Legislative Activity

This bill expresses support for a NICU Baby's Bill of Rights, advocating for family-centered care in neonatal intensive care units. It emphasizes informed consent, parental involvement in care decisions, and access to mental health support for NICU families. The bill encourages hospitals to integrate family advocates in policy development and provide comprehensive discharge planning.

This bill amends the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) to establish a clear, tiered definition for what qualifies as "evidence-based" programming. It specifies the required rigor of research—ranging from strong experimental studies to promising correlational studies—needed to demonstrate a positive impact on outcomes. Furthermore, the legislation requires states to report on the extent to which their workforce development activities meet these new evidence standards.

The Students Bill of Rights Act of 2025 establishes new federal protections for free speech and association at federally funded public colleges and universities. This bill sets clear, objective standards for student group recognition, the allocation of student activity funds, and the assessment of security fees for events. It grants students the right to sue institutions that violate these rights and outlines penalties, including the potential loss of federal funding, for non-compliance.

The Retirement Proxy Protection Act clarifies the fiduciary duties for retirement plan managers concerning shareholder rights, such as proxy voting, for company stock held in those plans. Fiduciaries must now explicitly manage these rights solely in the best financial interest of plan participants and beneficiaries. The bill outlines strict requirements for decision-making, monitoring hired advisors, and allows for the adoption of formal proxy voting policies, including a safe harbor for choosing not to vote. These new rules apply to shareholder rights exercised on or after January 1, 2026.

This bill streamlines the House's consideration of three measures: disapproving the Department of Energy's energy conservation standards for water heaters, disapproving the EPA's rule on waste emissions charges for petroleum and natural gas systems, and establishing the congressional budget for fiscal year 2025 while setting budgetary levels for fiscal years 2026-2034. It sets specific debate times and waives certain procedural rules to expedite the process.

The "Empowering Families in Special Education Act" ensures that schools inform parents of their right to include individuals with knowledge or expertise about their child in Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings. This includes related service providers. Schools must provide this notification within a reasonable timeframe before the first IEP team meeting of each school year.

The COVID-19 Vaccination Non-Discrimination Act prohibits federal funds from being allocated to any entity that refuses to provide treatment to an individual based on their COVID-19 vaccination status. This includes funds authorized by federal law or from any trust fund receiving federal authorization, including those provided under titles XVIII, XIX, and XXI of the Social Security Act.

This bill formally elects specific members of the House of Representatives to serve on the Appropriations, Energy and Commerce, Financial Services, and Ways and Means standing committees.