Legislative Activity

The Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Amendments Act of 2025 updates the 2010 settlement to improve the management and oversight of water infrastructure funding for the Crow Tribe. The bill establishes new dedicated accounts for water projects and implementation activities, streamlines fund withdrawals, and extends the timeline for key provisions related to the Yellowtail Dam. These amendments ensure the Tribe has the necessary resources and flexibility to develop and maintain essential water infrastructure.

The Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025 aims to streamline and modernize the prior authorization process within Medicare Advantage plans. This bill mandates the adoption of electronic prior authorization systems and significantly increases transparency regarding approval rates and decision times starting in 2027. Furthermore, it establishes new enrollee protections and grants the Secretary authority to enforce faster decision timeframes for medical services.

The Protecting Privacy in Purchases Act prohibits payment card networks and processors from assigning specific merchant category codes to firearms retailers. This legislation aims to protect consumer privacy by preventing the tracking of firearm and ammunition purchases through specialized financial classification. The Attorney General is tasked with enforcing these provisions and reporting annually on compliance.

The Securing Agriculture's Workforce Act of 2026 modernizes the H-2A visa program to better support the agricultural industry by streamlining application processes and establishing a centralized online portal for employers. The bill updates labor certification, housing, and wage requirements while expanding the definition of eligible agricultural work to include a broader range of activities. Additionally, it enhances worker protections—including new heat illness prevention standards—and provides greater administrative efficiency for federal agencies managing the program.

The Northern Border Security Enhancement and Review Act mandates updated threat analyses of the northern border every two years, with the first due by September 2, 2026. Following each analysis, the Department of Homeland Security must update its border strategy or formally explain why an update is unnecessary. The bill also requires classified briefings for Congress and the development of performance measures for Air and Marine Operations along the northern border.

This bill, the Great American Outdoors Act 250, significantly reforms and renames the existing public lands restoration fund to the America’s Legacy Restoration Fund. It secures dedicated funding streams, primarily from energy revenues and new fees on foreign visitors, to address critical deferred maintenance across the National Park Service, Forest Service, and other public land agencies. The legislation establishes strict spending priorities for infrastructure repair while also creating pilot programs for enhancing outdoor recreation and sportsmen's access. Finally, it mandates increased transparency and accountability through standardized metrics and public reporting on all funded projects.

This bill, the Hydropower Licensing Affordability Act, modernizes the hydropower licensing process under the Federal Power Act. It expands the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's authority to impose conditions on licenses to ensure hydropower projects reasonably mitigate direct adverse effects on federal reservations and local fish populations.

The Public Lands Integrity Act amends the Byrd Rule to classify any provision resulting in the sale, disposal, or transfer of federal lands as "extraneous." This change allows senators to challenge and potentially remove such land transfer provisions from budget reconciliation bills. The act aims to protect federal lands from being sold or transferred through the reconciliation process.

The Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act prohibits the VA from reporting veterans to the NICS background check system solely because a fiduciary was appointed to manage their benefits. This legislation ensures that a VA finding of mental incompetence or the appointment of a fiduciary alone is not used to treat a veteran as a "mental defective" for gun control purposes. Furthermore, the VA must notify the Attorney General about past transmissions of this information that lacked a proper legal basis.

This bill officially designates the "America 250 flag" as a national symbol to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. It authorizes this special flag, featuring the number 250 within the circle of stars, to be flown alongside the U.S. flag at government buildings worldwide during the Semiquincentennial celebration. The act recognizes the flag as a symbol of the nation's founding and commitment to liberty.

This bill authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue commemorative gold and silver coins marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The coins will honor the victims, first responders, and survivors, with designs selected in consultation with the National September 11 Memorial and Museum. All surcharges from the sale of these coins will be paid directly to the Memorial and Museum to support its operations and maintenance.

This bill reaffirms the strong alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea, emphasizing its importance for security, economic growth, and shared values. It recognizes the deep economic ties, the contributions of Korean Americans, and continued commitment to the Mutual Defense Treaty. The bill also supports strengthening security, economic, and cultural bonds between the two nations, and celebrates Korean Culture-Kimchi Day.

The Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2025 aims to combat sophisticated, cross-jurisdictional organized retail and supply chain theft. It achieves this by strengthening federal laws regarding money laundering and stolen property offenses, including lowering monetary thresholds for prosecution. Furthermore, the bill establishes a dedicated Center within the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate federal, state, and local enforcement efforts against these criminal organizations.

The Multilateral Alignment of Technology Controls on Hardware (MATCH) Act aims to protect U.S. national security by restricting adversary access to advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment. The bill mandates diplomatic efforts to align export controls with allied nations and establishes a framework to impose strict U.S. regulations if those partners fail to implement sufficient safeguards. By targeting specific entities and facilities in countries of concern, the legislation seeks to close gaps in the current export control regime and maintain America’s technological advantage.

The Repealing Big Brother Overreach Act significantly narrows the federal beneficial ownership information reporting requirements. This legislation limits reporting obligations exclusively to foreign individuals and foreign-connected companies. Furthermore, it mandates the deletion of all previously collected data pertaining to domestic persons and entities.

The Small County PILT Parity Act revises federal law to expand eligibility for certain funding adjustments by significantly lowering the population thresholds for small local governments. This change ensures that even smaller counties can qualify for necessary financial support under the applicable program.

The Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Modernization Act of 2026 streamlines federal housing programs to better support tribal communities. The bill simplifies environmental review processes, expands homeownership and rental assistance opportunities, and reauthorizes critical funding through 2032. Additionally, it enhances tribal authority over housing management, improves access to loan guarantees, and establishes new support programs for homeless or at-risk Native American veterans.

The Words Matter Act of 2025 mandates a comprehensive update across all federal laws, replacing the outdated terms "mentally retarded" and "mental retardation" with "intellectual disability" or "individuals with intellectual disabilities." This change is strictly a linguistic update intended to align federal statutes with current, respectful terminology. The Act explicitly states that this language revision does not alter eligibility for benefits, rights, or responsibilities under any existing federal program. Agencies are required to update their regulations to reflect this new terminology while maintaining a record of the previous language used.

The Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act prevents federal agencies from banning the use of lead ammunition and tackle on federal lands and waters open to hunting and fishing. Exceptions to this rule are only permitted if specific, site-based field data proves lead is causing a wildlife population decline and the action is approved by or consistent with state wildlife policies.

The Don Young Doug LaMalfa Indian Buffalo Management Act establishes a Department of the Interior program to support Indian Tribes in the restoration, management, and protection of buffalo herds on Tribal lands. Through grants, technical assistance, and the transfer of surplus buffalo from federal lands, the Act empowers Tribes to enhance their cultural, spiritual, and economic connections to the species. The program prioritizes the integration of traditional ecological knowledge while ensuring the protection of culturally sensitive information.