Legislative Activity

This resolution recognizes May as Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, celebrating the significant contributions of these communities to the history and culture of the United States. It acknowledges key historical milestones and achievements, while also addressing past discrimination and ongoing challenges faced by these communities. The resolution aims to honor the diverse heritage and resilience of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, highlighting their importance in enriching and strengthening the nation.

This resolution recognizes the increasing global threats to press and speech freedoms, emphasizing the critical role of a free press in upholding democracy and informing the public. It reaffirms the U.S. government's commitment to prioritizing press freedom as a key component of its foreign policy and human rights efforts. The resolution condemns violence and oppression against journalists worldwide, calling for accountability and the release of wrongfully detained reporters, and urges the President and Secretary of State to actively defend and promote press freedom internationally.

This resolution supports the designation of May 4-10, 2025, as "National Small Business Week". It recognizes the significant role of over 34.5 million small businesses in the U.S. that contribute to the economy and provide over 59 million jobs. The resolution celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit, achievements, and resilience of small business owners and their employees.

The Living Donor Protection Act of 2025 prohibits discrimination in life, disability, and long-term care insurance against living organ donors. It clarifies that organ donation surgery qualifies as a serious health condition under the Family and Medical Leave Act, ensuring job protection for donors. The Act also mandates updated educational materials from the Department of Health and Human Services regarding the benefits, risks, and protections for living organ donors.

This joint resolution terminates the national emergency declared by Executive Order 14257, which was used to impose global tariffs. The resolution invokes the National Emergencies Act to end the emergency and nullify the tariffs. If enacted, the resolution would immediately end the president's authority to impose these tariffs.

Lulu's Law requires the Federal Communications Commission to include shark attacks in wireless emergency alerts. This will allow people in affected areas to receive timely warnings about potential shark attacks.

This bill mandates the Social Security Administration to send regular paper statements to Social Security account holders, beginning January 1, 2027. Statements will be mailed upon entering the workforce or starting a new job, with increasing frequency as individuals age, and provides an option for individuals to opt out of receiving the paper statements. The bill also authorizes Congress to allocate necessary funds to cover the administrative costs of implementing these changes, starting in fiscal year 2026.

The Equality Act amends existing civil rights laws to explicitly include protections against discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in areas such as public accommodations, employment, housing, credit, and jury service. It clarifies and expands the definition of sex to include sex stereotypes, pregnancy, childbirth, related medical conditions, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics, including intersex traits. The act ensures equal access to shared facilities and prohibits the use of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 to justify discrimination. Ultimately, the Equality Act aims to provide consistent and comprehensive protections against discrimination for LGBTQ individuals and women across various aspects of life.

The "Claiming Age Clarity Act" aims to modernize the Social Security Administration's language by January 1, 2027. It replaces terms like "early eligibility age" with "minimum monthly benefit age" and "full retirement age" with "standard monthly benefit age." The act also changes "delayed retirement credit" to referencing a "maximum monthly benefit age," to simplify understanding of benefit eligibility.

This resolution designates the week of April 19 through April 27, 2025, as "National Park Week" to recognize the importance of national parks for recreation, education, and economic contributions. It encourages people to visit and support these parks while acknowledging the role of the National Park Service in protecting these resources for future generations.

The Chesapeake National Recreation Area Act of 2025 establishes a new National Recreation Area in Maryland and Virginia to protect and enhance public access to the Chesapeake Bay's natural, cultural, historic, and recreational resources. The Act authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to acquire land for the recreation area through various means, develop a comprehensive management plan, and coordinate with existing Chesapeake Bay programs. It also creates an Advisory Commission to advise the Secretary on the management and development of the National Recreation Area. This act aims to improve conservation and public enjoyment of the Chesapeake Bay.

The Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to limit consumer reporting agencies from providing consumer reports to other entities for credit transactions involving residential mortgage loans. Exceptions are made for firm offers of credit or insurance, authorized access, or if the entity currently originates or services the consumer's mortgage, or is an insured depository institution or credit union holding a current account for the consumer. The act will take effect 180 days after enactment.

The Adoption Tax Credit Refundability Act of 2025 makes the adoption tax credit refundable, allowing more families to benefit from it regardless of their tax liability. It also streamlines the process for verifying legal adoptions through standardized affidavits. These changes apply to taxable years after December 31, 2024, with provisions to carry forward any excess credit from the previous year.

The Banning Unlawful Machinegun Parts (BUMP) Act prohibits the import, sale, manufacture, transfer, receipt, or possession of devices that convert semiautomatic firearms into machine guns. It requires individuals who legally owned modified firearms before the enactment of the BUMP Act to register them. The act amends both title 18 of the U.S. Code and the Internal Revenue Code to include these devices under the regulatory scope of machine guns.

The "Theodore Roosevelt National Park Wild Horses Protection Act" requires the Secretary of the Interior to maintain a genetically diverse herd of at least 150 horses in the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. It directs the Secretary to develop a management plan within 120 days, ensuring cost-effective management without adverse impact on the park's resources. The Act restricts the removal of horses from the park, except for maintaining genetic diversity, emergencies, or protecting public health and safety, and mandates annual public reporting on the horse population's health and structure.

The "Tax Cut for Workers Act of 2025" expands the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for individuals without qualifying children by lowering the minimum age, eliminating the maximum age, and increasing credit and phaseout percentages. It also makes permanent the application of the EITC to U.S. possessions and allows taxpayers to elect to use prior year earned income when calculating the EITC if it results in a larger credit. These changes aim to provide additional tax relief to low- and moderate-income workers.

The American Family Act establishes a new, fully refundable monthly child tax credit, providing monthly allowances to eligible families with children. It creates a system for monthly advance payments of the child tax credit, administered by the Secretary, and includes income limitations and eligibility criteria. The Act also provides a credit for certain other dependents and terminates the existing annual child tax credit after 2024. This aims to provide regular financial support to families with children, reducing child poverty and enhancing economic stability.

The Gas-Operated Semi-Automatic Firearms Exclusion (GOSAFE) Act amends Title 18 to restrict the import, sale, manufacture, transfer, receipt, or possession of specific gas-operated semi-automatic firearms, devices that increase a firearm's rate of fire, and large capacity ammunition feeding devices (over 10 rounds). The bill provides exceptions for governmental use, certain transfers to family members, and firearms lawfully possessed before enactment, and it allows Byrne grants to be used for buy-back programs for gas-operated semi-automatic firearms and large capacity ammunition feeding devices. It also tasks the Attorney General and ATF with publishing a list of prohibited firearms, reviewing applications for new firearms, and establishing a Firearm Safety Trust Fund to cover associated costs. Finally, the bill establishes penalties for violations of the Act.

The "Making Education Affordable and Accessible Act of 2025" aims to increase access to higher education by providing grants to institutions that partner with local education agencies to create or expand dual enrollment and early college high school programs. These programs allow high school students to earn college credits, with priority given to students from low-income families, rural schools, or those who are first-generation college students. Grant funds can be used for various support activities, including professional development, course design, and covering the costs of tuition, fees, and materials. The act also mandates program evaluations and reports to Congress to ensure effectiveness and accountability.

The Raise the Wage Act of 2025 aims to increase the federal minimum wage to $17.00 per hour over a five-year period, after which it will be adjusted annually based on the percentage increase in the median hourly wage of all employees. The bill also gradually raises the minimum wage for tipped employees and newly hired employees under 20, eventually eliminating the separate wage tiers. Additionally, it increases the minimum wage for individuals with disabilities and promotes their economic self-sufficiency by phasing out special certificates that allow employers to pay them a subminimum wage.