Legislative Activity

This joint resolution expresses Congress's disapproval of a recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule concerning revisions to Florida's air quality plan for stationary pollution sources. By rejecting this rule, Congress prevents the EPA's specific changes—which involved removing provisions of the Clean Air Interstate Rule—from taking effect. Essentially, this action nullifies the EPA's attempted regulatory update for Florida's air pollution standards.

This joint resolution expresses Congress's formal disapproval of an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule concerning West Virginia's plan to control regional haze for its second implementation period. By invoking the Congressional Review Act, this resolution immediately nullifies the EPA's submitted rule. Consequently, the specific West Virginia Regional Haze State Implementation Plan is canceled.

The Department of Veterans Affairs Claim Sharks Effective Warnings Act of 2025 mandates that the VA immediately display a prominent warning to veterans using its online tools. This warning must explicitly advise veterans against sharing their VA account or bank login credentials with anyone. This measure aims to protect veterans from predatory practices by third-party agents and attorneys.

The International Maritime Pollution Accountability Act of 2025 establishes mandatory reporting requirements for large commercial shipping voyages that involve U.S. ports. This bill imposes new fees on ship operators based on the lifecycle carbon emissions and criteria air pollutants generated during covered voyages. Revenue generated from these fees will fund various programs aimed at decarbonizing the maritime sector, modernizing port infrastructure, and improving air quality in port communities. The fee structure will expire if the International Maritime Organization implements a comparable global pollution fee.

This joint resolution seeks to disapprove and nullify a specific rule issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concerning Indiana's emissions budget and allowance allocations under the Revised Cross-State Air Pollution Rule Update. Through this congressional action, the EPA's recently finalized regulation will be prevented from taking effect.

This Act, named in honor of Daniel J. Harvey, Jr. and Adam Lambert, aims to reduce veteran suicide by strengthening mental health resources during the transition from military service to civilian life. It mandates updated mental health and suicide risk briefings within the Department of Defense's Transition Assistance Program (TAP). Furthermore, the bill enhances the VA's Solid Start Program by requiring specific outreach regarding healthcare enrollment and mental health services.

This resolution officially designates June 10, 2025, as "DACOR Bacon House Bicentennial Day" to honor the historic Washington, D.C. residence. It recognizes the building's deep connection to significant figures in American history, including Supreme Court Justices and diplomatic officials. The bill further applauds the ongoing preservation efforts by the DACOR Bacon House Foundation.

The ESTUARIES Act of 2025 extends the operational timeline for key provisions of the National Estuary Program. This legislation amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to push back the expiration date for certain program rules from 2026 to 2031. This provides the program with an additional five years under its current statutory framework.

The Stabilize Medicaid and CHIP Coverage Act extends 12-month continuous enrollment protections under Medicaid and CHIP to all eligible individuals, removing previous age restrictions. This ensures greater stability in health coverage by preventing premature disenrollment. These changes are scheduled to take effect starting in the first fiscal quarter after December 31, 2026.

The Protecting Seniors' Data Act of 2025 mandates a comprehensive security audit of the Social Security Administration's computer systems, specifically focusing on access points used by the DOGE Service and its personnel. The Comptroller General must report any identified security weaknesses or privacy violations to Congress within one year. Following the report, the SSA Commissioner is required to promptly fix all identified vulnerabilities and report on the completion of those fixes.

The OCTOPUS Act of 2025 aims to prohibit the establishment of commercial octopus farming operations within U.S. jurisdiction. It bans the importation and reexport of any octopus raised through commercial aquaculture, requiring importers to certify that their products were not farmed. Exceptions are made for accredited zoos, aquariums, and permitted scientific research.

The Closing the De Minimis Loophole Act eliminates the special, duty-free entry treatment for low-value imports under Section 321 of the Tariff Act of 1930. This change takes effect immediately for goods from China and after 120 days for all other countries. The Treasury Department is tasked with establishing new procedures to ensure proper duty collection and prevent fraud under the revised rules.

The Wildfire Reduction and Carbon Removal Act of 2025 establishes a new tax credit for capturing and storing carbon dioxide derived from forest residue waste. This credit incentivizes the secure storage or long-term utilization of carbon removed from sustainably sourced wood waste resulting from wildfire mitigation efforts. The bill mandates the development of strict sustainability and carbon accounting standards to ensure environmental integrity.

The Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act of 2025 establishes a formal, publicly accessible code of conduct for Supreme Court Justices and creates a judicial investigation panel to handle related ethics complaints. The bill also mandates stricter disclosure requirements for gifts and income received by Justices, and significantly expands the circumstances under which a federal judge must recuse themselves due to financial ties or lobbying influence. Finally, it institutes new disclosure rules for parties and *amici curiae* in cases before the Court, alongside studies to monitor judicial compliance.

The Medicare and Social Security Fair Share Act modifies payroll taxes by increasing the Social Security wage cap to $400,000 and introducing a new 1.2% Medicare tax on high earners. It also significantly raises the Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT) rate for top earners and directs all NIIT revenue to the Social Security Trust Funds starting in 2026. These changes apply to both wage earners and the self-employed.

This resolution strongly condemns recent actions by President Donald J. Trump that targeted and undermined the freedom of the press. It reaffirms the United States' foundational commitment to a free and independent media as essential for a functioning democracy. Furthermore, the resolution calls for the executive branch to respect journalistic rights and urges continued efforts to secure the release of imprisoned U.S. Agency for Global Media journalists abroad.

The Tax-Free Pell Grant Act ensures that all Federal Pell Grants are completely excluded from a recipient's gross income for tax purposes, regardless of how the funds are used. This legislation updates the Internal Revenue Code to simplify tax reporting for Pell Grant recipients. Furthermore, it protects eligibility for other education tax credits like the American Opportunity and Lifetime Learning Credits. These changes will take effect for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2025.

The New England Coastal Protection Act permanently prohibits new oil and gas leasing for exploration or production on the Outer Continental Shelf off the coasts of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. This legislation ensures that the Secretary of the Interior cannot issue any future leases for drilling in these specific New England offshore waters.

The Clean Cloud Act of 2025 addresses the rapidly increasing energy consumption and carbon emissions from large data centers and cryptocurrency mining operations. This bill mandates annual public reporting on the energy sources used by these facilities and establishes escalating emissions intensity baselines by region. Facilities exceeding these regional baselines will be subject to annual fees, with collected funds dedicated to program administration, residential energy cost relief, and grants for reliable, zero-carbon energy infrastructure.

The Paying a Fair Share Act of 2025 introduces a new "Fair Share Tax" targeting high-income taxpayers with an Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) exceeding $1,000,000. This tax is calculated as 30% of AGI (minus a modified charitable deduction) but only applies to income that exceeds existing regular income tax, the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT), and payroll taxes. The Senate views this bill as an immediate step to ensure the wealthiest pay their fair share and reduce the national deficit while encouraging broader tax reform.