Legislative Activity

This resolution supports the goals of National Public Health Week by recognizing significant past public health achievements while highlighting current crises like declining life expectancy and rising overdose deaths. It urges increased investment in prevention and strengthening the public health workforce to address ongoing challenges. The measure also expresses concern over proposed government restructuring and budget cuts that could undermine these vital efforts. Ultimately, it calls for a national commitment to becoming the healthiest nation within a generation.

The REPAIR Act aims to ensure consumers and independent mechanics have fair access to the necessary vehicle data, tools, and parts required to service modern vehicles. This legislation prevents manufacturers from creating technological or contractual barriers that restrict competition in the automotive repair market. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is tasked with enforcing these new standards and creating rules to protect consumer data rights. Ultimately, the bill promotes consumer choice and fosters a competitive environment for vehicle maintenance and repair services.

The No Tax Breaks for Union Busting (NTBUB) Act aims to disallow federal tax deductions for employer expenditures used to influence employees regarding union organizing activities. This legislation targets significant corporate spending on anti-union consultants and captive audience meetings, arguing that taxpayers should not subsidize efforts to interfere with workers' rights to organize. The bill also introduces strict new reporting requirements and penalties for companies that fail to disclose these influence expenditures.

The Special Government Employees Transparency Act of 2025 establishes a strict 130-day service limit within any 365-day period for individuals serving as special Government employees in the executive branch. Furthermore, the bill mandates the creation of a public, searchable database listing key details for "Covered Special Government Employees" (those above GS-11 level not on advisory committees). Finally, it requires executive agencies to publicly release the financial disclosure reports filed by these Covered SGEs, with limited exceptions for national security or specific exemptions.

The Strengthening Communities of Recovery Act updates federal support for recovery efforts by renaming the relevant program section to reflect a focus on "Strengthening" communities of recovery. This legislation expands the allowable use of grant funds to include strengthening existing recovery support systems, not just building new infrastructure. Furthermore, the bill significantly increases the authorized annual funding for these programs from $\$5$ million to $\$16$ million for fiscal years 2025 through 2029.

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.

This bill reauthorizes and updates funding for a critical program supporting treatment for pregnant and postpartum women through fiscal year 2029. It increases the annual funding level to $\$38,931,000$ for the reauthorization period. The legislation also clarifies program language and encourages applicants to detail outreach plans targeting women disproportionately affected by substance use disorders.

The Tech to Save Moms Act aims to improve maternal health outcomes by expanding the use of technology in maternity care. It authorizes new grant programs to support technology-enabled training and digital tools, prioritizing underserved and high-risk areas. Additionally, the bill establishes a study to evaluate current technology use and address potential biases in maternal health care delivery.

The Honor Our Living Donors Act ensures that federal grant funding intended to support living organ donors cannot consider the financial status of the transplant recipient. This legislation also removes any legal expectation that organ recipients might receive payments related to the donation. Furthermore, the Secretary must annually report to Congress on whether grant funds adequately covered all eligible donor expenses and estimate any shortfall.

This bill aims to reform mining practices on federal lands by setting royalties on mineral extraction, introducing stricter permitting and environmental regulations, and establishing a fund for reclaiming abandoned mines. It requires mining operators to pay annual fees and royalties, obtain permits for mineral activities, and provide financial assurances for land reclamation. The bill also prioritizes the protection of sensitive lands and mandates tribal consultation before mineral activities begin. These changes are intended to balance resource extraction with environmental protection and ensure fair compensation for the use of public lands.

The Broadcast Freedom and Independence Act of 2025 reinforces the independence of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from political pressure. This bill explicitly prohibits the FCC from taking punitive action against broadcasters based solely on the viewpoints or opinions they air. It ensures that broadcast licenses and business transaction approvals cannot be conditioned on changing content or political speech. However, this protection does not shield broadcasters from enforcement actions related to fraud, obscenity, or incitement to lawless action.

The Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project Amendments Act of 2025 updates and expands the Northwestern New Mexico Rural Water Projects Act to improve water delivery for the Navajo Nation, the Jicarilla Apache Nation, and the City of Gallup. The bill increases authorized project funding to $2.175 billion, expands service areas, and establishes new trust funds to support long-term operation, maintenance, and infrastructure development. Additionally, it provides a framework for managing deferred construction and clarifies tax and land-trust regulations to ensure the project's continued progress.

The Abandoned Well Remediation Research and Development Act establishes a new federal program dedicated to improving the identification, plugging, and environmental remediation of abandoned oil and gas wells. This initiative will fund research to develop cheaper, more effective sealing technologies and better methods for locating undocumented wells. The goal is to reduce environmental harm, including methane leakage and groundwater contamination, through advanced research and development through fiscal year 2030.

This bill, the Hatch Act Enforcement Transparency and Accountability Act, aims to increase public and Congressional oversight of how political activity complaints against federal employees are handled. It mandates new reporting requirements for the Special Counsel regarding decisions not to investigate certain employees and requires the public posting of detailed enforcement statistics, including demographic data. The legislation also requires written explanations for decisions not to prosecute certain non-career employees who allegedly violated the Hatch Act.

The "Expanding Local Meat Processing Act of 2025" aims to ease restrictions on smaller meat packers by allowing them to have ownership interests in market agencies, under certain conditions. It directs the Secretary of Agriculture to revise regulations to exempt packers slaughtering below specified daily/annual livestock numbers. Market agencies must disclose relationships with packers to ensure transparency. The Act does not reduce the Secretary's broader regulatory authority under the Packers and Stockyards Act.

The "Regional Leadership in Wildland Fire Research Act of 2025" establishes a network of regional wildland fire research centers across the country, coordinated by a National Center Coordination Board, to improve the understanding, management, and mitigation of wildland fires. These centers will focus on research, technology development, and data sharing to support wildland fire management agencies and communities. The Act authorizes specific appropriations for the centers and the board to facilitate their operations and research activities. It also emphasizes collaboration and open access to data, ensuring that research findings are widely available to inform decision-making and improve public safety.

The DOT Victim and Survivor Advocate Act establishes a National Roadway Safety Advocate within the Department of Transportation. This advocate will serve as a point of contact and resource for road crash victims, survivors, and their families, ensuring their voices are heard and considered in roadway safety programs and policies. The Advocate will share stakeholder recommendations, explain DOT processes in plain language, and publish educational materials, while also providing annual reports to the Secretary of Transportation on systemic safety issues. The goal is to improve communication and collaboration between the DOT and those affected by road crashes, ultimately enhancing roadway safety.

The Acequia Communities Empowered by Qualifying Upgrades for Infrastructure (ACEQUI) Act supports New Mexico’s historic community irrigation systems by ensuring farmers have improved access to federal drought and disaster assistance. The bill also streamlines operations by exempting routine maintenance of acequias on federal land from special use permit requirements. Additionally, it mandates a federal report to evaluate and improve the accessibility of agricultural support programs for these traditional water systems.