Legislative Activity

The Ensuring Agency Service Quality Act mandates that all Executive agencies and military departments must adhere strictly to federal job classification standards when hiring personnel. If an agency cannot meet its required staffing levels under these new rules, the agency head must promptly notify relevant Congressional committees within seven days with a detailed explanation. This legislation aims to standardize and enforce federal employment structures across key government bodies.

The Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025 aims to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and countering its support for terrorism by imposing sanctions on those involved in Iran's energy sector and those who provide financial support for its destabilizing activities. It mandates sanctions on foreign entities involved in processing, exporting, or selling Iranian oil, gas, and petrochemicals, while also establishing an interagency working group to coordinate and enforce these sanctions. The Act also amends existing legislation to require the identification of individuals involved in sanctionable activities or sanctions evasion related to Iranian oil and gas sales.

The Medicare Audiology Access Improvement Act of 2025 expands Medicare coverage for audiology services, beginning in 2027. This legislation allows qualified audiologists to provide diagnostic and treatment services without physician referral or supervision, as permitted by state law. The bill also specifies payment rates and includes audiologists in coverage for Rural Health Clinics and Federally Qualified Health Centers.

The End Driving While Intoxicated Act of 2025 aims to combat rising drunk driving fatalities by establishing a national standard for ignition interlock devices (IIDs). This bill mandates that states require DWI offenders to use IIDs for a minimum of 180 days or face penalties involving the withholding of federal highway funds. The legislation seeks to leverage the proven effectiveness of IIDs in reducing repeat offenses across the country.

The Hands Off Medicaid and SNAP Act of 2025 prevents Congress from using the budget reconciliation process to cut funding or eligibility for Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). This protection establishes a significant procedural roadblock against reducing benefits for these essential social programs. However, this restriction is temporary and is set to expire on January 20, 2029.

The American Family Act fundamentally overhauls the Child Tax Credit by replacing the annual lump sum with a system of advance, refundable monthly payments delivered directly to families. These monthly allowances vary based on the child's age, with higher amounts provided for younger children. The bill also establishes a separate, smaller credit for other dependents and outlines procedures for annual renewal and reconciliation of advance payments when filing taxes.

The Closing the Bump Stock Loophole Act of 2025 seeks to amend federal gun laws by banning devices and modifications that significantly increase the rate of fire of semiautomatic firearms, effectively treating them like machineguns. The bill specifically prohibits the manufacture, sale, or possession of such accessories and modified firearms after 120 days of enactment. Existing owners of previously modified firearms must register them under the National Firearms Act within that same timeframe to legally keep them.

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 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 No Tax Breaks for Union Busting (NTBUB) Act aims to disallow businesses from deducting federal income taxes for expenses incurred while attempting to influence employees regarding union organization or activities. This change is intended to stop companies from subsidizing anti-union campaigns through tax write-offs. The bill also establishes new, significant reporting requirements and penalties for businesses and third-party consultants who engage in these influence expenditures.

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 American Innovation Act establishes significant, multi-year funding authorizations through fiscal year 2036 for key federal science and innovation agencies, including the NSF, DOE Office of Science, DoD, NIST, and NASA. These appropriations are protected from future budget sequestration and are set to automatically adjust for inflation starting in fiscal year 2036. The bill ensures these dedicated innovation funds remain available until expended.

The Protect America's Workforce Act nullifies a specific Executive Order concerning exclusions from federal labor-management relations programs, immediately voiding its legal power and halting federal spending to enforce it. This legislation also ensures that all existing collective bargaining agreements between federal agencies and unions remain valid until their original expiration dates.

This bill restricts the use of federal funds to carry out large-scale removals of employees within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Specifically, it prohibits using federal money for terminations if 3% or more of the total HHS workforce, or 3% or more of any individual sub-agency's staff, are removed within a 60-day period. This measure aims to prevent sudden, mass layoffs across the department and its major divisions.

This resolution expresses the sense of Congress that the Trump administration's planned tariffs on Canada and Mexico violate the spirit and terms of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Congress is urging the President to cease imposing these tariffs, which threaten to undermine the vital trade relationship established by the USMCA. The measure affirms strong support for the existing trade agreement and its framework for fair commerce.

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.

The Hunger-Free Future Act of 2025 mandates that any adjustment to the Thrifty Food Plan used for calculating SNAP benefits must not result in an increase in food insecurity. This ensures that updates to the cost of the food plan do not negatively impact households' ability to afford adequate nutrition.

The Abortion Care Awareness Act of 2025 mandates the creation of a national public health campaign by the Secretary of HHS to educate the public on accessing abortion and related health services legally and safely. This campaign must provide medically accurate information on care options, including telehealth and medication abortion, while also teaching people how to recognize disinformation and protect their health data. The effort must be culturally competent and accessible to underserved communities, explicitly prohibiting the promotion of misinformation or abstinence-only programs.

The Portable Ultrasound Reimbursement Equity Act of 2025 updates Medicare coverage to include diagnostic ultrasound tests. This legislation mandates that Medicare establish separate payments for the transportation and setup of portable ultrasound equipment, mirroring existing payments for portable X-ray services. These changes are set to take effect starting January 1, 2027.

The Support UNFPA Funding Act authorizes specific funding levels for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for fiscal years 2026 and 2027. This legislation affirms that supporting UNFPA is in the U.S. strategic interest because it advances global health, reduces preventable maternal deaths, and combats gender-based violence. The bill emphasizes that UNFPA's work on voluntary family planning promotes stability and economic growth worldwide.