Legislative Activity

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 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 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 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 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.

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.

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.

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.

The Primary Care Enhancement Act of 2025 updates tax rules for direct primary care service arrangements, allowing monthly subscription fees up to \$150 to qualify as deductible medical expenses. This legislation ensures that participation in these arrangements does not disqualify individuals from contributing to Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). The \$150 limit will be adjusted for inflation starting in 2027.

The Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act mandates that health plans cover medically necessary diagnosis and treatment for congenital anomalies or birth defects affecting the eyes, ears, teeth, mouth, or jaw. This coverage must apply to outpatient and inpatient care, including necessary dental and orthodontic support, unless the procedure is purely cosmetic. These new requirements take effect for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2026.

This bill establishes the Artificial Intelligence Public Awareness and Education Campaign Act to launch a national effort aimed at increasing public understanding of how AI is used daily. The campaign, led by the Secretary of Commerce, will focus on boosting consumer literacy regarding AI's capabilities, limitations, and associated risks like deepfakes and fraud. It mandates the development of accessible, multi-lingual educational materials and requires annual reporting on the campaign's success metrics for five years.

The Chip Security Act mandates the implementation of security mechanisms on advanced integrated circuit products before they are exported to protect U.S. national security interests. This requires the Secretary of Commerce to ensure chips include features verifying location and reporting unauthorized use or tampering. Furthermore, the Act calls for an assessment and potential rollout of secondary security features to enhance export control compliance and prevent misuse by adversaries. The goal is to maintain the U.S. competitive edge by securing sensitive hardware sent to allies and partners.

The American Innovation and Jobs Act aims to boost U.S. competitiveness by restoring immediate expensing for most business research and development (R&D) investments. It also significantly expands the refundable R&D tax credit for new and small businesses, increasing the maximum refund amount and raising eligibility thresholds. Furthermore, the bill makes technical adjustments to the R&D credit calculation to make it more accessible for startups. These provisions are designed to incentivize domestic innovation and job creation starting in tax years after 2021 and 2024, respectively.

The End Crypto Corruption Act of 2025 prohibits high-ranking government officials and their immediate families from issuing, sponsoring, or endorsing specific digital assets while in office and for one year after leaving. This legislation establishes both civil penalties, including fines based on financial gain, and criminal penalties, including imprisonment, for knowing violations involving digital assets like cryptocurrencies and NFTs. The Act specifically targets conflicts of interest by treating these prohibited financial transactions as unofficial acts, removing official immunity protections.

The Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act of 2025 bans the practice of paid conversion therapy aimed at changing an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity, deeming it ineffective and harmful. This Act treats the provision or advertisement of such therapy as an unfair or deceptive business practice under the FTC Act. Enforcement authority is granted to the Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Attorney General, and State Attorneys General. The law includes a severability clause ensuring that the invalidation of one provision does not void the entire Act.

The Lowering Broadband Costs for Consumers Act of 2025 aims to stabilize and lower consumer broadband costs by reforming the Universal Service Fund (USF). This bill mandates the FCC to require major content and service providers ("Edge providers") to contribute financially to the USF alongside traditional broadband companies. Additionally, it establishes a new, targeted funding mechanism to ensure support reaches carriers serving high-cost, rural areas.

This resolution expresses strong support for designating the week of May 4 through May 10, 2025, as National Small Business Week. It aims to celebrate the vital contributions of the over 34.5 million small businesses that support tens of millions of jobs nationwide. The bill honors the hard work and entrepreneurial spirit of small business owners in every community.