Legislative Activity

The Upholding Protections for Unaccompanied Children Act of 2025 aims to strengthen protections for unaccompanied children navigating the immigration system. This bill exempts these children from various immigration-related fees, including those for asylum and employment authorization. Furthermore, it places limitations on body examinations and restricts the sharing of sponsor information with immigration enforcement agencies. The Act also mandates the refund of previously paid fees that are now waived.

This bill establishes the **Temporary Immigration Judge Integrity Act** to authorize the Attorney General to appoint highly qualified individuals as temporary immigration judges for limited terms. These temporary judges will have the same authority as permanent judges but will be subject to rigorous oversight and mandatory training requirements. The legislation emphasizes that these temporary appointments are not intended to replace the need for permanent immigration judges.

The Artificial Intelligence Civil Rights Act of 2025 establishes comprehensive rules to prevent discrimination by automated decision-making systems in critical areas like hiring, housing, and credit. It mandates that companies rigorously test, audit, and report on their algorithms for fairness and safety before and after deployment. The bill empowers the FTC, state attorneys general, and private citizens to enforce these standards, while also creating a dedicated federal workforce to oversee AI compliance. Ultimately, this legislation aims to increase accountability and ensure fairness when algorithms make consequential decisions about people's lives.

The Inspector General Access Act of 2025 amends existing law to streamline investigations of Department of Justice personnel. Specifically, this bill removes a previous exception regarding certain types of allegations from the general investigation procedures governing the Inspector General. This change ensures that the Inspector General has broader authority to investigate all relevant matters concerning DOJ personnel.

The ADOPT Act of 2025 aims to protect families involved in private domestic interstate adoptions by preventing exploitation by unlicensed intermediaries. It establishes new federal crimes for unlawful adoption practices, such as brokering adoptions for compensation or making unauthorized payments to birth parents. The goal is to ensure access to licensed providers and stop the commodification of children in adoption.

The Bottles and Breastfeeding Equipment Screening Enhancement Act requires the TSA to update its guidance for the hygienic handling of breast milk, baby formula, and certain other liquids during airport security screening. This updated guidance must be developed in consultation with maternal health organizations to minimize contamination risks during any necessary extra screening. Furthermore, the Inspector General will audit compliance with these new hygienic standards.

This bill, the Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2025, mandates an increase in disability compensation and dependency and indemnity compensation rates for veterans. Effective December 1, 2025, these rates will be raised by the same percentage as the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for that year. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs is required to implement these increases and publish the adjusted rates.

This Act establishes the Strengthening Loan Forgiveness for Public Service Workers Act, which creates a new, tiered loan forgiveness schedule for newer public service loans. Borrowers will see increasing percentages of their loan balance canceled after reaching specific payment milestones, culminating in full forgiveness after 120 qualifying payments. The bill also streamlines the employment certification process and ensures that interest accruing during the application review period is canceled.

The Measuring Availability of Providers (MAP) for Veterans Act mandates a feasibility study on building new, full-service VA hospitals in Alaska, Hawaii, and New Hampshire. It also requires the public release of these study results within one year. Furthermore, the bill clarifies that a veteran's eligibility for the Veterans Community Care Program, based on their state lacking a full-service VA facility, is locked to the date this Act is enacted.

The Ending Forced Arbitration of Race Discrimination Act of 2025 invalidates predispute arbitration agreements and joint-action waivers for claims involving race discrimination. This means individuals alleging race discrimination can choose to pursue their claims in court rather than being forced into private arbitration. Federal law will determine the applicability of this rule, and courts, not arbitrators, will decide if the chapter applies to any given agreement.

This Act establishes the Fallen Servicemembers Religious Heritage Restoration Program, managed by the American Battle Monuments Commission. The program aims to identify Jewish servicemembers mistakenly buried under non-Jewish markers in overseas cemeteries. It authorizes funding for contracts with nonprofit organizations over ten years to help correct these historical errors and properly honor these fallen service members.

The Restoring Food Security for American Families and Farmers Act of 2025 aims to strengthen domestic food security by repealing specific sections of a previous law (Public Law 11921). This repeal effectively reinstates the original statutes that were previously altered by those sections.

The EXPERTS Act of 2025 aims to reform the federal rulemaking process by increasing transparency and accountability across executive agencies. It mandates extensive disclosure requirements for studies and funding sources submitted during public comment periods and establishes new standards for judicial review of agency actions. Furthermore, the bill creates an Office of the Public Advocate to focus on social equity in regulations and streamlines the review timeline for significant regulatory actions by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA).

The Bring Our Heroes Home Act mandates the collection and prompt public disclosure of all U.S. government records concerning Armed Forces and civilian personnel missing since December 7, 1941. It establishes an independent Review Board to oversee the transfer of these records to the National Archives and to rule on any proposed postponements of disclosure. The Act aims to provide the fullest possible accounting to the American public and the families of the missing, with only narrow, clearly defined exceptions to release.

The Background Check Expansion Act mandates that nearly all private firearm transfers between unlicensed individuals must go through a licensed dealer to complete a federal background check. This legislation establishes a universal background check requirement for these transactions, with specific exceptions for family gifts and law enforcement transfers. The bill aims to close loopholes in existing firearm transfer laws while explicitly prohibiting the creation of a national firearms registry.

The Anti-Cash Grab Act repeals a specific provision (Section 213 of division C of the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2026). This repeal effectively restores a previous law, Section 10 of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2005. The legislation is designed to take effect retroactively as if the repealed section had never been enacted.

The Bivens Act of 2025 amends existing federal law to clarify the scope of civil actions that can be brought against individuals acting under federal authority. This legislation specifically modifies Section 1979 of the Revised Statutes to ensure its application extends to actions taken by federal agents.

This bill establishes the Right to Representation for Department of Veterans Affairs Workers Act of 2025. It grants most VA employees the right to have a representative present during certain examinations if they believe the exam could lead to disciplinary action. This representation can occur during paid duty time upon the employee's request.

This resolution officially recognizes November as National Native American Heritage Month. It celebrates the rich cultures, histories, and significant contributions of Native Americans to the United States across various fields. The resolution also reaffirms the government's commitment to tribal self-governance and the government-to-government relationship with Indian Tribes.

The "No Torts for Trump Act" amends the Federal Tort Claims Act to prohibit lawsuits against the federal government brought by the sitting President or any individual who subsequently becomes President. This new exception bars such claims from being heard in federal court, regardless of when the underlying incident occurred.