Legislative Activity

The West Coast Ocean Protection Act of 2025 permanently prohibits all new oil and gas exploration, development, and production on the Outer Continental Shelf off the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington. This legislation specifically bans the Secretary of the Interior from issuing any new leases or permissions for drilling activities in designated planning areas. The goal is to secure long-term protection for these vital West Coast marine environments.

The IDEA Full Funding Act establishes mandatory, increasing funding levels for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) programs through fiscal year 2035. This legislation sets specific appropriation targets based on student counts and national average spending to ensure greater financial support for special education services. Furthermore, the bill requires that these new IDEA appropriations adhere to "cut-as-you-go" budget offset rules.

The Water Conservation Rebate Tax Parity Act expands the current tax exclusion for energy efficiency subsidies to include payments received for making homes more water-efficient. This means that rebates from utilities or governments for installing water, storm water, or wastewater management improvements will generally not be counted as taxable income. The bill clarifies which types of improvements qualify and which entities can provide these tax-free subsidies. These changes apply to subsidies received after December 31, 2021.

This bill amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to support the San Francisco Bay Restoration Program. It enables the Director to fund restoration projects through agreements with various entities, setting a federal funding limit of 75% for non-federal projects. The bill also restricts funding to entities connected to foreign countries of concern and allows federal agencies to utilize interagency agreements for project activities.

The "Help Our Kelp Act of 2025" establishes a grant program within NOAA to support the conservation, restoration, and management of kelp forest ecosystems, prioritizing native wild kelp. Grants will be awarded to various entities, including the fishing industry, educational institutions, and tribal organizations, for projects that enhance ecosystem resilience, restore natural food chains, and integrate Indigenous knowledge. The federal share of funding for a project cannot exceed 85% of the total project cost, and a minimum of $750,000 per year is reserved for grants to Indian Tribes. The act authorizes $5,000,000 annually from 2026 through 2030 for these initiatives.

The Nor Rel Muk Wintu Nation Federal Recognition Act extends federal recognition to the Nor Rel Muk Wintu Nation, making the Tribe and its members eligible for all federal services and benefits provided to federally recognized Indian Tribes. The Tribe must submit a membership roll to the Secretary of the Interior within 18 months of the Act's enactment. This act does not change any existing treaty rights or reserved rights of the Tribe.

The Community Protection and Wildfire Resilience Act establishes a grant program to fund community-developed plans for wildfire resilience, prioritizing high-risk areas and incorporating strategies for early detection, vulnerable population support, infrastructure strengthening, and defensible space projects. It authorizes \$1 billion annually from 2025-2029 for these grants, and requires reports and studies on federal programs, community certifications for wildfire survivability, and radio communication interoperability during wildfires. The Act also updates the definition of at-risk communities and allows for structure hardening projects under the Community Wildfire Defense Grant Program.