Legislative Activity

The Sustainable Agriculture Research Act aims to enhance the role of agriculture in developing innovative sustainability solutions. It amends the AGARDA program to focus on agricultural technologies addressing extreme weather, water conservation, carbon storage, and sustainable energy. The bill also specifically defines and promotes the adoption of precision agriculture to improve efficiency and environmental quality.

The Measuring the Cost of Disasters Act of 2025 mandates the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to establish and maintain a public database and webpage detailing all billion-dollar disasters in the U.S. This resource must be updated every six months with key information like cost, location, and type of event. The webpage must also feature visual mapping tools similar to those previously provided by NCEI.

The Watershed Protection and Forest Recovery Act of 2025 establishes an **Emergency Forest Watershed Program** to allow for rapid federal response to natural disasters damaging National Forest System lands. This program enables the Forest Service to quickly fund and partner with local entities to implement necessary measures to stop runoff, erosion, and flooding. The Act prioritizes speed, waives matching funds for sponsors, and provides liability protection for those carrying out the emergency recovery work.

The Making Access To Cleanup Happen (MATCH) Act of 2025 streamlines the Emergency Watershed Protection Program by allowing local sponsors to begin critical cleanup work before final federal agreements are signed. This allows state-level processes to authorize early spending on emergency measures following a natural disaster. Any eligible costs incurred early will count toward the sponsor's required contribution, provided a final agreement is eventually reached. However, sponsors assume the financial risk if the Secretary ultimately declines to enter into an agreement.

The Western Wildfire Support Act of 2025 aims to modernize wildfire management through comprehensive reforms across preparation, response, and recovery. It focuses on increasing federal spending transparency, accelerating the deployment of advanced detection technology, and establishing permanent teams for rapid post-fire stabilization. Ultimately, the bill seeks to improve coordination between federal, state, and tribal partners while ensuring better accountability for recovery funding.

The Affordability and Fairness for Mountain Communities Act of 2025 establishes a new waiver program allowing local governments to calculate Area Median Income (AMI) using smaller geographic areas, such as specific ZIP codes, for federal housing programs. This flexibility aims to better reflect local housing costs in mountain communities. Furthermore, the bill mandates a comprehensive study by HUD to assess and recommend improvements to how AMI calculations support affordable housing for low-income and seasonal workers in these specific areas.

The Wildfire Recovery Act ensures the federal government covers at least 75% of eligible fire management assistance costs for newly appropriated funds. It also mandates new rulemaking to establish clear standards for increasing federal disaster cost-sharing based on measurable financial impact. Finally, the bill updates FEMA policy to allow state, local, and Tribal governments to seek reimbursement for pre-staging their own equipment before a disaster is officially declared.

The Wildfire Smoke Relief Act establishes a program to provide assistance to individuals at high risk of illness due to prolonged exposure to unhealthy wildfire smoke. This assistance includes distributing protective gear like air filters and masks, as well as offering transitional shelter when preventative measures are insufficient. Eligibility is based on air quality conditions and specific vulnerability factors such as age, income, or chronic health conditions.

This constitutional amendment seeks to grant Congress and the states the authority to regulate contributions and expenditures in political campaigns. It specifically allows for the establishment of public financing systems to offset the influence of private money in elections. The amendment ensures that any regulations enacted must not infringe upon the freedom of the press.

The Aircraft Noise Reduction Act grants general aviation airports increased authority to work with the FAA to implement local aircraft noise limitations. This process requires consultation with airport owners and consideration of community input when adjusting flight and training routes. Crucially, airports taking these noise-reduction actions will not face the loss of federal funding as a result.

The Protect Americans from Climate Disasters Act addresses the increasing danger from severe weather events driven by climate change. This bill mandates that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) be fully staffed, including reinstating recently departed employees, to ensure accurate forecasting and public alerts. Furthermore, it secures specific funding for NOAA in Fiscal Year 2026 and requires the immediate reinstatement of critical data tools, such as the Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters tracker.

This Act establishes the National Manufacturing Advisory Council within the Department of Commerce to serve as a direct link between the government and the U.S. manufacturing sector. The Council's primary mission is to advise the Secretary of Commerce on federal policy, address workforce and supply chain issues, and develop an annual national strategic plan for global manufacturing competitiveness. It will draw diverse input from industry, labor, and academia, with a focus on supporting workers and promoting investment in economically distressed areas. The Council is set to expire five years after its first meeting.

The Research and Development Tax Credit Expansion Act of 2025 aims to significantly boost innovation among new and small businesses. This bill expands the refundable research credit, making it easier to claim against unemployment taxes and increasing the gross receipts threshold for eligibility. Furthermore, it enhances the calculation rates for the alternative simplified research credit specifically for qualified small businesses starting in 2026.

The Ally's Act mandates that certain private health insurance plans must cover auditory implant devices, related supplies, and necessary services for qualifying individuals. This coverage must be comparable to other medical and surgical benefits regarding cost-sharing and treatment limitations. Furthermore, plans cannot deny coverage if a physician or qualified audiologist determines the required hearing items or services are medically necessary. These new requirements take effect for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2026.

The Samaritan Efforts to Ensure Key Health Emergency and Life-saving Protections Act (SEEK HELP Act) establishes federal Good Samaritan protections for individuals who administer opioid overdose reversal drugs or seek medical help during an overdose. It shields these individuals from civil liability and certain criminal prosecution related to controlled substance possession when seeking aid. Furthermore, the Act mandates public awareness campaigns and a comprehensive GAO study to evaluate the effectiveness of these overdose protection laws across the states.

The Interagency Patent Coordination and Improvement Act of 2025 aims to enhance patent quality by improving information sharing between the USPTO and other federal agencies, particularly the FDA. It establishes an Interagency Task Force on Patents to coordinate reviews related to human drugs and biological products. The Act mandates a comprehensive report from the USPTO detailing the effectiveness of this new interagency cooperation.

The Innovate to Save Lives Act creates a new 10% tax credit for small businesses conducting qualified research aimed at mitigating threats from specified drugs like fentanyl and methamphetamine. This incentive targets research focused on preventing the use of or treating the effects of these dangerous substances. The provision is designed to encourage private sector innovation in combating the ongoing drug crisis.

The Save Affordable Housing Act of 2025 eliminates the "qualified contract option" for certain new low-income housing tax credit projects starting in 2025. For existing projects, the bill mandates that housing agencies reassess the fair market value of non-low-income units, factoring in long-term rent restrictions. These changes aim to update the rules governing how low-income housing tax credits are allocated and managed.

The Combating Online Fentanyl Trafficking Act authorizes the Attorney General to provide incentive pay of up to 25% of salary for Department of Justice employees possessing specialized cyber skills essential to combating fentanyl trafficking. This new pay structure is designed to attract and retain talent needed for digital investigations into illicit fentanyl distribution. The incentive pay is specifically excluded from certain federal pay caps but will count toward retirement calculations.

The Joint Chiefs Reauthorization Act of 2025 updates the existing Landscape Restoration Partnership program to enhance collaboration between federal agencies. This bill expands the program's focus to specifically include post-wildfire recovery and requires greater alignment with state-level forest action plans. It also clarifies restrictions on activities within sensitive Forest Service areas and extends the program's operational timeline through 2031.