Legislative Activity

The Empowering Striking Workers Act of 2025 establishes a pathway for workers involved in a strike or lockout to receive unemployment insurance benefits after a mandatory 14-day waiting period. This legislation also exempts striking workers from the standard requirement to actively search for new employment while they are unable to work due to the labor dispute.

The Nationwide Right to Unionize Act eliminates federal permission for states to enact or enforce "right-to-work" laws by repealing Section 14(b) of the National Labor Relations Act. This action ensures that union security agreements negotiated between unions and employers are governed exclusively by federal labor law. Consequently, state laws that prohibit mandatory union membership or fee payment as a condition of employment will no longer apply where federal law permits such agreements.

The Restore Trust in Congress Act establishes strict new rules prohibiting Members of Congress and their immediate families from owning or trading specific financial assets, referred to as "covered investments," while in office. Covered individuals must divest existing prohibited holdings within a set timeframe or face significant financial penalties, including fines and forfeiture of profits. The legislation aims to eliminate conflicts of interest arising from personal financial trading while serving in federal office.

The INFORM Act of 2025 mandates that Homeland Security must notify the immediate family of any individual transferred between immigration detention facilities within 24 hours. This notification must include the reason for the transfer and contact information for the new location. The Act broadly defines "immediate family" to cover a wide range of relatives, including step- and foster-family members.

The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act seeks to federally decriminalize cannabis by removing it from the Controlled Substances Act, which will retroactively apply to past offenses. The bill establishes an Opportunity Trust Fund, financed by new cannabis taxes, to reinvest in communities harmed by prohibition. Furthermore, it mandates the expungement of non-violent federal cannabis convictions and opens up Small Business Administration (SBA) programs to legitimate cannabis businesses.

This resolution terminates the President's August 11, 2025, declaration of a crime emergency in the District of Columbia. Congress asserts that the President lacks the legal authority under the D.C. Home Rule Act to take operational control of the Metropolitan Police Department. Furthermore, the bill notes that local violent crime rates have been declining significantly.

The Food Date Labeling Act of 2025 establishes national standards for food date labels, requiring manufacturers to use specific phrases like "**BEST If Used By**" for quality and "**USE By**" for discard dates, if they choose to include them. This legislation standardizes labeling language across different food products overseen by the USDA and FDA. The Act also ensures that non-compliant labeling is treated as misbranding under existing federal food laws. Manufacturers will have two years from enactment to comply with these new federal labeling requirements.

The Shielding Students from Wildfire Smoke Act directs the EPA to commission a comprehensive study on how K-12 schools and childcare facilities currently manage wildfire smoke exposure for children. This review will assess existing policies, identify gaps in protection, and recommend actionable strategies to Congress for improving safeguards, especially for resource-limited settings.

The Protecting and Preserving Social Security Act aims to strengthen the Social Security system through two main avenues. Title I mandates the creation of a new Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers to be used for calculating future cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs). Title II modifies contribution rules by counting a small portion of wages and self-employment income earned above the current base limit after 2025, and it adjusts the benefit formula to potentially increase benefits based on these surplus earnings. These changes are designed to ensure COLAs more accurately reflect senior spending and to increase revenue for the system.

This resolution expresses strong support for recognizing August 17 through August 23, 2025, as "Warehouse Worker Recognition Week." It honors the critical role over 1.8 million warehouse workers play in the national supply chain and economy. Furthermore, the resolution acknowledges the demanding and often hazardous working conditions these essential employees face.

The Grocery Reform And Safety Act (GRAS Act) overhauls the regulation of food ingredients by removing the automatic exemption for "Generally Recognized As Safe" (GRAS) substances from the definition of a food additive. This legislation mandates formal GRAS notifications to the FDA, requiring companies to submit detailed safety data for review before new ingredients or uses can enter the market. Furthermore, the Act establishes a mandatory, recurring safety reassessment program for existing food ingredients to ensure ongoing public safety.

The EQUAL Parks Act codifies a previous Presidential Memorandum into permanent law, ensuring that federal policies regarding public lands and waters prioritize diversity and inclusion. This legislation solidifies the commitment to making these shared spaces accessible and welcoming to all Americans.

The Reproductive Freedom for Veterans Act mandates that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) must now provide abortion care, counseling, and related medication as part of the medical services offered to eligible veterans and certain other beneficiaries. This legislation formally amends existing VA health care provisions to include these reproductive health services.

The People Over Long Lines Act (POLL Act) aims to protect the fundamental right to vote by establishing a national standard that no eligible citizen should wait more than 30 minutes to cast a ballot in a federal election. To achieve this, the bill mandates that states submit plans detailing how they will ensure fair wait times and requires the Attorney General to set minimum standards for voting resources like poll workers and equipment. Furthermore, the Act authorizes federal funding to help states comply and creates a private right of action allowing citizens to sue over excessive wait times.

The Ending Trading and Holdings in Congressional Stocks (ETHICS) Act mandates that Members of Congress and their immediate families divest from or place specific stock holdings into qualified blind trusts to prevent conflicts of interest. The bill also establishes new civil penalties for failing to comply with existing stock trading disclosure laws (the STOCK Act). Furthermore, it requires that congressional financial disclosure forms be made publicly available online in a searchable, machine-readable format.

The SWIFT VOTE Act establishes a \$120 million grant program through the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to help local election offices procure and maintain electronic pollbooks (e-pollbooks). These funds prioritize offices that commit to using the technology to track and publicly report voter wait times for federal elections. Grantees must ensure e-pollbooks meet certification standards and develop training programs focused on accessible technology use.

The Sustaining Our Democracy Act establishes a new federal program to provide annual grants to states for improving election administration, security, and accessibility, managed by a newly created Office of Democracy Advancement and Innovation. This funding is supported by a dedicated ten-year Trust Fund to ensure stable resources for election infrastructure upgrades. The bill imposes strict rules on how states can use the money, including prohibitions against purchasing insecure voting machines or restricting basic voter support. If states fail to comply, the federal Director can bypass state government to fund local election subdivisions directly.

The Voters on the Move Registration Act of 2025 mandates that standardized, multilingual voter registration information be provided to individuals applying for certain federally assisted rental housing or residential mortgages. This ensures that tenants and mortgage applicants receive clear instructions on how to register to vote. The Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection is tasked with creating this uniform voter information statement. This requirement focuses solely on providing information, not compelling voter registration.

The Time Off to Vote Act mandates that employers provide employees with at least two consecutive hours of paid leave to vote in federal elections. Employers retain control over when this paid leave is taken, which can include early voting periods if permitted by state law. This Act prohibits employers from penalizing employees for utilizing this required voting leave.

The Expanding the VOTE Act updates language assistance requirements under the Voting Rights Act by modernizing the definition of "voting materials" to include digital information. It also establishes new state responsibilities for providing language assistance and creates a grant program to incentivize voluntary language support beyond current mandates. Furthermore, the bill includes special provisions for unwritten American Indian and Alaska Native languages and mandates a study on lowering thresholds for language assistance coverage.