Legislative Activity

The Farewell to Foam Act of 2025 bans the sale and distribution of expanded polystyrene (Styrofoam) food service ware, coolers, and loose-fill packaging starting January 1, 2028. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator is tasked with defining terms and enforcing the ban, issuing written warnings for initial violations followed by escalating fines for repeat offenses. The law also grants the Administrator the authority to establish necessary regulations and allows states to take over enforcement duties under specific conditions.

The Justice Thurgood Marshall National Historic Site Establishment Act of 2025 establishes the Justice Thurgood Marshall National Historic Site at Public School 103 in Baltimore, Maryland, where Marshall attended elementary school. The Beloved Community Services Corporation will continue to own and manage the School and serve as the management entity for the Historic Site, with the National Park Service providing technical and financial assistance. This act aims to preserve and interpret Justice Marshall's historic contributions as an affiliated area of the National Park System, without authorizing the Secretary of Interior to acquire the School or assume financial responsibility for its operation.

The "Keep Our PACT Act" aims to increase funding for Part A of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) over the next decade. It mandates specific funding increases for these programs each year from 2026 to 2035, with the goal of fully funding IDEA at 40% of the national average per-pupil expenditure for students with disabilities by 2035. This bill designates these funding increases as emergency spending.

The Handgun Permit to Purchase Act aims to reduce gun violence by providing grants to states, local governments, and Indian tribes to develop, implement, and evaluate handgun purchaser licensing requirements. To be eligible for a grant, applicants must have a handgun purchaser licensing law that includes certain requirements such as the applicant being at least 21 years old, submitting to a background check, and reapplying for the license every 5 years or less. Grant funds must be used to improve the recipient's handgun purchaser licensing program. This act authorizes the appropriation of necessary funds to carry out this grant program.

The "Washington, D.C. Admission Act" outlines the process for admitting Washington, D.C., into the Union as the State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth, while establishing a Capital to serve as the seat of the U.S. Government. It addresses the transition of laws, governance, and federal responsibilities, ensuring continuity of services and representation for the residents of the new state. The Act also defines the boundaries of the new State and the Capital, and includes provisions for elections, federal property, and the establishment of a Statehood Transition Commission.

The Polluters Pay Climate Fund Act of 2025 taxes fossil fuel companies based on their greenhouse gas emissions from the years 2000-2023, allocating \$1 trillion to a "Polluters Pay Climate Fund." This fund will support climate resilience, disaster response, and environmental justice initiatives, with a significant portion dedicated to FEMA and grants under the Clean Air Act, and requires that 40% of the fund must benefit environmental justice communities. The Act clarifies that it does not relieve polluters of existing liabilities or preempt state and local climate-related laws.