Legislative Activity

The Veteran Burial Timeliness and Death Certificate Accountability Act addresses significant delays in obtaining death certificates for veterans who die from natural causes, often due to VA medical staff delays. This bill mandates that VA medical providers must certify a veteran's death within 48 hours or allow the local medical examiner to step in. Furthermore, the VA must annually report on its compliance with this new timely certification requirement.

The AFIDA Improvements Act of 2025 modernizes the reporting requirements for foreign ownership of U.S. agricultural land by lowering the minimum reporting threshold for certain transactions. This legislation strengthens enforcement actions and mandates the sharing of critical foreign investment data with national security officials, specifically CFIUS. Furthermore, the Act requires updates to official handbooks to incorporate national security risk assessments and establishes a timeline for fully implementing electronic AFIDA disclosure systems.

This resolution officially commends Petty Officer 3d Class Scott Ruskan for his heroic actions during the devastating central Texas floods of July 2025. It specifically recognizes him for personally rescuing 165 individuals and coordinating triage efforts under hazardous conditions. Furthermore, the bill extends deep gratitude to all federal, state, and volunteer responders who risked their lives during this major natural disaster.

This resolution expresses support for designating July 10th as Journeyman Lineworkers Recognition Day. It honors the essential and dangerous work performed by these skilled professionals, especially their heroic efforts in restoring power after major disasters. The day serves to recognize their service and remember those who have lost their lives performing this vital work.

The Preventing Crimes Against Veterans Act of 2025 establishes a new federal crime specifically targeting individuals who knowingly defraud veterans or attempt to steal their federal benefits. This legislation creates enhanced penalties, including potential fines and imprisonment up to five years, for those convicted of such schemes. The Act ensures robust legal tools are in place to protect veterans from financial exploitation related to their earned benefits.

The Wildfire Infrastructure and Landowner Tax Relief Act of 2025 (WILTR Act) aims to incentivize wildfire prevention efforts by landowners. This bill excludes certain federal grants received for hazardous fuel reduction activities from gross income, making them tax-free. Additionally, it creates a new above-the-line tax deduction for qualified expenditures landowners make on certified fire mitigation work on their property.

The National Landslide Preparedness Act Reauthorization Act of 2025 updates federal landslide preparedness by refining key definitions, including those for atmospheric rivers and extreme precipitation events. It reauthorizes and strengthens the National Landslide Hazards Reduction Program, requiring specific risk assessments and improvements to the national hazard database. The bill also expands stakeholder inclusion, enhances interagency coordination, and reauthorizes funding for USGS landslide activities and the 3D Elevation Program through fiscal year 2030.

The Foreign Animal Disease Prevention, Surveillance, and Rapid Response Act of 2025 reauthorizes and significantly increases mandatory funding levels for critical animal disease prevention and management programs through 2031. This legislation ensures sustained financial support for national animal health laboratories, surveillance efforts, and preparedness initiatives. The bill updates funding allocations to enhance the nation's ability to rapidly respond to potential foreign animal disease outbreaks.

The Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2025 aims to streamline pesticide regulation by generally exempting legally authorized pesticide applications from needing separate Clean Water Act discharge permits. This change applies when authorized pesticides or their residues enter navigable waters from a specific discharge point. However, the exemption does not apply if the discharge violates FIFRA rules, involves certain stormwater runoff, or originates from industrial processes or vessels.

The PROTECT Act of 2025 enhances Tribal sovereignty by formally recognizing Tribal courts as competent jurisdictions under federal laws governing electronic data requests, such as the Stored Communications Act. It also expands the scope of offenses over which Tribal courts have jurisdiction, specifically including defined controlled substance and firearms offenses on Tribal lands. Furthermore, the bill ensures that offenders convicted under this expanded Tribal jurisdiction can participate in the Bureau of Prisons Tribal Prisoner Program.

The VA Loan Informed Disclosure Act of 2025 (VALID Act) aims to increase awareness of VA loan options among homebuyers. It requires lenders to include comparative information about potential VA loan terms on standard FHA disclosure forms. Furthermore, the Act mandates that the Uniform Residential Loan Application include a prominent question regarding the applicant's military service.

This bill grants the Secretary of Agriculture the authority to waive the required matching funds for recipients of grants under the Specialty Crop Research Initiative. This change allows the Secretary discretion in awarding funds without requiring the recipient to contribute their own matching capital. The waiver applies to grants awarded on or after the date the law is enacted.

The Deescalation Drone Pilot Program Act of 2025 establishes a pilot program managed by the FAA for law enforcement to test drones equipped only with non-lethal tools during active shooter events. This initiative aims to assess the safety, training, and effectiveness of using these specialized drones to keep officers at a safer distance. Following the testing phase, the FAA must create a formal rulemaking process to allow agencies nationwide to seek approval for using these domestically manufactured, non-lethal drones.

The Full Responsibility and Expedited Enforcement (FREE) Act mandates that federal agencies develop and implement a "permitting by rule" system as an alternative to slow, traditional permitting processes. This new system requires applicants to certify compliance with written standards, streamlining approval with a 180-day automatic grant deadline if the agency fails to act. Agencies retain the right to audit and enforce compliance after permits are issued, with the burden of proof shifting to the agency during appeals.

The Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025 aims to streamline and modernize the prior authorization process within Medicare Advantage plans. This bill mandates the adoption of electronic prior authorization systems and significantly increases transparency regarding approval rates and decision times starting in 2027. Furthermore, it establishes new enrollee protections and grants the Secretary authority to enforce faster decision timeframes for medical services.

The AGRITOURISM Act establishes a new Office of Agritourism within the Department of Agriculture, led by a dedicated Director. This office is tasked with promoting and supporting farm-based tourism activities across the nation. The goal is to boost rural economies by helping agricultural businesses diversify through educational, recreational, and direct-sale opportunities.

This bill disapproves of and nullifies the Department of Energy's rule on energy conservation standards for commercial refrigerators, freezers, and refrigerator-freezers.

The Providing Child Care for Police Officers Act of 2025 establishes a new federal grant program to help law enforcement officers secure childcare during non-traditional hours. Administered by HHS, these competitive grants will fund local agencies to offer subsidies, start new facilities, or cover operational costs for officers. The program requires state agencies to apply and secure matching funds, with a sunset date of September 30, 2030.

The Certainty for Our Energy Future Act modifies existing clean energy tax credits by terminating eligibility for new wind and solar facilities beginning construction after December 31, 2030. Furthermore, the bill denies various clean energy tax benefits to companies controlled by or established in designated "countries of concern." These changes aim to provide certainty regarding future tax incentives while restricting benefits for entities linked to specific foreign governments.

This Act officially designates the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, Washington, as the National Museum of Pop Culture. This designation is purely honorary and does not change the museum's operational status or obligate the federal government to provide funding.