Legislative Activity

The Choice Arrangement Act of 2025 establishes new rules for employer-funded Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) integrated with individual health insurance, creating a "CHOICE arrangement." This legislation outlines specific nondiscrimination, substantiation, and notice requirements for employers offering these plans. Furthermore, the Act allows participants to use pre-tax cafeteria plan funds for their coverage and introduces a new, temporary tax credit for eligible small and medium-sized employers who offer these arrangements.

The American Franchise Act aims to protect the traditional franchise business model by clarifying the definition of a "joint employer." This legislation establishes that a franchisor is only considered a joint employer if it exercises "substantial direct and immediate control" over the essential terms of employment for a franchisee's workers. This change specifically targets liability risks associated with maintaining brand standards, ensuring franchisors are not automatically held responsible for local labor practices. The new standard applies prospectively to future legal proceedings.

The Home Health Stabilization Act of 2025 aims to ensure continued access to Medicare home health services by pausing automatic payment reductions scheduled for 2026 and 2027. This is achieved by mandating a positive adjustment to the standard payment rate to fully offset proposed cuts. Furthermore, the bill clarifies that these temporary payment increases will not negatively impact future rate calculations for providers.

This measure formally confirms the recent committee assignments for members of the House of Representatives. Specifically, it announces that Mr. Fine will serve on the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Mr. Garbarino has been elected as the Chair of the Committee on Homeland Security.

This resolution expresses the House of Representatives' support for designating June 11, 2025, as "World Franchise Day." It recognizes the significant role franchising plays in the U.S. economy by fostering entrepreneurship, creating millions of jobs, and providing pathways to ownership. The bill formally endorses the global recognition of this vital business model.

The Tackling Predatory Litigation Funding Act establishes a new federal excise tax on proceeds received from third-party litigation financing agreements. This tax is calculated at the highest income tax rate plus an additional 3.8 percentage points, applied annually to the proceeds received by a "covered party." The bill also institutes specific withholding requirements on payments made to financiers and reclassifies litigation funding proceeds to ensure this new tax structure is applied.

This bill, the Access to Prescription Digital Therapeutics Act of 2025, establishes coverage and payment pathways for FDA-cleared Prescription Digital Therapeutics (PDTs) under Medicare Part B starting in 2026. It mandates the Secretary to develop payment methodologies based on private payer rates and requires manufacturers to report utilization and pricing data to ensure fair reimbursement. Furthermore, the Act expands Medicaid's authority to cover these software-based medical treatments when prescribed to beneficiaries.

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow distributions from a Health Savings Account (HSA) for the funeral expenses of the account beneficiary to be treated as qualified, tax-free distributions. These expenses, which include burial, cremation, and related services, are capped at a total of \$5,000 per beneficiary. The legislation also clarifies that funeral expenses incurred within 90 days after the account holder's death can be treated as if they occurred before death for tax purposes.

The "Securing Access to Care for Seniors in Critical Condition Act of 2025" amends the Social Security Act to change Medicare payment rules for long-term care hospitals. Beginning October 1, 2026, hospitals will not be subject to site-neutral payment rules for patients discharged under specific high-severity diagnosis groups. This adjustment aims to ensure adequate financial support for hospitals treating the most critical patients.

This bill amends Title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate in-person requirements for Medicare beneficiaries receiving mental health services through telehealth. It removes geographic restrictions for telehealth services related to substance use disorders and mental health disorders. Additionally, it allows rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers to continue providing mental health services via telehealth without time restrictions.

The "Protecting Life from Chemical Abortions Act" restricts the Department of Health and Human Services and the FDA, requiring them to enforce Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) requirements for abortion drugs, reinstate the in-person dispensing requirement, and prohibits reducing REMS protections until standardized abortion data is collected by the CDC from every state. It also defines key terms such as "abortion," "abortion drug," and "unborn child" and prohibits the HHS secretary from declaring a public health emergency with respect to abortion.

The "PROTECT Our Kids Act" prohibits federal funds from being given to elementary and secondary schools that have partnerships with Chinese government-funded cultural or language institutes, operate learning centers supported by the Chinese government, or receive support from anyone acting on behalf of the Chinese government. Schools with pre-existing contracts that violate this may apply for a waiver from the Secretary of Education. The Secretary is required to notify schools of these requirements and provide guidance on compliance.

The "Enhancing Energy Recovery Act" modifies the carbon oxide sequestration credit under Section 45Q of the Internal Revenue Code to ensure equal treatment for various uses of captured carbon oxide. It removes distinctions between different uses of qualified carbon oxide, updates the applicable dollar amount of the credit, and adjusts it for inflation. These changes apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2024.

The "Student Empowerment Act" amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow 529 savings accounts to cover a broader range of K-12 educational expenses, including homeschooling costs. Qualified expenses include tuition, curriculum, books, online resources, tutoring, standardized tests, dual enrollment fees, and educational therapies for students with disabilities. These changes aim to give parents more flexibility in funding their children's education.

This resolution directs the House of Representatives to attend the Presidential Inauguration on January 20, 2025. Following the inauguration, the House will adjourn and reconvene the next day for legislative business.

This bill formally elects specific members to serve on the House of Representatives' standing committees for Agriculture, Foreign Affairs, Natural Resources, and Science, Space, and Technology.