Legislative Activity

This resolution officially recognizes and celebrates the rich heritage, culture, and significant contributions of Latinas across the United States. It highlights their achievements in diverse fields while acknowledging ongoing disparities, such as the wage gap. Ultimately, the measure calls for continued investment in the future of Latinas as a vital part of the nation's growth.

The Lower Drug Costs for Families Act updates how prescription drug inflation rebates are calculated to ensure they apply more broadly to drugs on the commercial market. This bill modifies the rules for both Medicare Part B and Part D to adjust the unit counting methods used in rebate calculations. Key changes include excluding certain units, such as those covered by Medicaid, and shifting the base reference years for these calculations.

The America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act seeks to permanently protect hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands across Utah by designating them as official wilderness areas. This designation ensures the preservation of unique ecological, geological, and cultural resources under the highest level of federal protection. The bill also establishes administrative rules, including securing water rights and managing state inholdings, while explicitly safeguarding existing livestock grazing and Tribal rights.

This resolution formally honors the life and distinguished public service career of the Honorable Alan K. Simpson, former U.S. Senator for Wyoming. It celebrates his extensive tenure in both state and federal government, highlighting his focus on fiscal responsibility and support for veterans. The Senate expresses its deep sorrow at his passing and directs that the day's adjournment serve as a final tribute to his memory.

This resolution formally recognizes the rich heritage, culture, and significant contributions of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women across the United States. It celebrates their historic achievements in areas such as military service, science, the arts, and civil rights leadership. The bill also emphasizes the importance of continued investment to overcome barriers these women face in accessing justice, healthcare, and economic opportunities.

The Cameras in the Courtroom Act mandates that the Supreme Court must allow television cameras to record all open court sessions. This requirement stands unless a majority of the justices vote to block coverage for a specific case due to concerns over due process rights. This legislation updates Title 28 of the U.S. Code to formalize the presence of cameras in the highest court.

The Food Secure Strikers Act of 2025 removes the automatic ban preventing workers participating in a strike from receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. This legislation updates eligibility rules to ensure that striking workers are no longer automatically disqualified from receiving food assistance solely because they are on strike. The bill simplifies the language to focus ineligibility on the *result* of striking, rather than the act of striking itself.

The Personal Health Investment Today Act of 2025 (PHIT Act) aims to promote public health by incentivizing healthier lifestyles. This bill allows taxpayers to treat certain qualified expenses for physical activity, fitness instruction, and exercise equipment as deductible medical expenses, up to annual limits of \$1,000 or \$2,000 depending on filing status. These provisions are designed to make fitness more financially accessible for individuals and families.

The Congressional Whistleblower Protection Act of 2025 establishes clear pathways for federal employees, applicants, and contractors to seek redress when their rights are violated. Covered individuals can pursue administrative remedies through existing personnel practice procedures or escalate their case directly to federal court after a delay or final adverse decision. If successful in court, whistleblowers are eligible for significant relief, including double back pay, compensatory damages, and attorney fees.

The Sunshine in the Courtroom Act of 2025 grants federal appellate and district court judges the authority to permit cameras and recording in their courtrooms. This authority is balanced by strict requirements to protect due process, including mandatory voice and face obscuring for certain witnesses upon request. The Act tasks the Judicial Conference with establishing mandatory guidelines to protect vulnerable individuals within three years, after which the district court media authorization provision will expire.

The SHARE Act of 2025 establishes new rules for how states can share and use criminal history records when processing professional licenses across state lines through interstate compacts. It mandates that the FBI must provide relevant criminal history information to state licensing authorities for these multi-state checks. Crucially, the receiving state authority is strictly limited to using this data solely for the licensing decision and cannot share the detailed records with any other entity, though they may confirm the check's completion.

This Senate resolution affirms the foundational principle that the power to interpret federal law rests solely with the federal judiciary, as established by Article III of the Constitution. It reaffirms the doctrine of judicial review, stating that the courts definitively determine what the law means. Consequently, the resolution mandates that the Executive Branch must abide by all federal court rulings or pursue appropriate legal appeals.

The Paycheck Fairness Act aims to strengthen protections against sex-based wage discrimination and close the gender pay gap. It enhances enforcement by tightening employer defenses for pay disparities, expanding anti-retaliation protections, and increasing penalties for violations. The bill also mandates new data collection by the EEOC and establishes grant programs to support negotiation skills training.

This resolution officially designates March 24, 2025, as "National Women of Color in Tech Day" to recognize the vital contributions of women of color in technology. It highlights their historical achievements while addressing the systemic barriers they face in STEM education and employment. The bill commits the Senate to boosting diversity, supporting inclusive STEM education pathways, and improving data transparency to strengthen the nation's tech workforce.

This resolution expresses strong support for the nation's public K-12 schools and condemns any efforts to defund or dismantle the Department of Education. It affirms the crucial federal role in ensuring equitable funding and support for students, especially those with disabilities and from low-income families. The resolution warns that weakening the Department would severely disrupt vital programs serving millions of students nationwide.

This resolution designates the third week of March 2025 as "National CACFP Week" to recognize the Child and Adult Care Food Program's (CACFP) impact. The CACFP provides millions of children and adults in care settings with nutritious meals and snacks. The program improves child care quality, supports working families, and enhances the health and well-being of participants.

The Putting Veterans First Act of 2025 is a comprehensive bill designed to support military-affiliated federal employees by reversing past unfair employment actions and establishing new procedural safeguards against future disciplinary actions. It also imposes significant limitations, increased transparency, and accountability measures across the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) regarding personnel actions, office closures, and contracting. Furthermore, the Act strengthens protections, mental health support, and employment assistance for civil servants while mandating extensive public reporting on VA operations and staffing.

The Major Richard Star Act allows veterans with combat-related disabilities to receive both veteran's disability compensation and military retired pay concurrently, without reduction. This act amends Title 10 of the United States Code to ensure that disability retirees with combat-related disabilities are not subject to reductions in retired pay due to receiving veteran's disability compensation. These changes will take effect the first day of the month following the enactment of the Act.

The AMERICA Act aims to increase transparency and competition in the digital advertising market by imposing strict ownership separation requirements on large industry players. It establishes new fiduciary duties for digital advertising brokers, requiring them to act in their customers' best interests and provide detailed execution data upon request. The bill also mandates public routing disclosures and grants the Attorney General enforcement power, including the ability to seek damages and oversee required divestitures.

The FCC Legal Enforcement Act grants the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) the authority to take over the collection of unpaid fines, particularly those related to illegal telemarketing calls, if the Department of Justice fails to act within 120 days. This legislation also explicitly empowers the FCC to create new regulations to protect consumers from unwanted automated telephone equipment and robocalls. Furthermore, the FCC must prioritize enforcing the collection of the largest outstanding fines exceeding $25 million.