Legislative Activity

The Ensuring Justice for Camp Lejeune Victims Act of 2025 makes technical corrections to the 2022 Camp Lejeune Justice Act to clarify standards for proving harm and venue for trials. This legislation sets specific caps on attorney fees and retroactively applies these changes to all existing and future claims filed under the original 2022 Act. The bill ensures that existing statutes of limitations for filing claims remain unchanged.

The Veterans PTSD Screening Act mandates the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to conduct a study on using RNA sequencing as a diagnostic tool for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in veterans. This research will investigate if genetic testing can accurately identify biological markers related to PTSD. The VA must complete the study by September 2027 and report its findings to Congress by September 2028.

This bill prohibits graduate medical schools from receiving federal funding or participating in federal student loan programs unless they certify they do not mandate adherence to specific diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) tenets. This certification bans forcing faculty, staff, or students to pledge beliefs regarding inherent group status or collective guilt, and prevents the establishment of offices that compel such adherence. Furthermore, accrediting agencies cannot require medical programs to adopt policies conflicting with these restrictions to maintain accreditation.

This resolution expresses support for designating May as National Bladder Cancer Awareness Month to highlight the serious impact of this often-overlooked cancer. It emphasizes that early detection is crucial for survival, yet awareness of symptoms and the need for research remain low. The designation aims to promote public education, support patients, and push for renewed research into better treatments and a cure.

The Preventing Environmental Hazards Act of 2025 modifies the National Flood Insurance Program to provide coverage for the demolition or relocation of structures facing imminent collapse due to shoreline erosion or subsidence. This new benefit offers homeowners a payout based on the structure's value, contingent upon timely action following official condemnation. The Act establishes specific payment schedules for demolition and relocation, while also setting limits on total payouts and excluding coverage for contents.

The No Handouts for Drug Advertisements Act prohibits businesses from taking a federal tax deduction for expenses related to direct-to-consumer advertising of certain prescription drugs. This measure specifically targets costs associated with advertising aimed at the general public via television, radio, or digital platforms. The goal is to disallow tax write-offs for these promotional activities, with an exception for ads placed in professional medical journals.

The First Responders Retirement Parity Act allows certain firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics employed by qualifying public safety agencies to participate in governmental pension plans. This ensures that these essential emergency response providers are treated similarly to other government employees under various federal retirement and benefit rules. The Act clarifies that including these specific providers will not jeopardize the tax status of the governmental pension plan.

The Down East Remembrance Act officially designates several specific creeks with new, permanent names recognized by the U.S. government. This legislation assigns names like Noah Styron Creek and Hunter Parks Creek based on precise geographic coordinates. Moving forward, all federal records and documents must use these newly established official names for the designated waterways.

The Protect Our Military Families’ 2nd Amendment Rights Act updates federal firearms laws to better support military families stationed overseas. It allows spouses of service members stationed abroad to receive firearms and ammunition at that duty station. Furthermore, the bill ensures that a service member's spouse is considered a resident for federal firearms laws based on the service member's official residency or duty station. These changes will take effect six months after the Act is signed into law.

This Act amends the John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System map to correct an error regarding the Town of North Topsail Beach, North Carolina. It directs the Secretary of the Interior to remove specific parcels within the town limits from Coastal Barrier System Unit L06. This removal applies only to land where current local zoning permits uses other than conservation.

The Haiti Economic Lift Program Extension Act of 2025 extends preferential trade treatment to Haiti under the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act until September 30, 2035. It clarifies eligibility for apparel articles containing U.S. fabric and restores preferential treatment for certain articles that were previously eligible. The Act aims to promote economic development in Haiti through trade benefits.

This bill amends the Social Security Act to equalize the negotiation period for drug price negotiations under the Drug Price Negotiation Program. It changes the negotiation period for small-molecule drugs from 7 years to 11 years, matching the period already in place for biologic drugs. This adjustment aims to create parity in negotiation timelines between different types of medications, effective as if included in the original legislation.

This Act establishes a three-year pilot program to provide hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) to veterans suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI) or PTSD, funded solely through donations. It also mandates an updated Government Accountability Office (GAO) report assessing recent clinical trials on HBOT for these conditions. Finally, the bill extends the expiration date for certain limitations on veteran pension payments.

This bill, called the "Incentivizing Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration Sales Act of 2025," allows taxpayers to exclude gains from their gross income when selling real property interests to qualified organizations for Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) program purposes. The exclusion does not apply to sales by pass-through entities within three years of acquisition, with an exception for family-owned entities. This exclusion encourages land conservation and military readiness. It applies to taxable years beginning after the bill's enactment.

The "Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act of 2025" extends increased Medicare payment support for physicians and practitioners through 2025. It increases payment rates by 6.62% for services provided from April 1, 2025, to January 1, 2026. The bill also updates a section of the Social Security Act to include the years 2021 through 2025 for conforming changes.

The "End China's De Minimis Abuse Act" amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to prevent duty-free treatment for goods that circumvent trade restrictions or are split into multiple shipments to avoid duties. It mandates electronic filing of tariff classifications for goods from countries subject to Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 and establishes penalties for violations. These changes aim to close loopholes that allow certain imports to bypass tariffs and trade regulations. The act will take effect 30 days after enactment.