Legislative Activity

The Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act aims to significantly expand the palliative care and hospice workforce through new federal grant and award programs for education, training, and career incentives. The bill also mandates the dissemination of information about palliative care services to patients, families, and providers, while enhancing palliative care research efforts at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Importantly, the legislation clarifies that funds cannot support activities intended to cause death, ensuring alignment with existing federal funding restrictions.

This Act authorizes the creation and sale of commemorative coins to celebrate the upcoming 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles and the 2034 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Salt Lake City. The Secretary of the Treasury is empowered to mint various denominations of gold, silver, and clad coins for each event, with designs reflecting American participation. A mandatory surcharge on each coin sold will directly fund the respective organizing committees for the Games and their legacy programs, provided the government recovers all minting costs first.

This Act establishes a five-year pilot program treating pregnancy as a qualifying event for enrollment in TRICARE Select. This allows eligible military family members to sign up for expanded coverage upon becoming pregnant. The Department of Defense is required to submit annual reports to Congress detailing enrollment changes under this new provision.

This Act authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue a limited series of commemorative gold, silver, and clad coins to honor the history and service of the United States Foreign Service. The coins must be issued in 2029, with designs approved after consultation with the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. All surcharges collected from the sale of these coins will be directed to that Association to support its mission of preserving diplomatic history. The Treasury must fully recover all production and issuance costs before any surcharge funds are distributed.

This resolution officially recognizes June 2025 as LGBTQ Pride Month to honor the history, struggles, and significant contributions of the LGBTQ community in the United States. It acknowledges past and ongoing discrimination while celebrating key legal milestones toward equality. The Senate encourages the nation to use this month to learn about inequality and celebrate the community's achievements both domestically and globally.

This bill authorizes the creation and presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal to honor the extraordinary service and sacrifice of Army and Navy nurses who served during World War II. The medal recognizes their bravery in combat zones, dedication despite facing discrimination, and critical role in saving countless lives. The Secretary of the Treasury will strike the medal, which will ultimately be housed at the Smithsonian Institution. The Act also permits the sale of bronze duplicates to cover production costs.

This bill mandates that the Secretary of Defense establish regulations requiring all optional combat boots worn by service members to be 100% manufactured in the United States, including all components and materials. This "Made in USA" requirement applies to boots purchased by service members as part of their required uniform. Exceptions are permitted only for specific military mission needs or documented medical necessity.

The Refund Equality Act of 2025 extends the deadline for certain legally married couples to amend past tax returns filed separately before September 16, 2013, based on Revenue Ruling 2013-17. This allows these couples to now file jointly for those years, extending the statute of limitations for filing the joint return and claiming related refunds or credits. These extensions are strictly limited to changes resulting from recognizing their marital status for federal tax purposes.

The Equal Dignity for Married Taxpayers Act of 2025 is a legislative update designed to modernize the Internal Revenue Code by ensuring gender-neutral language is used when referencing married taxpayers and their spouses. This bill systematically replaces outdated gendered terms like "husband and wife" or "his" with inclusive terms such as "married couple" and "spouse." The changes are purely linguistic, ensuring consistency across tax rules without altering any existing tax liabilities or deductions.

The Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act significantly updates existing law to expand privacy protections for individuals aged 13 to 16 online. It imposes new obligations on digital operators regarding the collection, use, and deletion of personal information, including broader definitions for data like geolocation and persistent identifiers. The bill also mandates new security practices and grants specific rights to teens and parents to access, correct, or delete collected data.

This resolution officially commemorates June 19, 2025, as "Juneteenth National Independence Day." It recognizes the historical significance of June 19, 1865, when enslaved people in the Southwest finally received news of their freedom. The resolution supports the nationwide celebration of this day as a vital part of American history and heritage.

The Women’s Health Protection Act of 2025 establishes a federal right to access abortion services without facing state-imposed restrictions that are not medically necessary for comparable procedures. This Act prohibits states from enacting targeted regulations that create hurdles for abortion access, protects the right to travel out of state for care, and allows individuals and the Attorney General to sue to enforce these protections. Ultimately, the bill aims to ensure equitable access to reproductive healthcare decisions based on a provider's good-faith medical judgment.

The POST Act of 2025 updates the "85/15 rule" for private, for-profit higher education institutions receiving federal student aid. This new requirement mandates that these schools must derive at least 15 percent of their total revenue from non-federal sources to maintain eligibility. Failure to meet this threshold results in an immediate two-year suspension from federal student aid programs. The Act also establishes strict guidelines for calculating qualifying revenue and requires annual reporting to Congress on institutional funding sources.

The Healthy Food Financing Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2025 secures dedicated funding for the Healthy Food Financing Initiative through fiscal year 2029 and beyond. This bill authorizes the Secretary to allocate increasing amounts, starting at \$25 million in 2025 and stabilizing at \$50 million annually from 2029 onward. The funding will be sourced from the Commodity Credit Corporation.

This resolution reaffirms the United States' commitment to the safety and well-being of refugees and displaced persons globally, recognizing the severity of the current worldwide displacement crisis. It strongly advocates for upholding U.S. legal and moral obligations by restoring and strengthening the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and full asylum protections. The measure specifically calls on federal leaders to reverse recent restrictive policies that have suspended refugee admissions and limited access to protection. Ultimately, this statement urges the U.S. to resume its leadership role in humanitarian aid and international refugee resettlement efforts.

This Act, named in honor of Daniel J. Harvey, Jr. and Adam Lambert, aims to reduce veteran suicide by strengthening mental health resources during the transition from military service to civilian life. It mandates updated mental health and suicide risk briefings within the Department of Defense's Transition Assistance Program (TAP). Furthermore, the bill enhances the VA's Solid Start Program by requiring specific outreach regarding healthcare enrollment and mental health services.

This resolution officially designates June 2025 as "Great Outdoors Month" to celebrate the significant economic impact and health benefits of outdoor recreation. It recognizes that the outdoor sector contributes trillions to the U.S. economy and supports millions of jobs. The measure encourages all Americans to responsibly enjoy outdoor activities during this designated month and beyond.

The End Prescription Drug Ads Now Act prohibits pharmaceutical companies from advertising prescription drugs directly to consumers within the final 30 days before a drug's approval or license expires. This ban covers all forms of direct-to-consumer marketing, including television, internet, and print advertisements. The new restriction takes effect 30 days after the Act becomes law.

The Keeping Obstetrics Local Act is a comprehensive bill designed to stabilize rural and safety-net hospitals providing maternity care through enhanced financial support, including minimum Medicaid payment rates and anchor payments. It also expands continuous Medicaid and CHIP coverage for new mothers for a full year postpartum and invests in the maternal health workforce by supporting emergency staffing and simplifying cross-state provider enrollment. Finally, the act mandates greater transparency by requiring hospitals to give advance public notice of obstetric unit closures and report more detailed operational data to Medicare.

The Veterans’ Caregiver Appeals Modernization Act of 2025 aims to improve the VA's comprehensive assistance program for family caregivers. This bill mandates the creation of a single digital system for all caregiver applications and appeals, ensuring easier access to necessary documentation. It also clarifies that caregivers will receive stipends owed up to the date of a veteran's death, even if an appeal is pending. Finally, the Act standardizes training for employees reviewing caregiver appeals.