Legislative Activity

The Shutdown Fairness Act ensures that essential government employees, military personnel, and supporting contractors who must work during a lapse in appropriations receive their guaranteed pay. This bill automatically sets aside necessary funds from the Treasury to cover the salaries and benefits of these "excepted employees" for the duration of the shutdown. These special appropriations remain available until a full-year budget is enacted, at which point the payments are reconciled against the new funding law.

The Interstate Commerce Simplification Act of 2025 updates the definition of "solicitation of orders" under Public Law 86-272. This change clarifies that any business activity facilitating the placement of orders constitutes solicitation, regardless of any other functions the activity may serve. The bill aims to simplify the application of existing interstate commerce regulations.

This bill authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to release the United States' reversionary interest in specific state forest land in Millston, Wisconsin. This release is conditional upon the State of Wisconsin exchanging this federal-interest land for privately-owned land from Deli, Inc. The private land will then be added to the Black River State Forest.

The Shutdown Fairness Act ensures that federal employees deemed "excepted" and required to work during a government shutdown, starting in fiscal year 2026 or later, are guaranteed to receive their salaries and allowances. This automatic funding from the Treasury Department covers essential personnel and their supporting contractors until a full-year budget or continuing resolution is enacted. The goal is to provide financial certainty for workers performing emergency duties during funding lapses.

The Eliminate Shutdowns Act establishes an automatic, 14-day continuing funding mechanism that renews every two weeks to prevent federal government shutdowns when Congress fails to pass a full budget. This default funding keeps essential programs operational at prior-year levels until a new appropriation is enacted. The law specifies how this temporary spending is accounted for against final budgets and sets the effective date for these new rules as September 30, 2025.

The Health Care Freedom and Choice Act nullifies the recent final rule concerning Short-Term, Limited-Duration Insurance and Independent, Noncoordinated Excepted Benefits Coverage. This action removes the legal authority of the rule issued by the IRS, EBSA, and CMS.

This resolution officially expresses support for designating **July 2025 as National Sarcoma Awareness Month**. The measure aims to raise public awareness about sarcoma, a rare cancer affecting bones and soft tissues, which impacts thousands of Americans annually. By establishing this awareness month, the resolution encourages greater attention to the diagnosis and treatment of this complex disease.

This Act mandates that any final convention or agreement on pandemic preparedness resulting from the World Health Organization's (WHO) International Negotiating Body must be treated as a formal treaty. Consequently, the United States cannot adopt or implement such an agreement without receiving the "advice and consent" of the Senate. This ensures that the Senate has a final, two-thirds majority vote on any binding international health instrument negotiated by the WHO.

The Right to Treat Act establishes that federal agencies cannot regulate the practice of medicine, reserving that authority for local entities. It specifically prevents federal interference with a doctor's ability to prescribe already-approved drugs for uses not officially sanctioned by the FDA. This Act does not alter existing federal restrictions on procedures like abortion or gender transition interventions.

This bill mandates the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reissue the final rule removing the gray wolf from the list of endangered and threatened wildlife within 60 days of enactment. The purpose is to finalize the gray wolf's delisting based on the previously published rule. Furthermore, this reissuance cannot be challenged or reviewed in federal court.

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish a refund mechanism for certain individuals who remove indelibly dyed diesel fuel or kerosene from a terminal. The provision allows for the repayment of previously paid fuel taxes on fuel that is already exempt from taxation due to its dyeing for off-road or non-taxable use. This new refund process will take effect 180 days after the law's enactment.

The Safe Routes Act of 2025 grants a federal weight limit exemption for specific logging vehicles transporting raw forest products. This exemption allows covered logging trucks to operate above standard federal weight limits, provided they remain within the weight tolerances already established by the state in which they are operating. The exemption is limited to travel within 150 air miles on the Interstate System to the first processing facility.

The "Reducing the Federal Workforce Through Attrition Act" aims to decrease the size of the Federal workforce by limiting the number of Federal employees in each agency to a maximum of 90% of the total as of September 30, 2025, starting in fiscal year 2028. It mandates that agencies can only hire one new employee for every three that leave between the second quarter of fiscal year 2026 and September 30, 2027, with strict monitoring and restrictions for agencies exceeding their limits, and allows for presidential waivers in cases of war, national security concerns, or emergencies. This reduction will be achieved through attrition, without increasing service contracts unless financially advantageous, and does not prevent Federal employees from transferring between agencies if the receiving agency is in compliance.

The "Guidance Out Of Darkness Act" or the "GOOD Act" mandates federal agencies to publish both new and existing guidance documents online in a central, easily accessible location. This aims to increase transparency by ensuring the public has access to agency policies and interpretations. The Act requires agencies to categorize these documents and maintain a record of rescinded guidance, while also exempting information protected by the Freedom of Information Act.

The "Codifying Useful Regulatory Definitions Act" (CURD Act) defines "natural cheese" to differentiate it from processed cheese, setting specific criteria for its production and composition. It restricts the use of "natural cheese" on labels to products meeting these standards, while allowing "natural" or "all-natural" claims as per existing regulations. The Act amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to include this new definition in labeling regulations.

The "Midnight Rules Relief Act of 2025" allows Congress to overturn multiple regulations finalized at the end of a President's term with a single vote. This act streamlines the process for Congress to review and potentially reject regulations submitted by agencies during the final months of a presidential administration. By disapproving of these "midnight rules" through a joint resolution, Congress can prevent them from taking effect.

The "Stopping Overdoses of Fentanyl Analogues Act" classifies fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs under the Controlled Substances Act, making them subject to the strictest controls and penalties. This classification applies to any substance structurally related to fentanyl with specific chemical modifications, unless explicitly exempted or listed in another schedule. The goal of this act is to combat the proliferation of dangerous fentanyl analogues and reduce overdose deaths. It goes into effect one day after it is enacted.