Legislative Activity

This resolution strongly condemns the rise of antisemitism in the United States and around the world. It specifically honors the memory of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, who were tragically murdered while promoting peace. Ultimately, Congress reaffirms its commitment to combating all forms of hate and ensuring the vigorous enforcement of laws protecting religious freedom.

This bill mandates that funeral honors details recite a specific statement detailing the symbolism of the 13 Folds of Honor during the presentation of the U.S. flag for a deceased service member or veteran. This ceremony is dedicated to the 13 service members killed in Kabul in 2021. However, the next of kin retains the right to opt out of this specific recitation.

The Separation of Powers Restoration Act of 2025 requires courts to independently decide all legal questions, including interpreting laws and agency rules, when reviewing agency actions. This changes the standard of judicial review, ensuring courts do not defer to an agency's interpretation but make their own judgment. This applies to all agency actions unless explicitly exempted by law.

This bill prohibits graduate medical schools from receiving federal funding or participating in federal student loan programs unless they certify they do not mandate adherence to specific diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) tenets. This certification bans forcing faculty, staff, or students to pledge beliefs regarding inherent group status or collective guilt, and prevents the establishment of offices that compel such adherence. Furthermore, accrediting agencies cannot require medical programs to adopt policies conflicting with these restrictions to maintain accreditation.

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.

This resolution formally congratulates His Holiness Pope Leo XIV on his historic election as the 267th pontiff of the Holy Roman Catholic Church. It celebrates the significance of him being the first American-born Pope in the Church's history. The measure also commends his lifelong service, missionary spirit, and dedication to truth and mercy. Finally, it offers prayers for his leadership as he begins his papacy.

The Supersonic Aviation Modernization Act directs the FAA to update regulations within one year to permit civil supersonic flight over the United States. This allowance is strictly conditional: supersonic flight is only permitted if the aircraft operates in a manner that guarantees no sonic boom reaches the ground anywhere in the U.S. airspace.

The Punishing Illegal Immigrant Felons Act of 2025 significantly increases prison sentences for non-citizens who commit crimes after entering the U.S. illegally or after being previously removed. This legislation mandates substantial minimum prison terms—including an additional five years for illegal entry followed by a felony conviction and a new ten-year minimum for re-entry after deportation coupled with a crime. The bill aims to impose much harsher penalties on undocumented immigrants who commit serious offenses.

The Combating Organized Retail Crime Act aims to combat sophisticated, cross-border criminal organizations driving massive increases in retail and supply chain theft. This bill updates federal laws regarding stolen goods and money laundering to strengthen enforcement tools against these groups. Furthermore, it establishes a new federal Coordination Center within Homeland Security to share intelligence and coordinate efforts between federal, state, and private sector partners. The legislation recognizes that these theft rings often fund other serious criminal activities, threatening national security and the economy.

The Parental Rights Over The Education and Care of Their Kids Act (PROTECT Kids Act) requires public schools receiving federal funding to obtain explicit parental consent before altering a minor student's gender marker, pronouns, or preferred name on school records. This consent is also required before making changes regarding sex-based facility accommodations for these students. The bill aims to ensure parents maintain primary authority over key aspects of their children's education and care.

The Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025 aims to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and countering its support for terrorism by imposing sanctions on those involved in Iran's energy sector and those who provide financial support for its destabilizing activities. It mandates sanctions on foreign entities involved in processing, exporting, or selling Iranian oil, gas, and petrochemicals, while also establishing an interagency working group to coordinate and enforce these sanctions. The Act also amends existing legislation to require the identification of individuals involved in sanctionable activities or sanctions evasion related to Iranian oil and gas sales.

The Empowering Employer Child and Elder Care Solutions Act amends the Fair Labor Standards Act to clarify that employer payments or reimbursements for child or dependent care services cannot be included when calculating an employee's regular rate of pay for overtime compensation. This ensures that employer support for caregiving expenses does not artificially inflate the base rate used for overtime calculations.

The Protecting Student Athletes’ Economic Freedom Act of 2025 clarifies the legal status of college athletes. This Act explicitly states that participation in varsity college sports does not automatically confer employee status upon student athletes under federal or state labor laws. It also establishes clear definitions for key entities in college athletics, such as Associations, Conferences, Institutions, and Student Athletes.

The Repealing Illegal Freedom and Liberty Excises Act (RIFLE Act) eliminates the existing federal tax on firearm transfers. This legislation strikes the relevant section from the Internal Revenue Code and makes necessary technical updates to related statutes. Importantly, this Act does not grant the Consumer Product Safety Commission any new authority over regulated firearms.

The DETERRENT Act significantly increases transparency requirements for colleges and universities regarding foreign gifts, contracts, and investments, especially those involving "countries or entities of concern." It mandates detailed public disclosure reports, establishes strict prohibitions and waiver processes for contracts with risky foreign entities, and imposes severe financial penalties for non-compliance. Furthermore, the bill requires specified large private institutions to report their holdings in concerning foreign assets annually.

The Keep Our Girls Safe Act of 2025 amends Title IX to prohibit individuals of one sex from entering locker rooms while individuals of the opposite sex are actively using them during school or educational activities. This legislation establishes clear boundaries for sex-segregated facilities in federally funded educational settings. The provisions of the Act will take effect 30 days after becoming law.

The SHORT Act aims to reform federal firearms regulations by redefining what constitutes a "firearm" for tax purposes, largely excluding antique or collector's items. It eliminates disparate federal treatment for short-barreled rifles and shotguns used lawfully and preempts state and local governments from imposing special taxes or registration requirements on these specific weapons. Furthermore, the bill mandates the destruction of certain existing federal registration and transfer records related to defined firearms.

This resolution expresses the formal disapproval by Congress of the "Insurance Regulation Amendment Act of 2024," a law recently passed by the District of Columbia Council. By passing this measure, Congress is effectively vetoing the D.C. Council's insurance regulation change, preventing it from taking effect.

The Defining Male and Female Act of 2025 establishes statutory definitions for "male" and "female" across all federal laws, based strictly on biological sex determined at conception (sperm or egg production). This legislation explicitly defines sex as an immutable biological classification, while stating that subjective gender identity will not be recognized as a replacement for biological sex in federal contexts. The Act also clarifies related terms like "mother," "father," "man," and "woman" based on these biological standards.

The Personal Health Investment Today Act of 2025 (PHIT Act) aims to improve public health by incentivizing healthier lifestyles, particularly to combat obesity. This bill allows taxpayers to treat certain qualified sports and fitness expenses, such as gym memberships and instruction fees, as deductible medical expenses. Deductions are capped annually at \$1,000 per individual or \$2,000 for joint filers.