Legislative Activity

This bill recognizes May as Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, celebrating the significant contributions of these communities to the history and diversity of the United States. It acknowledges key milestones and the ongoing importance of these groups in various sectors, while also addressing historical discrimination and recent legislative efforts to combat hate crimes.

This bill expresses support for Wildfire Preparedness Week, a national event focused on educating the public on fire safety and preparedness. It highlights the significant impact of wildfires in the United States, including the acres burned and the need for preventative measures. The bill supports resources and educational programs that teach communities to prevent wildfires through early warning systems, reducing human-caused ignitions, and safe evacuation practices for people and animals. It also commits to providing financial support to communities affected by catastrophic firestorms.

The SHIELD Act aims to increase legal representation for individuals facing deportation by establishing the Immigration Legal Services Staff and Infrastructure Development Program. This program will award competitive grants to state and local governments, community-based organizations, and educational institutions to expand the workforce, strengthen legal services, and build infrastructure to support high-quality legal representation. The Act prioritizes training legal professionals, supporting local governments, and addressing representation gaps in underserved areas, while also establishing accountability measures and requiring grantees to report on their activities. The Act authorizes \$100,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2026 through 2027 to implement this Act.

The Arctic Refuge Protection Act seeks to reinstate protections for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge by repealing the 2017 law that opened the area to oil and gas development. It further designates approximately 1.5 million acres of the Refuge as wilderness, ensuring its preservation under the National Wilderness Preservation System. This area will be managed by the Secretary of the Interior in accordance with the Wilderness Act.

The Equality Act amends existing civil rights laws to explicitly include protections against discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in areas such as public accommodations, employment, housing, credit, and jury selection. It clarifies and expands the definition of sex to include sex stereotypes, pregnancy, childbirth, related medical conditions, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics. The act ensures equal access to shared facilities and prohibits the use of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 to justify discrimination. Ultimately, the Equality Act seeks to provide consistent and comprehensive protections against discrimination for LGBTQ+ individuals and women across various sectors.

This bill supports the designation of April 10 as "Dolores Huerta Day" to recognize her lifelong commitment to activism, including co-founding the United Farm Workers Union and advocating for civil rights. It celebrates her achievements in improving Latino voting access, ensuring safer working conditions, and promoting feminism and women's equality. The bill also acknowledges her numerous awards and ongoing work through the Dolores Huerta Foundation.

This bill addresses the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war during the 1999 Kosovo conflict, focusing on the case of U.S. citizen Vasfije Krasniqi Goodman. It calls for accountability and justice for survivors, urging both the Kosovo and Serbian governments to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of these crimes. The bill also requests the U.S. government to strengthen its commitment to preventing gender-based violence and to support educational, research, and advocacy projects in Kosovo.

The California Clean Coast Act of 2025 permanently prohibits any new oil and gas leasing activities in federal waters off the coast of California. This amendment to the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act aims to protect California's coastal environment and economy. Existing leases issued before the enactment of this law are not affected.

The WISE Act aims to strengthen protections and expand immigration benefits for non-citizen survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and other crimes. It reforms the U visa program, broadens protections for battered spouses and children, limits the detention and removal of survivors, and enhances access to information and services. The bill also addresses issues related to waivers, step-children, visa caps, and naturalization requirements for survivors of abuse. Overall, the Act seeks to remove obstacles and provide timely access to immigration relief for vulnerable immigrants.

The American Family Act establishes a refundable child tax credit with monthly advance payments, providing up to $300 per month per child, and creates a $500 tax credit for other dependents. The amount of the credit is reduced based on the taxpayer's income, with initial reductions starting at $150,000 for joint returns. The IRS will make monthly advance payments and establish an online portal for taxpayers to manage their payments and provide necessary information. This act terminates the existing annual child tax credit after 2024 and aims to provide regular financial support to families.

The Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025 aims to increase affordable housing options by updating state housing credit formulas, refining tenant eligibility rules, and improving credit eligibility and determination. This includes adjusting income verification processes, modifying student occupancy rules, and protecting domestic abuse victims. The bill also focuses on Native American and rural assistance by addressing housing needs in Indian areas and streamlining income eligibility for rural projects. Additionally, it revises rules for exempt facility bonds and renames the "low-income housing tax credit" to the "affordable housing tax credit" while encouraging data sharing and discouraging discriminatory land use policies.

The "Raise the Wage Act of 2025" aims to increase the federal minimum wage to $17.00 per hour over five years, after which it will be annually adjusted based on the median hourly wage of all employees. The bill also gradually raises the minimum wage for tipped employees until it matches the standard minimum wage, while ensuring they retain all tips. Additionally, it increases and then eliminates the subminimum wage for newly hired employees under 20 and individuals with disabilities, promoting fair wages for all workers.

The Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act of 2025 establishes federal minimum standards for collective bargaining rights for public employees and supervisory employees. It requires the Federal Labor Relations Authority to determine if state laws substantially provide these rights; if not, the Authority will administer collective bargaining procedures in those states. The act outlines specific rights and procedures, including the right to organize, bargain collectively, and engage in concerted activities, while also addressing enforcement and exceptions. This law aims to ensure that public service workers have the ability to negotiate for fair wages, hours, and working conditions.

The "Save Our Sequoias Act" aims to protect giant sequoia groves from wildfires, insects, and drought by streamlining environmental review processes for emergency response projects, establishing a collaborative coalition, and creating a reforestation strategy. This act directs the Secretary to create agreements, assessments, and strike teams to address threats to giant sequoias on both public and National Forest System lands. It also establishes grant programs and amends existing laws to support these efforts, including stewardship contracting and good neighbor agreements. Finally, the act authorizes appropriations for these protection and restoration activities.

The "Tax Fairness for Workers Act" permits employees to deduct union dues and other employee business expenses above-the-line, bypassing previous deduction limitations. This change is achieved by amending sections of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, specifically 62(a)(1) and 67(g). These amendments will be effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2024.

The "Delete DOGE Act" aims to defund the Digital Open Government Enterprise (DOGE) and related entities by restricting the use of federal funds for implementing certain executive orders or supporting new projects initiated by DOGE after January 20, 2025. It prevents federal funds from being used by or given to DOGE-related entities or individuals and limits the use of funds for the United States Digital Service (USDS) to improving existing digital services as they existed on January 19, 2025. The bill defines key terms such as "covered entity," "covered executive order," and "covered individual" to clarify the scope of these restrictions.

The IDEA Full Funding Act aims to increase federal funding for special education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) from fiscal year 2026 through 2035 and subsequent years. It authorizes and appropriates specific funding levels for IDEA, excluding section 619, with increasing amounts each year. The funding is determined by both a set dollar amount and a percentage based on the number of children with disabilities and average per-pupil expenditure, whichever is greater. The bill also mandates that the increased funding adhere to "cut-as-you-go" rules, ensuring fiscal responsibility.

The "Building Child Care for a Better Future Act" aims to improve child care access and quality by increasing funding for the Child Care Entitlement to States and authorizing grants to address specific needs in underserved areas. It allocates significant funds for fiscal years 2026 and beyond, with dedicated portions for tribal organizations and territories. The act focuses on enhancing the child care workforce through training, wage support, and facility improvements, while also requiring detailed plans, collaboration, and reporting to ensure effective use of resources. These changes will take effect on October 1, 2025.

This bill authorizes the International Boundary and Water Commission to accept funds from various entities for wastewater treatment, water conservation, and flood control projects, with limitations on funding sources and reimbursements. It mandates the Commission to report annually on the funds received and activities undertaken. It prohibits the Commission from accepting funds from entities with ties to "foreign countries of concern."

The "Protect America's Workforce Act" nullifies a 2025 executive order that limited federal labor-management relations programs. It prevents the enforcement of the executive order and prohibits the use of federal funds for its implementation. Additionally, the bill ensures the validity of existing collective bargaining agreements between federal agencies and labor organizations until their original expiration dates.