Legislative Activity

The Taxpayer Notification and Privacy Act enhances taxpayer rights by requiring the IRS to provide more specific details about the information it intends to seek from third parties during an examination or collection inquiry. This legislation mandates that taxpayers receive at least a 45-day opportunity to provide the specified information themselves before the IRS contacts external sources like banks or employers. These new specificity requirements aim to increase transparency while maintaining exceptions for existing tax liability collections.

The Clean Up DEBRIS Act amends disaster relief law to clarify debris removal procedures following a major disaster. It specifically defines various types of multi-unit residential properties, such as condominiums and housing cooperatives. The bill mandates that debris removal from these communities is considered in the public interest if local authorities determine the debris poses a threat to safety or economic recovery. These changes apply to all future major disasters declared after the Act's enactment.

The Safer Truckers Act of 2025 establishes new residency and work authorization requirements for individuals applying for a Commercial Driver's License (CDL). This legislation mandates that CDL applicants must be U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, or authorized to work in the U.S. in a commercial driving capacity. Furthermore, the Act requires states to annually report on their enforcement of English proficiency standards for commercial drivers.

This bill prohibits the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from enforcing non-compete clauses against private insurance companies participating in the National Flood Insurance Program's (NFIP) Write Your Own Program. This change ensures that these partner companies are free to sell their own private flood insurance products alongside their NFIP responsibilities. The legislation aims to foster competition between private flood insurance options and the federal program.

The Flood Insurance Transparency Act of 2025 mandates the public release of comprehensive data regarding the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). This includes detailed information on flood risk assessments, premium calculations, claims history, and loss ratios. The goal is to enhance public access to NFIP data to support better flood risk research and analysis. All released information must be anonymized to strictly protect the privacy of individual policyholders.

The Streamlining FEMA Procurement Procedures Act of 2025 aims to speed up disaster recovery by allowing local governments to use the Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) hiring method for federally funded projects. This legislation also significantly raises the simplified procurement spending threshold from $\$1$ million to $\$3$ million. These changes are intended to make acquiring necessary construction and professional services more efficient after a disaster.

The Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2025 modifies tax rules for individuals affected by major disasters declared between mid-2025 and the end of 2026, creating a special calculation for deducting qualified net disaster losses. Additionally, the bill excludes certain compensation received for losses resulting from qualified wildfire disasters from gross income for taxable years between 2026 and 2030. These provisions aim to provide targeted tax relief for specific disaster-related losses and recovery payments.

The Department of War Restoration Act of 2025 officially renames the Department of Defense to the Department of War. This change also renames the Secretary of Defense to the Secretary of War. The Act ensures all existing laws and documents are updated to reflect this new nomenclature.

The Protection of College Sports Act officially codifies Executive Order 14322 into federal law. This action transforms the previous executive order into a legally binding statute with the full force of Congressional legislation. The bill essentially ensures the mandates and requirements of the original order are permanently established in law.

The GRACE Act prohibits federal education funding for any school or agency that mandates vaccinations unless they provide a religious exemption based solely on an individual's stated sincerely held religious beliefs. This exemption cannot require any proof or documentation to support the religious objection. Consequently, institutions requiring documentation for religious vaccine exemptions risk losing federal education funds.

The Health Privacy From Global Bureaucrats Act prohibits the Secretaries of Health and Human Services and the Treasury from sharing sensitive taxpayer, patient, and vaccine data with the World Health Organization or any foreign government. This legislation establishes strict controls to prevent the transfer of this protected information to international organizations and foreign entities.

The Create Accountable Respectful Environments (CARE) for Children Act officially recognizes and integrates "cottage family homes" into federal foster care regulations. This allows these specialized homes to receive federal maintenance payments if they meet strict standards focused on family connection, trauma-informed care, and prohibiting harmful restraints. The bill ensures states maintain flexibility in utilizing these placements while upholding high standards for child well-being.

The Marijuana 1-to-3 Act of 2025 mandates the Attorney General to reschedule marijuana under federal law. Specifically, this bill requires the immediate transfer of marijuana from its current Schedule I classification to Schedule III. This change in legal status must be finalized within 60 days of the Act's enactment.

The Limiting Extremist Travel to the United Nations Act imposes strict travel conditions on certain foreign officials attending UN meetings in New York City. These restrictions specifically target officials from Iran, those linked to Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), and representatives from non-member UN organizations. The bill severely limits the movement of Iranian and FTO-linked officials to direct routes between airports, the UN, and their lodging, while others are restricted to a 25-mile radius and banned from educational institutions.

The AIRFARE Act establishes a system to expedite gate passes and security access for caregivers accompanying minors or passengers needing assistance to their departing flights. This requires the TSA to create procedures allowing up to two designated helpers to walk these individuals directly to the gate. The system aims to streamline the process for family members and guardians needing to provide essential support at the airport.

The Securing Academia from Foreign Entanglements Act prohibits U.S. colleges and universities from accepting gifts or entering into contracts with designated "foreign countries of concern." This legislation aims to safeguard academic institutions by banning financial ties with nations deemed a risk to U.S. national security. However, the bill exempts standard student payments like tuition from this prohibition.

The No Foreign Election Partnership Act prohibits U.S. federal election agencies, such as the FEC and EAC, from entering into agreements with international organizations that involve sharing data or granting advisory roles. This legislation aims to prevent specific types of partnerships between domestic election bodies and foreign or international groups.

The Freedom from Government Surveys Act officially declares participation in the American Community Survey (ACS) entirely voluntary. This bill removes all penalties for individuals who refuse or neglect to answer any part of the survey. Furthermore, it mandates that the voluntary nature of the ACS must be clearly stated directly on the survey form itself.

The Jamie Reed Protecting Our Kids from Child Abuse Act establishes a federal right for individuals to sue medical providers for harm resulting from gender-transition procedures received as minors. This legislation also prohibits the use of federal funds for pediatric gender clinics or for gender-transition procedures performed on minors. These provisions apply retroactively to procedures that occurred before the Act's enactment.

The Restoring Biological Truth to the Workplace Act amends employment law to prohibit employers from taking adverse action against employees for expressing views on the binary nature of biological sex or for using sex-segregated facilities. This Act also explicitly protects employees from retaliation for opposing these newly defined unlawful employment practices. Employers cannot use standard defenses like "business necessity" when facing claims related to these specific protections.