Legislative Activity

This concurrent resolution authorizes the use of Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center for a ceremony honoring the United States Army Rangers Veterans of World War II with the Congressional Gold Medal. The ceremony is scheduled for June 26, 2025, and physical preparations will be managed by the Architect of the Capitol.

This resolution supports the designation of May 10, 2025, as "National Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Mental Health Day" to address mental health disparities and improve access to care within these communities. It recognizes the unique challenges faced by these populations, including low service utilization, language barriers, and the impact of discrimination. The resolution encourages better data collection, increasing the number of AANHPI mental health providers, and raising awareness to reduce stigma, while also highlighting the importance of cultural heritage in mental health. It urges federal, state, and local health agencies to adopt policies that improve mental health service utilization for AANHPI communities and other communities of color.

This resolution recognizes May as Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, celebrating the significant contributions of these communities to the history and culture of the United States. It acknowledges key historical milestones and achievements, while also addressing past discrimination and ongoing challenges faced by these communities. The resolution aims to honor the diverse heritage and resilience of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, highlighting their importance in enriching and strengthening the nation.

This resolution supports National Nurses Week, observed from May 6-12, 2025, and recognizes the vital contributions of nurses to healthcare in various roles, including patient care, advocacy, and research. It emphasizes the need for strengthening nursing workforce development and encourages public recognition of nurses' importance to patients' lives.

This resolution condemns President Trump's attacks on the freedom of the press, citing specific instances of disparaging remarks, exclusion of media outlets, and actions against news organizations. It reaffirms the United States' commitment to protecting freedom of the press as vital for democracy and government accountability. The resolution expresses concern that these actions set a dangerous precedent, endangering journalists and emboldening authoritarian regimes, and calls for the release of imprisoned USAGM journalists.

This resolution recognizes April 2025 as "Community College Month" to celebrate the significant role of community colleges in providing accessible higher education, workforce training, and economic support across the United States. It acknowledges the affordability, diverse student population, and substantial economic contributions of these institutions, which serve millions of students and contribute billions to the national economy. The resolution highlights the importance of community colleges in meeting local and regional needs while driving economic prosperity.

This resolution supports the designation of May 4-10, 2025, as "National Small Business Week". It recognizes the significant role of over 34.5 million small businesses in the U.S. that contribute to the economy and provide over 59 million jobs. The resolution celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit, achievements, and resilience of small business owners and their employees.

This resolution expresses support for designating May 5, 2025, as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, acknowledging the ongoing crisis and need for increased awareness, resources, and updated research. It calls on the public to remember the lives lost and support the victims' families, while also urging the Department of Justice to conduct a new study to update statistics on this critical issue.

The "Help Hoover Dam Act" allows the Secretary of the Interior to use specific funds for activities related to the Hoover Dam. These activities include operations, maintenance, investigations, cleanup, and capital improvements within the Boulder Canyon Project. All actions must be done in consultation with Boulder Canyon Project contractors.

This resolution directs the Secretary of State to provide Congress with a report on El Salvador's human rights practices, focusing on alleged violations like torture, forced disappearances, and denial of due process. It asks for details on U.S. efforts to promote human rights in El Salvador and to ensure that U.S. security assistance does not support activities that violate human rights or lead to the wrongful detention of U.S. citizens or residents. The report should also assess conditions in El Salvador's Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT) and actions taken to address allegations of human rights abuses against U.S. citizens/residents.

The "Women and Underrepresented Minorities in STEM Booster Act of 2025" establishes a grant program through the National Science Foundation (NSF) to increase the participation of women, underrepresented minorities, and people with disabilities in STEM fields. These grants will fund various activities, including workshops, mentoring, internships, and outreach programs, to boost recruitment and retention in STEM. The bill allocates \$15,000,000 annually from 2026 to 2030 to support this initiative. It also defines key terms such as "minority" and "underrepresented in science and engineering".

The "Fog Observations and Geographic Forecasting Act" directs the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to launch a project aimed at improving forecasts of coastal marine fog. This initiative will enhance vessel safety, reduce economic impacts from fog, improve the accuracy of fog modeling, and improve communication of hazardous marine fog events to the public. The project involves increased marine observations, advanced modeling, better advisory communication, risk communication, and decision support services. The Under Secretary must consult with stakeholders and develop a detailed project plan within one year.

The United States Research Protection Act of 2025 amends the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act to clarify the definition of "foreign country" to "foreign country of concern" regarding malign foreign talent recruitment. This act broadens the scope of what constitutes a foreign talent recruitment program by including activities indirectly supported by foreign governments. These revisions aim to strengthen protections against foreign influence in U.S. research and development.

This resolution expresses support for designating April 1-30, 2025, as "Fair Chance Jobs Month" to promote the hiring of formerly incarcerated individuals. It aims to address the systemic barriers and stigmas that these individuals face when seeking employment, housing, healthcare, and nutrition. The resolution supports initiatives to remove obstacles to fair-chance hiring, expand job training programs, educate employers, and foster collaboration between various stakeholders to improve opportunities for returning citizens and communities affected by mass incarceration.

The Medicare for All Act establishes a national health insurance program guaranteeing comprehensive healthcare coverage to all U.S. residents, including medical, dental, vision, and long-term care, without cost-sharing. It sets standards for provider participation, protects whistleblowers, and allows private contracts under specific conditions, while also creating a national health budget and trust fund to finance the program through a combination of reallocated funds and new tax revenues. The Act aims to streamline existing health programs, eliminate duplicate coverage, and ensure a smooth transition by expanding Medicare benefits and offering a Medicare buy-in option. This legislation also addresses health equity and updates SSI resource limits, potentially impacting employer-sponsored health plans and the financial landscape of healthcare.

The Arctic Refuge Protection Act of 2025 designates approximately 1,559,538 acres of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska as wilderness under the National Wilderness Preservation System. This act amends the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966, providing increased protection to this area.

The Equality Act amends existing civil rights laws to explicitly include protections against discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in areas such as public accommodations, employment, housing, credit, and jury service. It clarifies and expands the definition of sex to include sex stereotypes, pregnancy, childbirth, related medical conditions, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics, including intersex traits. The act ensures equal access to shared facilities and prohibits the use of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 to justify discrimination. Ultimately, the Equality Act aims to provide consistent and comprehensive protections against discrimination for LGBTQ individuals and women across various aspects of life.

This resolution designates April 2025 as "Second Chance Month" to raise awareness about the challenges faced by individuals with criminal records. It recognizes the importance of redemption and removing barriers to employment, housing, and education for those re-entering society. The resolution encourages communities and organizations to support second chances and facilitate the successful reintegration of individuals with criminal records into their communities.

The SGE Ethics Enforcement Reform Act of 2025 (SEER Act 2025) aims to address financial conflicts of interest among special government employees (SGEs) by expanding conflict of interest rules, restricting communications with agencies regarding large companies, mandating a public database of SGEs, and broadening financial disclosure requirements. It ensures that SGEs with significant responsibilities are subject to similar ethics regulations as regular government employees, promoting transparency and accountability. The act requires waivers or exemptions granted to certain SGEs to be proactively published online. Additionally, the act restricts certain SGEs from communicating with agencies or offices that deal with large companies with which the employee has a financial connection.

The Clean Ocean and Safe Tourism Anti-Drilling Act of 2025 (COAST Anti-Drilling Act of 2025) prohibits the Department of Interior from issuing leases for oil, natural gas, or mineral exploration in the North Atlantic, Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic, and Straits of Florida Planning Areas. This prohibition applies to activities outlined in the 2024-2029 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program. This act amends Section 8 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act.