Legislative Activity

The MAWS Act of 2025 establishes a three-year pilot program to support watermen by funding businesses to purchase blue catfish caught within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. This initiative requires setting a minimum purchase price based on market conditions and stakeholder input. Following the program, a comprehensive report will be submitted to Congress detailing ecological and economic impacts, along with policy recommendations.

The North Rim Restoration Act of 2025 grants the Secretary of the Interior emergency contracting authority to expedite recovery efforts following the Dragon Bravo Fire within Grand Canyon National Park. This allows for faster hiring and purchasing necessary for forest restoration and rebuilding damaged structures. The Secretary must provide detailed, regular reports to Congress regarding spending, contractor information, and project status. This special authority automatically expires five years after enactment or upon completion of the recovery work.

This bill seeks to disapprove the Bureau of Land Management's rule concerning Public Land Order No. 7917, which withdrew federal lands in specific Minnesota counties. If enacted, this disapproval would nullify the BLM's rule, rendering it without legal effect.

This bill, the Keeping Public Lands Out of Adversarial Hands Act, expands the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to include the Secretary of the Interior for certain land and resource transactions. It mandates CFIUS review of land or resource deals involving foreign persons from specified adversarial nations. This ensures greater scrutiny over foreign acquisitions near sensitive U.S. public lands and resources.

This resolution expresses strong support for the Iranian people protesting for freedom, democracy, and basic human rights against the repressive Islamic Republic. It condemns the regime's brutal crackdown on demonstrators and demands an end to violence and the release of political prisoners. Furthermore, it urges the U.S. government to work with allies to deter further lethal violence against protesters.

This bill amends the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 to temporarily exclude certain False Claims Act recoveries from being deposited into the Crime Victims Fund through fiscal year 2029. It also mandates a comprehensive audit by the Department of Justice Inspector General on the Fund's sustainability and the impact of recent legislative changes. The resulting report will provide recommendations for improving the Fund's effectiveness and oversight.

The S.T.O.P. Illicit Vapes Act establishes a high-level, multi-agency federal task force to combat the illegal importation, distribution, and sale of unauthorized e-cigarettes. Co-chaired by the Attorney General and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, this group will coordinate enforcement strategies and share information. The task force is required to meet regularly and submit detailed semi-annual reports to Congress outlining enforcement actions and recommendations for new legal authorities.

**ESA Amendments Act of 2025 Summary:** The ESA Amendments Act of 2025 seeks to modify and update the Endangered Species Act of 1973 by prioritizing conservation efforts, incentivizing private land stewardship, and increasing transparency and accountability. The act focuses on streamlining regulations, limiting legal challenges, and ensuring that decisions are based on sound science and economic considerations. These changes aim to balance species protection with the needs of private landowners and state management, while also addressing international trade regulations.

This act establishes the **Utah Wildfire Research Institute Act of 2025**. It amends existing law to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a Southwest Forest Health and Wildfire Prevention Institute specifically within the State of Utah. This new institute will focus on research related to forest health and wildfire prevention in the region.

This act officially confirms that the University of Utah's use of approximately 593.54 acres of land in Salt Lake City for its research park constitutes a valid public purpose under federal law. It validates the existing use established by the 1970 Department of the Interior approval and any consistent future uses related to the university research park.

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.

This bill establishes new federal requirements for Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) contracting with Medicare Part D and Medicaid plans, effective in 2027. It mandates specific payment standards for pharmacies, requires PBMs to pass manufacturer rebates directly to patients and plan sponsors, and strictly prohibits steering patients toward specific pharmacies. Additionally, the legislation enhances transparency by expanding drug price reporting requirements for all types of pharmacies within the Medicaid program.

This bill, the Pharmacists Fight Back in Federal Employee Health Benefit Plans Act, establishes new rules for Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) administering prescription drug benefits for federal employees. It mandates specific reimbursement rates for pharmacies and prohibits PBMs from engaging in anti-competitive practices like steering patients to affiliated pharmacies. The legislation also institutes civil monetary penalties and potential debarment for PBMs that fail to comply with these new requirements.

This bill exempts specific, carefully defined less-than-lethal projectile devices and their ammunition from the federal excise tax on firearms and ammunition. It also removes these qualifying devices from regulation under the National Firearms Act. The legislation establishes clear criteria, including velocity limits and design restrictions, to ensure the exemption applies only to tools intended for de-escalation rather than lethal force. Manufacturers can request official classification for their products to confirm eligibility for these tax and regulatory benefits.

The Deepfake Liability Act amends Section 230 to impose a duty of care on online platforms regarding cyberstalking and intimate privacy violations, including nonconsensual deepfakes. This protection is conditional on platforms implementing reasonable processes for prevention, data logging, and content removal. The bill also strengthens the TAKE IT DOWN Act by expanding its notice and removal process to cover these specific violations within 48 hours.

This Concurrent Resolution formally denounces the ideology of socialism based on its historical outcomes. It asserts that socialist principles have consistently led to totalitarian regimes, mass atrocities, and economic collapse worldwide. The resolution contrasts these failures with the founding principles of the United States, concluding with a statement opposing the implementation of socialist policies domestically.

The SAWMILL Act establishes the Timber Production Expansion Guaranteed Loan Program within the Department of Agriculture. This program provides loan guarantees to rural sawmills and wood-processing facilities located near federal lands needing ecological restoration. These facilities must help substantially reduce the cost of removing vegetation from high-priority federal lands. The total loan guarantees are capped at $220 million.

The Good Samaritan Menstrual Products Act provides liability protections for individuals, manufacturers, and nonprofit organizations that donate or distribute menstrual products in good faith to those in need. This protection covers the nature, age, or condition of apparently usable donated products. However, these protections do not apply in cases of gross negligence or intentional misconduct.

This act, the Law-Enforcement Innovate to De-Escalate Act, amends federal law to exempt specific less-than-lethal projectile devices from existing firearm restrictions. It clarifies that these devices, designed to avoid serious injury and firing projectiles below a certain velocity, are not classified as firearms under federal statute. This change aims to facilitate the adoption of non-lethal tools by law enforcement.

The Safer Supervision Act of 2025 aims to reform federal supervised release by requiring individualized assessments for imposing supervision and establishing a presumption for early termination when defendants meet certain compliance and public safety criteria. The bill also addresses workload concerns by mandating a proposal for law enforcement availability pay for probation officers and allowing prisoners without imposed supervision to apply earned time credits for early release. Finally, it directs the GAO to study the federal supervision and reentry system.