Legislative Activity

The Better CARE for Animals Act of 2025 aims to strengthen the enforcement of animal welfare regulations by clarifying inspection authority, prohibiting unlicensed animal dealing, and granting the Attorney General greater power to prosecute violations, including seeking penalties, seizing animals, and obtaining warrants. It also mandates collaboration between the Secretary of Agriculture and the Attorney General to share information on repeat offenders. This act enhances the ability to penalize and prevent mistreatment of animals under the Animal Welfare Act.

The Equality Act amends existing civil rights laws to explicitly include protections against discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in areas such as public accommodations, employment, housing, credit, and jury selection. It clarifies and expands the definition of sex to include sex stereotypes, pregnancy, childbirth, related medical conditions, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics. The act ensures equal access to shared facilities and prohibits the use of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 to justify discrimination. Ultimately, the Equality Act seeks to provide consistent and comprehensive protections against discrimination for LGBTQ+ individuals and women across various sectors.

The "Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act" authorizes the presentation of three Congressional Gold Medals to honor the 1980 U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team for their historic "Miracle on Ice" victory. These medals will be given to the Lake Placid Olympic Center, the United States Hockey Hall of Fame, and the US Olympic and Paralympic Museum for public display. The Act also allows for the creation and sale of bronze duplicates to fund the medal production.

The West Bank Violence Prevention Act of 2025 authorizes the President to impose sanctions, including asset blocking and visa restrictions, on foreign individuals and entities found to be threatening the peace, security, or stability of the West Bank, particularly those involved in violence against civilians, property destruction, or terrorism. It requires the Secretary of the Treasury, in coordination with the Secretary of State, to provide regular reports to Congress on the implementation of these sanctions.

The Safer Neighborhoods Gun Buyback Act of 2025 authorizes the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance to award grants to states, local governments, tribal governments, and licensed gun dealers for gun buyback programs using smart prepaid cards that cannot be used to purchase firearms or ammunition. The Act allocates funds for the buyback of firearms, requires the destruction of collected firearms and ammunition, and mandates database checks to determine if any collected firearms were used in a crime. It also establishes a criminal penalty for using smart prepaid cards to purchase firearms or ammunition. $360,000,000 is authorized for each of the fiscal years 2025 through 2027 to carry out this title.

The New England Coastal Protection Act of 2025 prohibits the Department of Interior from issuing leases for oil and gas exploration, development, or production in any area of the outer Continental Shelf off the coasts of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, or Connecticut. This amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act.

The American Family Act establishes a refundable child tax credit with monthly advance payments, providing up to $300 per month per child, and creates a $500 tax credit for other dependents. The amount of the credit is reduced based on the taxpayer's income, with initial reductions starting at $150,000 for joint returns. The IRS will make monthly advance payments and establish an online portal for taxpayers to manage their payments and provide necessary information. This act terminates the existing annual child tax credit after 2024 and aims to provide regular financial support to families.

The Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025 aims to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and countering its support for terrorism by imposing sanctions on those involved in Iran's energy sector and those who provide financial support for its destabilizing activities. It mandates sanctions on foreign entities involved in processing, exporting, or selling Iranian oil, gas, and petrochemicals, while also establishing an interagency working group to coordinate and enforce these sanctions. The Act also amends existing legislation to require the identification of individuals involved in sanctionable activities or sanctions evasion related to Iranian oil and gas sales.

The Financial Technology Protection Act of 2025 establishes an Independent Financial Technology Working Group to Combat Terrorism and Illicit Financing, tasked with researching and developing proposals to counter illicit uses of digital assets and emerging technologies. It also requires a report and strategy from the President on how these technologies could be used to evade sanctions and finance terrorism, along with measures to prevent such illicit activities. The Act defines key terms related to digital assets, emerging technologies, and illicit activities to provide clarity and ensure effective implementation. The goal of the act is to protect the US financial system and national security.

The IDEA Full Funding Act aims to increase federal funding for special education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) from fiscal year 2026 through 2035 and subsequent years. It authorizes and appropriates specific funding levels for IDEA, excluding section 619, with increasing amounts each year. The funding is determined by both a set dollar amount and a percentage based on the number of children with disabilities and average per-pupil expenditure, whichever is greater. The bill also mandates that the increased funding adhere to "cut-as-you-go" rules, ensuring fiscal responsibility.

