Legislative Activity

This act reauthorizes and updates the Wildlife Road Crossing Program, ensuring continued federal funding through 2031. It removes the "pilot" designation and makes key changes to support tribal participation, including 100% federal cost-sharing for tribal grants. The legislation also allocates funds for technical assistance to tribes and covers administrative costs for program management.

The Essential Caregivers Act of 2025 establishes a resident's right to designate at least one "essential caregiver" who must be granted in-person access to the resident in healthcare facilities, even during periods of restricted visitation. This right is designed to prevent the isolation and decline seen during the COVID-19 pandemic by ensuring family support remains available. Facilities can only deny access under strict, time-limited conditions if the caregiver violates agreed-upon safety protocols.

This Act amends the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 2010 to update the financial management and implementation structure for the Tribe's water settlement. It restructures the Crow Settlement Fund into new dedicated accounts, including the MRI Projects Account, to fund specific water infrastructure and land acquisition priorities. The legislation clarifies that the Tribe retains ownership of projects built with these funds, while also specifying the Secretary of the Interior's role in managing the new accounts.

This resolution designates December 6th of each year as "National Miners Day." The day will honor the contributions and sacrifices of miners across the United States. It also commemorates the tragic Monongah mining disaster of 1907, which spurred significant improvements in miner safety.

The Safeguarding U.S. Rulemaking Act amends the Administrative Procedure Act to restrict participation in federal agency public comment periods. This legislation specifically prohibits foreign adversaries, their nationals, and related entities from submitting comments on proposed rules. The goal is to ensure that the rulemaking process is exclusively open to U.S. citizens and domestic entities.

This Act formally establishes permanent federal responsibility for the operation, maintenance, and funding of the Lower Yellowstone Fish Bypass Channel. It explicitly prohibits transferring any financial or operational duties for the channel, which aids native fish like the pallid sturgeon, to the local Lower Yellowstone Irrigation District. The legislation also authorizes dedicated federal funding for the channel's upkeep and ensures local irrigation operations remain unaffected.

This bill, the "Protect Innocent Victims of Taxation After Fire Extension Act," excludes federal income tax on qualified relief payments received by individuals for losses, expenses, or damages resulting from federally declared wildfires occurring after December 31, 2014. This exclusion applies only to amounts not already covered by insurance or other sources. The tax benefit is effective for payments received after December 31, 2025.

The Back the Blue Act of 2025 establishes new federal crimes and harsher penalties for killing or assaulting law enforcement officers and other public safety officials. The bill also creates specific aggravating factors for the federal death penalty in such cases and places new restrictions on federal habeas corpus relief for related state convictions. Finally, it expands federal protections allowing active and retired law enforcement officers to carry firearms in various federal locations.

This bill reestablishes the National Coal Council as a federal advisory committee under the Department of Energy. The Council will provide recommendations to the Secretary of Energy on matters related to coal. Its operations will adhere to the requirements of the Federal Advisory Committee Act.

The Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act of 2025 enhances the FDA's authority to require pediatric investigations for new molecularly targeted cancer drugs. It also extends the priority review voucher program designed to incentivize the development of treatments for rare pediatric diseases until September 2030. Furthermore, the bill mandates studies to assess the effectiveness of these new drug investigation requirements and the existing voucher program.

The Chip EQUIP Act aims to protect U.S. semiconductor manufacturing by restricting the use of federal funding for certain foreign-made equipment. Specifically, it prohibits using federal semiconductor assistance funds to procure or install "ineligible semiconductor manufacturing equipment" made by entities of concern for a period of ten years. The Secretary of Commerce retains limited waiver authority under specific national security or supply chain conditions.

This bill, the Improve and Enhance the Work Opportunity Tax Credit Act, extends and significantly increases the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) for employers hiring from targeted groups through 2030. It raises the base credit amount, adjusts key figures for inflation, and adds qualified military spouses as an eligible group. Furthermore, the legislation mandates federal agencies to promote the hiring of WOTC-eligible individuals within critical sectors like manufacturing and healthcare.

The Halo Act establishes new federal criminal penalties for individuals who obstruct immigration enforcement activities. Specifically, it prohibits knowingly approaching or remaining near a federal immigration enforcement officer after being warned, threatening the officer with physical harm, or harassing the officer while they are performing a lawful duty. Violators of this new offense could face fines or imprisonment for up to five years.

The Healthy Lungs for Heroes Act of 2025 mandates the establishment of new safety standards to protect wildland firefighters from dangerous smoke exposure. This legislation requires federal agencies to develop and implement strategies to ensure appropriate respiratory protective equipment is available and used when smoke levels exceed established limits. Furthermore, the bill calls for ongoing reviews of these safety standards to best protect the health of wildland firefighting personnel.

This bill mandates the Secretary of Defense to establish a joint program with Taiwan focused on fielding uncrewed systems and counter-uncrewed systems capabilities. The initiative encourages co-development and co-production of these defense technologies between the U.S. and Taiwan. The Secretary must report annually to Congress on the program's progress and efforts to finalize key defense trade agreements.

The Violent Juvenile Offender Accountability Act of 2025 amends federal law to allow for the direct criminal prosecution of juveniles aged 16 and older in district court. This direct prosecution applies specifically when the juvenile is alleged to have committed serious violent offenses, such as homicide, aggravated assault, or aggravated sexual abuse. The bill removes the requirement for an Attorney General motion to initiate these criminal proceedings for these specific, severe crimes.

The SAFE KIDS Act addresses concerns that foreign entities of concern are exploiting U.S. surrogacy laws, potentially risking national security and human trafficking. This bill voids surrogacy agreements involving citizens from these designated foreign entities and establishes criminal penalties for brokers who facilitate such arrangements. Custody of any resulting child will be determined by state law based on the child's best interests, disregarding the voided contract.

This resolution officially designates the week of November 3 through November 7, 2025, as National Veterans Small Business Week. It recognizes the significant contributions of the over 1.65 million veteran-owned small businesses to the U.S. economy. The bill supports creating a business-friendly environment and expresses appreciation for veterans' continued service through entrepreneurship.

The Firearm Access During Shutdowns Act of 2025 designates essential firearm-related operations as necessary for protecting human life or property during a government shutdown. This ensures that key functions, such as the FBI's NICS background check system and critical ATF, Commerce, and State Department licensing activities, continue without interruption. Employees performing these duties will be considered "excepted employees" and must continue to work.

This resolution officially designates November 1, 2025, as National Bison Day to recognize the historical, cultural, and economic significance of the North American bison. It honors the bison's status as the national mammal, its importance to Indian Tribes, and its role in conservation and rural economies. The resolution encourages nationwide observance of this day annually on the first Saturday of November.