Legislative Activity

This resolution recognizes May as Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, celebrating the significant contributions of these communities to the history and culture of the United States. It acknowledges key historical milestones and achievements, while also addressing past discrimination and ongoing challenges faced by these communities. The resolution aims to honor the diverse heritage and resilience of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, highlighting their importance in enriching and strengthening the nation.

This resolution supports the designation of May 10, 2025, as "National Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Mental Health Day" to address mental health disparities and improve access to care within these communities. It recognizes the unique challenges faced by these populations, including low service utilization, language barriers, and the impact of discrimination. The resolution encourages better data collection, increasing the number of AANHPI mental health providers, and raising awareness to reduce stigma, while also highlighting the importance of cultural heritage in mental health. It urges federal, state, and local health agencies to adopt policies that improve mental health service utilization for AANHPI communities and other communities of color.

The "Women and Underrepresented Minorities in STEM Booster Act of 2025" establishes a grant program through the National Science Foundation (NSF) to increase the participation of women, underrepresented minorities, and people with disabilities in STEM fields. These grants will fund various activities, including workshops, mentoring, internships, and outreach programs, to boost recruitment and retention in STEM. The bill allocates \$15,000,000 annually from 2026 to 2030 to support this initiative. It also defines key terms such as "minority" and "underrepresented in science and engineering".

The Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act aims to improve mental health outcomes for racial and ethnic minority groups through increased funding, research, and culturally competent training and outreach programs. It mandates a study on mental health disparities, promotes best practices in healthcare training, requires a national outreach strategy, and allocates additional funds to the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. The bill reauthorizes and expands grant programs to prioritize entities serving high proportions of racial and ethnic minority groups.

This resolution expresses support for library staff and the essential services that libraries provide to communities, while also recognizing the need for adequate funding and the protection of library staff's civil rights. It emphasizes the importance of free access to information, condemns censorship and book bans, and supports the right of library workers to organize and collectively bargain. The resolution also designates April 6-12, 2025, as National Library Week, reaffirming the critical role of libraries in the United States.

The Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act of 2025 establishes federal minimum standards for collective bargaining rights for public employees and supervisory employees. It requires the Federal Labor Relations Authority to determine if each state's laws substantially provide these rights; if not, the Authority will administer collective bargaining rights in that state. The Act outlines the rights of public employees and employers, including the right to organize, bargain collectively, and engage in concerted activities, and prohibits lockouts and strikes that would disrupt emergency or public safety services. This law does not invalidate existing collective bargaining agreements and certifications and includes exceptions for certain state laws and political subdivisions.

The Impact Aid Infrastructure Partnership Act aims to improve school facilities in federally impacted communities through a Federal-local partnership. It authorizes funds for both competitive and formula grants to local educational agencies eligible for Impact Aid, prioritizing those with the most critical facility needs and limited financial resources. These grants can be used for construction, renovation, or repair of school facilities, with a focus on addressing health, safety, and accessibility issues. The Act also requires local education agencies to contribute a percentage of the project cost, based on their learning opportunity threshold.

The Fair Day in Court for Kids Act of 2025 aims to ensure that unaccompanied children have legal representation in immigration proceedings by providing government-funded counsel. It mandates that these children receive complete copies of their immigration files and have sufficient time to review them, and it also requires the Department of Homeland Security to allow counsel access to detained non-citizens. The Act directs the Office of Refugee Resettlement to develop guidelines for legal representation and requires annual reports on the provision of counsel to unaccompanied children. Additionally, it allows unaccompanied children to reopen their immigration cases if they were not provided with appointed counsel, and it authorizes the necessary appropriations for implementation.

This concurrent resolution expresses support for recognizing March 10, 2025, as "Abortion Provider Appreciation Day" to honor abortion providers and staff for their essential care, courage, and dedication, particularly in light of increasing restrictions on abortion access. It affirms Congress's commitment to ensuring the safety of abortion providers and patients' right to access care without fear of violence or criminalization. The resolution condemns actions that limit abortion access and expresses a vision for a future where everyone has full access to necessary care without penalty or stigma.

The Veteran Fraud Reimbursement Act of 2025 ensures that veterans or their successors are reimbursed for benefits misused by a fiduciary. The Department of Veteran Affairs is required to reissue the misused amount to the beneficiary and attempt to recover the funds from the fiduciary. The total reissued amount is capped at the total benefit amount misused. The Act also directs the Secretary to establish methods for determining negligence by the Secretary in cases of misused benefits.

The Keep Americans Safe Act seeks to regulate large capacity ammunition feeding devices by prohibiting their import, sale, manufacture, transfer, and possession, with certain exceptions for law enforcement, government entities, and other authorized parties. It also mandates unique markings on newly manufactured devices and allows for their seizure and forfeiture if used in violation of the law. Furthermore, the Act enables the use of Byrne grants for buy-back programs targeting these devices and includes a severability clause to ensure the rest of the Act remains effective if a provision is found unconstitutional.

This bill grants permanent resident status to Vichai Sae Tung (also known as Chai Chaowasaree). It requires Mr. Tung to pay all required visa fees. The Secretary of State must then reduce the number of available immigrant visas by one.

The Sustainable Vessel Fuel Act amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the clean fuel production credit to include sustainable vessel fuel. Sustainable vessel fuel is defined as liquid fuel, not derived from palm fatty acid distillates or petroleum, that has a zero emissions rate and meets certain standards for use in commercial vessels or ferries. These amendments apply to fuel produced after December 31, 2025, and terminate after December 31, 2027.

The Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act of 2025, exempts individuals from immigrant visa limits if they are eligible for visas under the Immigration and Nationality Act and have a parent who naturalized under specific sections of past immigration laws related to Filipino veterans. This act aims to facilitate the reunification of families of Filipino veterans who served during World War II.

This resolution designates January 30, 2025, as Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution. It recognizes Fred Korematsu's resistance to the unjust incarceration of Japanese-Americans during World War II. The resolution encourages reflection on the importance of political leadership, vigilance, justice, and civil rights.

The "Fred Korematsu Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2025" authorizes the posthumous award of a Congressional Gold Medal to Fred Korematsu in recognition of his civil rights contributions, loyalty, patriotism, and dedication to justice and equality. The Act directs the Secretary of the Treasury to create the gold medal, which will be displayed at the Smithsonian Institution after the award presentation. Additionally, the Act allows for the creation and sale of bronze duplicates of the gold medal to cover production costs.

The Neighbors Not Enemies Act repeals the Alien Enemies Act, which granted the president broad authority to detain or remove citizens of hostile nations during times of war or declared invasion. This repeal eliminates the possibility of using this outdated law to target individuals based on their national origin during conflict.

The "Continued Rapid Ohia Death Response Act of 2025" aims to combat the spread of Rapid Ohia Death in Hawaii by promoting collaboration between the Secretaries of Agriculture and Interior with the State of Hawaii. It directs the U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to continue research and ungulate management, respectively. The Act also requires the Forest Service to provide financial assistance and staff to prevent the disease's spread and restore native forests, and authorizes $5,000,000 to be appropriated annually from 2026 through 2036 to fund these efforts.