Legislative Activity

The Equal Shot Act of 2025 aims to prevent discrimination against businesses within the firearms industry when applying for financial assistance from the Small Business Administration (SBA). This legislation explicitly prohibits the SBA from denying loans or guarantees solely based on an applicant's status as a firearm entity, affiliate, or trade association. The Act first establishes clear definitions for these industry participants to ensure fair and equal consideration for all qualified applicants.

The Forest Legacy Management Flexibility Act allows states to authorize highly qualified, accredited conservation organizations to acquire, hold, and manage conservation easements under the Forest Legacy Program. This grants states flexibility in ensuring the long-term protection of forest lands by utilizing experienced external partners. The bill establishes strict criteria for these organizations and includes a clear reversion process if they fail to uphold their monitoring or enforcement responsibilities.

This bill aims to improve veterans' healthcare by updating community care program eligibility and notification processes, enhancing mental health treatment program standards and access, and modernizing the VA's healthcare system through online tools and streamlined processes. It focuses on ensuring timely access to care, accommodating veterans' preferences, and improving the overall quality and efficiency of VA services. The bill also mandates increased transparency and accountability through regular reports to Congress.

This bill grants the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) the authority to extend the construction start deadline for certain existing hydropower project licenses issued before March 13, 2020. Licensees of these "covered projects" can apply for up to three separate two-year extensions, totaling an additional six years, to commence construction. Furthermore, the bill allows FERC to reinstate licenses that expired after December 31, 2023, under specific conditions.

The Promotion and Expansion of Private Employee Ownership Act of 2025 aims to significantly boost employee ownership in S corporations through Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs). This bill extends crucial tax deferral benefits for stock sales to ESOPs and establishes new offices within the Treasury and Labor Departments to provide technical assistance and advocacy. Furthermore, it amends the Small Business Act to ensure ESOP-owned businesses do not automatically lose small business status when they transition to majority employee ownership.

This bill, the STUDENT Act, seeks to fundamentally restructure the National Education Association (NEA) due to Congress's findings that it has become a partisan political entity rather than an educational organization. It imposes strict new requirements on membership dues collection from government employees, bans the organization from engaging in political activities, and prohibits it from promoting certain ideological beliefs in schools. Furthermore, the Act repeals a specific federal property tax exemption currently enjoyed by the organization in the District of Columbia.

The Wildfire Insurance Coverage Study Act of 2025 directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a comprehensive national study on wildfire risk, insurance coverage, and regulatory responses. This analysis will examine current insurance availability, rate changes, and insurer challenges related to wildfire damage across the country. The resulting report will provide Congress with findings and potential policy options to address the growing issues of wildfire insurance affordability and accessibility.

The Advanced Reactor Modernization for Operational Resilience Act of 2025 establishes a pilot program for the Army to deploy advanced nuclear micro-reactors or small modular reactors to power critical infrastructure by 2030. It also grants military departments the authority to enter into long-term, 50-year contracts for energy generated by advanced nuclear reactors. Furthermore, the bill expands the technology focus of the Office of Strategic Capital to explicitly include nuclear energy and technologies.

The SAFEGUARDS Act of 2025 mandates that airline passenger security fees be exclusively used to enhance aviation safety and security, ending any diversion of these funds by 2027. The bill increases dedicated funding for the Aviation Security Capital Fund, ensuring a minimum of \$500 million annually starting in Fiscal Year 2026. Additionally, it establishes the new Aviation Security Checkpoint Technology Fund to finance the purchase and maintenance of advanced screening equipment at airports. This legislation aims to guarantee consistent and robust financial support for critical TSA security operations and technology upgrades.

The Patients Deserve Price Tags Act aims to drastically increase healthcare price transparency across the board. It mandates that hospitals, diagnostic labs, and ambulatory surgical centers publicly disclose detailed negotiated rates, cash prices, and gross charges in standardized formats. Furthermore, the bill strengthens requirements for health plans to provide consumers with real-time cost estimates and mandates itemized billing for patients after receiving care. These measures are backed by new compliance checks and significant daily penalties for non-compliance.

The PATRIOT Parks Act authorizes National Park Service superintendents to implement an additional surcharge on entrance fees specifically for international visitors. This new revenue is dedicated solely to maintenance, staffing, and visitor services at the park where it is collected. Additionally, the Act allows for a separate surcharge on National Parks passes purchased by international visitors, with those funds directed to the Legacy Restoration Fund for major system-wide projects.

The Rural Small Business Resilience Act mandates that the Small Business Administration (SBA) ensure individuals in rural areas have full and accessible opportunities for disaster assistance. This requires the SBA to actively market and outreach to these communities following a disaster declaration. The bill also includes a minor, non-substantive technical renumbering within the Small Business Act.

The Veteran Burial Timeliness and Death Certificate Accountability Act aims to eliminate delays in certifying the deaths of veterans who pass away from natural causes. This bill mandates that VA physicians or nurse practitioners must certify a veteran's death within 48 hours, or a local official can step in. The legislation also requires the VA Secretary to annually report on compliance with this new timely certification standard.

This resolution expresses support for designating June 2025 as "National Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Month" and June 27, 2025, as "National Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Day." The goal is to raise public awareness, combat the stigma surrounding Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS), and encourage timely treatment for service members and veterans. It recognizes the significant impact of combat stress and supports ongoing efforts by the DoD and VA to educate the public and improve care.

The Say No to Indoctrination Act prohibits the teaching or promotion of concepts related to "gender ideology" in elementary and secondary schools. This amendment directly restricts curriculum content under existing federal education law. The goal is to prevent instruction on specific concepts defined elsewhere as "gender ideology."

The American Voices in Federal Lands Act revises public involvement procedures for rulemaking on federal lands managed by the BLM and the U.S. Forest Service. This bill mandates that only comments from U.S. citizens be considered for new Bureau of Land Management regulations. Additionally, it requires the use of CAPTCHA technology to prevent automated submissions during the public comment period for these lands.

This joint resolution expresses Congress's disapproval of a specific rule submitted by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) concerning the Miles City Field Office Resource Management Plan Amendment. By invoking the Congressional Review Act, this action immediately voids the BLM's submitted rule, preventing it from taking effect. In essence, Congress is striking down this particular BLM decision.

The SAWMILL Act establishes a new Timber Production Expansion Guaranteed Loan Program through the Department of Agriculture. This program aims to support the expansion or opening of rural sawmills and wood-processing plants. Loan guarantees are offered to facilities located near high-priority federal lands designated for ecological restoration and vegetation removal. The total value of these loan guarantees is capped at $220 million.

The Warrior Right to Repair Act of 2025 mandates that defense contractors provide the Department of Defense (DoD) with fair and reasonable access to necessary repair parts, specialized tools, and technical information. This ensures the DoD can maintain and fix the equipment it purchases without being unduly reliant on the original manufacturer. The Act also requires the DoD to review existing contracts to remove intellectual property constraints hindering their self-repair capabilities. Finally, the Comptroller General must report to Congress on the implementation of these new repair access requirements.

The Equal Representation Act mandates the inclusion of a citizenship question on the decennial census starting in 2030. It requires the public release of state-by-state citizenship data following the count. Crucially, this act stipulates that non-citizens will be excluded from the population totals used to determine congressional apportionment and electoral votes.