Legislative Activity

The Religious Workforce Protection Act allows religious workers facing green card delays to extend their R-1 visa status beyond the usual five-year limit while their application is pending. It also provides job flexibility for those with long-delayed applications and exempts certain religious workers from the one-year foreign residence requirement before applying for a new visa.

The "Service Dogs Assisting Veterans Act" or the "SAVES Act" establishes a five-year pilot program within the Department of Veterans Affairs to award grants to nonprofit organizations that provide service dogs to veterans with disabilities, including those with mental health conditions such as PTSD. The grants, up to $2,000,000 each, will support the planning, development, and management of service dog programs, ensuring veterans receive these dogs at no cost and are informed of available VA benefits. The VA will also provide veterinary insurance for the service dogs. $10,000,000 is authorized to be appropriated for each of the five fiscal years following the establishment of the pilot program.

The Aviation Medication Transparency Act of 2025 requires the FAA to publish and maintain an online list of medications that are safe for pilots and air traffic controllers to use while maintaining their medical certification. The list must be comprehensive, user-friendly, and created in consultation with relevant stakeholders, and updated annually. It will also include a "Do Not Issue" list of prohibited medications, contact information for doctors to ask the FAA questions, and any additional information regarding the conditions a medication may or may not treat.

The "Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act" prohibits Federal Reserve Banks from offering financial products or services directly to individuals, maintaining accounts for individuals, or issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC) directly or indirectly. It also blocks the Federal Reserve from testing, creating, or implementing a CBDC, or using it to implement monetary policy, without explicit congressional authorization. The bill clarifies that these restrictions do not apply to digital versions of the dollar that are open, permissionless, and private, like physical currency.

The Mental Health in Aviation Act of 2025 aims to improve mental health support for aviation professionals by updating FAA regulations to encourage help-seeking, streamlining the special issuance process for mental health conditions, and increasing the number of aviation medical examiners. It also mandates the implementation of recommendations from the Mental Health and Aviation Medical Clearances Aviation Rulemaking Committee and authorizes funding for a public information campaign to reduce stigma around mental health care in the aviation industry. The Act authorizes appropriations for fiscal years 2026-2029 to support these initiatives.

The IDEA Full Funding Act aims to increase federal funding for special education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) from fiscal year 2026 through 2035 and subsequent years. It authorizes and appropriates specific funding levels for IDEA, excluding section 619, with increasing amounts each year. The funding is determined by both a set dollar amount and a percentage based on the number of children with disabilities and average per-pupil expenditure, whichever is greater. The bill also mandates that the increased funding adhere to "cut-as-you-go" rules, ensuring fiscal responsibility.

The Military Installation Retail Security Act of 2025 prohibits the Department of Defense from entering into or renewing long-term concession agreements with retailers controlled by countries that pose a national security risk, with a waiver option if essential goods or services are not otherwise available. It mandates retailers to disclose relationships with these countries and requires review and potential termination of existing agreements. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) is directed to investigate and provide determinations on national security implications. The Act defines key terms to clarify the scope and enforcement of these provisions.

The Maximum Pressure Act aims to increase pressure on Iran by codifying and expanding sanctions related to its nuclear program, ballistic missile development, support for terrorism, and human rights abuses. It targets key Iranian leaders, entities involved in arms sales, and various sectors of Iran's economy, while also enhancing congressional oversight of actions related to Iran sanctions. The bill also seeks to intensify financial pressure on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and prevent Iran from accessing international funds. Additionally, the act reinforces restrictions and oversight related to the IRGC and Ansar Allah (Houthis) and mandates a series of determinations and reports from government officials regarding Iran's activities.

The "Stop Harassing Owners of Rifles Today Act" or "SHORT Act" modifies firearm regulations by redefining "firearm" under the National Firearms Act, removing short-barreled rifles and shotguns from certain restrictions, and preempting state laws that tax, mark, record, or register these weapons. The Act also mandates the destruction of records related to these specific weapons held by the Attorney General.

