Legislative Activity

The "Extending Limits of U.S. Customs Waters Act" updates the definition of "customs waters" to align with international law, Presidential Proclamation 5928, and Presidential Proclamation 7219. It extends U.S. customs authority to include the territorial sea and contiguous zone, as permitted by international law. These changes will take effect the day after the Act is enacted.

This proposed constitutional amendment clarifies that constitutional rights are exclusively for natural persons, not corporations or other artificial entities, which can be regulated by the people. It aims to ensure equal access to the political process by allowing regulation of campaign finance, stating that spending money to influence elections is not protected speech. The amendment also explicitly protects the freedom of the press.

The "Investing in Our Communities Act" modifies the rules for advance refunding bonds, placing limitations on the number of advance refundings, redemption timelines, and investments in higher-yielding securities. It also introduces measures to prevent abusive transactions designed to gain financial advantages beyond interest rate savings. These changes aim to refine the use of advance refunding bonds while ensuring responsible financial practices.

The Oral Health Products Inclusion Act allows health savings accounts (HSAs) and Archer MSAs to include over-the-counter oral healthcare products like toothbrushes and water flossers as qualified medical expenses. It also permits health flexible spending arrangements and health reimbursement arrangements to cover these expenses. This applies to expenses incurred after the Act's enactment.

The "Freight RAILCAR Act of 2025" introduces a tax credit for modernizing freight railcars, encouraging investments in newer, more efficient railcars. Taxpayers can claim a credit equal to 10% of their freight railcar fleet modernization expenses, with a limit of 1,000 qualified freight railcars per year. The credit applies to railcars that increase capacity, improve fuel efficiency, or meet updated performance standards, and is available for three years after the Act's enactment. The Secretary of the Treasury is required to submit a report to Congress detailing the credit's usage and impact on railcar modernization and scrapping.

The "Countering Online Radicalization and Terrorism Act" directs the Department of Homeland Security, in coordination with the Director of National Intelligence, to conduct annual assessments on how terrorist organizations use foreign cloud-based messaging apps to threaten the United States. These assessments will analyze terrorist recruitment and radicalization, examine the use of online payment features to support terrorist financing, and provide recommendations to counter these threats. The goal of the act is to evaluate and address the national security risks associated with terrorist groups using these applications, while also ensuring compliance with legal, privacy, and civil rights protections.

The "Protect US National Security Act" ensures that federal funds cannot be used to eliminate the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as an independent entity. It asserts that only an act of Congress can eliminate USAID. The Secretary of State must certify compliance with this requirement to Congress within 30 days of the act's enactment and annually for 5 years.

The "Improve and Enhance the Work Opportunity Tax Credit Act" amends the Internal Revenue Code to modify the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, changing the calculation and wage limitations based on employee categories and hours worked. It increases wage limitations for qualified veterans and revises rules for summer youth employees and long-term family assistance recipients. Additionally, the act removes the age limit for qualified supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits recipients, with these changes taking effect for individuals starting work after December 31, 2024.

The "Freedom First Lend Lease Act" empowers the President to lend or lease defense articles to Ukraine and Eastern European countries impacted by Russia's invasion, for fiscal years 2026 and 2027, temporarily waiving certain restrictions related to foreign assistance and arms export control for Ukraine. The bill requires expedited procedures for the delivery of defense articles and stipulates that standard laws regarding return, reimbursement, and repayment will apply. Presidential authority can only be delegated to Senate-confirmed officials.

The "Bonus Tax Relief for America's Seniors Act" increases the standard tax deduction for seniors by raising it from $600 to $5,000. This change will be adjusted for inflation starting in 2026. This adjustment aims to provide additional tax relief to senior citizens. The provisions of this bill will be enacted for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2025.

The "Family Farm and Small Business Exemption Act" amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to exclude the net value of a family farm (on which the family resides) or a small business (with no more than 100 employees and owned/controlled by the family) from consideration as an asset when determining financial need for federal student aid. This change aims to make higher education more accessible for students from family farm and small business backgrounds.

The "Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow's Workforce Act" amends Section 529 savings accounts to include expenses related to postsecondary credentialing programs. This allows 529 funds to cover costs like tuition, fees, books, supplies, and testing fees for recognized programs and credentials, as defined by the bill. These changes would apply to distributions made after the bill is enacted.

The Taxpayer Data Protection Act limits access to the Treasury Department's payment systems to Treasury employees or contractors with satisfactory performance reviews and security clearances. It sets specific criteria for individuals accessing the system, including conflict of interest restrictions, training, and ethics agreements. The Act also mandates the Treasury Department's Inspector General to investigate and report to Congress on any unauthorized system use.

The Scientific Integrity Act mandates that federal agencies that fund, conduct, or oversee scientific research establish and enforce scientific integrity policies. These policies aim to protect scientists from political interference, ensure the open communication of scientific findings, and establish clear processes for reporting and addressing scientific misconduct. The Act requires agencies to appoint Scientific Integrity Officers, provide regular training, and report on misconduct complaints, with oversight from the Office of Science and Technology Policy and Congress. It also protects the rights of federal employees and contractors to share their findings and prevents the suppression or distortion of scientific data.

The "Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act" aims to protect amateur radio operators' ability to install and use antennas on their property, despite private land use restrictions that may otherwise prohibit or impair such installations. It allows for reasonable restrictions based on safety and aesthetics, while limiting prior approval requirements and offering legal recourse for violations. The Act seeks to balance community interests with the need for effective emergency communication capabilities provided by amateur radio operators. The FCC is required to issue regulations to implement the act within 180 days of enactment.

This bill, called the "Incentivizing Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration Sales Act of 2025," allows taxpayers to exclude gains from their gross income when selling real property interests to qualified organizations for Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) program purposes. The exclusion does not apply to sales by pass-through entities within three years of acquisition, with an exception for family-owned entities. This exclusion encourages land conservation and military readiness. It applies to taxable years beginning after the bill's enactment.

The "Farm Credit Administration Independent Authority Act" affirms the Farm Credit Administration (FCA) as the sole regulator of the Farm Credit System. It requires Farm Credit System lenders to collect and report demographic data from small farmer loan applicants and borrowers, with the FCA responsible for publishing this data while protecting personal information. The Act also exempts Farm Credit System institutions from certain regulations if related rules are invalidated or repealed. Finally, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act is amended to specify that the entities supervised by the Farm Credit Administration are exempt.

The CLEAR Act amends the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to include entities established under Section 3161, ensuring their records are accessible to the public. This change applies to all FOIA requests made after the Act's enactment, regardless of when the records were created.

The Disaster Resiliency and Coverage Act of 2025 aims to increase household disaster resilience through a grant program for pre-disaster mitigation activities, tax exclusions for state-based catastrophe loss mitigation payments and certain emergency agricultural assistance, and a tax credit for disaster mitigation expenditures. The grant program will provide funds to states and tribal governments for mitigation activities on individual homes in high-risk disaster areas, while the tax exclusions and credit offer financial relief and incentives for individuals and agricultural producers affected by disasters. This act seeks to encourage proactive measures to protect homes and businesses from the impact of future disasters.

The "Marc Fischer Memorial Act" aims to combat the flow of synthetic drugs, particularly fentanyl, into Federal prisons through the mail. It mandates the Director of the Bureau of Prisons to develop and implement a strategy to equip all Federal correctional facilities with the technology and processes needed to scan mail, protect staff and inmates, and ensure timely delivery of mail copies while maintaining legal mail privileges. The strategy includes assessing current practices, identifying necessary resources, and providing a budgetary proposal for implementation, with ongoing reporting to Congress on its effectiveness.