Legislative Activity

This bill, the Office of Rural Affairs Enhancement Act, amends the Small Business Act to strengthen the SBA's Office of Rural Affairs. It updates the office's leadership structure, expands its duties to actively promote federal assistance and coordinate tourism efforts, and mandates regular public reporting on its activities and impact on rural small businesses. The legislation also requires the office to host regional outreach events to better serve these businesses.

The Pay Our Public Shipyard Workers Act ensures that civilian and military shipyard workers continue to receive their salaries and benefits if Congress fails to pass a full budget for fiscal years 2026 or 2027. This measure automatically appropriates necessary funds from the Treasury to cover these essential workers during budget delays. This temporary funding mechanism ceases once a standard appropriation bill is enacted or on January 1, 2027.

The Military Learning for Credit Act of 2025 allows eligible veterans to use their existing educational assistance benefits to pay for specific exams and assessments designed to earn college credit. This provision caps the benefit usage at \$500 per covered test, including DSST and CLEP exams. Using these benefits for testing will count against the veteran's total entitlement time, calculated based on the cost of the exam.

The Investing in Digital Skills Act amends the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) to prioritize digital literacy within adult education programs. This legislation explicitly mandates that adult education must focus on equipping individuals with the necessary digital literacy skills for full participation in modern life. The bill updates definitions and program requirements to ensure digital proficiency is a core component of adult learning and workforce readiness.