Legislative Activity

The Better CARE for Animals Act of 2025 significantly strengthens enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act by clarifying definitions and expanding the scope of investigations. It grants the Attorney General explicit authority to file civil actions seeking penalties up to $10,000 per day, and mandates that collected fines help cover temporary animal care costs. The bill also requires the Secretary of Agriculture and the Attorney General to establish a formal agreement for coordinated enforcement.

The Rural Broadband Assistance Act establishes a new program to provide technical assistance and training for rural broadband projects. This initiative allows the Secretary to award grants to qualified organizations that will help eligible rural entities prepare applications, secure funding, and manage broadband facilities. The goal is to streamline the process of bringing high-speed internet access to underserved rural communities.

The Promotion and Expansion of Private Employee Ownership Act of 2025 aims to significantly boost employee ownership in S corporations through Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs). The bill extends key tax deferral benefits for stock sales to ESOPs and removes a major restriction on this tax treatment. Furthermore, it establishes new government offices and an Advocate for Employee Ownership to provide technical assistance and resolve disputes, while ensuring ESOP-owned businesses retain small business status for federal programs.

The Fresh Start Act of 2025 incentivizes states to adopt automatic criminal record expungement laws by tying them to federal gun violence prevention grants. This legislation requires states receiving these funds to automatically clear or seal eligible criminal records without requiring individual action or payment of outstanding fees. Recipients must also annually report detailed data on the process, broken down by race, ethnicity, and gender, which the Attorney General will then make public.

The ReConnecting Rural America Act of 2025 significantly overhauls federal funding to expand high-speed internet access in underserved rural areas. This legislation prioritizes grants and loans for projects delivering at least 100 Mbps symmetrical speeds, focusing heavily on communities currently lacking adequate service. The bill sets strict buildout timelines, mandates participation in affordability programs, and establishes specific priority criteria for funding distribution through 2030.

The Equality Act comprehensively expands federal civil rights protections against discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity across key areas of American life. It amends existing laws to prohibit discrimination in public accommodations, housing, credit, employment, and federal funding. The purpose of the bill is to provide consistent, explicit, and comprehensive remedies for individuals facing bias in these essential sectors.

This bill officially designates the memorial and museum currently under construction in Jacksonville, Florida, as the **National POW/MIA Memorial and Museum**. The legislation recognizes the museum's crucial role in honoring and educating the public about service members who were prisoners of war or remain missing in action. To maintain this designation, the museum must submit a comprehensive operational report to Congress within 90 days of enactment. Failure to open satisfactorily within five years or submit the required report will result in the loss of this official federal title.

The Medicaid Empowerment Act of 2025 aims to provide greater stability for state-run home and community-based services (HCBS) programs. This legislation extends the required renewal periods for certain Medicaid waivers offering community care services. By allowing longer cycles between mandatory reviews, the Act offers states more consistency in administering these vital services.

The Hotel Fees Transparency Act of 2025 mandates that hotels and short-term rentals must prominently display the total, all-inclusive price upfront in all advertisements, excluding only government taxes and optional fees. This new federal standard is designed to eliminate hidden fees by requiring the advertised price to reflect the base rate plus all mandatory service charges. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and State Attorneys General will enforce these rules against deceptive pricing practices.

The Safe American Food Exports Act of 2025 (SAFE Act) authorizes key agricultural and trade officials to proactively negotiate agreements with major export markets. These negotiations aim to establish disease control zones in advance of animal disease outbreaks. The goal is to minimize disruptions to U.S. livestock and animal product exports should an outbreak occur.

The Stamp Out Invasive Species Act mandates the creation and sale of a special "Combating Invasive Species Semipostal Stamp" by the U.S. Postal Service for a two-year period. Proceeds from the extra cost of this stamp will be equally divided between the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture. This funding is specifically dedicated to supporting federal programs aimed at combating the significant ecological and economic damage caused by invasive species.

The Holocaust Insurance Accountability Act of 2025 restores the ability of states to enforce laws requiring insurers to disclose information about Holocaust-era policies. This Act creates a new federal right for beneficiaries to sue in federal court to collect on these policies, overriding previous federal preemption claims. Furthermore, it establishes a uniform 10-year statute of limitations for filing such claims under both state and federal law.

The No Handouts for Drug Advertisements Act prohibits businesses from taking a federal tax deduction for expenses related to direct-to-consumer advertising of certain prescription drugs. This measure specifically targets costs associated with advertising aimed at the general public via television, radio, or digital platforms. The goal is to disallow tax write-offs for these promotional activities, with an exception for ads placed in professional medical journals.

The Drone Espionage Act updates federal law to specifically prohibit the unauthorized taking or transmission of **video** of national defense information. This amendment modernizes existing statutes, ensuring that capturing sensitive material via video is treated the same as capturing it via photographs or negatives. The bill aims to strengthen protections against the illicit sharing of defense secrets using modern recording technology.

The Advancing Water Reuse Act establishes a new "qualifying water reuse project credit" to incentivize businesses to recycle water. This credit offers a 30% tax break on qualified investments in on-site water recycling systems or infrastructure that supports industrial or commercial water reuse. The tax incentive is designed to encourage the adoption of water conservation technologies until the end of 2032.

The Fight Fentanyl Act strengthens federal efforts to combat the fentanyl crisis by updating the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program. This legislation mandates increased reporting on fentanyl investigations, sets dedicated funding levels through 2030, and expands HIDTA purposes to prioritize fentanyl interdiction. Furthermore, it requires the Attorney General to ensure sufficient prosecutorial resources are dedicated to fentanyl trafficking cases through temporary AUSA assignments.

The Finding Opportunities for Resource Exploration Act, or Finding ORE Act, authorizes the Secretary of the Interior, through the USGS, to enter into Memoranda of Understanding with foreign partners. These agreements focus on cooperatively mapping critical mineral and rare earth element reserves in partner countries. The goal is to secure supply chains by prioritizing development opportunities for U.S. and allied companies, while ensuring data security.

The Federal Firefighter Cancer Detection and Prevention Act of 2025 mandates specific, regular cancer screenings for Department of Defense (DoD) firefighters as part of their annual health evaluations. This includes tailored testing for breast, colon, and prostate cancers, based on age and risk factors. While these screenings are offered, participation remains optional for the individual firefighter. The DoD must track participation and anonymized results to monitor cancer trends within the firefighting community.

The Disaster Relief Transparency Act mandates that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) submit detailed annual reports explaining its methodology for allocating funds from key disaster recovery and mitigation grant programs. These reports must clarify how allocation amounts may change between appropriations and suggest improvements for consistency and speed. The initial report, due within 90 days of enactment, will focus on FY 2024 and 2025 funding.

The ABC-ED Act of 2025 aims to alleviate emergency department boarding and crowding by modernizing public health data systems to track real-time hospital bed capacity. It also directs the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to pilot programs specifically improving emergency care for older adults and those in acute psychiatric crisis. Finally, the bill mandates a study on best practices for statewide, real-time capacity tracking systems and their impact on ER wait times.