This bill establishes a House Select Committee to investigate and propose policies to combat Mexican drug cartels and their international networks. The committee, composed of up to 21 members, will analyze cartel operations, evaluate current counter efforts, and recommend legislative proposals to relevant House committees. It must submit policy recommendations by December 31, 2025, and a final report by December 31, 2026, after which the committee will terminate.

The "Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act" enables individuals with valid concealed carry permits or the legal right to carry concealed firearms in their home state to do so across state lines, provided they are not federally prohibited from possessing firearms and carry a valid photo ID. This law respects private and state/local government restrictions on firearms, protects individuals from unwarranted arrest, and allows legal action for violations of these rights. It also permits concealed carry in National Parks and other federal lands open to the public and clarifies that handguns include magazines and ammunition.

The LEOSA Reform Act amends title 18 of the US Code to modify the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990, and to improve the Law Enforcement Officer Safety Act regarding where qualified law enforcement officers can carry firearms, what constitutes ammunition, and who can provide firearms training and certification. It allows qualified current and retired law enforcement officers to carry firearms in certain federal facilities and updates firearm training standards.

The UPRISERS Act mandates the Secretary of State to revoke the visas of foreign students who are convicted of assaulting a police officer or committing offenses related to rioting. Additionally, any student visa holder convicted of such offenses would be subject to deportation.

This bill mandates that higher education institutions report students on F1 or J1 visas to SEVIS if they endorse or support a foreign terrorist organization. Upon confirmation, the student's visa will be revoked, and deportation proceedings will commence.

The "Stop CARB Act of 2025" repeals the Clean Air Act's waivers that allow California to set its own emission standards for nonroad engines, vehicles, and locomotives. This bill stops other states from adopting California's emission standards for new motor vehicles, ensuring a national standard. It voids existing waivers and denies pending applications related to these standards.

The "Law-Enforcement Innovate to De-Escalate Act of 2025" exempts less-than-lethal projectile devices from certain federal restrictions, defining these devices based on their inability to fire lethal ammunition, a velocity cap of 500 feet per second, design for non-lethal use, and magazine compatibility. It tasks the Attorney General with determining whether a device meets the Act's definition within 90 days of a request.

The Major Richard Star Act allows eligible combat-disabled veterans to receive both their retirement pay and disability compensation. This eliminates the previous offset that reduced retirement pay for those receiving disability compensation. The changes apply to payments beginning the month after enactment.

The "Protecting Our Nations Capital Emergency Act of 2025" aims to address rising crime rates in Washington, D.C., by restoring collective bargaining rights for law enforcement on disciplinary matters and reinstating the statute of limitations for disciplinary cases against Metropolitan Police Department personnel. This bill seeks to reverse provisions of the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022, with the goal of supporting law enforcement recruitment, retention, and fair treatment.

The "Protecting Life and Integrity in Research Act of 2025" prohibits federal funding and support for research using human fetal tissue obtained from induced abortions, while allowing for the development of new cell lines not derived from such tissue. The bill permits research on fetal tissue from miscarriages or stillbirths and amends the Public Health Service Act to redefine related terms and conditions. It also prohibits the solicitation or acquisition of human fetal tissue when the pregnancy was initiated to provide the tissue or the tissue was obtained pursuant to an induced abortion.

The Public Land Renewable Energy Development Act of 2025 outlines the distribution of revenues generated from wind and solar energy projects on federal lands, allocating percentages to the state and county where the project is located, the administration of the renewable energy program, and a newly established Renewable Energy Resource Conservation Fund. This fund will support the restoration and protection of habitats and recreational access affected by renewable energy development, with the Secretary of Interior managing the fund in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture. The Act mandates an annual report to Congress detailing the fund's financial activities and aims to expedite renewable energy permits. It also specifies that payments to states and counties must align with the Mineral Leasing Act.