Legislative Activity

The "Project Safe Neighborhoods Reauthorization Act of 2025" reauthorizes and modifies the Project Safe Neighborhoods Grant Program, allowing funds to be used for hiring crime analysts, covering overtime costs, and acquiring technology to reduce violent crime. It extends the program's authorization through fiscal year 2030 and supports multi-jurisdictional task forces. Additionally, it mandates the Attorney General to submit annual reports to the Judiciary Committees detailing fund expenditures, community outreach, and violent crime statistics in areas using program funds.

The Edward J. Dwight, Jr. Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2025 directs the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate to award a Congressional Gold Medal to Edward J. Dwight, Jr., the first African-American astronaut candidate, in recognition of his pioneering achievements and contributions to art and Black history. The Act instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to create the gold medal and allows for the creation and sale of bronze duplicates to the public. It also designates the medals as national and numismatic items and outlines the use of funds for medal production and sales.

The Disaster Management Costs Modernization Act allows federal disaster aid recipients to retain and use unspent management funds for future preparedness, recovery, or mitigation activities. This change applies to grants awarded for disasters declared after the Act's enactment. Furthermore, the GAO is required to study current and historical disaster management costs to assess the appropriateness of current cost allocations.

The REPLACE Act requires the President to waive fees for individuals needing to replace critical documents, such as passports and licenses, after a major disaster. It also directs the Secretary of State and the Director of USCIS to post notices about the availability of these waivers and submit annual reports to Congress on the number of waivers granted and associated costs.

The "Ski Hill Resources for Economic Development Act" establishes a "Ski Area Fee Retention Account" within the Treasury, directing ski area permit fees collected by the Secretary of Agriculture into this account. These funds will be used to support the administration, maintenance, and improvement of ski areas and related visitor services within the National Forest System. A majority of the fees collected at a specific unit will be reinvested into that unit, with a smaller portion available for use across other National Forest System units. The funds cannot be used for wildfire suppression or land acquisition.

The Small Business Disaster Damage Fairness Act of 2025 increases the Small Business Administration’s collateral-free loan threshold from $14,000 to $50,000 for all disaster types. Additionally, the bill mandates improved outreach strategies to better serve rural communities and requires a GAO report to evaluate the impact of these changes on loan performance.

The **Tim Hart Wildland Firefighter Classification and Pay Parity Act** establishes a comprehensive framework to modernize the compensation, benefits, and support systems for federal wildland firefighters. The bill introduces permanent special base pay rates, new incident response premium pay, and enhanced retirement and leave benefits to ensure competitive and equitable treatment for those in the profession. Additionally, it mandates the creation of robust mental health programs, long-term health monitoring, and a casualty assistance program to better support firefighters and their families.

This bill formally elects specific members of the House of Representatives to serve on the Appropriations, Energy and Commerce, Financial Services, and Ways and Means standing committees. These committees are crucial for budgeting, regulating commerce and energy, overseeing financial institutions, and managing taxes and revenue. The assignments reflect the current composition and priorities within the House.