Legislative Activity

This bill, the Border Drone Threat Assessment Act, mandates a comprehensive one-year threat assessment by the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security regarding the use of unmanned aircraft systems (drones) near U.S. international borders. The assessment must detail malign actors, their methods, current U.S. detection and defense capabilities, and privacy considerations. Following the assessment, a detailed report and subsequent briefing must be delivered to Congress outlining the threats and recommending any necessary legal or resource changes to counter them effectively.

The Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act of 2025 aims to strengthen the Crime Victims Fund by expanding the sources of deposits. This includes allowing the Fund to receive money from certain legal settlements that do not result in a criminal conviction. Additionally, the bill temporarily allows certain recoveries from False Claims Act settlements to fund victim services through 2030, while protecting payments to whistleblowers and the government's direct recovery.

The Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2025 updates federal grant programs to strengthen the nursing pipeline. It expands eligibility for advanced nursing education grants to cover more specialized roles and updates funding for modernizing nursing school resources like simulation labs. The bill also increases the authorized funding levels for these critical nursing workforce programs through Fiscal Year 2030.

The Access Technology Affordability Act of 2025 establishes a new federal tax credit to help offset the cost of essential access technology for blind individuals. This credit covers expenses for hardware or software that converts visual information into usable formats for the taxpayer, their spouse, or a dependent. The credit is capped at \$2,000 over any three-year period and is set to expire for tax years beginning after December 31, 2030.

The Small Projects Expedited Execution and Delivery Act (SPEED Act) significantly raises the financial thresholds for transportation projects to qualify for expedited environmental review. Specifically, it doubles the maximum federal assistance cap to $\$12$ million and increases the total project cost limit to $\$70$ million for projects eligible for categorical exclusion. This change aims to speed up the delivery of smaller infrastructure projects by reducing lengthy environmental review requirements for those with limited federal funding.

This resolution serves as a formal tribute honoring the life, achievements, and enduring legacy of former United States Senator Christopher "Kit" Bond of Missouri. It recognizes his decades of public service, including his terms as Missouri Governor and U.S. Senator, where he championed infrastructure, agriculture, and conservative values. The Senate expresses deep sadness over his passing and directs that official copies of this tribute be sent to his family.

This bill, the Ban Congressional Stock Trading Act, requires Members of Congress, their spouses, and dependent children to place most stock and commodity investments into qualified blind trusts or sell them within 120 days of the law taking effect or taking office. The legislation strictly prohibits acquiring new covered investments while serving in office, with exceptions for inheritance. Failure to comply results in escalating civil penalties equal to a member's monthly salary until the requirements are met.

The Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act of 2025 establishes a formal, publicly accessible code of conduct for Supreme Court Justices and creates a judicial investigation panel to handle related ethics complaints. The bill also mandates stricter disclosure requirements for gifts and income received by Justices, and significantly expands the circumstances under which a federal judge must recuse themselves due to financial ties or lobbying influence. Finally, it institutes new disclosure rules for parties and *amici curiae* in cases before the Court, alongside studies to monitor judicial compliance.

The End Diaper Need Act of 2025 aims to combat diaper insecurity by significantly increasing federal funding through the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) program to support low-income families, medically complex children, and adults needing incontinence supplies. Additionally, the bill expands tax-advantaged healthcare accounts, such as HSAs and FSAs, to explicitly cover the cost of medically necessary diapers and related supplies. This legislation mandates states to partner with local organizations to distribute these essential items and requires program evaluations to track impact.

The Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025 aims to modernize and increase transparency in the prior authorization process for Medicare Advantage plans. This bill mandates the adoption of electronic prior authorization systems and requires plans to publicly report detailed data on their approval, denial, and appeal rates. Furthermore, it establishes new standards to protect enrollees and grants the Secretary authority to enforce faster decision timelines for care requests.

The Promoting Access to Diabetic Shoes Act expands who can certify the medical necessity for Medicare coverage of diabetic shoes. This bill allows nurse practitioners and physician assistants to sign the required documentation, in addition to physicians. This change aims to improve access to necessary footwear for individuals with diabetes.

The Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act of 2025 establishes a presumption that certain cancers leading to death or disability in public safety officers were caused by on-duty exposure to recognized carcinogens. This law defines specific exposure-related cancers and sets conditions, such as five years of service, for the presumption to apply. It also updates review processes for adding new cancers to the list and grants retroactive application and filing extensions for eligible past and present claims.

The Charlotte Woodward Organ Transplant Discrimination Prevention Act prohibits covered entities from denying an organ transplant or related services solely because an individual has a disability. The bill mandates reasonable modifications to policies and requires consideration of an individual's support network when assessing their ability to comply with post-transplant requirements. This ensures that qualified individuals receive equal access to the entire organ transplant process, from evaluation through aftercare.

The COUNTER Act grants the Department of Defense (DoD) expanded authority to neutralize threats from unmanned aircraft systems (drones) operating outside of the United States. This legislation delegates response authority, clarifies mitigation methods like remote identification, and exempts security details regarding these operations from public disclosure. Furthermore, it limits the application of certain criminal and security laws to authorized DoD and Coast Guard activities aimed at countering these aerial threats overseas.

The Efficient Nuclear Licensing Hearings Act aims to streamline and accelerate the process for issuing atomic energy licenses by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). This bill allows the NRC to generally skip mandatory public hearings for certain permits and licenses unless an affected party requests one. If no hearing is requested, the NRC can proceed after a thirty-day notice period, utilizing informal procedures when hearings are held. These changes apply immediately to pending applications.

The Kids Online Safety Act establishes a comprehensive "duty of care" requiring online platforms to design features that mitigate specific harms to minors, such as those related to mental health and exploitation. It mandates that platforms provide minors with default, restrictive safety settings and robust parental controls over data sharing and recommendations. Furthermore, the legislation demands significant transparency regarding algorithmic ranking systems and grants the FTC enforcement authority.

The Restoring WIFIA Eligibility Act of 2025 modifies how the federal government budgets for certain financial assistance provided under the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA). This bill stipulates that if loan repayments for water infrastructure projects come entirely from non-Federal sources, the assistance must be counted as a direct loan or loan guarantee for budgetary scoring purposes. This change effectively treats these specific WIFIA loans as non-Federal financing in the federal budget.

This resolution calls for the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid to address the severe crisis facing civilians in Gaza, highlighting widespread hunger and the collapse of essential services due to blocked aid. It urges the Administration to immediately use all diplomatic tools to secure the release of hostages, lift the blockade on aid, and work toward a lasting end to the fighting.

This resolution officially designates the week of May 11 through May 17, 2025, as "National Police Week." It serves to honor the valor and integrity of law enforcement officers across the nation. The resolution specifically remembers the officers killed in the line of duty during 2024 and encourages the public to observe this week to show appreciation for law enforcement personnel.

This resolution condemns the acceptance of substantial gifts, such as presidential aircraft, from foreign governments, citing serious national security and foreign influence concerns. It asserts that accepting such gifts violates the Constitution's Emoluments Clause and undermines public trust. The measure demands that the President must receive explicit Congressional approval before accepting any significant foreign gift.