Legislative Activity

The Affordable Food and Energy Act of 2026 aims to improve access to food assistance by adjusting how certain energy assistance payments affect SNAP benefits. This bill ensures that households receiving energy aid are eligible for the full standard utility allowance when calculating their SNAP benefits. The changes are set to take effect on July 4, 2025.

The FARM Home Loans Act of 2025 updates rural housing financing by expanding eligible property types to include accessory dwelling units (ADUs). Additionally, this act increases the population limit for eligible rural areas from 2,500 to 10,000 residents. These changes aim to foster greater availability of home loans in rural markets.

The Child Care Access and Affordability Act of 2025 mandates the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a comprehensive study on the state of child care access and affordability. This study will examine barriers to meeting state standards, the extent of child care waitlists, current payment rates for providers, and the impact of inflation on the system. The findings will be reported to Congress to inform future policy decisions regarding the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act.

The Affordable Clean Water Infrastructure Act amends federal law to allow states to provide greater financial assistance, such as principal forgiveness, for wastewater projects that address affordability concerns. This legislation specifically targets helping communities afford wastewater services by expanding the use of water pollution control revolving loan funds. It also sets minimum requirements and provides extra support for rural, small, and tribal water systems.

This act establishes the Early Education Savings Program, amending the tax code to allow certain child care expenses to be treated as qualified higher education expenses under 529 college savings plans. Specifically, it permits funds to be used for the qualified child care of a designated beneficiary under the age of five. This change broadens the utility of 529 savings plans to support early childhood education costs.

The Protect Your PIN Act of 2025 updates existing law to ensure local law enforcement receives dedicated funding to combat identity theft. This bill specifically amends the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022 to include identity theft within the scope of eligible cybercrime grants. By defining identity theft for grant purposes, the Act broadens how federal funds can be used to investigate and prosecute these crimes at the local level.

The Rapid Disaster Relief Act aims to speed up federal reimbursements to state and local governments for emergency disaster work. If initial estimates show high federal eligibility, the government must issue payment within 120 days of the request. This ensures faster financial support for immediate post-disaster recovery efforts.

The Keep Call Centers in America Act of 2025 aims to incentivize keeping customer service jobs in the U.S. by penalizing companies that move call centers overseas with loss of federal grants and contracts. The bill also mandates transparency, requiring businesses to disclose an agent's physical location or the use of AI during customer service communications. Furthermore, it ensures that all call center work performed under a federal contract must be completed within the United States.

The Great Lakes Icebreaker Act of 2025 directs the Coast Guard to develop a strategy for designing and building a new, highly capable Great Lakes icebreaker. It also mandates a five-year pilot program to test the current fleet's ability to keep critical shipping lanes open during winter. Furthermore, the bill updates requirements for public reporting and Congressional briefings on the operational costs of icebreaking missions.

The Military PFAS Transparency Act of 2025 mandates that the Department of Defense (DoD) provide annual, detailed reports to Congress on the funding and status of all interim cleanup actions for toxic PFAS chemicals at military sites. This legislation also requires the DoD to submit a strategy for accelerating these cleanups based on health risks and environmental harm. Furthermore, the DoD must establish a public-facing online dashboard to ensure transparency regarding spending and cleanup progress.

The Prescription Drug Transparency and Affordability Act mandates new, detailed financial reporting requirements for Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) serving group health plans. This legislation requires PBMs to provide comprehensive, bi-annual reports to employers detailing drug pricing, rebates, and net costs. The goal is to increase transparency so employers can better understand and manage the true cost of prescription drug benefits for their participants. Failure to comply with these reporting mandates will result in significant daily civil penalties.

The Social Security Overpayment Relief Act establishes a 10-year statute of limitations for the government to recover Social Security and SSI overpayments. This means the government cannot attempt to collect or offset future benefits for overpayments that occurred ten or more years before the mistake was officially discovered. This provides relief by limiting the recovery period for old benefit errors.