Legislative Activity

The Student Loan Tax Elimination Act eliminates origination fees on federal direct loans. This change applies to loans where the first disbursement is made, or for consolidation loans when the application is received, on or after July 1 of the year following the Act's enactment. By repealing subsection (c) of section 455 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, this act seeks to reduce the upfront costs associated with federal student loans.

The Hospital Adoption Education Act of 2025 aims to improve understanding of adoption in healthcare settings. It directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and disseminate adoption resources, educate and train care providers, and offer consultation services to hospitals and birthing centers. The Act prioritizes patient-centered care models and holistic parenting support, while ensuring that no funds are used to promote abortion or benefit child-placing agencies. Finally, the Act authorizes $5,000,000 to be appropriated to the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out this Act for fiscal years 2026 through 2029.

The Medicare Enrollment Protection Act of 2025 creates a one-time special enrollment period for Medicare Part B for individuals enrolled in COBRA, allowing enrollment during COBRA coverage and for three months after it ends. It ensures that these individuals will not face increased Medicare Part B premiums and protects their COBRA benefits by clarifying that these benefits should not be reduced or terminated for those eligible for, but not enrolled in, Medicare Part B. The Act also mandates updated COBRA continuation coverage notices to explain Medicare secondary payer rules and their application to COBRA.

The Retirement Savings for Americans Act of 2025 establishes the American Worker Retirement Plan, a retirement fund within the U.S. Treasury, to help workers save for retirement through automatic enrollment, diverse investment options, and government matching contributions. It creates the American Worker Retirement Investment Board to oversee the fund's management and sets guidelines for investment policies and fiduciary responsibilities. Additionally, the act introduces a Government Match Tax Credit to incentivize contributions to the fund, particularly for lower to moderate-income individuals, by matching a percentage of their contributions.

The "Reduce Duplication and Improve Access to Work Act" amends the Social Security Act to allow states to transfer funds from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) to workforce development programs under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). It limits the amount of funds reserved for statewide workforce investment activities to no more than 15 percent. States intending to transfer funds must submit a combined state plan to the Secretary and the Secretary of Labor. These changes will take effect on October 1, 2026.

The "Ensuring Opportunities in Online Training Act" amends the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to include online training providers. It specifies that online training providers approved outside a participant's state are ineligible for funding from that state unless the provider is on that state's eligible training provider list.

The Survivor Justice Tax Prevention Act amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income any damages, other than punitive damages, received for sexual acts or sexual contact. The bill ensures that survivors of sexual abuse are not taxed on compensatory damages they receive. It also directs the Secretary of the Treasury to conduct a public awareness program about this exclusion.

The "Medicare Home Health Accessibility Act" broadens Medicare eligibility for home healthcare services to include individuals who require occupational therapy, not just speech therapy. This expansion ensures more beneficiaries can receive necessary care in their homes. These changes will take effect for services provided on or after January 1, 2026.

The "Workforce Reentry Act" aims to improve workforce reentry for ex-offenders by establishing the "ex-offenders Reentry Program Start-up Grants." These grants will be awarded to various entities, including nonprofits, local boards, and educational institutions, to provide skills development, job placement, and mentoring services to individuals recently released from prison or jail. The program prioritizes partnerships with businesses and educational institutions to offer training in high-demand occupations. Grantees must report on performance indicators, including recidivism rates, to ensure accountability and program effectiveness.

The ENABLE Act permanently extends provisions that allow for increased contributions to ABLE accounts, which are savings accounts for individuals with disabilities. It also allows penalty-free rollovers from 529 education savings accounts to ABLE accounts, providing greater flexibility in financial planning for families and individuals with disabilities. Additionally, the act includes contributions made to an ABLE account when calculating retirement savings contributions.

The Clock Hour Program Student Protection Act amends the Higher Education Act of 1965, Section 481(b) to allow training programs to exceed the state minimum for clock hours, up to 150% of the state or federal agency's minimum clock hour requirements, while still remaining eligible. This change applies to the 2024-2025 award year and beyond.

The "Improve and Enhance the Work Opportunity Tax Credit Act" amends the Internal Revenue Code to modify the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, changing the calculation and wage limitations based on employee categories and hours worked. It increases wage limitations for qualified veterans and revises rules for summer youth employees and long-term family assistance recipients. Additionally, the act removes the age limit for qualified supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits recipients, with these changes taking effect for individuals starting work after December 31, 2024.

The "Primary Care Enhancement Act of 2025" modifies the treatment of direct primary care (DPC) arrangements for health savings account (HSA) purposes. It excludes DPC arrangements from being considered a health plan under certain conditions, such as DPC arrangements solely covering primary care services from primary care practitioners for a fixed periodic fee, with limits on monthly fees, and it treats DPC fees as medical expenses. This act also mandates the reporting of DPC fees on W-2 forms and adjusts fee limits for inflation.

The "Main Street Tax Certainty Act" amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to permanently extend the deduction for qualified business income. This removes the previous expiration date, providing long-term tax certainty for eligible businesses. The change applies to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2025.