across higher education institutions. This system aims to increase transparency for students and families by providing clear data on costs and success rates, while minimizing duplicate reporting burdens for schools. The collected data will be used for secure research and public reporting of aggregate statistics, strictly prohibiting the sale of data or its use for federal college rankings.

The Promotion and Expansion of Private Employee Ownership Act of 2025 aims to significantly boost employee ownership in S corporations through Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs). This bill extends crucial tax deferral benefits for stock sales to ESOPs and establishes new offices within the Treasury and Labor Departments to provide technical assistance and advocacy. Furthermore, it amends the Small Business Act to ensure ESOP-owned businesses do not automatically lose small business status when they transition to majority employee ownership.

The Opioid Overdose Data Collection Enhancement Act aims to rapidly improve tracking of fatal and nonfatal drug overdoses and the use of reversal medications like naloxone. It amends the comprehensive opioid abuse grant program to fund states, localities, and law enforcement coalitions in creating instant, mobile-friendly systems for reporting overdose incidents. Grantees must use this data to coordinate public safety and health responses and ensure interoperability with existing federal and state data systems.

The CHILD Act of 2025, or the Comprehensive Health and Integrity in Licensing and Documentation Act of 2025, significantly expands background check requirements under the National Child Protection Act of 1993. This legislation broadens the definition of a "covered individual" to include more employees, volunteers, and applicants seeking licensure or certification from organizations that contract with qualified entities. The goal is to ensure comprehensive vetting for anyone working or seeking approval within organizations connected to child protection services.

The Art Market Integrity Act updates federal law to require certain participants in the art market to report large monetary transactions. This applies to dealers, advisors, and intermediaries involved in art sales exceeding specified monetary thresholds. The Treasury Department is tasked with developing the necessary regulations to implement these new anti-money laundering reporting requirements.

The IRS Accountability and Taxpayer Protection Act mandates that IRS personnel must obtain supervisor approval *before* issuing initial notices regarding tax penalties or the disallowance of certain tax benefits. This legislation aims to increase internal oversight on enforcement actions taken against taxpayers. Additionally, the Treasury Department must annually report publicly on all penalties assessed by the IRS.

The Ending Lending to China Act of 2025 establishes a new U.S. policy opposing further financial assistance to the People's Republic of China from multilateral development banks. Citing China's status as a high-income economy with massive foreign reserves, the bill directs the Treasury Secretary to use U.S. influence to block new loans to China. Furthermore, the Secretary must advocate for ending assistance to all countries that have surpassed the established income threshold for graduation. The Treasury Department is also required to submit annual reports detailing compliance and U.S. actions taken.

The Cooper Davis and Devin Norring Act mandates that electronic communication and remote computing service providers must report confirmed or reasonably suspected illegal activity involving fentanyl, methamphetamine, or counterfeit prescription drugs to the Attorney General. Providers must submit identifying account information, though they are not required to actively monitor content or break encryption. The law establishes penalties for non-compliance and requires the Attorney General to issue an annual public report on the enforcement of these provisions.

The Patients Deserve Price Tags Act aims to drastically increase healthcare price transparency across the board. It mandates that hospitals, diagnostic labs, and ambulatory surgical centers publicly disclose detailed negotiated rates, cash prices, and gross charges in standardized formats. Furthermore, the bill strengthens requirements for health plans to provide consumers with real-time cost estimates and mandates itemized billing for patients after receiving care. These measures are backed by new compliance checks and significant daily penalties for non-compliance.