Legislative Activity

The Agricultural Biorefinery Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2025 updates federal assistance for advanced biofuels, renewable chemicals, and biobased products. This legislation introduces new competitive grants specifically for developing and demonstrating pilot-scale biorefineries. It also modifies the criteria for existing loan guarantees, allowing for greater flexibility in reviewing projects with proven technologies. Overall, the bill aims to accelerate the commercial viability of domestic biobased manufacturing through targeted financial support.

The ABLE Employment Flexibility Act modifies retirement plan rules to allow eligible individuals with disabilities to direct some of their employer's retirement contributions into their ABLE account. This change aims to protect working ABLE individuals from losing essential benefits while enabling them to save more money. The bill also clarifies how these redirected contributions are treated for tax and anti-discrimination purposes. Ultimately, it provides greater financial flexibility for employees with disabilities saving through ABLE accounts.

The CLEAR Waters Act narrows the definition of "navigable waters" under federal law. This legislation explicitly excludes features like wastewater treatment systems, ephemeral streams, and groundwater from federal water protection regulations. The goal is to clarify which bodies of water fall under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.

The Farmers First Act of 2025 aims to enhance mental health support for agricultural producers. This legislation increases funding for the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network and mandates the inclusion of dedicated crisis lines within its services. Furthermore, it formalizes partnerships between network recipients and various certified healthcare providers to improve access to mental health and substance use treatment.

The Special Diabetes Program Reauthorization Act of 2025 extends critical funding for both Type 1 Diabetes research programs and diabetes programs serving Native Americans. This legislation secures specific annual appropriations of \$160 million for fiscal years 2026 and 2027, along with a transition allocation in late 2027. The bill ensures continued financial support for these vital public health initiatives through the end of 2027.

This resolution formally condemns the recent surge in antisemitic attacks across the United States, citing specific tragedies in Washington, D.C., and Boulder, Colorado. It acknowledges the widespread celebration of this violence online and highlights alarming statistics showing the dramatic increase in religiously motivated hate crimes against Jewish Americans. Ultimately, the Senate reaffirms its commitment to fighting antisemitism as a threat to American democracy.

The Intelligence Community Workforce Agility Protection Act of 2025 aims to support intelligence community personnel by simplifying the tax treatment of required relocations. This bill allows intelligence community employees and appointees to utilize specific moving expense deductions when changing duty stations. Furthermore, it ensures that reimbursements for qualified moving expenses related to these official relocations are excluded from taxable income.

The Taskforce for Recognizing and Averting Payment Scams Act (TRAPS Act) establishes a new Task Force, chaired by the Secretary of the Treasury, to combat electronic payment scams. This group will bring together federal agencies, financial experts, and consumer advocates to examine current scam trends and develop comprehensive prevention strategies. The Task Force is required to produce an initial report within one year detailing its findings, an educational strategy, and recommendations for new laws or rules. It will continue to issue annual updates before automatically dissolving three years after its first report.

This resolution formally honors the life and tragic death of Sarah Lynn Milgrim, recognizing her significant academic and professional contributions. It also condemns the recent extremist attack that resulted in the deaths of Ms. Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky. Furthermore, the resolution denounces violence targeting religious groups and supports the full prosecution of those responsible for this hate crime.

The VA Loan Informed Disclosure Act of 2025, or VALID Act, aims to increase awareness of VA loan options for consumers. It mandates that FHA disclosures include information about assuming VA-backed loans. Furthermore, the Act requires Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to add a mandatory military service question to the standard mortgage application form.

This resolution serves as a formal tribute honoring the life, achievements, and enduring legacy of former United States Senator Christopher "Kit" Bond of Missouri. It recognizes his decades of public service, including his terms as Missouri Governor and U.S. Senator, where he championed infrastructure, agriculture, and conservative values. The Senate expresses deep sadness over his passing and directs that official copies of this tribute be sent to his family.

The Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act of 2025 aims to strengthen the Crime Victims Fund by expanding the sources of deposits. This includes allowing the Fund to receive money from certain legal settlements that do not result in a criminal conviction. Additionally, the bill temporarily allows certain recoveries from False Claims Act settlements to fund victim services through 2030, while protecting payments to whistleblowers and the government's direct recovery.

The Innovative FEED Act of 2025 establishes a new regulatory category for "zootechnical animal food substances" intended to modify digestion or reduce foodborne pathogens in food animals, while explicitly excluding substances intended to treat disease. These substances are still regulated as food additives requiring FDA approval based on demonstrated efficacy and safety. The bill mandates specific labeling requirements to clarify that these products are not intended as animal drugs.

The AG RESEARCH Act aims to modernize and strengthen the nation's agricultural research infrastructure to keep U.S. farming competitive. It establishes a new, mandatory funding stream to provide grants for the construction, repair, and equipment upgrades of agricultural research facilities. The bill also ensures that grant proposals are reviewed with input from experts at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

The DeOndra Dixon INCLUDE Project Act of 2025 establishes a dedicated, comprehensive research program within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) focused on Down syndrome. This new initiative, the INCLUDE Project, will fund studies across basic science, clinical trials, and biomarker identification to better understand and treat co-occurring medical conditions. The ultimate goal is to improve the health, quality of life, and daily functioning for individuals with Down syndrome.

The Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025 aims to modernize and increase transparency in the prior authorization process for Medicare Advantage plans. This bill mandates the adoption of electronic prior authorization systems and requires plans to publicly report detailed data on their approval, denial, and appeal rates. Furthermore, it establishes new standards to protect enrollees and grants the Secretary authority to enforce faster decision timelines for care requests.

This resolution supports designating May 29, 2025, as "Mental Health Awareness in Agriculture Day." It aims to raise awareness about the significant mental health challenges faced by farmers and farmworkers, who experience disproportionately high rates of suicide. The day seeks to reduce the stigma associated with seeking mental health support within the agricultural industry.

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 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 LOCOMOTIVES Act clarifies federal authority under the Clean Air Act regarding emissions standards for certain existing locomotives and engines used in construction or farm equipment. This legislation ensures that federal standards, rather than varying state standards, apply to these specific engines, particularly those under 175 horsepower and locomotives engaged in commerce. Essentially, it centralizes regulatory power over these emissions sources at the federal level.