Legislative Activity

The "Protecting Gold Star Spouses Act of 2025" ensures continued funding for the Coast Guard Retired Serviceman’s Family Protection and Survivor Benefits Plans. It allocates necessary funds from the Treasury each fiscal year after 2024 to maintain benefits for Gold Star spouses and families. These funds will be used following the terms and conditions of the most recent law providing full-year appropriations for these plans, ensuring consistent support.

The "Reducing Medically Unnecessary Delays in Care Act of 2025" aims to streamline healthcare access for Medicare patients by setting clear standards for medical necessity determinations and preauthorization processes used by Medicare contractors, Medicare Advantage plans, and prescription drug plans. It mandates the use of evidence-based clinical criteria, requires physician input in developing these criteria, and ensures transparency through public posting of preauthorization requirements and statistics. The bill also requires that licensed and board-certified physicians make all preauthorization and denial decisions. Ultimately, this bill seeks to reduce unnecessary delays in care and ensure that medical decisions are based on sound medical judgment and nationally recognized standards.

The "Save Our Shipyards Act of 2025" or "SOS Act of 2025" establishes a National Commission on the Maritime Industrial Base to investigate and study the state of the U.S. maritime industry and its ability to support national defense. The Commission will develop policy recommendations for the President and Congress to strengthen the maritime industry, revitalize the naval fleet, foster shipbuilding, and preserve maritime jobs. The Commission will submit a report detailing its findings and recommendations within one year of its first meeting.

The "Coast Guard Sustained Funding Act of 2025" ensures that Coast Guard military personnel, civilian employees, and contract employees continue to receive their pay and allowances even during lapses in government appropriations. It designates necessary funding for these individuals during periods when a general appropriation bill for the Coast Guard has not been enacted before the start of a fiscal year. This act clarifies the circumstances under which funds are available and defines which civilian and contract employees are qualified to receive pay during funding lapses.

The Combating Houthi Threats and Aggression Act mandates reports on Houthi capabilities, attacks on Red Sea and Gulf of Aden shipping, and violations of the UN arms embargo against Yemen. It authorizes the President to impose sanctions on those involved in Houthi attacks on international shipping or those providing support to the Houthis. The Act aims to protect maritime security and U.S. national security interests in the region. This act will terminate 5 years after it becomes law.

The Homeland Heroes Pay Act provides continuing appropriations for Customs and Border Protection agents and officers, as well as Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and agents. These funds will cover salaries and expenses for essential duties such as border security, immigration enforcement, and combating criminal operations. Funding will continue until a regular appropriation is enacted for these purposes.

This bill denounces Cuba's human trafficking and forced labor practices within its medical export program, citing exploitation of Cuban medical personnel in third-world countries. It urges foreign governments to ensure fair labor practices, pay workers directly, and calls for visa revocations for officials involved in these schemes, while also urging agreement signatories to meet obligations that ensure international standards. The bill references the State Department's findings on Cuba's non-compliance with trafficking elimination standards and the regime's substantial profits from this program.

This bill supports the designation of March 2025 as National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month to increase awareness and education about this highly preventable disease. It highlights the importance of regular screenings, which could significantly reduce deaths, and encourages participation in awareness and educational activities.

The SCREEN Act aims to prevent the use of U.S. government funds and resources to support film productions that are subject to censorship or alteration at the request of the Chinese government or the Chinese Communist Party. It requires U.S. companies seeking government support for film projects to disclose films submitted to Chinese officials for content review. The Act also mandates an annual report to Congress detailing films potentially altered to appease Chinese government demands, ensuring transparency and accountability in the film industry's engagement with China.

The Cyber PIVOTT Act aims to bolster the cybersecurity workforce by expanding CISA's education and training programs to community colleges and technical schools, offering scholarships for students in cyber-related fields who commit to a service obligation in government. This act prioritizes skills-based training, internships, and industry-relevant certifications, while also establishing recruitment and resource platforms to connect graduates with federal job opportunities. The goal is to significantly increase the number of students enrolled in cybersecurity programs, addressing critical workforce gaps in the cyber sector. The Act also requires CISA to review its education and training programs and report to Congress.

The "Protect America's Lands Act" prevents national securities exchanges from handling transactions of securities issued by "natural asset companies." These companies manage land for conservation and aim to enhance the value of natural assets and ecosystem services. The bill defines specific criteria for what constitutes a "natural asset company" to ensure the prohibition is appropriately applied.

The "China Technology Transfer Control Act of 2025" aims to protect U.S. national security by controlling the export of specific technologies and intellectual property to China. It mandates sanctions on those who provide or purchase covered technology to or from China and requires the creation of a list of Chinese products that receive government support or are used for human rights violations. The Act defines key terms such as "Chinese person," "covered national interest technology," and "intellectual property" to clarify the scope and applicability of the regulations. Ultimately, this act seeks to prevent the exploitation of technology transfers that could bolster China's military capabilities or undermine U.S. interests.

This bill allocates \$20,466,000 from the House of Representatives' funds to cover the expenses of the Committee on Homeland Security during the One Hundred Nineteenth Congress, including staff salaries. It divides the funds into two equal amounts available for the first and second sessions of Congress. Payments must be made through vouchers signed by the Chairman and approved by the House Administration Committee, adhering to their regulations. All funds must be spent in accordance with the rules set by the House Administration Committee.

The "Medicaid Improvement and State Flexibility Act of 2025" amends the Social Security Act, granting states more authority to approve and implement experimental Medicaid projects. These projects involve enrolling participants in state-designed plans with EBT cards for healthcare, catastrophic insurance coverage, and potential cash payments. The bill ensures federal expenditures do not exceed existing levels and prohibits the use of project funds for abortions, except in specific cases. It also treats the state as the approving authority for these projects, rather than the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

The "Rural Health Care Access Act of 2025" amends the Social Security Act to allow states to designate rural facilities as critical access hospitals without mileage limitations. This change broadens access to essential healthcare services in rural areas by removing previous mileage restrictions for hospital designation. The amendments apply to hospital designations or redesignations made on or after the enactment of this act, including any redesignations made before the enactment.

The Rural Emergency Hospital Access Act removes the requirement that off-campus facilities must be within a 35-mile radius of a hospital to receive Medicare benefits. This change aims to improve access to emergency care in rural areas by allowing facilities to qualify for provider-based status regardless of their proximity to a main hospital. The Secretary of Health and Human Services is required to implement this change within 60 days.

The Bring American Companies Home Act incentivizes businesses to move operations from China to the United States by allowing them to immediately deduct the costs of relocation. A trust fund, financed by tariffs on Chinese goods, will be established within the Treasury to offset the revenue lost due to these deductions. The Secretary of the Treasury will create regulations to limit these deductions to business moving expenses.

The Western Hemisphere Nearshoring Act incentivizes companies to move operations from China to Latin America and the Caribbean by providing financial assistance, duty-free treatment, and tax benefits. To qualify, companies must commit to creating jobs, avoiding control by foreign adversaries, and relocating assets. The Act also directs the U.S. Trade Representative to prioritize trade agreement negotiations with countries that reduce illegal migration and economic dependence on China, and allows the sale of nuclear reactors to certain countries or corporations. Finally, the act establishes a trust fund using tariffs collected on goods from China to offset revenue losses resulting from assistance provided under this Act.

The Sunset Chevron Act mandates the Comptroller General to list all rules upheld by Chevron deference, and sets sunset dates for those rules, repealing them over time. It requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to create a list of rules that were upheld due to Chevron deference. The Act sets a timeline for the rules to expire and waives a Congressional Review Act period for expedited resolutions related to the identified rules.