Legislative Activity

The Raise the Wage Act of 2025 establishes a phased increase of the federal minimum wage, culminating in a \$17.00 per hour rate five years after enactment, followed by automatic annual adjustments tied to median wage growth. This bill also phases out the lower minimum wage for tipped employees and workers under 20, ensuring they eventually earn the standard federal minimum wage. Furthermore, it sets a schedule to eliminate subminimum wages for individuals with disabilities and prohibits the issuance of new special certificates allowing for lower pay.

The Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act of 2025 establishes federal minimum standards for collective bargaining rights for public employees across the nation. It requires the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) to review state laws to ensure they substantially provide these minimum rights, including the right to organize and bargain collectively. If a state fails to meet these standards, the FLRA will administer federal labor relations rules for the uncovered employees. The Act also prohibits strikes or lockouts that would measurably disrupt emergency or public safety services.

The Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025 updates federal housing tax credit allocations to reflect current economic realities and boosts minimum state allotments. It reforms tenant eligibility rules to stabilize tenancy and enhance protections for vulnerable residents, including victims of abuse. The bill also provides disaster relief for property owners, increases incentives for housing the extremely low-income, and directs greater resources toward Native American and rural housing needs. Finally, it streamlines administrative processes and signals a future focus on data transparency and discouraging restrictive local zoning.

The Tax Fairness for Workers Act restores key federal tax deductions for employees, effective after 2024. This legislation makes union dues fully deductible "above the line," meaning they reduce Adjusted Gross Income without itemizing. Additionally, it allows itemizers to deduct certain other job-related business expenses that were previously limited.

The Federal Firearm Licensee Act significantly overhauls federal regulation of gun dealers by mandating enhanced physical security, stricter inventory tracking, and increased record-keeping requirements. The bill repeals outdated restrictions on the ATF, increases licensing fees, and establishes new regulations for online firearm transfer facilitators. Furthermore, it strengthens enforcement by increasing penalties for compliance failures and mandating more frequent inspections for high-risk dealers.

The Keep STEM Talent Act of 2025 aims to strengthen security vetting for international graduate students in STEM fields while creating a new pathway to permanent residency for those who earn advanced STEM degrees in the U.S. The bill mandates pre-admission applications and enhanced background checks for incoming STEM graduate students. Furthermore, it establishes a streamlined green card category for advanced STEM degree holders with qualifying job offers, allowing them to pursue permanent residency without jeopardizing their current student status.

The Protecting Options for Seniors Act of 2025 addresses significant under-projection of Medicare Advantage (MA) local area growth caused by recent wage index reclassifications. This bill mandates a specific adjustment to MA payment rates starting in 2026 for areas experiencing rapid wage index increases exceeding 20 percent. While providing targeted financial boosts to these areas, the Act ensures the overall national benchmark average remains neutral. Furthermore, it requires increased transparency by mandating the separate reporting of Part A and Part B payments to area hospitals in annual public notices.

The IDEA Full Funding Act establishes mandatory, increasing funding levels for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) programs through fiscal year 2035. This legislation sets specific appropriation targets based on student counts and national average spending to ensure greater financial support for special education services. Furthermore, the bill requires that these new IDEA appropriations adhere to "cut-as-you-go" budget offset rules.

The CARE Act of 2025 mandates that the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) test a new payment model for emergency services. This model will allow Medicare to pay ground ambulance providers for emergency responses, even when a patient does not ultimately require transport under Medicare Part B. The five-year demonstration aims to evaluate the impact of covering these non-transport emergency responses on patient access and resource utilization.

The Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025 imposes sweeping economic penalties on the Russian Federation in response to its aggression against Ukraine. This legislation mandates severe, immediate sanctions against key Russian officials, financial institutions, and energy sector entities, including asset freezes and trade prohibitions. Furthermore, the Act dramatically increases import duties on Russian goods and requires the President to review and reimpose these measures until Russia negotiates a lasting peace with Ukraine.

