Legislative Activity

This bill designates April 13-26, 2025, as "National Young Audiences Arts for Learning Week" to recognize the importance of arts education. It acknowledges the positive impact of arts programs on students' skills and cross-cultural understanding. The bill supports the work of Young Audiences Arts for Learning and encourages Americans to celebrate the week with events promoting arts education.

The "Fair Taxation of Digital Assets in Puerto Rico Act of 2025" amends the Internal Revenue Code to specify that income earned by Puerto Rican residents from digital asset activities like mining, staking, holding, or selling digital assets will not be considered income derived from sources within Puerto Rico for tax purposes. This applies to any digital representation of value recorded on a cryptographically-secured distributed ledger. The amendment aims to clarify the tax treatment of digital assets for Puerto Rican residents, effective for taxable years beginning after the Act's enactment.

The "Protecting Small Business Competitions Act of 2025" codifies the "Rule of Two," ensuring contracts over the simplified acquisition threshold are reserved for small businesses. This applies when at least two responsible small businesses are expected to offer services at a fair market price. This change is made by amending section 15(j) of the Small Business Act.

This bill expresses support for designating March 2025 as "Music in Our Schools Month," recognizing the cultural and historical importance of music in the U.S. and its positive impact on education. It emphasizes music's role in promoting student engagement, improving academic outcomes, and developing valuable workforce skills, particularly for at-risk students. The bill also acknowledges unequal access to quality music education and advocates for increased support for music programs in public schools.

The WOSB Accountability Act excludes self-certified women-owned small businesses from being counted towards government contracting goals, requiring formal certification for WOSB status, with an exception for those with pending applications. It mandates quarterly briefings to Congress on implementation and clarifies that no additional funds are authorized to carry out the act.

The "Arturo Alfonso Schomburg Congressional Gold Medal Act" authorizes a Congressional Gold Medal for Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance, to honor his work in collecting and preserving the history and culture of the African diaspora. Following the award ceremony, the medal will be given to the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture for display and research. The Act also permits the creation and sale of bronze duplicates of the gold medal to cover production costs.

This resolution expresses support for designating February 28, 2025, as Community Arts Education Day. It recognizes the importance of community arts education in fostering creativity, cultural expression, and community engagement. The resolution also acknowledges the role of community arts education in activism, self-expression, and healing.

The WOSB Certification Expansion and Opportunity Act modifies how women-owned small businesses (WOSBs) are counted toward government contracting goals, excluding self-certified WOSBs and including only those formally certified. It requires the Administrator to issue regulations implementing these changes within one year of enactment. The Act mandates quarterly briefings to the House and Senate Small Business Committees on the implementation progress. No additional funds are authorized to carry out the Act.

The "Report on Grant Consolidation Authority for Puerto Rico Act" mandates a study by the Comptroller General on the feasibility of consolidating federal grants for Puerto Rico, similar to other insular areas, to ease the burden on its public sector and improve access to federal funding. This study will analyze current funding processes, identify challenges, and provide recommendations for potential changes, including extending consolidated funding access to Puerto Rico. The goal is to streamline federal funding and address the unique challenges Puerto Rico faces in accessing and managing grant programs.

Mel's Law requires higher education institutions to develop a policy for awarding posthumous degrees to students who were in good academic standing but died before completing their program. It prevents accreditation agencies from factoring posthumous degrees into their evaluations of institutions. This law aims to provide recognition for students who were close to achieving their academic goals before their untimely passing. The law goes into effect one year after enactment.

The Landlord Accountability Act of 2025 aims to prevent housing discrimination based on income source, penalize landlords for intentionally making units unfit for federal housing programs or keeping units vacant, and improve the complaint resolution process for tenants in multifamily housing. It also provides a tax credit for landlords who maintain housing for voucher users and requires public display of tenant rights and complaint line information. Additionally, the act establishes grants for tenant harassment prevention programs and defines key terms related to multifamily housing and rental assistance.