Legislative Activity

The Child Care for Every Community Act establishes a national framework to guarantee universal access to high-quality, regulated child care and early learning programs for every young child. It mandates federal standards for quality, ensures child care staff receive pay comparable to K-12 employees, and requires local coordination with school systems. Furthermore, the bill protects existing state funding levels and caps family fees based on income.

The Protecting Retirement and Health Benefits for Families Act requires heads of major federal agencies to certify to Congress that significant operational changes will not harm beneficiaries' access to or amount of benefits. If an agency plans major staffing cuts or reorganizations, it must detail how core services will be maintained. Should an Inspector General later find that these changes caused harm, the agency head is mandated to reverse those detrimental actions.

The PROTECT Firefighters Act mandates the U.S. Fire Administrator to develop a comprehensive national strategy to improve the equipment, training, and staffing standards for firefighter Rapid Intervention Teams (RITs). This strategy must analyze current nationwide capabilities, including specialized maritime teams, and review past firefighter fatality data related to RIT failures. Ultimately, the Act requires the Administrator to provide Congress with specific recommendations for legislative action to enhance RIT readiness and standardization across the country.

The End Judge Shopping Act aims to prevent litigants from strategically filing lawsuits seeking nationwide injunctions against federal laws or rules in courts with fewer judges. This legislation mandates that such broad-impact cases must be filed in a division of a judicial district that has at least two active judges. The goal is to ensure these significant legal challenges are heard in courts with broader judicial capacity.

This Act mandates pre-employment and random drug testing for individuals serving temporarily in sensitive positions within federal agencies, known as "special Government employees." Failure of a pre-employment test results in a 12-month bar from appointment, while a positive test for current employees leads to removal from the civil service and a minimum 12-month ineligibility period. The law ensures that these temporary, high-trust roles maintain strict standards regarding controlled substance use.

This bill, the Donut Dollies Congressional Gold Medal Act, directs the striking of a Congressional Gold Medal to honor the American Red Cross volunteers who served in the Supplemental Recreation Activities Overseas (SRAO) program during the Vietnam War. These volunteers, known as "Donut Dollies," provided crucial morale support to troops on the front lines. The original medal will be presented on behalf of Congress and ultimately housed at the Smithsonian Institution, with provisions made for selling bronze duplicates.

The "Access to Reproductive Care for Servicemembers Act" ensures that members of the Armed Forces and their dependents can access leave and reimbursement for travel expenses related to abortion services and assisted reproductive technology, such as in vitro fertilization, when these services are not available nearby. It protects the privacy of service members seeking such care and prohibits any adverse actions against them for utilizing these provisions. The bill aims to address barriers to reproductive healthcare created by state abortion restrictions and logistical challenges faced by military personnel.

The "Building Native Habitats at Federal Facilities Act" prioritizes the use of native plants in Federal construction and maintenance projects to support habitat creation, pollinator support, erosion reduction, and stormwater control. It requires federal agencies to prioritize native plants in projects and update design standards, and it directs the Council on Environmental Quality to issue guidance and report on the use of native plants in these projects.

The "Strengthening Communities through Summer Employment Act" aims to boost summer youth employment programs by allocating funds to the Secretary of Labor, who will then award competitive grants to eligible entities. These grants will support the expansion of existing programs and the implementation of innovative strategies, with the goal of improving academic, economic, and criminal justice outcomes for young participants. The Act also establishes an Advisory Board to oversee program implementation, provide technical assistance, and evaluate program effectiveness. Finally, the act defines key terms such as "eligible entity" and "state" to ensure clarity in implementation.

The "Family-to-Family Reauthorization Act of 2025" extends funding for family-to-family health information centers. It allocates \$6,000,000 for April 1, 2025, to September 30, 2025, and \$9,000,000 for each fiscal year from 2026 through 2029. This ensures continued support for families navigating healthcare for children with disabilities or special needs.

The "Improving Mental Healthcare in the Re-Entry System Act of 2025" aims to improve mental healthcare for individuals re-entering society after incarceration by establishing grant programs for mental health screenings and referrals at detention centers. An Advisory Board will oversee program implementation, evaluate program effectiveness, and provide technical assistance. The act also directs the Bureau of Prisons to create a similar mental health screening program. Finally, the act allocates funding for these initiatives and defines key terms.

The Secure Storage Information Act of 2025 mandates that licensed gun dealers provide information on secure firearm storage to purchasers, and that they offer a variety of gun safety devices for sale. It also establishes a tax credit of up to $500 for individuals who purchase a qualified gun safe.

The "Expanding Access to High-Impact Tutoring Act of 2025" aims to improve student academic achievement by providing grants to state educational agencies for tutoring programs in elementary and secondary schools. These programs will be implemented by local educational agencies, prioritizing those with high numbers of Title I students or significant learning loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic. An Advisory Board will be established to oversee program implementation, evaluate program effectiveness, and develop a nationwide tutoring workforce. The Act emphasizes high-quality tutoring, tutor training, and collaboration with research organizations to ensure programs are effective and aligned with student needs.

The "Brownfields Redevelopment Tax Incentive Reauthorization Act of 2025" extends the tax deduction for environmental remediation costs, incentivizing the cleanup and redevelopment of brownfield sites. It allows taxpayers to deduct these expenses, promoting investment in revitalizing potentially contaminated properties. This extension is applicable for expenditures paid after December 31, 2024, and before January 1, 2029.

The "REDUCE Food Prices Act" introduces tax incentives for small food retail businesses in areas with high food retail concentration and low competition. It increases the rehabilitation tax credit, work opportunity tax credit, bonus depreciation, and qualified business income deduction for these businesses. The bill also establishes a new tax credit for new small food retail businesses based on qualified investment amounts. These measures aim to encourage the establishment and operation of small food retailers in underserved areas.

The "Improving Federal Assistance to Families Act" directs the Census Bureau to create a "Regionally Adjusted Poverty Line" that accounts for regional cost of living differences. It mandates the use of either this new line or the existing federal poverty line, whichever results in a higher poverty rate for each state, for determining eligibility for federal programs. The Act also requires a GAO study on the ALICE threshold as an alternative poverty measure and its potential integration into federal program eligibility standards.

This Act amends current law to require the consent of the chief executive officer (Governor or Mayor of D.C.) before National Guard members can be ordered to perform certain full-time duty within their own state or district when requested by the President or Secretary of Defense. This ensures state-level approval for federal requests involving domestic National Guard deployment. Any duty performed under this authority must still comply with the Posse Comitatus Act.

The "Auto Theft Prevention Act" establishes a grant program within the Justice Department to support state and local law enforcement in combating auto theft and stolen vehicle trafficking, allocating \$30,000,000 annually from 2026 through 2030. It allows grant funds to be used for purchasing equipment, hiring personnel, training, and data collection. The Act also amends existing legislation to broaden the use of COPS grant program funds for auto theft prevention efforts.

The "Expanding Labor Representation in the Workforce System Act" increases the funds available to state and local workforce development boards for administrative costs, raising the limit from 20% to 30%. It also broadens the definition of "labor organization" to include federations and bodies of labor organizations, as well as organizations representing certain groups of public and other-sector employees.

The "INCREASE Housing Affordability Act" introduces a tax credit for converting commercial buildings into residential properties, aiming to boost housing supply. The bill offers a base credit of 15% of conversion costs, with potential bonus credits for affordable housing and paying prevailing wages. It also establishes an advisory board to support state and local agencies in identifying conversion opportunities and streamlining the conversion process.