The Armenian Genocide Education Act establishes a program managed by the Librarian of Congress to develop and share educational resources combating denial of the 1915-1923 Armenian Genocide. This initiative will create online materials, train educators, and encourage the integration of accurate history into school curricula. The Act authorizes $2 million annually for five years to support these educational efforts aimed at promoting awareness and preventing future atrocities.

The Secure Family Futures Act of 2025 modifies tax treatment for certain debt holdings of applicable insurance companies, excluding specific debt instruments from being treated as capital assets for tax purposes. Additionally, this Act extends the capital loss carryover period to 10 years for specified losses incurred by these insurance companies. These changes apply only to transactions occurring after December 31, 2025.

This Act mandates the Secretary of Labor to establish an interim and then a final standard requiring comprehensive workplace violence prevention plans for employers in the healthcare and social service sectors. These plans must be developed with employee input and detail risk assessments, hazard controls, reporting procedures, and annual training. Furthermore, the bill amends the Social Security Act to require Medicare-funded hospitals and skilled nursing facilities not covered by OSHA to comply with these new federal workplace violence prevention standards. The legislation also establishes clear definitions for workplace violence and includes strong anti-retaliation protections for employees who exercise their rights under the Act.

This bill directs the Librarian of Congress to transition the production of the *Constitution Annotated* and its supplements from physical, hardbound books to entirely digital formats. The goal is to promote more cost-effective, efficient, and expanded public availability of this important legal resource. Consequently, the requirement to print decennial editions and annual pocket supplements will be repealed after specific dates, moving all updates to a publicly accessible website.

The Arts Education for All Act aims to elevate the status and accessibility of arts education across the entire educational spectrum. It mandates evidence-based training for early childhood providers, requires states to integrate arts education into core academic planning and public reporting, and authorizes the use of the arts in juvenile and adult offender reentry programs. Furthermore, the bill directs federal research agencies to study the impact of the arts and restores arts assessment to the national testing schedule.

The Transgender Health Care Access Act aims to improve access to gender-affirming care by addressing critical gaps in medical education and provider capacity. The bill establishes grant programs to develop and implement comprehensive training curricula for medical professionals across various settings, including rural areas. Furthermore, it provides funding to expand the ability of community health centers to deliver culturally competent and necessary care to transgender individuals. Ultimately, this legislation seeks to ensure that healthcare providers are adequately trained and equipped to meet the medical needs of the transgender population.

The Hot Foods Act of 2025 removes the general federal ban on using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to purchase hot, ready-to-eat foods. This legislation clarifies that hot foods are now eligible for purchase with SNAP benefits, while also setting a new rule that limits SNAP-participating retailers to deriving no more than 50% of their gross sales from these ready-to-eat hot items. The act updates existing statutes to reflect this expanded purchasing power for recipients.

This resolution formally condemns the Trump administration for allegedly using the unauthorized messaging platform "Signal" to discuss highly sensitive or potentially classified details regarding a U.S. military operation. The bill expresses grave concern that this practice risks national security by bypassing secure government record-keeping and exposing vital information to foreign adversaries like China and Russia. It demands an immediate review of all communication procedures and calls for accountability for any officials who violated federal laws regarding classified material handling.

The Raise the Age Act of 2025 generally prohibits Federal Firearms Licensees from selling certain semiautomatic centerfire rifles or shotguns capable of holding magazines over five rounds to anyone under 21, with exceptions for qualified military or government personnel. The bill also maintains the existing minimum age of 18 for general firearm purchases, excluding the newly restricted categories. Finally, it mandates that the FBI Director report on the operational procedures of its public access line within 90 days of enactment.

This resolution formally recognizes the significant and persistent wage gap between men and women in the United States, highlighting statistics that show women earn substantially less. It serves as a strong public statement reaffirming Congress's commitment to achieving pay equity. The measure does not enact new laws but emphasizes the economic harm caused by unequal pay for women and their families.