Legislative Activity

The ACES Act mandates a National Academies study on cancer prevalence and mortality among veterans who served as active duty aircrew, identifying potential links between military exposures and cancer rates. Additionally, it extends certain limits on pension payments to December 31, 2031.

This bill renames the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge in Texas as the Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge, in honor of Jocelyn Nungaray. It directs that all references to the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge in any legal or official documents be changed accordingly.

The Emergency Care Improvement Act expands Medicare Part B and Medicaid coverage to include specified emergency services at freestanding emergency centers (FECs) that meet certain criteria, such as 24/7 physician staffing and referral arrangements with hospitals. It defines FECs and "specified emergency services," includes FECs under EMTALA requirements, and determines Medicare payments for FEC services under outpatient department (OPD) guidelines. Additionally, the Act exempts laboratory and imaging services provided by FECs from physician self-referral prohibitions.

The "Business Over Ballots Act" aims to prevent the Small Business Administration (SBA) from engaging in voter registration activities. It restricts the SBA Administrator from taking actions to facilitate voter registration unless explicitly authorized by federal law, and prohibits recipients of SBA assistance from using funds for voter registration purposes. The bill asserts that supporting voter registration is outside the SBA's mission and legal authority.

The "Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act" authorizes the presentation of three Congressional Gold Medals to honor the 1980 U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team for their historic "Miracle on Ice" victory. These medals will be given to the Lake Placid Olympic Center, the United States Hockey Hall of Fame, and the US Olympic and Paralympic Museum for public display. The Act also allows for the creation and sale of bronze duplicates to fund the medal production.

The "Protecting the Mailing of Firearms Act" aims to allow the mailing of concealable firearms by repealing the existing prohibition in title 18, section 1715 of the United States Code. Additionally, it prevents the Postmaster General from establishing rules that would ban or hinder the mailing of firearms, ammunition, or firearm components, or require the disclosure of sales records or firearm serial numbers.

The "Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act" mandates that individuals provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. It amends the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to include these requirements and directs states to reject applications lacking such proof. The Act also outlines acceptable forms of documentation, verification processes, and penalties for non-compliance, while allowing provisional ballots under certain conditions. Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security must notify state election officials when an individual becomes a naturalized citizen.

The Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025 aims to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and countering its support for terrorism by imposing sanctions on those involved in Iran's energy sector and those who provide financial support for its destabilizing activities. It mandates sanctions on foreign entities involved in processing, exporting, or selling Iranian oil, gas, and petrochemicals, while also establishing an interagency working group to coordinate and enforce these sanctions. The Act also amends existing legislation to require the identification of individuals involved in sanctionable activities or sanctions evasion related to Iranian oil and gas sales.

The "Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act" prohibits Federal Reserve Banks from offering financial products or services directly to individuals, maintaining accounts for individuals, or issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC) directly or indirectly. It also blocks the Federal Reserve from testing, creating, or implementing a CBDC, or using it to implement monetary policy, without explicit congressional authorization. The bill clarifies that these restrictions do not apply to digital versions of the dollar that are open, permissionless, and private, like physical currency.

The "1071 Repeal to Protect Small Business Lending Act" repeals Section 704B of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, eliminating requirements for financial institutions to collect and report data on small business loans. This aims to reduce compliance costs for financial institutions, particularly smaller ones like community banks and credit unions. The goal is to alleviate regulatory burdens and improve credit access for small businesses by removing these data collection requirements.

The "RIFLE Act" repeals the existing tax on firearm transfers outlined in Section 5811 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. Additionally, it amends related sections of the code to align with the repeal. The act clarifies that it does not grant the Consumer Product Safety Commission any authority over firearms regulated under the Internal Revenue Code.

The "Reduce Duplication and Improve Access to Work Act" amends the Social Security Act to allow states to transfer funds from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) to workforce development programs under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). It limits the amount of funds reserved for statewide workforce investment activities to no more than 15 percent. States intending to transfer funds must submit a combined state plan to the Secretary and the Secretary of Labor. These changes will take effect on October 1, 2026.

The Maximum Pressure Act aims to increase pressure on Iran by codifying and expanding sanctions related to its nuclear program, ballistic missile development, support for terrorism, and human rights abuses. It targets key Iranian leaders, entities involved in arms sales, and various sectors of Iran's economy, while also enhancing congressional oversight of actions related to Iran sanctions. The bill also seeks to intensify financial pressure on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and prevent Iran from accessing international funds. Additionally, the act reinforces restrictions and oversight related to the IRGC and Ansar Allah (Houthis) and mandates a series of determinations and reports from government officials regarding Iran's activities.

The "Reducing Medically Unnecessary Delays in Care Act of 2025" aims to streamline healthcare access for Medicare patients by setting clear standards for medical necessity determinations and preauthorization processes used by Medicare contractors, Medicare Advantage plans, and prescription drug plans. It mandates the use of evidence-based clinical criteria, requires physician input in developing these criteria, and ensures transparency through public posting of preauthorization requirements and statistics. The bill also requires that licensed and board-certified physicians make all preauthorization and denial decisions. Ultimately, this bill seeks to reduce unnecessary delays in care and ensure that medical decisions are based on sound medical judgment and nationally recognized standards.

The Kairo Act of 2025 mandates that child care and early learning programs receiving federal funds, such as Child Care Development Block Grants and Head Start, must establish a parents' bill of rights. This bill of rights includes access to records, video footage related to abuse or neglect, and information about the facility's compliance history. Child care providers must provide parents with a written copy of these rights. The Department of Health and Human Services will inform funding recipients about these new requirements.

The "Unfair Tax Prevention Act" modifies tax rules to target foreign-owned entities operating in extraterritorial tax regimes, treating them as applicable taxpayers and disallowing certain tax benefits. It defines "foreign-owned extraterritorial tax regime entity" and "extraterritorial tax" to specify which entities are subject to these changes. This act aims to prevent base erosion and tax avoidance by these entities. The changes will be effective for taxable years beginning after the enactment date of this Act.

The LEOSA Reform Act amends title 18 of the US Code to modify the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990, and to improve the Law Enforcement Officer Safety Act regarding where qualified law enforcement officers can carry firearms, what constitutes ammunition, and who can provide firearms training and certification. It allows qualified current and retired law enforcement officers to carry firearms in certain federal facilities and updates firearm training standards.

The "Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act" enables individuals with valid concealed carry permits or the legal right to carry concealed firearms in their home state to do so across state lines, provided they are not federally prohibited from possessing firearms and carry a valid photo ID. This law respects private and state/local government restrictions on firearms, protects individuals from unwarranted arrest, and allows legal action for violations of these rights. It also permits concealed carry in National Parks and other federal lands open to the public and clarifies that handguns include magazines and ammunition.

The "Independent Programmers Tax Incentive Act" introduces a tax credit for eligible video distributors who carry independent programmers, aiming to support diversity in media. This credit covers a portion of license fees paid to qualified independent programmers, with caps based on subscriber numbers. The FCC is required to report biennially to Congress on the state of independent programming and how to further support it.

The Physician Led and Rural Access to Quality Care Act modifies the Social Security Act to revise physician self-referral exemptions, particularly for rural hospitals. It exempts "covered rural hospitals" located in rural areas far from other hospitals from certain restrictions. Additionally, it allows existing physician-owned hospitals to expand their facilities.