Legislative Activity

The District of Columbia Judicial Nominations Reform Act of 2025 eliminates the D.C. Judicial Nomination Commission entirely. This change grants the President the authority to directly nominate and appoint the Chief Judge and all other D.C. judges without receiving a list of candidates from the former commission. The bill makes corresponding technical updates to the D.C. Home Rule Act and related statutes.

The Fairness for Khobar Act of 2025 ensures that certain victims of the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing and the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing receive overdue lump sum payments. This legislation corrects past injustices where victims were denied payments due to relying on incorrect guidance from the Department of Justice. The Act mandates the Special Master to authorize these catch-up payments using designated reserve funds.

The Words Matter Act of 2025 mandates a comprehensive update across all federal laws, replacing the outdated terms "mentally retarded" and "mental retardation" with "intellectual disability" or "individuals with intellectual disabilities." This change is strictly a linguistic update intended to align federal statutes with current, respectful terminology. The Act explicitly states that this language revision does not alter eligibility for benefits, rights, or responsibilities under any existing federal program. Agencies are required to update their regulations to reflect this new terminology while maintaining a record of the previous language used.

The Websites and Software Applications Accessibility Act of 2025 clarifies that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires all websites and applications used by covered entities to be accessible to people with disabilities. This legislation directs federal agencies to establish and regularly update specific digital accessibility standards for businesses, government entities, and employers. Ultimately, the Act aims to eliminate online discrimination by providing clear rules, technical assistance, and enforcement mechanisms, including the right for individuals to sue directly for non-compliance.

The Accessibility Constituent Communication Act of 2025 mandates that federal agencies providing benefit programs must ensure all public communications are available in accessible formats, such as Braille, large print, or screen-reader-compatible digital files, for constituents who are blind or visually impaired. These accessible versions must be delivered simultaneously with the standard communication via mail or secure electronic means. This ensures equitable access to vital government information for all recipients.

The Electrodiagnostic Medicine Patient Protection and Fraud Elimination Act of 2025 establishes new quality standards for Medicare reimbursement of certain diagnostic tests like nerve conduction studies and electromyography. After a three-to-four-year transition period, these services will only be covered if performed at a facility accredited by an HHS-approved organization that meets strict operational and personnel requirements. The bill also creates an advisory committee to help the Secretary of HHS develop and oversee this new accreditation and quality assurance system.

The Health Care Fairness for All Act significantly overhauls federal health law by eliminating ACA mandates and penalties while introducing new fixed tax credits for individual coverage. It restructures medical savings by phasing out traditional HSAs in favor of Roth HSAs and removes the general deduction for medical expenses. Furthermore, the bill grants states greater flexibility in regulating insurance markets and fundamentally reforms Medicaid payments through a new beneficiary-based federal funding formula. Finally, it codifies existing rules requiring hospitals to publicly disclose their standard service charges.

The "FACT Act" renames the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee to the Fraud Prevention and Accountability Committee and extends its operation until December 31, 2026, to continue overseeing federal spending and preventing fraud. The Act also updates references to reflect changes in the U.S. Code.

The Blind Americans Return to Work Act of 2025 initiates a 20-year demonstration project aimed at helping blind Americans receiving Social Security disability benefits return to work. For the first 10 years, eligibility for benefits will be determined without considering substantial gainful activity, and benefits will be reduced based on earnings above a set amount, incentivizing employment without immediate loss of support. The project waives certain benefit requirements to facilitate successful employment, with participants having the option to opt out after the initial 10-year period. This act aims to support blind individuals in their transition back to the workforce while maintaining a safety net.

The RED TAPE Act aims to ensure that federal regulations are based on clear, measurable monetary benefits by amending Title 5 of the United States Code, Chapter 6, to add new rules regarding regulatory and benefit-cost analyses. It requires agencies to prioritize easily measured monetary benefits when making decisions, and prohibits the use of non-monetized or unquantified factors in regulatory impact or benefit-cost analyses. The Act mandates agencies to publish detailed analyses of proposed rules in the Federal Register, and allows affected parties to challenge rules that do not comply with these requirements in court. Ultimately, the RED TAPE Act seeks to promote transparency and accountability in federal regulation by ensuring that regulatory decisions are grounded in sound economic analysis.

The MANAGER Act mandates annual surveys for federal managers (GS13 and above) to assess their confidence in employee discipline systems, support from agency leadership, and adequacy of training. The surveys will include questions about manager support, training, and the impact of discipline processes on morale and employee retention, with options for narrative responses. The Office of Personnel Management must update regulations to reflect these changes within 180 days.

The "SEC Act of 2025" clarifies how the SEC counts violations of securities laws. It stipulates that multiple instances of non-compliance will be considered a single violation if they arise from the same underlying issue, error, or continuous failure to comply with regulations, across several key acts. This change affects the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Investment Company Act of 1940, and the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.