Legislative Activity

This resolution supports the goals of National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day by recognizing the disproportionate impact of HIV on women and girls globally and domestically. It calls for sustained investment in prevention, care, and treatment efforts to reduce new infections and health inequities. The bill specifically encourages accessible, youth-friendly services, education on prevention tools like PrEP, and addressing underlying issues such as violence and discrimination.

This resolution honors the life, leadership, and enduring legacy of Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. It recognizes his pivotal role as a civil rights leader, his groundbreaking political campaigns, and his global advocacy for human rights and equality. The measure encourages all Americans to continue his work by moving forward with hope rather than fear and division.

This Act mandates the U.S. Secretary of State to ensure and report on sufficient food assistance for all civilians in Gaza. It requires certification within 30 days that policies are in place to guarantee children receive three nutritious meals daily and other civilians receive two. The Secretary must also submit detailed oversight procedures and publicly report on food distribution efforts, including prompt notification to Congress of any aid interference.

This resolution supports the goals of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day by recognizing the disproportionate impact of HIV on Black Americans. It encourages testing, commends organizations providing culturally competent care, and supports the implementation of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy to reduce disparities. The bill also calls for prioritizing funding for minority-led agencies and addressing systemic barriers to care.

This bill prohibits the use of hydrofluoric acid (hydrogen fluoride) in all petroleum refineries, citing its extreme danger to surrounding communities. It immediately bans its use in any new refinery and mandates that existing refineries phase out its use within five years. The legislation aims to prevent mass casualty events by requiring the adoption of safer, commercially available alternative technologies.

This resolution recognizes the 90th anniversary of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), honoring its historic legacy founded by Mary McLeod Bethune. It celebrates NCNW's continued dedication to advocating for racial justice, gender equality, and community empowerment across the nation. The bill commends the organization's ongoing work in strengthening families, expanding opportunity, and promoting health equity.

This act mandates that recipients of certain federal housing and community development funds must create and maintain a publicly accessible, searchable online database of all undeveloped land they own. This requirement takes effect starting October 1, 2026.

The Housing Crisis Response Act of 2025 is a comprehensive bill making major federal investments across four key areas to address the national housing crisis. It allocates over $78 billion to create, preserve, and repair affordable housing, expand rental assistance, and improve housing accessibility and efficiency. The Act also introduces significant new programs to boost first-time and first-generation homeownership through downpayment assistance and new mortgage products. Finally, it provides funding to strengthen HUD administration and build the capacity of local housing organizations.

This bill, the International Financial Access Improvements Act, enhances reporting requirements on how countries combat narcotics-related money laundering in the President's annual report. It mandates that the Treasury Secretary consult on and produce a separate volume of the report detailing money laundering issues for specific Congressional committees. Furthermore, the Secretary of the Treasury must report on steps being taken to ensure more consistent Bank Secrecy Act examinations across relevant agencies.

The Fair Competition for Small Business Act of 2025 empowers state attorneys general to file lawsuits on behalf of their residents against companies violating federal antitrust laws. This legislation strengthens consumer protections by allowing states to seek damages for anti-competitive practices under the Sherman Act.

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.

The Head Start Shutdown Protection Act of 2025 ensures that states, local governments, or school districts are reimbursed for any of their own funds used to keep Head Start and Early Head Start programs operational during a lapse in federal appropriations. This legislation protects these vital early childhood education services from disruption caused by government shutdowns. By guaranteeing reimbursement, the Act encourages local entities to maintain program continuity without bearing the financial burden.

The Justice for Exonerees Act aims to increase financial relief for individuals who have been wrongly convicted and imprisoned. This bill raises the maximum compensation award from $\$50,000$ to $\$70,000$. Furthermore, it mandates that this award amount will be automatically adjusted annually to keep pace with inflation.

The PrEP and PEP are Prevention Act mandates that essential HIV prevention services, including FDA-approved medications like PrEP and PEP, must be covered at no cost to the patient across private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, and the Federal Employees Health Benefits program. This law eliminates financial barriers such as deductibles, copays, and prior authorization requirements for these preventive treatments and necessary related care. The goal is to ensure universal, barrier-free access to critical HIV prevention tools.

The HIV Prevention Now Act secures **\$2.165 billion** in dedicated funding for the CDC's National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention for Fiscal Year 2026. This appropriation is specifically earmarked to support the center's prevention programs and activities. This funding is supplemental to, and cannot be transferred from, other existing appropriations.

This resolution formally honors Paul Kawata for his decades of dedicated service and unwavering commitment to health equity. It recognizes his profound impact as a leader in the fight against the HIV epidemic, specifically championing communities of color and the LGBTQ+ community. The bill celebrates his role in shaping national policy and advocating for justice, inclusion, and dignity for marginalized populations.

The Strengthening Housing Supply Act of 2025 amends the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program to explicitly allow federal funds to be used for the **new construction of affordable housing**. This change broadens the eligible uses for CDBG funds while maintaining existing requirements that the housing benefits low- and moderate-income persons. These new provisions only apply to funds appropriated by Congress after the Act's enactment.

The Ending Homelessness Act of 2025 aims to significantly reduce homelessness by making housing choice vouchers an entitlement program starting in 2029 and immediately expanding the voucher supply for extremely low-income families. The bill also prohibits housing discrimination based on source of income and establishes new, dedicated funding streams for emergency relief and supportive services under the McKinney-Vento Act. Finally, it repeals certain ineligibility criteria for housing assistance and sets priorities for funding based on local policies that encourage affordable housing and decriminalize homelessness.

The American Access to Banking Act aims to streamline the process for launching new financial institutions by simplifying application reviews and improving capital raising efforts. It establishes dedicated support systems, including caseworkers and mentorship programs, to guide applicants through regulatory hurdles. Furthermore, the bill mandates federal regulators to develop public engagement plans to better coordinate with state regulators and industry stakeholders. Ultimately, this legislation seeks to foster the creation of new banks while maintaining strong investor and consumer protections.

This bill, officially titled the Aligning SEC Regulations for the World Bank’s International Development Association Act, exempts securities issued or guaranteed by the International Development Association (IDA) from most standard registration and disclosure requirements under federal securities laws. While generally exempt, the IDA must still file appropriate reports with the SEC, subject to the Commission's oversight. This exemption takes effect after 30 days, unless the Treasury Secretary certifies that the IDA is providing aid to countries supporting international terrorism.