Legislative Activity

This resolution expresses the Senate's support for designating May 2025 as "Fallen Heroes Memorial Month" to honor the more than 1.3 million members of the Armed Forces who have died for liberty. It acknowledges the debt owed to these veterans and encourages Americans to remember their contributions. The resolution also requests the President to declare May 2025 as Fallen Heroes Memorial Month, and encourages volunteer work and support for veteran organizations.

The Veterans First Act of 2025 redirects $2 billion from international development to the Department of Veterans Affairs. This funding will provide grants to states for constructing, acquiring, or remodeling state veterans' homes and domiciliary facilities. The goal is to improve care and housing infrastructure for veterans.

This bill modifies the boundaries of the Talladega National Forest to include additional land as depicted on a specified map. It authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to acquire land within the new boundaries through donation, exchange, or purchase from willing sellers. Acquired land will be managed according to National Forest System laws and regulations.

The "Prohibiting Foreign Adversary Interference in Cryptocurrency Markets Act" prevents the CFTC from registering digital commodity platforms (entities that broker, trade, or custody digital commodities) owned or controlled by entities based in or organized under the laws of a foreign adversary. This includes countries such as China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela (under the Maduro regime). The CFTC must also revoke registration if a foreign adversary-affiliated entity acquires ownership of a registered platform.

The "Financial Freedom Act of 2025" amends Section 404(a) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, giving fiduciaries the ability to select any investment type for individual accounts, as long as participants have a broad range of investment options. This act prohibits favoring or disfavoring any investment type, except based on risk-return characteristics. It also specifies that the Secretary cannot restrict investments offered through self-directed brokerage windows and ensures that diversification and prudence requirements are met when participants control assets within such windows.

The "Farmers Market Expansion Act of 2025" amends the Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program. The bill expands the program to include tree nuts as eligible food items that can be purchased.

This resolution celebrates Volkert, Inc.'s 100th anniversary, acknowledging its significant contributions to Alabama and the nation through engineering and infrastructure projects. It recognizes the firm's involvement in key developments like highway systems, bridges, and disaster recovery efforts. The resolution requests official recognition be sent to Volkert, Inc.'s leadership.

The Honey Integrity Act directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to set a standard of identity for honey, requires a report to Congress on enforcement actions regarding misbranded honey, and establishes a Honey Integrity Program to detect and prevent honey adulteration in interstate commerce. This program mandates U.S. commercial honey packers to test their honey, certify compliance, and report findings to the Secretary, who will then investigate, test, and destroy any adulterated honey. The Act also authorizes fees for qualifying honey packers and mandates interagency cooperation to ensure effective enforcement.

The HBOT Access Act of 2025 mandates the Secretary to provide hyperbaric oxygen therapy to veterans diagnosed with traumatic brain injury or post-traumatic stress disorder. Eligibility requires veterans to have previously pursued at least two evidence-based treatments for their condition. This bill aims to provide veterans with alternative treatment options.

The "Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025" amends Title IX to prohibit schools receiving federal funding from allowing individuals born male to participate in female athletic programs. Sex is defined as determined by reproductive biology and genetics at birth. This bill aims to ensure fair competition for women and girls in sports.

The Veterans Homecare Choice Act of 2025 amends the Veterans Community Care Program to include nurse registries as recognized entities. This inclusion allows veterans to receive home healthcare services from registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, certified nursing assistants, home health aides, companions, or homemakers working through these registries. Nurse registries are defined as entities that secure contracts for healthcare professionals, provided they meet state licensing requirements.

The "Protecting Americas Agricultural Land from Foreign Harm Act of 2025" prohibits individuals and entities associated with the governments of Iran, North Korea, China, and Russia from purchasing or leasing agricultural land in the United States and from participating in certain Department of Agriculture programs. The bill also expands reporting requirements and increases penalties for violations of the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978. Finally, the Act mandates reports from the Secretary of Agriculture, the Director of National Intelligence, and the Government Accountability Office on foreign ownership of agricultural land.

The "Ensuring Continuity in Veterans Health Act" amends the Veterans Community Care Program to prioritize continuity of care for veterans. This ensures veterans can maintain consistent relationships with healthcare providers and receive uninterrupted treatment through the program.

The "Senior Citizens Tax Elimination Act" repeals the inclusion of Social Security benefits in gross income for taxable years beginning after the enactment date. It also appropriates funds to the Social Security Act and the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974 to offset any reduction in transfers caused by this repeal. The Act expresses Congress's preference against using tax increases to fund these provisions.

The "Protection of Women in Olympic and Amateur Sports Act" amends Title 36 of the United States Code to define "female," "male," and "sex" based on reproductive systems. It prohibits individuals whose biological sex is male from participating in amateur athletic competitions designated for females, women, or girls.

The Graduate Opportunity and Affordable Loans Act amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to reform loan provisions for graduate and professional students. Starting July 1, 2025, it sets new annual and aggregate limits for Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans and discontinues Federal Direct PLUS Loans for graduate students. Institutions must notify students about these changes and have the authority to further limit loan amounts.

The Foreign Adversary Risk Management (FARM) Act aims to protect U.S. agriculture by including it under the oversight of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). This bill adds the Secretary of Agriculture to the CFIUS committee and expands CFIUS authority to review transactions that could result in foreign control of U.S. businesses involved in agriculture. Additionally, the Secretary of Agriculture and the Comptroller General are required to analyze foreign influence in the U.S. agriculture industry and submit a report to Congress.

The "Repealing Big Brother Overreach Act" repeals the Corporate Transparency Act, eliminating beneficial ownership reporting requirements for businesses. It also makes necessary technical adjustments to Title 31 of the United States Code to reflect this repeal. These adjustments involve removing and revising references to specific sections related to the Corporate Transparency Act within existing legal frameworks.

This resolution supports the original selection of Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, as the location for the U.S. Space Command Headquarters, based on factors like workforce quality and cost-effectiveness. It criticizes the Biden administration's plan to move the headquarters to Colorado Springs, urging a return to the initial decision under a future Trump administration. The resolution asserts that the original decision was lawful and grounded in facts that prioritized national security.