Legislative Activity

This joint resolution seeks to disapprove the interim final rule from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services that removes the automatic extension for Employment Authorization Documents (EADs). If enacted, this disapproval would nullify the rule, preventing the removal of the automatic extension.

The International Human Rights Defense Act of 2025 establishes a permanent program within the Department of State, led by a dedicated Special Envoy, to protect and promote the human rights of LGBTQI people globally. This bill mandates the creation of a comprehensive U.S. Global Strategy to address international discrimination and violence against this community. Furthermore, it authorizes foreign assistance to support local organizations and requires detailed reporting on LGBTQI human rights abuses in annual State Department reports.

The ECCHO Act establishes a new federal crime for intentionally coercing a minor under 18 to commit harmful acts, including self-harm, violence against others or animals, arson, or specific online offenses like swatting. This legislation defines coercion broadly to include manipulation, threats, and intimidation used to force a child into these prohibited actions. Penalties vary based on the severity of the coerced act, with life imprisonment possible for coercing suicide or homicide. The Act also updates existing federal laws to incorporate this new offense and ensure comprehensive enforcement.

The SAFE Act directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to review and update federal sentencing guidelines for offenses involving child sexual abuse material. This update must account for the actual harm to victims, modern technology, and the spectrum of offender culpability. The Commission is required to develop new guidelines that specifically address factors like the use of multiple online channels, involvement in prohibited sexual conduct against a child, and the impact on the victim. Importantly, the Act prohibits lowering the existing base offense level for these crimes.

This resolution honors the extraordinary life, leadership, and enduring legacy of Dr. Jane Goodall. It recognizes her groundbreaking scientific contributions to primatology and her tireless global advocacy for wildlife conservation and environmental education. The resolution pays tribute to her dedication to protecting chimpanzees and inspiring humanity to live in greater harmony with the natural world.

The Stop Sextortion Act criminalizes threatening to distribute child sexual abuse material, even if the material does not exist, to intimidate or coerce victims. This legislation establishes severe penalties for making such threats, mirroring those for actual distribution. Furthermore, the Act increases maximum prison sentences by ten years for crimes involving the use of child sexual abuse material to threaten or harm an individual.

The Scam Compound Accountability and Mobilization Act addresses the growing threat of transnational cyber-enabled fraud originating from criminal operations, often involving human trafficking victims in Southeast Asia. This bill mandates the creation of a comprehensive U.S. strategy to counter these scam compounds and hold the responsible criminal organizations accountable. Furthermore, it establishes new authorities for imposing sanctions on facilitators and requires a review of legal tools to ensure victims can receive financial redress from seized assets.

This resolution strongly condemns white supremacy, hate, and antisemitism, specifically targeting the promotion of these dangerous ideologies by Nick Fuentes. It further condemns Tucker Carlson and Kevin Roberts for platforming and defending Fuentes's documented antisemitic and Holocaust-denying statements. The resolution affirms the nation's commitment to fighting antisemitism and urges all leaders to reject these hateful views.

This resolution strongly condemns the pardon of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, detailing his extensive involvement in a major drug-trafficking conspiracy. It outlines how Hernández used his presidential power to facilitate the smuggling of hundreds of tons of cocaine into the U.S. while protecting criminal associates. The resolution asserts that the pardon undermines the rule of law and damages U.S. credibility in combating international drug trafficking.

The SAFE Chips Act of 2025 establishes strict new export controls on advanced integrated circuits to foreign adversary countries. This law mandates a license for the export or transfer of these specified high-performance chips, with a policy to deny all such applications. The bill specifically defines "advanced integrated circuit" based on technical performance thresholds or existing export control classifications, excluding those not designed for data center use.

The Relief for Farmers Hit with PFAS Act establishes a $500 million program administered by the Secretary of Agriculture to provide financial assistance to commercial farmers whose land or water is contaminated by PFAS from sludge or septage. This program offers aid such as income replacement, testing costs, and business diversification support to help farmers restore their operations. The Act also directs the Secretary to create a grant program for states, territories, and tribes to address contamination and prioritize funding for direct farmer assistance. Finally, it establishes a task force to evaluate integrating PFAS response across all Department of Agriculture programs.

The Medicare-X Choice Act of 2025 establishes a new, low-cost public health insurance option, the Medicare Exchange plan, available nationwide on the ACA marketplaces starting in 2028. The bill also creates a national reinsurance program to lower individual market premiums and expands premium tax credit eligibility by removing the 400% income cap and fixing the "family glitch." Furthermore, it grants Medicare the authority to negotiate prescription drug prices and increases funding for antitrust enforcement in healthcare markets.

This resolution celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and recognizes its transformative impact on ensuring a free, appropriate public education for children with disabilities. It honors the millions who have benefited from IDEA and reaffirms commitment to its principles. *Note: The provided text also includes details about a separate "Housing for All" program, which is not addressed in this summary as the primary focus of the resolution appears to be IDEA.*

This resolution strongly condemns the Government of Iran for its ongoing, state-sponsored persecution of the Baha'i religious minority. It highlights decades of systematic human rights abuses, including imprisonment, job discrimination, and violence against Baha'is. The resolution urges the Iranian government to immediately release all religious prisoners and reverse discriminatory policies. Furthermore, it calls on the U.S. President and Secretary of State to condemn these actions and utilize existing authorities to impose sanctions on responsible Iranian officials.

The Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act of 2025 enhances the FDA's authority to require pediatric investigations for new molecularly targeted cancer drugs. It also extends the priority review voucher program designed to incentivize the development of treatments for rare pediatric diseases until September 2030. Furthermore, the bill mandates studies to assess the effectiveness of these new drug investigation requirements and the existing voucher program.

The Healthy Maternity and Obstetric Medicine (Healthy MOM) Act aims to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes by ensuring comprehensive and affordable maternity coverage. It establishes special enrollment periods for pregnant individuals across various health plans, including employer-sponsored and exchange plans. Furthermore, the bill mandates that dependent coverage must include maternity care and makes 12 months of continuous postpartum coverage mandatory under Medicaid and CHIP.

The John Lewis Every Child Deserves a Family Act prohibits discrimination based on religion, sex, or marital status in federally funded child welfare services. This aims to increase the number of available, stable foster and adoptive homes, particularly for LGBTQ youth and youth of color who are overrepresented in the system. The bill mandates federal guidance, cultural competency training, and the establishment of a resource center to improve safety and permanency outcomes for all children in care. Entities found in violation may face the withholding of federal payments.

The SIMSA Act of 2025 establishes a new Schedule A within the Controlled Substances Act to specifically target synthetic analogues that are structurally or functionally similar to existing controlled substances. This legislation grants the Attorney General authority to temporarily or permanently schedule these substances, imposing strict penalties for trafficking and mandatory labeling requirements. Furthermore, the Act outlines specific registration processes for handling Schedule A substances and provides a mechanism for sentence review if a substance is later descheduled.

This bill establishes a State judicial threat intelligence and resource center to enhance the security of state and local judges and court staff. It directs the State Justice Institute to provide support for creating this center, which will offer training, conduct security assessments, and proactively monitor threats. The center will also develop a national database for sharing threat information across law enforcement agencies. Finally, the Institute must submit an annual report detailing the scope and seriousness of threats against the judiciary.

The Restoring Food Security for American Families and Farmers Act of 2025 aims to strengthen domestic food security by repealing specific sections of a previous law (Public Law 11921). This repeal effectively reinstates the original statutes that were previously altered by those sections.