Legislative Activity

This resolution strongly condemns the antisemitic shooting attack during a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia. It expresses solidarity with the victims, their families, and the Jewish community worldwide. Furthermore, the bill reaffirms the U.S. commitment to combating all forms of religious hatred and violence.

The Protect Our Students Act aims to significantly enhance safety in school zones by requiring states to prioritize crash reduction efforts in these areas. This legislation mandates the Secretary of Transportation to clarify eligible safety improvements, including funding for crossing guards, traffic calming measures, and school zone audits. Furthermore, it increases the federal allocation for the Highway Safety Improvement Program to support these critical safety initiatives.

The D-BLOC Act establishes a national 10-minute time limit for trains blocking public highway-rail grade crossings, with specific exceptions for safety or emergencies. The bill mandates investigations and potential civil penalties for railroads that frequently violate this limit. Additionally, it enhances public access to reporting mechanisms by requiring railroads to establish public contact numbers and link to the federal blocked crossing portal.

This resolution reaffirms the United States' commitment to ending pediatric HIV/AIDS globally by supporting critical prevention and treatment efforts. It emphasizes the need to close gaps in care, particularly for women and children in high-burden areas, and supports expanding access to testing, antiretroviral therapy, and new prevention methods. The bill specifically encourages continued U.S. leadership through initiatives like PEPFAR to achieve the goal of eliminating new pediatric HIV infections by 2030.

This bill aims to bolster the U.S. bioeconomy and food system resilience by promoting innovation in edible protein production, particularly through biomanufacturing and utilizing under-utilized biomass. It establishes new research centers, prioritizes funding for alternative protein research through existing programs, and creates grant opportunities for commercial-scale production and workforce development. Ultimately, the Act seeks to secure the nation's protein supply, create economic opportunities, and maintain U.S. leadership in food technology.

The Part-Time Worker Bill of Rights Act aims to strengthen protections and expand benefits for part-time and temporary employees. The legislation eliminates restrictive hours-of-service requirements for FMLA leave and prohibits discrimination based on hours worked regarding pay, benefits, and promotion opportunities. Additionally, it mandates that employers offer available work hours to existing staff before hiring new employees or contractors.

The Fair Competition for Small Business Act of 2025 empowers state attorneys general to file lawsuits on behalf of their residents against companies violating federal antitrust laws. This legislation strengthens consumer protections by allowing states to seek damages for anti-competitive practices under the Sherman Act.

The Schedules That Work Act aims to provide workers with greater stability and predictability in their work hours. It grants employees the right to request flexible or stable schedules and requires employers to engage in a good-faith discussion about these requests. For covered sector employees (like retail and food service), the bill mandates 14 days' advance notice of schedules and establishes "predictability pay" for last-minute changes or split shifts. The Act also grants employees the right to 11 hours of rest between shifts, with premium pay required if this rest period is violated.

The Antisemitism Response and Prevention Act of 2025 aims to combat rising antisemitism through comprehensive federal action, emphasizing evidence-based strategies consistent with democratic values. The bill establishes new offices within the DOJ and FBI to coordinate counter-efforts and improve hate crime data collection. Furthermore, it mandates specific compliance and reporting requirements for colleges regarding civil rights and prohibits partisan conditions on nonprofit security grants.

The Public Health Air Quality Act of 2025 aims to significantly enhance air quality monitoring and public data access across the United States. It establishes new federal requirements for industrial facilities to monitor and report hazardous air pollutant emissions, including real-time fenceline data. The Act also mandates the deployment of hundreds of new, advanced air quality monitors in vulnerable communities to better assess compliance with National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Ultimately, this legislation seeks to use improved, publicly accessible data to protect public health from industrial air pollution.

The Bridge to Summer Nutrition Act of 2025 aims to strengthen summer food assistance programs by increasing federal support for state administrative costs. Specifically, it mandates that the USDA reimburse states 90% of their monthly administrative expenses for operating summer electronic benefit transfer (EBT) programs for children. This increased funding also applies to administrative costs for regular SNAP operations.

The Environmental Justice Screening Tool Act of 2025 mandates the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to create a public online mapping tool within one year to identify communities disproportionately burdened by environmental, climate, health, economic, and social factors. This tool will use specific thresholds across various categories to flag census tracts needing attention. Federal agencies must then adopt this tool to prioritize funding and resources for the identified communities.

The Restoring Trust in Public Safety Act establishes a grant program to fund the complete destruction of firearms by state, local, and Tribal governments. Eligible entities can apply for competitive grants to cover costs associated with destruction equipment, services, and training. Grantees must certify that all firearms and components are fully destroyed and maintain detailed records of the process.

The Restore Trust in Government Act establishes strict new federal restrictions on senior government officials and their immediate families regarding the ownership and trading of specific financial investments. Covered individuals must divest existing investments that fall under the law's definition within a set timeframe, with limited exceptions. Violators face significant financial penalties, including a 10% fee on the investment value and disgorgement of any profits earned from prohibited transactions.

The Americas Regional Monitoring of Arms Sales (ARMAS) Act of 2025 seeks to combat illegal firearms trafficking to Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. It transfers regulatory control of certain munitions exports from the Department of Commerce back to the Department of State. The bill also mandates comprehensive reporting, strategy development, and increased tracking of U.S. firearm exports to designated "covered countries."

The Healthcare Equality and Rights for Our Heroes Act (HERO Act) establishes a new legal process allowing members of the uniformed services to sue the United States for damages resulting from medical malpractice at military treatment facilities. This act repeals existing law and creates a new exclusive remedy against the U.S. government for injuries or death caused by negligence in military healthcare. Lawsuits must be filed within 10 years of discovering the injury, and damage awards cannot be reduced by any VA benefits received.

This bill officially recognizes Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) individuals as a distinct racial and ethnic minority group within federal health law. It directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a comprehensive study on the unique health disparities affecting the MENA population. The legislation aims to ensure MENA individuals are included in federal health policies and resource allocation, addressing historical exclusion.

The UPLIFT Act establishes a new, refundable residential energy tax credit for taxpayers facing significant increases in electricity, natural gas, or propane costs. This credit, capped at \$1,200 or \$2,400 for joint filers, is only available when energy price inflation exceeds 2% year-over-year. The benefit is subject to an income-based phase-out for higher-earning households.

The Protecting Access to Affordable Coverage Act of 2025 aims to make health insurance enrollment easier and more accessible. It extends the 2026 open enrollment period and establishes a monthly special enrollment period for certain low-income individuals. The bill also revises rules for Navigator grants, ensuring local entities receive funding and prohibiting Navigators from charging fees.

The People's White House Historic Preservation Act removes the White House and its grounds from a specific list of properties under current preservation law. This action reclassifies the status of the White House regarding federal historic preservation regulations.