Legislative Activity

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.

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 resolution urges the Secretary of Health and Human Services to withdraw a notice that reduces public notice and comment opportunities. It emphasizes the importance of public participation in the regulatory process, particularly for regulations impacting millions of Americans. The resolution supports maintaining existing practices that ensure input from various stakeholders when regulatory changes are proposed.

This resolution directs the Secretary of State to provide Congress with a report on El Salvador's human rights practices, focusing on alleged violations like torture, forced disappearances, and denial of due process. It asks for details on U.S. efforts to promote human rights in El Salvador and to ensure that U.S. security assistance does not support activities that violate human rights or lead to the wrongful detention of U.S. citizens or residents. The report should also assess conditions in El Salvador's Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT) and actions taken to address allegations of human rights abuses against U.S. citizens/residents.

The Nurse Corps Tax Parity Act of 2025 amends the Internal Revenue Code to update the tax treatment of payments received under the Nurse Corps program. It modifies sections 108(f)(4) and 117(c)(2)(A) to include references to section 846 of the Public Health Service Act, ensuring that scholarships and loan repayments received through the Nurse Corps program are treated consistently for tax purposes. These changes will be effective for taxable years beginning after the enactment of this act.

The Fighting Foreign Illegal Seafood Harvests (FISH) Act of 2025 aims to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and forced labor in the seafood industry by establishing a blacklist of offending vessels, imposing sanctions on individuals involved, enhancing enforcement measures, and promoting international cooperation. The Act also directs the creation of strategies to improve data collection and prevent illegally harvested seafood from entering the U.S. market, while encouraging investment in sustainable fisheries management and technical assistance to combat IUU fishing and forced labor globally. Finally, the Act requires studies and reports on the impact of technology, collaboration between fishing industries, and the overall effectiveness of strategies to counter IUU fishing.

The Arctic Refuge Protection Act of 2025 designates approximately 1,559,538 acres of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska as wilderness under the National Wilderness Preservation System. This act amends the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966, providing increased protection to this area.

The Medicare for All Act establishes a national health insurance program guaranteeing comprehensive healthcare coverage to all U.S. residents, including medical, dental, vision, and long-term care, without cost-sharing. It sets standards for provider participation, protects whistleblowers, and allows private contracts under specific conditions, while also creating a national health budget and trust fund to finance the program through a combination of reallocated funds and new tax revenues. The Act aims to streamline existing health programs, eliminate duplicate coverage, and ensure a smooth transition by expanding Medicare benefits and offering a Medicare buy-in option. This legislation also addresses health equity and updates SSI resource limits, potentially impacting employer-sponsored health plans and the financial landscape of healthcare.

The SGE Ethics Enforcement Reform Act of 2025 (SEER Act 2025) aims to address financial conflicts of interest among special government employees (SGEs) by expanding conflict of interest rules, restricting communications with agencies regarding large companies, mandating a public database of SGEs, and broadening financial disclosure requirements. It ensures that SGEs with significant responsibilities are subject to similar ethics regulations as regular government employees, promoting transparency and accountability. The act requires waivers or exemptions granted to certain SGEs to be proactively published online. Additionally, the act restricts certain SGEs from communicating with agencies or offices that deal with large companies with which the employee has a financial connection.

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 Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Enhancement Act of 2025 modifies the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit by increasing the amount of expenses that can be claimed, adjusting the income phase-out ranges, and making the credit refundable. The bill increases the dollar limit on creditable expenses to $8,000 for one qualifying individual and $16,000 for two or more. It also adjusts the income level at which the credit begins to phase out and indexes it to inflation.

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 National Nursing Workforce Center Act of 2025 aims to address nursing shortages by creating and supporting state-based nursing workforce centers through a pilot program. These centers will analyze workforce data, research nursing programs, and implement strategies to recruit, retain, and support nurses. The Act prioritizes equitable distribution of grants across geographical regions and encourages public-private partnerships. Additionally, it expands existing health workforce analysis programs to include specific support for the nursing workforce and mandates collaboration with nursing workforce centers.

The Anti-Racism in Public Health Act of 2025 seeks to address racism as a public health crisis by establishing a National Center on Antiracism and Health within the CDC to conduct research, promote understanding, and develop interventions to dismantle structural racism and promote health equity. The Act also establishes a law enforcement violence prevention program within the CDC to study and prevent deaths, injuries, and trauma resulting from police brutality and violence, as well as to promote alternatives to law enforcement response. This program will award grants, conduct research, and coordinate with the Department of Justice to collect and analyze data on police violence. The Act authorizes necessary appropriations to carry out these provisions.

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 West Coast Ocean Protection Act of 2025 permanently prohibits new oil and gas leasing in federal waters off the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington. This act prevents the Department of Interior from issuing any new leases for oil and gas exploration, development, or production in the Outer Continental Shelf along the West Coast. The areas affected include the Washington-Oregon, Northern California, Central California, and Southern California Planning Areas as defined by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. This prohibition is implemented through an amendment to the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act.

This resolution supports the designation of April 11-17, 2025, as "Black Maternal Health Week" to raise awareness about the maternal health crisis affecting Black women and birthing people in the U.S. It recognizes the disproportionately high maternal mortality rates among Black women, urges Congress to address systemic inequities, and calls for policies promoting equitable access to maternal healthcare and reproductive justice. The resolution also emphasizes the importance of community-led solutions and increased investment in Black-led organizations to improve maternal health outcomes.

The Clean Ocean and Safe Tourism Anti-Drilling Act of 2025 (COAST Anti-Drilling Act of 2025) prohibits the Department of Interior from issuing leases for oil, natural gas, or mineral exploration in the North Atlantic, Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic, and Straits of Florida Planning Areas. This prohibition applies to activities outlined in the 2024-2029 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program. This act amends Section 8 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act.

The Climate Change Financial Risk Act of 2025 requires the Federal Reserve to develop climate change risk scenarios and assess the ability of large financial institutions to withstand these risks. It establishes a technical group of climate scientists and economists to advise on these scenarios and mandates that financial institutions create climate risk resolution plans. The bill also directs the Federal Reserve to conduct surveys of smaller financial institutions to evaluate their climate change preparedness and adaptation strategies. Ultimately, this act aims to ensure the stability of the financial system in the face of climate-related financial risks.

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.