Legislative Activity

The Lieutenant Osvaldo Albarati Stopping Prison Contraband Act focuses on strengthening penalties for introducing prohibited items, specifically phones, into prisons. It mandates the Director of the Bureau of Prisons to review and update policies concerning prohibited objects to enhance the safety of inmates and staff. This legislation aims to curb contraband flow within correctional facilities.

The Fresh Start Act of 2025 incentivizes states to adopt automatic criminal record expungement laws by tying them to federal gun violence prevention grants. This legislation requires states receiving these funds to automatically clear or seal eligible criminal records without requiring individual action or payment of outstanding fees. Recipients must also annually report detailed data on the process, broken down by race, ethnicity, and gender, which the Attorney General will then make public.

The Canadian Snowbird Act creates a special visitor status for qualifying Canadian retirees, allowing them to stay in the U.S. for up to 240 days per year while maintaining their Canadian residency. This legislation also ensures that these Canadian visitors are treated as non-resident aliens for U.S. tax purposes, preventing them from being taxed like U.S. residents. The bill aims to simplify entry and tax obligations for long-term seasonal visitors from Canada.

The Stopping the Theft and Destruction of Broadband Act of 2025 strengthens federal law to explicitly prohibit the destruction of broadband internet access service facilities. This update broadens protection beyond defense-related infrastructure to cover any privately or publicly operated broadband service. The Act provides a clear definition of what constitutes broadband internet access service under federal protection.

The DHS Intelligence and Analysis Oversight and Transparency Act mandates annual audits of the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Intelligence and Analysis's information systems and bulk data. It requires the Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis to conduct these audits and notify Congress when new bulk data sets are analyzed or used. The Act also requires a report to Congress after each audit and a review by the Comptroller General within four years.

The OPIOIDS Act aims to improve data collection and monitoring of opioid-related overdoses by providing grants to states and localities for enhanced toxicology testing, data sharing, and training for law enforcement. It also supports local law enforcement and forensic labs in high-overdose areas with training and resources for identifying overdoses, tracing drugs, and investigating overdose deaths. Additionally, the act seeks to standardize drug data reporting and ensure dedicated funding for fentanyl profiling within the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act directs the Department of Justice Inspector General to conduct a comprehensive review of sexual harassment and assault against Bureau of Prisons staff by incarcerated individuals. Following this analysis, the Attorney General is required to establish national standards to better prevent, reduce, and punish such conduct.

The READY Accounts Act establishes tax-advantaged savings accounts designed to help homeowners prepare for and recover from natural disasters. Individuals can make tax-deductible contributions to these accounts and withdraw funds tax-free to pay for qualified disaster mitigation improvements or uninsured repair costs.