Legislative Activity

The Medicaid Improvement for Insular Areas Act of 2025 aims to significantly boost healthcare funding in U.S. territories. This bill eliminates the existing federal spending caps on Medicaid for Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa. Effective in fiscal year 2025, this change ensures these territories receive full federal Medicaid support without current funding restrictions.

The Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2025 aims to strengthen efforts against human trafficking in the U.S. It renames and prioritizes grants for schools to educate students on recognizing and preventing trafficking, including online exploitation. The bill also establishes a new program to provide comprehensive employment, education, and life skills support for survivors. Finally, it extends and increases the authorization of appropriations for key anti-trafficking and victim assistance programs through Fiscal Year 2029.

The Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2025 updates federal efforts to combat human trafficking by enhancing grant programs for schools to educate students and staff on prevention. It establishes a new program to provide comprehensive employment, education, and life skills support for survivors aged 18 and older. Furthermore, the bill extends and increases funding authorizations through Fiscal Year 2029 for critical anti-trafficking operations and housing assistance grants.

The Carnivals are Real Entertainment Act establishes a specific P visa pathway for temporary workers employed by traveling carnivals, circuses, and associated concession providers. This new classification ensures essential mobile entertainment staff can enter the U.S. while adhering to existing H-2B temporary worker program regulations. The law mandates that the Secretaries of Homeland Security and Labor develop and finalize the necessary rules within one year of enactment.

The Deliver for Veterans Act updates how the Department of Veterans Affairs supports eligible veterans by authorizing the VA to cover the full shipping costs for adaptive vehicles, in addition to the purchase price. This legislation also extends the expiration date for a specific limitation on certain veteran pension payments from late 2031 to March 2032.

This bill establishes the Innovative Therapies Centers of Excellence Act of 2025, directing the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to designate at least five medical facilities as specialized hubs for cutting-edge treatments. These Centers of Excellence must focus on research, training partnerships, and clinical evaluation of innovative therapies for covered conditions like PTSD and chronic pain. The legislation specifically names substances such as MDMA and Psilocybin as part of the therapies to be explored, supported by dedicated annual funding.

The Save Our Seas 2.0 Amendments Act primarily restructures and updates the existing Marine Debris Act to improve how the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) manages cleanup projects, including new authority for in-kind contributions. The bill also makes significant structural and operational changes to the Marine Debris Foundation, expanding its focus to include explicit outreach to Indian Tribes. Finally, the legislation cleans up numerous cross-references, renumbers sections, and updates official titles throughout the relevant laws to align with the new framework.

The Russia-North Korea Cooperation Sanctions Act imposes penalties on foreign individuals and entities that facilitate the transfer of North Korean weapons to Russia for use in its war against Ukraine. This legislation mandates asset freezes and visa bans against those involved in arms deals, logistics, or related financial transactions. Furthermore, the Act requires the President to report regularly to Congress on sanctions enforcement and the U.S. strategy to counter this cooperation.

The Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025 imposes sweeping economic penalties on the Russian Federation in response to its aggression against Ukraine. This legislation mandates severe, immediate sanctions against key Russian officials, financial institutions, and energy sector entities, including asset freezes and trade prohibitions. Furthermore, the Act dramatically increases import duties on Russian goods and requires the President to review and reimpose these measures until Russia negotiates a lasting peace with Ukraine.

The COBALT Supply Chain Act aims to combat forced and child labor in the cobalt supply chain, which is dominated by Chinese-controlled mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The bill establishes a rebuttable presumption that goods containing cobalt refined in the PRC were made with forced labor, effectively banning their import unless proven otherwise with clear and convincing evidence. Furthermore, it mandates the creation of a comprehensive enforcement strategy to trace supply chains and requires annual certification that U.S. government vehicles are free of such tainted parts.

The Recognizing Community Organizations for Veteran Engagement and Recovery (RECOVER) Act establishes a three-year Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) pilot program to award grants to non-profit organizations. These grants fund the provision of culturally competent, evidence-based mental health care specifically for veterans. Recipients cannot charge veterans for this care and must encourage them to enroll in the VA system for ongoing services. The VA must report on the program's outcomes, including veteran engagement and care quality, after the pilot concludes.

The Weather Innovation for the Next Generation Act of 2025 (WING Act) establishes a new research program to ensure the accuracy of weather radar systems despite physical obstructions like wind turbines and buildings. This initiative directs the National Weather Service to develop and test new technologies and forecasting methods to mitigate issues such as beam blockage and ghost echoes. The program will prioritize proven fixes and require annual reports to Congress until its conclusion in 2030.

This bill, the National Weather Service Communications Improvement Act, mandates the replacement of the current NWSChat instant messaging system with a modern, commercially available, public cloud-hosted solution by October 1, 2027. The new system must meet standards for scalability and usability. Funding for this upgrade, up to \$3 million annually from 2026 to 2029, will be sourced from the existing NWS Operations, Research, and Facilities budget.

The Air America Act of 2025 recognizes the sacrifices of former Air America employees who served the U.S. Government between 1950 and 1976. This Act authorizes a one-time monetary award, up to $40,000 plus potential additional amounts, for qualifying service members or their survivors. The CIA Director is responsible for administering these payments, which are capped at a total of $60 million, and establishing the application procedures. Decisions made by the Director regarding these awards are final and not subject to judicial review.

This bill amends federal law to require the Coast Guard to retain certain enlisted members who have served 18 or more, but less than 20, years of service. It prevents the involuntary separation or non-reenlistment of these long-serving members until they reach 20 years of service for retirement eligibility. This provision applies to both Regular and Reserve enlisted personnel serving on active duty.

The Major Richard Star Act ensures that military retirees with combat-related disabilities can receive both their military retirement pay and VA disability compensation concurrently without reduction. This law removes previous restrictions that caused military retirement pay to be offset by VA disability payments for these specific cases. The changes take effect on the first day of the month following the Act's enactment.

The Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act aims to improve support for individuals diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. This bill eliminates the standard waiting period for receiving Social Security disability insurance benefits and waives the 24-month waiting period for Medicare coverage. These changes ensure immediate access to crucial financial and healthcare support upon diagnosis.

The Arctic Watchers Act establishes a new "Arctic Watcher Program" managed by the Secretary of State to closely monitor security, economic, and political activities in the Arctic. This program is specifically tasked with tracking and countering influence operations from China and Russia that threaten U.S. interests. To achieve this, designated "Arctic Watchers" will be stationed in key allied countries to report annually on their efforts to protect U.S. strategic goals in the region.

This Act authorizes the creation and sale of special commemorative gold and silver coins to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11th attacks. The coins will feature designs honoring the victims and first responders, with the phrase "Never Forget" required on at least one design. All surcharges collected from the sale of these coins will be donated to support the ongoing operations and maintenance of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum. The Treasury must ensure the entire coin program results in no net cost to the Federal Government.

The Roberto Clemente Commemorative Coin Act directs the Department of Treasury to mint and issue gold, silver, and half-dollar coins in 2027 to commemorate the life and legacy of Roberto Clemente. The coins' designs will represent Clemente's life, including his baseball achievements and humanitarian work. Surcharges from the coin sales will benefit the Roberto Clemente Foundation, supporting their educational programs, youth sports initiatives, disaster relief efforts, and historic preservation projects. The Act ensures that the coin program will not incur any net cost to the United States government.