Legislative Activity

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 recognizes the increasing global threats to press and speech freedoms, emphasizing the critical role of a free press in upholding democracy and informing the public. It reaffirms the U.S. government's commitment to prioritizing press freedom as a key component of its foreign policy and human rights efforts. The resolution condemns violence and oppression against journalists worldwide, calling for accountability and the release of wrongfully detained reporters, and urges the President and Secretary of State to actively defend and promote press freedom internationally.

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.

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 "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.

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 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 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.

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 TAKE IT DOWN Act aims to combat the nonconsensual sharing of intimate visual depictions, including deepfakes, by establishing criminal penalties for those who knowingly publish such content and requiring online platforms to create a process for individuals to request the removal of these depictions. Platforms must remove the content within 48 hours of a valid request and make reasonable efforts to remove any known identical copies. Failure to comply with these takedown obligations will be treated as a violation under the Federal Trade Commission Act. The Act also defines key terms related to consent, digital forgeries, and covered platforms.

This resolution designates April 2025 as "Earth Month" to promote environmental stewardship and climate action. It recognizes the historical impact of Earth Day and the urgency of addressing climate change, while also supporting biodiversity preservation and learning from Indigenous communities. The resolution encourages collaborative efforts to address environmental challenges, improve energy efficiency, and educate communities about year-round environmental action. It also seeks to center the voices of frontline communities in proposed climate and environmental solutions.

The West Coast Ocean Protection Act of 2025 permanently prohibits new oil and gas leasing in federal waters off the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington. This act prevents the Department of Interior from issuing any new leases for oil and gas exploration, development, or production in the Outer Continental Shelf along the West Coast. The areas affected include the Washington-Oregon, Northern California, Central California, and Southern California Planning Areas as defined by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. This prohibition is implemented through an amendment to the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act.

The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Enhancement Act of 2025 modifies the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit by increasing the amount of expenses that can be claimed, adjusting the income phase-out ranges, and making the credit refundable. The bill increases the dollar limit on creditable expenses to $8,000 for one qualifying individual and $16,000 for two or more. It also adjusts the income level at which the credit begins to phase out and indexes it to inflation.

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.

This resolution designates the week of April 19 through April 27, 2025, as "National Park Week" to recognize the importance of national parks for recreation, education, and economic contributions. It encourages people to visit and support these parks while acknowledging the role of the National Park Service in protecting these resources for future generations.

The Housing for All Act of 2025 aims to combat housing shortages and homelessness through increased funding for affordable housing programs, support for vulnerable populations like the elderly and disabled, and the establishment of a commission to address racial equity in housing. It expands housing assistance programs, provides resources for emergency housing and support services, and promotes innovative community-driven solutions. This act also focuses on initiatives such as safe parking programs, hotel conversions into permanent housing, eviction protection, and mobile crisis intervention teams. Additionally, the act seeks to improve coordination between healthcare and homelessness services while promoting climate mitigation and disaster resilience through transit-oriented development.

The American Family Act establishes a new, fully refundable monthly child tax credit, providing monthly allowances to eligible families with children. It creates a system for monthly advance payments of the child tax credit, administered by the Secretary, and includes income limitations and eligibility criteria. The Act also provides a credit for certain other dependents and terminates the existing annual child tax credit after 2024. This aims to provide regular financial support to families with children, reducing child poverty and enhancing economic stability.

The "Tax Cut for Workers Act of 2025" expands the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for individuals without qualifying children by lowering the minimum age, eliminating the maximum age, and increasing credit and phaseout percentages. It also makes permanent the application of the EITC to U.S. possessions and allows taxpayers to elect to use prior year earned income when calculating the EITC if it results in a larger credit. These changes aim to provide additional tax relief to low- and moderate-income workers.

The Organic Science and Research Investment Act of 2025 aims to bolster organic agriculture by expanding research initiatives, providing grants for transitioning to organic practices, and enhancing data collection on organic production and markets. It establishes a coordinated research initiative across agricultural agencies, extends funding for organic research and extension programs, and promotes research into the economic and environmental impacts of organic farming. The act also supports partnerships with various educational institutions and prioritizes projects involving on-farm research and traditional ecological knowledge.