Legislative Activity

The Veteran Caregiver Reeducation, Reemployment, and Retirement Act aims to support designated primary caregivers for veterans by extending their medical coverage for 180 days after leaving their role. The bill mandates the VA to provide job assistance, including funding for certifications and transition support, for 180 days post-caregiving. Furthermore, it requires studies on establishing "returnship" programs and exploring the feasibility of creating a dedicated retirement savings plan for these essential caregivers.

This bill aims to increase clarity and predictability for switching prescription drugs (Rx) to over-the-counter (nonprescription) status. It establishes new procedures, including early meetings with the FDA, and mandates the agency to issue clear guidance on the evidence required for these applications. Furthermore, the legislation requires a stakeholder engagement plan and a GAO report to review the current switch process and identify potential improvements.

The Kay Hagan Tick Reauthorization Act extends crucial federal programs aimed at combating vector-borne diseases like those carried by ticks. This legislation reauthorizes funding and support for national strategies, regional centers, and local health departments through 2030. It also updates the composition of the advisory group overseeing the national strategy.

This bill mandates an independent study comparing the quality of mental health and addiction therapy care provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) versus non-VA providers. The study will examine differences across various treatment settings and report on key outcomes like patient improvement, use of evidence-based practices, and coordination of care. The findings will be submitted to Congress and made publicly available.

The SAVES Act of 2025 establishes a five-year pilot program within the VA to award competitive grants to nonprofits providing service dogs to eligible veterans with disabilities like PTSD or mobility issues. These grants, capped at $2 million per recipient, will cover the cost of training the dog and veteran, and the VA will also provide veterinary insurance for each service dog. The goal is to ensure veterans receive necessary support dogs without incurring any personal fees.

The Protecting Health Care and Lowering Costs Act primarily repeals previous health subtitle changes and permanently extends enhanced premium tax credits for marketplace health insurance. This extension removes the income cap for receiving enhanced credits and updates the calculation method for determining an individual's required premium contribution. The bill aims to simplify the tax code related to health insurance affordability.

The Improving Police CARE Act establishes federal standards for trauma kits purchased by law enforcement agencies receiving specific federal funding. This ensures that these kits, which must include essential bleeding control equipment, meet defined performance criteria set by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The bill also mandates consultation with medical and law enforcement experts to develop these required standards within 180 days of enactment.

The Chief Herbert D. Proffitt Act of 2025 expands eligibility for the Public Safety Officers Death Benefits program to include certain retired law enforcement officers. This legislation provides benefits to retired officers, or their families, if their injury or death resulted from a targeted attack directly related to their prior service. These changes are effective immediately and apply retroactively to qualifying incidents occurring on or after January 1, 2012.

The Veterans Scam And Fraud Evasion Act of 2025, or VSAFE Act of 2025, establishes a dedicated Veterans Scam and Fraud Evasion Officer within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). This new officer will be responsible for leading efforts to prevent, track, and respond to fraud and scams targeting veterans. The bill also temporarily extends existing limits on certain pension payment rules for two additional months.

The College Transparency Act establishes a secure, new Postsecondary Student Data System to track student enrollment, completion, and post-college outcomes across higher education institutions. This system aims to increase transparency for students and families by providing clear data on costs and success rates, while minimizing duplicate reporting burdens for schools. The collected data will be used for secure research and public reporting of aggregate statistics, strictly prohibiting the sale of data or its use for federal college rankings.

The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2025 significantly strengthens the Voting Rights Act by establishing new standards to challenge discriminatory voting practices and updating federal oversight criteria for states. It mandates greater transparency for all changes to voting rules and implements "practice-based preclearance" for certain jurisdictions. Additionally, the bill creates new federal criminal penalties for using force or threats to intimidate voters or election workers.

The Recovery of Stolen Checks Act allows taxpayers whose original IRS refund check was lost or stolen to elect to receive their replacement refund via direct deposit. This change provides an alternative to receiving a second paper check for the lost funds. The Treasury Department must establish the necessary procedures for this election.

The Equitable Community Access to Pharmacist Services Act expands Medicare Part B coverage to include services provided by pharmacists starting in 2026. This legislation covers pharmacist services that align with state law and are provided in collaboration with a physician or approved practitioner. The bill specifies payment rates for these covered services, particularly enhancing reimbursement for services related to public health emergencies like COVID-19, flu, and RSV. Furthermore, it prohibits pharmacists from balance billing Medicare patients for these covered services.

The Promotion and Expansion of Private Employee Ownership Act of 2025 aims to significantly boost employee ownership in S corporations through Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs). This bill extends crucial tax deferral benefits for stock sales to ESOPs and establishes new offices within the Treasury and Labor Departments to provide technical assistance and advocacy. Furthermore, it amends the Small Business Act to ensure ESOP-owned businesses do not automatically lose small business status when they transition to majority employee ownership.

The Housing Supply Expansion Act of 2025 updates federal law by removing the requirement that manufactured homes must sit on a permanent chassis to qualify under federal safety standards. This Act mandates that all states must certify to HUD within one year that they treat these homes equally across financing, taxation, and sales regulations. States failing to certify risk having the sale of non-chassis manufactured homes prohibited within their borders. The law also requires annual compliance updates and federal coordination to ensure consistent treatment of these housing types.

The Streamlining Rural Housing Act of 2025 directs the Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Agriculture (USDA) to create a joint agreement to coordinate environmental reviews for housing projects they jointly fund. This aims to eliminate redundant processes by establishing a lead agency and allowing for the mutual acceptance of environmental documentation. The bill also mandates the creation of an advisory group composed of various housing stakeholders to ensure efficient implementation without compromising resident safety or environmental standards.

The EACH Act of 2025 mandates that all federally funded health programs and insurance plans must cover abortion services without imposing restrictions based on income or insurance type. This legislation aims to eliminate existing federal bans and state-level restrictions that prevent access to comprehensive reproductive care. Furthermore, the bill prevents the federal government from interfering with state or private insurance plans that choose to cover abortion services. It explicitly repeals Section 1303 of the Affordable Care Act and establishes that this Act takes precedence over all conflicting federal laws.

The Patients Deserve Price Tags Act aims to drastically increase healthcare price transparency across the board. It mandates that hospitals, diagnostic labs, and ambulatory surgical centers publicly disclose detailed negotiated rates, cash prices, and gross charges in standardized formats. Furthermore, the bill strengthens requirements for health plans to provide consumers with real-time cost estimates and mandates itemized billing for patients after receiving care. These measures are backed by new compliance checks and significant daily penalties for non-compliance.

The Halting the Epidemic of Addiction and Loss Act of 2025 mandates that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) update all relevant grant programs to include any FDA-approved medication for emergency opioid overdose reversal. This ensures that federal funding guidance reflects the broadest range of life-saving reversal agents available. HHS has one year to revise all existing regulations and guidance documents to incorporate these updated definitions.

The Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl (HALT Fentanyl) Act aims to combat the opioid crisis by immediately classifying structurally similar fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I controlled substances. The bill also streamlines the registration process for researchers working with Schedule I drugs and strengthens criminal penalties for trafficking these compounds. The Attorney General is required to issue implementing rules within six months of enactment.