Legislative Activity

The NOPAIN for Veterans Act mandates that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) must promptly add specific, FDA-approved non-opioid pain medications to its National Formulary. This ensures veterans have access to alternative pain management options that do not rely on opioids. The VA is required to implement these changes within 90 days of the Act becoming law.

The Teachers Utilizing Tutoring Opportunities for Relief Act (TUTOR Act) establishes a new federal tax credit for eligible teachers who provide qualified academic tutoring outside of regular school hours. This credit offers a base amount of \$500, with the potential for an additional \$500 bonus for teachers who complete over 150 hours of tutoring annually. The provision is designed to incentivize and reward teachers for providing supplemental instruction in math, reading/writing, or science through the end of 2032.

The Removing Burdens From Organ Donation Act mandates that hospitals electronically notify organ procurement agencies when a patient is declared deceased or near death. This law also grants these agencies electronic access to the potential donor's health records upon the update of the death status. Exemptions are available for hospitals facing significant hardship, cybersecurity attacks, or disaster situations. The Secretary must also issue guidance on best practices for implementing these new electronic notification procedures.

The SMART Act mandates that FEMA conduct a comprehensive study to evaluate the effectiveness, cost savings, and strategic impact of its national hazard mitigation programs. This study must analyze financial benefits, community preparedness, insurance impacts, and infrastructure resilience. FEMA is required to report these findings annually to Congress and make the results publicly available online to ensure transparency and inform future program improvements.

The Preventive Health Savings Act requires the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to score the long-term budget savings resulting from preventive healthcare measures when requested by key congressional leaders. If savings are found, the CBO must include an estimate of these future reductions in its budget projections for the legislation. However, these supplementary savings estimates cannot be used to satisfy standard budget enforcement rules.

The Stop ICE from Kidnapping U.S. Citizens Act strictly prohibits U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from using any federal funds for civil immigration enforcement activities involving U.S. citizens. Specifically, this bill bans ICE from spending money to detain or transport any citizen of the United States. This measure ensures federal funds are not used to wrongfully target or remove American citizens.

The Patient Access to Innovative New Technologies Act of 2025 aims to accelerate patient access to cutting-edge medical tools by streamlining payment for hospitals using FDA-designated breakthrough devices. This bill allows hospitals to receive conditional New Technology Add-On Payments (NTAP) sooner, provided the device receives final FDA approval before July 1st of the relevant fiscal year. This change applies to breakthrough devices designated for priority review that receive final clearance or approval on or after July 1, 2023.

The Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act aims to significantly expand the palliative care and hospice workforce through new federal grant programs for education, training, and career incentives. It also mandates the creation of a national strategy to enhance NIH research in this field and requires the dissemination of clear, evidence-based information about palliative care services to patients and providers. Crucially, the bill clarifies that funds cannot be used to promote or provide services intended to cause a patient's death.

The Child Care for Working Families Act establishes comprehensive federal programs to ensure access to high-quality, affordable child care and universal preschool for young children. The legislation creates an entitlement program for child care, mandates that provider reimbursement rates cover actual costs and ensure living wages for staff, and establishes free, universal preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds. Additionally, it provides dedicated funding to stabilize childcare providers and extend the operating hours and compensation for Head Start staff.

The National Nursing Workforce Center Act of 2025 establishes a new two-year pilot program to fund and evaluate state-based nursing workforce centers through competitive grants. These centers will focus on critical statewide activities like data analysis, studying nursing education capacity, and developing strategies to recruit and retain nurses. The bill also expands existing health workforce analysis grants to ensure dedicated funding and technical assistance for nursing-focused research and evaluation.

The Farmers First Act of 2025 significantly strengthens support for agricultural producers by enhancing the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network. This legislation increases annual funding for the network and mandates the inclusion of dedicated crisis lines within supported programs. Furthermore, it formalizes partnerships between grant recipients and various healthcare providers to ensure comprehensive access to mental health and substance use treatment for farmers and ranchers.

The White Oak Resilience Act establishes a multi-agency effort to restore and conserve white oak populations across the United States. It creates the White Oak Restoration Initiative Coalition to coordinate federal, state, and private restoration efforts and recommend policy changes. The bill also mandates pilot projects by the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior, alongside a national plan to address tree nursery shortages and boost white oak research.

The Veteran Burial Timeliness and Death Certificate Accountability Act addresses significant delays in obtaining death certificates for veterans who die from natural causes, often due to VA medical staff delays. This bill mandates that VA medical providers must certify a veteran's death within 48 hours or allow the local medical examiner to step in. Furthermore, the VA must annually report on its compliance with this new timely certification requirement.

The AFIDA Improvements Act of 2025 modernizes the reporting requirements for foreign ownership of U.S. agricultural land by lowering the minimum reporting threshold for certain transactions. This legislation strengthens enforcement actions and mandates the sharing of critical foreign investment data with national security officials, specifically CFIUS. Furthermore, the Act requires updates to official handbooks to incorporate national security risk assessments and establishes a timeline for fully implementing electronic AFIDA disclosure systems.

This Act authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and sell special commemorative coins for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games and the 2034 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. The coins will feature designs celebrating American athletes and the Games themselves. All surcharges collected from the sale of these coins will be directed to the respective organizing committees to help fund the events and related youth sports programs. The entire program must be conducted at no cost to the U.S. Government.

This resolution expresses support for designating July 10th as Journeyman Lineworkers Recognition Day. It honors the essential and dangerous work performed by these skilled professionals, especially their heroic efforts in restoring power after major disasters. The day serves to recognize their service and remember those who have lost their lives performing this vital work.

This bill establishes new pilot projects and a dedicated program to significantly improve subseasonal to seasonal forecasts for atmospheric rivers, which are crucial for water management in the West. The legislation directs NOAA to advance the science behind these moisture-laden storms, focusing on better modeling for mountainous terrain and storm track prediction. The ultimate goal is to create more accurate, actionable forecasts and warnings to reduce the damage caused by these major weather events.

The CROP for Farming Act updates existing conservation programs to explicitly include climate change mitigation as a primary focus. It expands the definition of a "conservation incentive" to cover issues like reducing nitrous oxide and methane emissions. Furthermore, the bill redefines successful conservation to include measurable reductions in greenhouse gases and increases in soil carbon storage.

This resolution strongly condemns Russia for the abduction and forced "Russification" of Ukrainian children, highlighting these actions as grave violations of international law. It emphasizes that these children must be safely returned to Ukraine before any final peace agreement to end the war is considered. The document also underscores the heightened risks of trafficking, violence, and trauma faced by Ukrainian children due to the ongoing invasion.

The Expanding Access to Mental Health Services in Schools Act of 2025 establishes a new federal grant program to increase the number of mental health professionals in high-need school districts. This funding is specifically designed to help eligible agencies recruit, hire, and retain school counselors, psychologists, and social workers. Grantees must demonstrate a plan to improve student-to-provider ratios and report annually on staffing improvements and provider retention.