Legislative Activity

The "Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025" extends the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000, providing continued financial support to states and counties with federal lands through 2026. It extends secure payments, distribution of payments, and the authority for special projects on federal land. Additionally, it extends the Resource Advisory Committee pilot program and makes several technical corrections to the original Act.

The "Eliminate Lavish Incentives To Electric Vehicles Act" repeals tax credits for new and used clean vehicles, as well as for qualified commercial clean vehicles. It also removes electric vehicle charging stations from eligibility for the alternative fuel vehicle refueling property credit. These changes would take effect 30 days after the enactment of the Act.

The "Fighting Trade Cheats Act of 2025" increases penalties for fraudulent and grossly negligent violations of U.S. customs laws, including banning violators and their affiliates from importing goods. It also allows private parties harmed by customs fraud to sue for damages and injunctive relief. The Act excludes those who commit fraud from participating in the importer of record program.

The AIMM Act permanently extends a tax provision related to how businesses calculate their interest expense deductions. This extension allows businesses to include depreciation, amortization, and depletion when determining the limitation on business interest expenses. This change applies to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2021. Formally, the bill is called the American Investment in Manufacturing and Main Street Act.

The Protecting America’s Seniors’ Access to Care Act prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services from implementing the minimum staffing level rules for nursing homes that were published by CMS on May 10, 2024. This legislation effectively blocks the enforcement of those specific staffing mandates.

The Supporting the Local Radio Freedom Act prevents Congress from imposing new performance fees on local radio stations for playing music. It emphasizes the mutually beneficial relationship between broadcasters and the recording industry, where radio provides free publicity that boosts music sales and supports artists. The act recognizes local radio's crucial role in communities by providing news, weather updates, and public service announcements. Ultimately, this bill aims to protect local radio stations and businesses from economic harm, ensuring they can continue serving their communities without additional financial burdens.

The "Death Tax Repeal Act" eliminates both estate and generation-skipping transfer taxes, effective from the date of enactment. It adjusts gift tax calculations by setting the lifetime gift exemption at $10,000,000, with inflation adjustments after 2011. The Act also includes transitional rules for applying certain sections of the Internal Revenue Code during the enactment year.

The PROTECT Our Children Reauthorization Act of 2025 reauthorizes and amends the PROTECT Our Children Act of 2008, enhancing efforts to combat child exploitation and internet crimes against children. It updates the National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention, expands the ICAC Task Force Program to include Tribal and military entities, and prioritizes investigations likely to rescue children. The act authorizes increased appropriations over the next three fiscal years and mandates that a significant portion of funds support the ICAC Task Force Program through grants. Additionally, it encourages digital forensic examinations, effective prosecutions, and the establishment of a National Internet Crimes Against Children Data System.

The "Chief Herbert D. Proffitt Act of 2025" amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to extend death benefits to retired law enforcement officers who die or are disabled from targeted attacks due to their service. The bill applies retroactively to pending matters before the Bureau of Justice Assistance, or those filed/accruing after the enactment date, with exceptions for actions against retired law enforcement officers that occurred on or after August 28, 2012.

The "National Right-to-Work Act" amends both the National Labor Relations Act and the Railway Labor Act to protect an employee's right to choose whether or not to join or support a labor union. It eliminates the possibility of mandatory union membership or dues payments as a condition of employment, ensuring that employees cannot be forced to join or support a union against their will.

This bill transfers the functions, assets, and responsibilities for implementing the Food for Peace Act from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to the Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Secretary of Agriculture will now administer the program, though the Famine Early Warning Systems Network will remain under USDA control. This change allows the USDA to quickly update necessary rules to ensure a smooth transition of the program.

The "Freight RAILCAR Act of 2025" introduces a tax credit for modernizing freight railcars, encouraging investments in newer, more efficient railcars. Taxpayers can claim a credit equal to 10% of their freight railcar fleet modernization expenses, with a limit of 1,000 qualified freight railcars per year. The credit applies to railcars that increase capacity, improve fuel efficiency, or meet updated performance standards, and is available for three years after the Act's enactment. The Secretary of the Treasury is required to submit a report to Congress detailing the credit's usage and impact on railcar modernization and scrapping.

The "SHIELD Act of 2025" aims to protect individuals from the non-consensual distribution of intimate visual depictions, establishing federal offenses and penalties for those who knowingly distribute such images with reckless disregard for the depicted individual's lack of consent, or distribute depictions of nude minors. It defines key terms, sets forth specific offenses, and outlines penalties including fines and imprisonment, while also providing exceptions for law enforcement activities, good-faith distributions, and protecting communications service providers from liability under certain conditions. The act also addresses threats related to the distribution of intimate images and establishes extraterritorial jurisdiction in certain cases.

The "Stop Human Trafficking of Unaccompanied Migrant Children Act of 2025" aims to protect unaccompanied alien children by establishing stricter vetting standards for sponsors, including background checks for all adults in the household and mandatory home visits. It also requires retroactive vetting of past sponsors and detailed monthly reports to Congress on the placement and well-being of these children. The goal is to prevent human trafficking and ensure the safety of unaccompanied migrant children placed with sponsors in the United States.

The "Protecting Privacy in Purchases Act" prevents payment card networks from assigning a unique merchant category code to firearm retailers. The Attorney General is responsible for enforcing the Act, investigating complaints, and reporting to Congress. This law overrides state and local laws regarding merchant category codes for firearm retailers and does not establish a private right of action.

The "No DeepSeek on Government Devices Act" prohibits the use of the DeepSeek application on government devices, with exceptions for law enforcement, national security, and security research. The Office of Management and Budget is tasked with creating guidelines for executive agencies to remove DeepSeek from their information technology. Any authorized use of DeepSeek under the exceptions requires documented risk mitigation actions.

The Weather Radar Coverage Improvement Act aims to modernize the nation's weather radar system by directing the creation of a plan to replace the current NEXRAD system with advanced phased array radar technology by 2040. This plan includes developing prototypes, establishing a testbed for commercial radars, and consulting with experts to improve coverage and accuracy. The Act also allows the National Weather Service to contract with third parties to fill existing radar coverage gaps, potentially using weather cameras to supplement radar data.

The "Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow's Workforce Act" amends Section 529 savings accounts to include expenses related to postsecondary credentialing programs. This allows 529 funds to cover costs like tuition, fees, books, supplies, and testing fees for recognized programs and credentials, as defined by the bill. These changes would apply to distributions made after the bill is enacted.

The New Markets Tax Credit Extension Act of 2025 permanently extends the New Markets Tax Credit, which incentivizes investment in low-income communities. It removes the credit's expiration date and adjusts the credit amount for inflation after 2025. The act also provides alternative minimum tax relief for qualified equity investments made after December 31, 2024.

The "Respect State Housing Laws Act" repeals a provision in the CARES Act that restricted states' abilities to enforce their own eviction moratoriums. This change clarifies that state laws regarding evictions should be respected and not overridden by federal measures. By removing the subsection, the bill aims to restore states' authority over housing regulations and eviction processes within their jurisdictions.