Legislative Activity

The Taxpayer Due Process Enhancement Act aims to strengthen taxpayer rights during IRS collection disputes. It suspends the deadline for filing tax refund claims while a collection action is being disputed and prohibits the IRS from automatically using overpayments to offset that disputed liability. Furthermore, the bill expands the jurisdiction of the Tax Court to review underlying tax liabilities during collection due process appeals.

The RCORP Authorization Act establishes the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program within HRSA to combat substance use disorders in rural areas. This program authorizes grants to eligible entities for expanding prevention, treatment, and recovery services. The legislation allocates $165 million annually from fiscal years 2026 through 2030 to support these critical community efforts.

The Veteran Education Empowerment Act establishes a grant program to help colleges and universities create and operate dedicated Student Veteran Centers. These centers will serve as centralized hubs to coordinate academic support, transition services, and community building for student veterans. The bill authorizes funding for these grants, which can be used for establishing and operating the centers, with specific reporting requirements to track effectiveness.

This resolution commemorates World AIDS Day and recognizes significant progress made in combating HIV/AIDS globally and domestically through programs like PEPFAR and the Ryan White Act. It highlights ongoing challenges, particularly disparities in impact, while encouraging continued robust funding for research, prevention, and treatment efforts worldwide. The resolution supports the goal of ending the HIV epidemic by 2030 through zero new transmissions and zero discrimination.

The Tax Court Improvement Act modernizes the U.S. Tax Court by expanding the authority of special trial judges and clarifying the court's power to issue subpoenas for pre-trial discovery. This legislation also explicitly grants the Tax Court jurisdiction to apply equitable tolling to filing deadlines in deficiency cases when fairness demands it. Furthermore, it applies standard federal rules regarding judicial disqualification to Tax Court judges and special trial judges.

The Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act focuses primarily on improving pediatric drug development and ensuring patient access to necessary treatments. This legislation mandates new research requirements for molecularly targeted pediatric cancer drugs, strengthens FDA enforcement of pediatric study completion, and extends incentives for developing drugs for rare pediatric diseases. Additionally, the bill updates organ transplant network functions and establishes an Abraham Accords Office within the FDA to enhance international regulatory cooperation.

The Taxpayer Protection and Preparer Proficiency Act aims to increase accountability and competence among tax return preparers. It establishes new and increased penalties for improper alterations, misuse of identification numbers, and misappropriation of taxpayer refunds. Furthermore, the bill institutes formal federal requirements for obtaining and renewing Preparer Tax Identification Numbers (PTINs), including suitability and education standards, and grants the IRS authority to suspend or revoke these numbers for misconduct.

The SAWMILL Act establishes the Timber Production Expansion Guaranteed Loan Program within the Department of Agriculture. This program provides loan guarantees to rural sawmills and wood-processing facilities located near federal lands needing ecological restoration. These facilities must help substantially reduce the cost of removing vegetation from high-priority federal lands. The total loan guarantees are capped at $220 million.

The Food Bank Emergency Support Act of 2025 establishes a \$462.5 million emergency fund to ensure the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can continue providing full benefits during funding shortfalls or government shutdowns. These funds are specifically appropriated to prevent benefit reductions when other resources are insufficient. Furthermore, the Act ensures essential SNAP staff can continue working during a lapse in appropriations.

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 stable, family-like placements for children, especially for LGBTQ youth who are overrepresented in foster care. The bill mandates federal guidance, training, and data collection to improve safety and well-being outcomes for all children involved in the system.

The Urban and Rural Diabetes Initiative Act establishes a new grant program to improve diabetes treatment access in medically underserved urban and rural areas. This funding supports eligible health providers in offering comprehensive diabetes care, including routine treatment, education, and specialized services like eye and foot care. The Secretary of Health and Human Services will award these grants, ensuring equitable distribution across both urban and rural communities.

The Healthy Maternity and Obstetric Medicine Act, or Healthy MOM Act, aims to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes by ensuring comprehensive maternity coverage is accessible. It establishes special enrollment periods for pregnant individuals across various health plans and mandates that dependent coverage must include maternity care. Furthermore, the bill secures continuous 12-month postpartum coverage under Medicaid and CHIP and adjusts federal employee health benefit rules regarding pregnancy.

This bill, the Social Security Emergency Inflation Relief Act, establishes temporary economic recovery payments for eligible recipients of Social Security, SSI, Railroad Retirement, and Veterans benefits. It provides an additional $200 payment monthly to these individuals from January 1, 2026, through June 30, 2026. These payments are designed to be non-taxable and will not affect eligibility for other federal benefits.

The Find It Early Act mandates that certain individuals at increased risk for breast cancer receive additional, recommended screenings with no out-of-pocket costs. This coverage requirement applies across private health plans, Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. These provisions are set to take effect starting January 1, 2026.

This bill, the Human Trafficking Survivor Tax Relief Act, amends the Internal Revenue Code to ensure that restitution and civil damages awarded to human trafficking survivors are excluded from their federal gross income. This provision aims to provide financial relief by preventing survivors from being taxed on the monetary compensation they receive for their recovery.

This bill, the Medical Nutrition Therapy Act of 2025, aims to significantly expand Medicare coverage for medical nutrition therapy services. It broadens the list of covered chronic conditions beyond diabetes and kidney disease to include obesity, hypertension, cancer, and more. Furthermore, the legislation allows a wider range of healthcare providers, such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants, to order these medically necessary nutrition services.

This resolution supports the goals of Transgender Day of Remembrance by recognizing the ongoing epidemic of violence targeting transgender people, particularly transgender women of color. It memorializes the lives lost this year and highlights the systemic barriers, including discrimination and lack of healthcare access, faced by the transgender community. The bill calls for urgent action from the government to protect these lives through inclusive legislation and policies that ensure dignity and respect for all individuals.

The Good Samaritan Menstrual Products Act provides liability protections for individuals, manufacturers, and nonprofit organizations that donate or distribute menstrual products in good faith to those in need. This protection covers the nature, age, or condition of apparently usable donated products. However, these protections do not apply in cases of gross negligence or intentional misconduct.

The Kidney Care Access Protection Act aims to improve patient access to innovative kidney care treatments by reforming Medicare payment systems for new drugs and devices. It also addresses payment stability by adjusting for forecast errors in dialysis service updates and enhances prevention efforts. Finally, the Act expands Medicare coverage for chronic kidney disease screening and education services starting in 2026.

The Restoring Food Security for American Families and Farmers Act of 2025 aims to strengthen domestic food security by repealing specific sections of a prior reconciliation act. This action effectively revives the original laws that were previously amended by the repealed provisions. The bill seeks to revert existing agricultural and food-related statutes to their pre-amendment status.