Legislative Activity

The "Protect America's Lands Act" prevents national securities exchanges from handling transactions of securities issued by "natural asset companies." These companies manage land for conservation and aim to enhance the value of natural assets and ecosystem services. The bill defines specific criteria for what constitutes a "natural asset company" to ensure the prohibition is appropriately applied.

The "Death Tax Repeal Act" eliminates both estate and generation-skipping transfer taxes, effective from the date of enactment. It adjusts gift tax calculations by setting the lifetime gift exemption at $10,000,000, with inflation adjustments after 2011. The Act also includes transitional rules for applying certain sections of the Internal Revenue Code during the enactment year.

This bill expresses support for designating February 15-22, 2025, as "National FFA Week," celebrating the National FFA Organization's role in developing future leaders through agricultural education. It also recognizes the 90th anniversary of New Farmers of America and the 75th anniversary of the Future Farmers of America federal charter.

The "Give Kids a Chance Act of 2025" aims to improve pediatric drug development and access by requiring more research into pediatric cancer drugs, ensuring completion of pediatric studies, and extending priority review vouchers for rare pediatric disease treatments. The act also addresses organ transplantation network improvements, limitations on orphan drug exclusivity, and establishes an FDA office to coordinate with Abraham Accords countries on regulatory standards. Additionally, the act allocates funding for pediatric drug studies and mandates reports and studies to assess the effectiveness of these changes.

The "Grazing for Wildfire Risk Reduction Act" aims to reduce wildfire risks by directing the Secretary of Agriculture to expand the use of livestock grazing on Forest Service land. The plan includes strategies such as expediting environmental reviews for grazing permits, employing targeted grazing, and increasing the use of temporary permits for fuels reduction and invasive species control. It also promotes grazing as a post-fire recovery tool and utilizes all available legal authorities to achieve these goals.

The "Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025" permits schools participating in the National School Lunch Program to offer a wider variety of milk options, including whole milk (both flavored and unflavored, organic and non-organic), reduced-fat, low-fat, fat-free, and lactose-free milk. It specifies that milk fat from any fluid milk offered is not considered saturated fat when measuring compliance with saturated fat content limits for meals. The bill also prohibits schools from purchasing milk from China state-owned enterprises.

The "Protecting Privacy in Purchases Act" prevents payment card networks from assigning a unique merchant category code to firearm retailers. The Attorney General is responsible for enforcing the Act, investigating complaints, and reporting to Congress. This law overrides state and local laws regarding merchant category codes for firearm retailers and does not establish a private right of action.

This bill transfers the responsibilities of the Food for Peace Act from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to the Department of Agriculture (USDA). It ensures the continuation of programs like the Famine Early Warning Systems Network and allows the Secretary of Agriculture to amend regulations and utilize existing statutory authorities to maintain program continuity. The Secretary of Agriculture will consult with the Secretary of State when carrying out authorities under title II of the Food for Peace Act.

The WEST Act of 2025 nullifies the Bureau of Land Management's Conservation and Landscape Health rule. This prevents the rule from being implemented.

The "Freight RAILCAR Act of 2025" introduces a tax credit for modernizing freight railcars, encouraging investments in newer, more efficient railcars. Taxpayers can claim a credit equal to 10% of their freight railcar fleet modernization expenses, with a limit of 1,000 qualified freight railcars per year. The credit applies to railcars that increase capacity, improve fuel efficiency, or meet updated performance standards, and is available for three years after the Act's enactment. The Secretary of the Treasury is required to submit a report to Congress detailing the credit's usage and impact on railcar modernization and scrapping.

The "Family Farm and Small Business Exemption Act" amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to exclude the net value of a family farm (on which the family resides) or a small business (with no more than 100 employees and owned/controlled by the family) from consideration as an asset when determining financial need for federal student aid. This change aims to make higher education more accessible for students from family farm and small business backgrounds.

The "Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow's Workforce Act" amends Section 529 savings accounts to include expenses related to postsecondary credentialing programs. This allows 529 funds to cover costs like tuition, fees, books, supplies, and testing fees for recognized programs and credentials, as defined by the bill. These changes would apply to distributions made after the bill is enacted.

The "HALT Fentanyl Act" permanently classifies fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs under the Controlled Substances Act, streamlining research registration processes while maintaining controls. It also updates penalties for trafficking, importing, and exporting fentanyl-related substances, treating them similarly to fentanyl analogues. Additionally, the Act addresses technical errors in previous legislation and mandates the Attorney General to issue rules for implementation.

The CONSTRUCTS Act of 2025 aims to expand training and education opportunities for careers in residential construction by awarding competitive grants to junior and community colleges, as well as area career and technical education schools. These grants will support the creation or expansion of training programs, with a focus on serving rural areas and underserved populations, and will encourage partnerships with local construction businesses. The goal is to address workforce shortages in the residential construction industry and increase the availability of affordable housing. The Act allocates $20 million per fiscal year from 2026 to 2030 for these initiatives.

The Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act prohibits the Department of Veterans Affairs from sharing veterans' personal information with the national instant criminal background check system (NICS) based solely on the fact that the veteran requires assistance managing their benefits. Information can only be shared if a judge has determined the veteran to be a danger to themselves or others.

The "Fair Access to Banking Act" aims to prevent financial institutions from denying services to legal businesses based on subjective or political reasons. It prohibits large banks, credit unions, and payment card networks from discriminating against legal businesses and requires them to provide fair access to financial services based on impartial, risk-based standards. Financial institutions that violate these provisions may face penalties, including ineligibility for taxpayer-funded discount window lending programs and civil penalties. Individuals or businesses who are unfairly denied services can sue the financial institution in U.S. district court.

The BADGES for Native Communities Act aims to improve public safety and address the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people by bridging data gaps, ensuring better coordination among law enforcement agencies, and providing resources for tribal communities. It mandates the appointment of Tribal facilitators for the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, requires reports on law enforcement resources and needs in Indian Country, and establishes a grant program for missing or murdered response coordination. Additionally, the Act focuses on improving background checks for Bureau of Indian Affairs law enforcement, studying evidence collection procedures, and enhancing counseling resources for law enforcement officers serving Native communities.

The "No User Fees for Gun Owners Act" prohibits state and local governments from imposing taxes, fees, or insurance requirements on firearm or ammunition ownership and commerce. Regular sales taxes are permitted if applied at the same rate as other goods and services. This bill aims to protect gun owners and businesses from discriminatory financial burdens.

The Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act of 2025 ensures that monetary penalties from False Claims Act cases are deposited into the Crime Victims Fund through fiscal year 2029. This excludes payments to whistleblowers and reimbursements to the government. This will increase the amount of money available to help victims of crimes.

The "Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act of 2025" extends increased Medicare payment support for physicians and practitioners through 2025. It increases payment rates by 6.62% for services provided from April 1, 2025, to January 1, 2026. The bill also updates a section of the Social Security Act to include the years 2021 through 2025 for conforming changes.