The "Protect America's Workforce Act" nullifies a 2025 executive order that limited federal labor-management relations programs. It prevents the enforcement of the executive order and prohibits the use of federal funds for its implementation. Additionally, the bill ensures the validity of existing collective bargaining agreements between federal agencies and labor organizations until their original expiration dates.

This bill supports the designation of the last Saturday in March 2025 as "Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day" to honor and recognize the contributions of Vietnam War veterans. It encourages the people of the United States to observe this day with ceremonies and activities that promote awareness and support for these veterans.

The "Save Our Small Farms Act of 2025" aims to improve and expand the Noninsured Crop Assistance Program and Whole Farm Revenue Protection to better support small and diversified farms. It streamlines the application process, offers premium discounts for transitioning to whole farm plans, and increases compensation for adverse weather events. The act also develops a single index insurance policy to protect farmers from income losses due to specific weather conditions, with a focus on accessibility and reduced paperwork for small-scale and underserved producers. Finally, it removes the $1,500,000 liability limitation.

The Paycheck Fairness Act aims to strengthen and enhance enforcement of equal pay requirements by redefining "sex," modifying the "bona fide factor" defense for pay disparities, broadening the definition of "same establishment," strengthening non-retaliation protections, and enhancing penalties for employers who violate equal pay provisions. The Act also requires training programs, research, education, and outreach initiatives to eliminate pay disparities, and establishes a National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace. Additionally, the Act directs the EEOC to collect compensation data, reinstates pay equity programs, prohibits the use of wage history in determining salary, and establishes a National Equal Pay Enforcement Task Force to improve compliance and enforcement of equal pay laws.

Recognizes Nowruz as a culturally and historically significant celebration observed worldwide. It acknowledges the contributions of Iranian Americans to the U.S. and supports human rights and freedom for the people of Iran. The resolution also defends the rights of Iranians to assemble and express themselves freely, and wishes a happy new year to those celebrating Nowruz.

The Puppy Protection Act of 2025 amends the Animal Welfare Act to establish comprehensive standards for dog dealers, focusing on humane treatment. These standards include requirements for flooring, space, temperature, nutrition, exercise, socialization, veterinary care, and breeding practices. The Act sets specific guidelines for breeding frequency, age, and veterinary procedures, as well as humane placement for retired breeding dogs. It directs the Secretary to finalize regulations for these standards within 18 months.

The Air America Act of 2025 authorizes the Director of the CIA to award payments to former employees of Air America and affiliated companies who supported the U.S. government between 1950 and 1976, or to their survivors. Eligible individuals or their survivors could receive up to $40,000 for five years of qualifying service, with additional amounts for longer service, with a cap on total awards at $60 million. The Act establishes application procedures, limitations on attorney fees, and prohibits judicial review of the Director's decisions, while also requiring regular reports to Congress on the status of the award payments. This act does not qualify anyone for federal benefits like retirement, disability, or death benefits.

The "Access to Small Business Investor Capital Act" modifies reporting requirements for registered investment companies. It allows them to exclude certain indirect fees and expenses from their "Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses" calculations on registration statements. This exclusion applies specifically to fees and expenses resulting from investments in business development companies. The change affects fee disclosures on Forms N-1A, N-2, and N-3.

The Shareholder Political Transparency Act of 2025 requires corporations to disclose their political contributions and expenditures to the SEC and shareholders, including details on recipients, amounts, and purposes. The SEC will make these reports public and assess corporate compliance annually, while the GAO will evaluate the SEC's oversight effectiveness. This aims to increase transparency and accountability in corporate political spending, ensuring shareholders are informed about how their investments are used to influence elections and public policy.

The AI PLAN Act mandates an annual report to Congress from the Secretaries of Treasury, Homeland Security, and Commerce, outlining strategies to protect against AI-driven financial crimes, fraud, and misinformation. This report will detail available and needed resources to combat these threats, including those posed by deepfakes and election interference. Following each report, the Secretaries will provide recommendations to Congress, including legislative proposals and best practices for mitigating AI-related risks.