Legislative Activity

This bill establishes the Calumet National Heritage Area across parts of Indiana and Illinois, recognizing its unique blend of industrial history, cultural diversity, and significant natural resources. It designates the Calumet Heritage Partnership as the local entity responsible for developing and implementing a management plan for the area. The designation aims to conserve, restore, and promote the region's nationally distinctive landscape for residents and visitors.

The D-BLOC Act establishes a national 10-minute time limit for trains blocking public highway-rail grade crossings, with specific exceptions for safety or emergencies. The bill mandates investigations and potential civil penalties for railroads that frequently violate this limit. Additionally, it enhances public access to reporting mechanisms by requiring railroads to establish public contact numbers and link to the federal blocked crossing portal.

This bill, the Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act, officially authorizes Congress to award Congressional Gold Medals to the 1980 U.S. Men's Olympic Ice Hockey Team for their historic "Miracle on Ice" victory. The medals will be struck by the Treasury and permanently displayed at specific national sports museums. The Act also permits the sale of duplicate bronze medals to cover production costs.

The Protect America's Workforce Act nullifies a specific Executive Order issued in March 2025 concerning exclusions from federal labor-management relations programs. This legislation ensures that any existing collective bargaining agreements between federal agencies and employee unions remain fully in effect until their stated expiration dates. The Act also prohibits the use of federal funds to implement the overturned Executive Order.

The Keeping All Students Safe Act strictly prohibits dangerous restraint and seclusion practices in federally funded schools, establishing national safety standards and requiring immediate parental notification after any restraint incident. It mandates that states create detailed plans, publicly report incident data broken down by student demographics, and utilize federal grants to fund training and prevention strategies. The bill creates a private right of action for families harmed by violations and ensures oversight across various federal school systems.

The Labor Enforcement to Securely Protect Workers (LETS Protect Workers) Act significantly increases civil penalties for violations across major federal labor laws, including child labor, wage and hour, and workplace safety standards. It strengthens enforcement mechanisms for mine safety violations and retaliation against miners, while also establishing new penalties for employer unfair labor practices under the National Labor Relations Act. Furthermore, the bill enhances enforcement for health plan parity and makes certain recordkeeping failures under OSHA and FLSA continuing violations.

This bill modifies the procedures for investigating claims that antidumping and countervailing duty orders are being evaded. It grants the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection the authority to self-initiate evasion investigations based on reasonable suspicion. Furthermore, it requires parties found to have evaded duties to pay all associated duties before seeking judicial review of that determination.

The Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act focuses primarily on improving pediatric drug development and ensuring patient access to necessary treatments. This legislation mandates new research requirements for molecularly targeted pediatric cancer drugs, strengthens FDA enforcement of pediatric study completion, and extends incentives for developing drugs for rare pediatric diseases. Additionally, the bill updates organ transplant network functions and establishes an Abraham Accords Office within the FDA to enhance international regulatory cooperation.

The John Lewis Every Child Deserves a Family Act prohibits discrimination based on religion, sex, or marital status in federally funded child welfare services. This aims to increase the number of stable, family-like placements for children, especially for LGBTQ youth who are overrepresented in foster care. The bill mandates federal guidance, training, and data collection to improve safety and well-being outcomes for all children involved in the system.

The Electricity Transmission Scorecard Act mandates that major electricity transmission entities annually report detailed performance data to FERC and the EIA. This data, covering interconnection queues, project development, and system performance, will be made publicly available via an online portal. The goal is to create standardized transparency to improve accountability, reliability, and affordability across the national transmission system. FERC is also required to periodically review and update these scorecard metrics with stakeholder input.

The Recognizing the Role of Direct Support Professionals Act aims to address the critical shortage and high turnover among Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) who assist individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The bill mandates that the Office of Management and Budget review and revise the Standard Occupational Classification system to establish a distinct code for DSPs. This change will allow for more accurate labor market data collection to better support these essential workers. The Act does not authorize any new funding.

The Restoring Food Security for American Families and Farmers Act of 2025 aims to strengthen domestic food security by repealing specific sections of a prior reconciliation act. This action effectively revives the original laws that were previously amended by the repealed provisions. The bill seeks to revert existing agricultural and food-related statutes to their pre-amendment status.

This bill, the International Human Rights Defense Act of 2025, establishes a permanent Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTQI+ Peoples within the Department of State. It codifies U.S. policy to actively combat international criminalization, violence, and discrimination against LGBTQI+ individuals worldwide. The legislation also mandates enhanced reporting on these abuses in annual human rights reports and authorizes assistance to support related protection efforts abroad.

The BRAVE Act of 2025 aims to significantly improve mental health care for veterans by strengthening the workforce through pay and qualification adjustments, modernizing Vet Center infrastructure and technology, and enhancing specialized support for women veterans. The bill mandates comprehensive reports to address staffing shortages, improve service coordination between VA entities, and ensure outreach efforts are data-driven and tailored to specific veteran needs. Ultimately, this legislation seeks to increase the accessibility, quality, and relevance of mental health and readjustment services across the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Ohio River Restoration Program Act establishes a new program within the EPA dedicated to the large-scale protection and restoration of the Ohio River Basin. This program will be managed by a dedicated office and guided by an advisory council to develop and implement a comprehensive action plan. Funds will be authorized through 2030 to support eligible activities such as improving water quality, restoring habitats, and increasing community resilience.

This resolution designates October as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month to highlight the widespread and devastating impact of intimate partner violence across all demographics. It recognizes the urgent need to eliminate domestic violence and supports increased funding for intervention and prevention programs. The resolution underscores the severe physical, emotional, and economic toll this abuse takes on individuals, families, and communities.

This joint resolution commemorates October 2025 as Head Start Awareness Month to recognize the program's enduring positive impact. It honors Head Start's 60-year legacy of preparing over 40 million children and their families for success through comprehensive health, nutrition, and educational support. The resolution highlights the program's role in promoting long-term academic achievement and empowering parents.

The American Energy Independence and Affordability Act is a comprehensive bill designed to lower energy costs by extending and adjusting key tax incentives across energy production, efficiency, and clean vehicle adoption. It stabilizes support for renewable energy manufacturing, extends deadlines for energy-efficient building credits, and ensures consumer incentives for electric vehicles remain available through 2032. Overall, the legislation aims to provide long-term certainty for energy investments and consumer adoption of cleaner technologies.

The 21st Century Dyslexia Act formally recognizes dyslexia under federal education law by updating the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) definition of specific learning disabilities. This legislation provides a clear definition of dyslexia, emphasizing unexpected reading difficulty due to phonological processing challenges. Furthermore, the Act ensures equitable access to necessary accommodations and services for all eligible children, specifically addressing disparities for low-income and English language learner students.

The Healthy Meals Help Kids Learn Act of 2025 aims to increase federal reimbursement rates for school meals. Specifically, it provides an additional 45 cents per lunch and 28 cents per breakfast served by school food authorities starting November 1, 2025. These adjusted rates will be subject to future inflation adjustments.