Legislative Activity

The Global Investment in American Jobs Act of 2025 aims to boost U.S. economic competitiveness and national security by strategically attracting foreign direct investment from responsible entities in trusted nations. This legislation mandates a comprehensive review of current federal policies to streamline the process for this specific investment, particularly in high-tech sectors. The review must balance economic growth with safeguarding U.S. interests against threats posed by state-directed foreign entities, especially those linked to China. Ultimately, the bill seeks recommendations to enhance the U.S. investment climate while protecting American jobs and technology.

The Brake for Kids Act of 2025 mandates the creation of a national public safety messaging campaign to warn drivers about the dangers of illegally passing a stopped school bus. The Secretary of Transportation must launch this broad-reaching campaign within one year, utilizing national media like TV and radio. Funding for this initiative will be drawn from existing allocations for the Secretary's other public safety campaigns.

The Biobased Market Expansion Act of 2025 significantly strengthens federal requirements for purchasing biobased products by mandating annual goal increases and tightening exemptions for non-compliance. This legislation promotes U.S.-made goods by establishing domestic price advantages and improving transparency through public reporting of purchasing data and any unmet goals. Furthermore, it requires updated training for contracting officers and directs the GAO to review the program's effectiveness within two years.

The National Biotechnology Safety Act establishes a new research program, managed by the NSF, to study the potential risks associated with biotechnology products. It also mandates a two-phase study by the National Academies to compare the safety of biotech tools against traditional methods. The overall goal is to provide the necessary scientific foundation for effective federal regulation and oversight of these rapidly developing technologies.

The Synthetic Biology Advancement Act of 2025 establishes the National Synthetic Biology Center within the Department of Agriculture. This Center will award competitive grants to eligible research institutions to accelerate the development and deployment of synthetic biology solutions in agriculture. The goal is to enhance food security, national resilience, and sustainability through advanced biological engineering and innovation. The Act authorizes funding for both the Center's operations and the research grants through Fiscal Year 2030.

The HARPOON Act, or Helping Allies Respond to Piracy, Overfishing, and Oceanic Negligence Act, enhances U.S. efforts to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing globally. It modifies existing law to allow the Department of Defense to train and equip foreign security forces specifically to counter IUU fishing operations. Furthermore, the Act mandates the establishment of joint patrols with foreign partners and requires annual reporting to Congress on these counter-IUU fishing programs.

The Cloud LAB Act of 2025 establishes a pilot program to create a national network of high-tech, remotely accessible "cloud laboratories" focused on biotechnology research. This network, coordinated by the NSF Director, will generate high-quality biological data using automated experiments to train AI models and provide researchers access to advanced experimental tools. The Act mandates the creation of an advisory board to guide priorities, ensure equitable access, and establish security protocols for the data and infrastructure.

The 504 Credit Risk Management Improvement Act of 2025 strengthens the oversight of the 504 loan program by granting the Office of Credit Risk Management new authority to supervise Certified Development Companies (CDCs). This includes mandatory file reviews, the ability to impose enforcement actions and civil penalties for violations, and the requirement for an annual risk analysis report to Congress. Furthermore, the bill mandates the SBA to establish clear procedures for CDCs to comply with existing National Environmental Policy Act requirements.

The Identifying Regulatory Barriers to Housing Supply Act aims to address the national housing shortage by requiring local governments receiving federal housing grants to report on their land use policies. This legislation focuses on identifying and encouraging the removal of restrictive zoning and regulatory barriers that unnecessarily increase housing costs. By standardizing this reporting every five years, the Act seeks to clear roadblocks to increase housing supply nationwide.

The Investing in Main Street Act of 2025 aims to boost support for small businesses by increasing the Small Business Administration's (SBA) investment limits in certain Small Business Investment Companies (SBICs). This legislation raises the maximum percentage the SBA can invest in these vehicles from 5 percent to 15 percent. The goal is to channel more capital toward small businesses through these established investment programs.

The Mental Health Excellence in Schools Act establishes a new federal program to increase the number of school-based mental health providers. This program will provide matching federal funds to eligible graduate institutions to help cover the costs for students training in school counseling, social work, and psychology. Participating schools must contribute financially and report annually on student outcomes to ensure accountability.

The Motorsports Fairness and Permanency Act of 2025 permanently establishes a 7-year recovery period for the depreciation of motorsports entertainment complexes. This legislation allows owners and operators of these facilities to continue writing off building costs significantly faster than standard commercial property. By removing the previous expiration date, the bill ensures long-term tax predictability for the motorsports industry.

This Act establishes a fast-track process to ensure Medicare coverage for medical devices officially designated as "breakthrough devices" by the FDA. Once designated, these devices receive a four-year transitional coverage period under Medicare Parts A and B. The legislation also mandates timely final coverage decisions and provides funding for the administrative oversight required by this new system.

The Fair Accounting for Condominium Construction Act updates tax code definitions related to construction accounting methods. Specifically, it replaces the term "home construction contract" with "residential construction contract" for certain exceptions to the percentage-of-completion method. These changes only apply to construction contracts signed after the date the Act is enacted.

The Neighborhood Homes Investment Act establishes a new federal tax credit designed to close the financing gap for building and rehabilitating homes in distressed, low-income communities. This credit incentivizes developers to construct or substantially rehabilitate qualified residences in "qualified census tracts" and sell them affordably to low-to-moderate-income homeowners. State agencies will oversee allocations, ensure affordability standards are met, and enforce repayment rules if the home is sold too quickly.

This bill establishes the Artificial Intelligence Public Awareness and Education Campaign Act to launch a national effort aimed at increasing public understanding of how AI is used daily. The campaign, led by the Secretary of Commerce, will focus on boosting consumer literacy regarding AI's capabilities, limitations, and associated risks like deepfakes and fraud. It mandates the development of accessible, multi-lingual educational materials and requires annual reporting on the campaign's success metrics for five years.

The American Innovation and Jobs Act aims to boost U.S. competitiveness by restoring immediate expensing for most business research and development (R&D) investments. It also significantly expands the refundable R&D tax credit for new and small businesses, increasing the maximum refund amount and raising eligibility thresholds. Furthermore, the bill makes technical adjustments to the R&D credit calculation to make it more accessible for startups. These provisions are designed to incentivize domestic innovation and job creation starting in tax years after 2021 and 2024, respectively.

The Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025 comprehensively reforms the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program by updating state allocation formulas based on population and inflation, and by modifying tenant eligibility rules to protect vulnerable residents. The bill also introduces significant changes for property owners regarding casualty loss, acquisition costs, and incentives for serving extremely low-income households. Finally, it directs efforts toward increasing program transparency and encouraging local governments to reform restrictive housing policies.

This resolution officially recognizes April 14, 2025, as World Quantum Day to celebrate the importance of quantum science and technology. It highlights the critical role quantum information science plays in national competitiveness and future innovation. Furthermore, the resolution encourages educational activities to promote STEM learning and prepare students for emerging quantum careers.

The National Biotechnology Initiative Act of 2025 establishes a comprehensive, whole-of-government effort to advance U.S. biotechnology for national security and economic competitiveness. This law mandates the creation of a National Biotechnology Coordination Office and an Interagency Committee to oversee a national strategy focused on research, data management, workforce development, and regulatory streamlining. Participating agencies must align their efforts to accelerate commercialization, manage biosecurity risks, and enhance public understanding of biotechnology.