Legislative Activity

This bill commemorates the 50th anniversary of Southeast Asian refugee resettlement in the United States, recognizing the profound sacrifices and immense contributions of Southeast Asian Americans. It honors the historical alliance and acknowledges the challenges faced by these communities since their arrival. The legislation celebrates the vibrant cultural and economic impact of over three million Southeast Asian Americans today.

The Reuniting Families Act is comprehensive legislation designed to significantly reform U.S. immigration by reducing massive visa backlogs and prioritizing family reunification across various categories. It achieves this by recapturing unused visas, reclassifying certain family members as "immediate relatives," and creating new pathways for permanent partners and refugees to join their loved ones. Ultimately, the bill aims to keep families together, speed up legal immigration processes, and address past discrimination in the visa system.

This concurrent resolution commends state and local governments for championing reproductive rights as human rights following the overturning of *Roe v. Wade*. It declares that denying abortion care leads to severe health risks and highlights the criminalization of pregnancy outcomes across the U.S. The resolution urges states to repeal abortion restrictions and affirm that reproductive rights are fundamental human rights.

This bill officially designates the United States Postal Service facility located at 130 South Patterson Avenue in Santa Barbara, California, as the **Brigadier General Frederick R. Lopez Post Office Building**. This change ensures all federal records and documents will use the new name for this specific post office.

The Immigration Court Due Process Protection Act of 2025 restricts Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officers from arresting or detaining individuals attending or departing from immigration court proceedings or scheduled appointments, unless a judicial warrant is present or an imminent threat exists. The bill mandates specific supervisory approval for arrests during scheduled check-ins. Furthermore, it requires the DHS Inspector General to submit an annual report to Congress detailing compliance with these new protections.

The Make Housing Affordable and Defend Democracy Act aims to increase housing accessibility through several tax incentives while simultaneously rescinding significant funding previously allocated for immigration enforcement. Key provisions establish new tax credits for first-time homebuyers, builders of starter homes, and the conversion of commercial buildings into affordable rentals. Additionally, the bill introduces a Renter Tax Credit for those spending over 30% of their income on rent, with an option for monthly advance payments.

This resolution strongly condemns the Iranian government for its ongoing, state-sponsored persecution of the Baha'i religious minority, which violates international human rights laws. It documents systematic abuses, including economic restrictions, denial of education, and arbitrary arrests, noting that these actions may constitute a crime against humanity. The resolution calls on Iran to immediately release all imprisoned Bahais and urges the U.S. President and Secretary of State to condemn these violations and impose sanctions on responsible officials.

The Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act aims to overhaul immigration detention by establishing mandatory, high standards based on ABA guidelines and increasing transparency through rigorous, unannounced inspections. The bill prohibits the use of private, for-profit detention facilities within three years and ends the mandatory detention of most noncitizens, prioritizing release or community-based alternatives. Furthermore, it establishes new due process rights, including timely custody hearings, a presumption of release, and prohibitions on detaining children or using solitary confinement.

The Veteran Education Empowerment Act establishes a grant program to help colleges and universities create and operate dedicated Student Veteran Centers. These centers will serve as centralized hubs to coordinate academic support, transition services, and community building for student veterans. The bill authorizes funding for these grants, which can be used for establishing and operating the centers, with specific reporting requirements to track effectiveness.

The Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act focuses primarily on improving pediatric drug development and ensuring patient access to necessary treatments. This legislation mandates new research requirements for molecularly targeted pediatric cancer drugs, strengthens FDA enforcement of pediatric study completion, and extends incentives for developing drugs for rare pediatric diseases. Additionally, the bill updates organ transplant network functions and establishes an Abraham Accords Office within the FDA to enhance international regulatory cooperation.

The Urban and Rural Diabetes Initiative Act establishes a new grant program to improve diabetes treatment access in medically underserved urban and rural areas. This funding supports eligible health providers in offering comprehensive diabetes care, including routine treatment, education, and specialized services like eye and foot care. The Secretary of Health and Human Services will award these grants, ensuring equitable distribution across both urban and rural communities.

This resolution supports the goals of Transgender Day of Remembrance by recognizing the ongoing epidemic of violence targeting transgender people, particularly transgender women of color. It memorializes the lives lost this year and highlights the systemic barriers, including discrimination and lack of healthcare access, faced by the transgender community. The bill calls for urgent action from the government to protect these lives through inclusive legislation and policies that ensure dignity and respect for all individuals.

The EXPERTS Act of 2025 aims to enhance transparency and accountability in the federal rulemaking process. It introduces new disclosure requirements for studies submitted during public comment periods and mandates greater public awareness of agency actions. Furthermore, the bill establishes the Office of the Public Advocate to improve public involvement and explicitly requires agencies to consider social equity in their cost-benefit analyses. Finally, it streamlines the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) review timeline and clarifies judicial review standards for agency interpretations.

The Fairness and Access for Immigrant Rights (FAIR) Act establishes new requirements for providing constituent services to immigration detainees. This bill mandates that detainees must have timely access to necessary privacy release forms and essential handbooks in their preferred language. Furthermore, it ensures detainees have the tools to communicate with their congressional representatives or third-party assistants, and outlines a clear process for filing complaints if these rights are violated.

The Global Respect Act aims to promote and protect the human rights of LGBTQI individuals worldwide. It mandates the President to identify and report foreign persons responsible for human rights violations against LGBTQI people, leading to their inadmissibility to the United States. Furthermore, the Act requires enhanced tracking and reporting of violence and discrimination targeting individuals based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics in the annual human rights reports.

The FRESHER Act of 2025 aims to regulate stormwater runoff from oil, gas, and mining operations under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act. This legislation modifies existing permit requirements and mandates a study by the Secretary of the Interior on the contamination risks associated with this runoff. The resulting report will detail measurable contamination and the susceptibility of groundwater resources to pollution from these operations.

The CLEANER Act of 2025 mandates the Administrator to review and regulate wastes generated from oil, gas, and geothermal energy production under the Solid Waste Disposal Act. This includes determining if these wastes qualify as hazardous and establishing corresponding regulations if they do. For non-hazardous wastes from these industries, the Act requires the revision of criteria for disposal facilities to ensure protection of human health and the environment, including requirements for groundwater monitoring.

The Safe Hydration is an American Right in Energy Development Act of 2025 amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to establish new testing and reporting requirements for hydraulic fracturing (fracking) operations. This bill prohibits fracking injection unless operators agree to test nearby underground drinking water sources according to a set schedule and submit results to the EPA. The EPA is required to create a publicly accessible database of all submitted test results.

The CLOSE Act aims to strengthen air quality regulations by removing the exemption that previously allowed for the aggregation of emissions from oil and gas sources under the Clean Air Act. Furthermore, this legislation mandates the EPA to formally list hydrogen sulfide as a hazardous air pollutant. This action will require the EPA to establish specific source categories for hydrogen sulfide emissions, including oil and gas wells.

The Restoring Food Security for American Families and Farmers Act of 2025 aims to strengthen domestic food security by repealing specific sections of a prior reconciliation act. This action effectively revives the original laws that were previously amended by the repealed provisions. The bill seeks to revert existing agricultural and food-related statutes to their pre-amendment status.