Legislative Activity

The Department of Veterans Affairs Continuing Professional Education Modernization Act increases the reimbursement amount for continuing professional education expenses for certain full-time health care professionals of the Department of Veterans Affairs. The bill requires the Secretary to reimburse certain health care professionals up to $2,000 per year and allows the Secretary to adjust the dollar amounts, provided that the reimbursement is not less than $2,000 per year for each individual.

The American Seabed Protection Act prohibits the issuance of licenses or permits for commercial mining activities on the deep seabed and Outer Continental Shelf, with exceptions only for scientific research. The Act requires a comprehensive study by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine to assess the environmental impacts of such mining activities. A report on the study's findings must be submitted to Congress, including assessments of potential impacts on ecosystems, greenhouse gas emissions, and alternatives to seabed minerals.

The Vital Documents Access for Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Act of 2025 establishes an Interagency Task Force to improve unaccompanied homeless youth access to vital documents like social security cards and birth certificates. The task force will assess challenges, recommend policies, establish data collection methods, and enhance collaboration among agencies. It will submit reports to Congress with findings and recommendations for legislative and administrative action to improve access to housing, healthcare, and social services. The task force will terminate three years after it is established.

The "Assuring Medicare's Promise Act of 2025" aims to bolster the solvency of Medicare's Hospital Insurance Trust Fund by expanding the application of the net investment income tax. It directs revenue from the net investment income tax to the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund and broadens the base of the tax to include trade or business income for high-income individuals, with certain income thresholds and phase-in provisions. This act amends both the Social Security Act and the Internal Revenue Code to ensure the financial stability of Medicare.

The WaterSMART Access for Tribes Act amends the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009. It authorizes the Secretary to reduce or waive cost-sharing requirements for infrastructure projects with Indian Tribes if those requirements would create financial hardship for the Tribe. This change aims to ease the financial burden on Tribes participating in water management improvements.

The 911 SAVES Act mandates the Office of Management and Budget to reclassify public safety telecommunicators as a protective service occupation within the Standard Occupational Classification system. This change recognizes the critical and often stressful role these professionals play in emergency response and aligns their classification with the lifesaving work they perform. The reclassification aims to correct an inaccurate representation and better align the Standard Occupational Classification with related classification systems.

The Close the Medigap Act of 2025 aims to strengthen consumer protections and improve transparency in the Medicare supplemental insurance market. It ensures guaranteed issue of Medigap policies regardless of health status, sets minimum medical loss ratios, and prohibits age-based pricing discrimination. The Act also enhances the Medicare plan finder website to provide clearer information about Medigap options and requires transparency in payments to brokers. Finally, the Act restores access to first-dollar Medigap coverage.

The Housing Temperature Safety Act of 2025 establishes a pilot program where the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will provide grants to install and test temperature sensors in federally assisted rental properties. The goal is to ensure these properties meet temperature requirements, with resident consent and data protection measures in place. HUD will conduct interim and final evaluations, reporting to Congress on the program's impact, sensor technology comparisons, and any barriers encountered. The act aims to improve living conditions and address temperature-related issues in housing.

The "Neighbors Not Enemies Act" repeals the Alien Enemies Act, specifically removing sections 4067 through 4070 of the Revised Statutes of the United States. This eliminates the outdated provisions that allowed for the apprehension, restraint, securing, and removal of alien enemies during times of war or declared invasion.

The "Honor Our Living Donors Act" aims to support organ donation by removing financial barriers for living donors. It ensures that grant recipients do not consider the income of organ recipients when reimbursing donors. The Act also removes the expectation of payments by organ recipients and requires an annual report to Congress on grant funding adequacy for donor reimbursements.

The "Health Care Providers Safety Act of 2025" authorizes the Secretary to award grants to health care providers. These grants will enhance the physical and cyber security of healthcare facilities, personnel, and patients. Funds can be used for security services, upgrades to physical access, cyber security, video surveillance, data privacy, and structural improvements.

The COVER Now Act allows local governments in states that haven't expanded Medicaid to create their own programs to provide medical assistance to those who would be eligible under Medicaid expansion. The federal government would match a percentage of the costs. States are prohibited from interfering with these local programs. The Department of Health and Human Services will oversee the demonstration project and report to Congress on its impact.

The BEACH Act of 2025 reauthorizes funding for state and local programs that monitor coastal recreation water quality and notify the public of potential contamination. It broadens water quality monitoring to include upstream waters and allows grant funds to identify pollution sources. The act also extends the authorization of appropriations through 2029 and requires the EPA to update guidance on water contamination testing technology.

The Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection and Pollution Prevention Act permanently withdraws approximately 225,504 acres of federal land and waters in Minnesota's Rainy River Watershed from mining and mineral leasing activities to protect the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Voyageurs National Park. It allows for the removal of certain materials like sand and gravel if it does not harm the environment. The Act aims to preserve water quality, air quality, and the ecological integrity of the Rainy River Watershed.

This bill codifies Executive Order 14096, solidifying the nation's commitment to environmental justice. By codifying the executive order, it ensures the order has the full force and effect of law.

This Act amends current law to require the consent of the chief executive officer (Governor or Mayor of D.C.) before National Guard members can be ordered to perform certain full-time duty within their own state or district when requested by the President or Secretary of Defense. This ensures state-level approval for federal requests involving domestic National Guard deployment. Any duty performed under this authority must still comply with the Posse Comitatus Act.

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the railroad track maintenance credit from $3,500 to $6,100, adjusting for inflation after 2025. It applies to qualified expenditures starting January 1, 2024, for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2024.

This bill recognizes and celebrates Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., on its 105th anniversary, honoring its legacy of scholarship, service, sisterhood, and finer womanhood since its founding in 1920. The bill highlights the sorority's growth, global impact, and the notable achievements of its members. It affirms the sorority's commitment to community service and action-oriented initiatives.

The "Saving the Civil Service Act" limits the ability to reclassify civil service positions, maintaining competitive service standards. It requires OPM approval for certain position changes and sets restrictions on the number of employees that can be moved between service types during a presidential term. Employee consent is mandated for transfers between different service schedules. The Office of Personnel Management is tasked with creating regulations to implement the provisions of this act.

The "Chiropractic Medicare Coverage Modernization Act of 2025" seeks to modernize Medicare coverage for chiropractic services. It expands coverage to include all services provided by licensed Doctors of Chiropractic, not just manual spinal manipulation. Doctors of Chiropractic are required to attend an educational webinar to be eligible for Medicare reimbursement. This aims to align Medicare with other healthcare systems and private insurance in recognizing the full scope of chiropractic care.