United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2025
Streamlining Procurement for Effective Execution and Delivery and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 This bill sets forth policies and authorities for FY2026 for Department of Defense (DOD) programs and activities, military construction, and the national security programs of the Department of Energy and the Maritime Administration. It also authorizes appropriations for the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board and the Naval Petroleum Reserves, and modifies the defense acquisition system to expedite delivery of capabilities to the Armed Forces. Among other elements, the bill authorizes the acquisition or modification of various military items (e.g., aircraft) and sets policy for certain procurement programs; authorizes research, development, test, and evaluation and sets policy for such activities; sets active component and reserve component end-strength levels; sets policy regarding various aspects of military health care and military compensation; sets policy regarding acquisitions and acquisition management, including contracting authorities and small businesses; sets policy for various matters related to DOD interactions with foreign nations, including matters concerning Israel; sets policy for various matters related to DOD cyber activities, cyber workforce and training, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence matters; and authorizes the activities of the National Nuclear Security Administration, defense environmental cleanup, nuclear energy, and other defense activities. For additional information on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) see CRS In Focus IF10516, Defense Primer: Navigating the NDAA , and CRS In Focus IF10515, Defense Primer: The NDAA Process .
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2025
Protection for Reservation Occupants against Trafficking and Evasive Communications Today Act of 2025 or the PROTECT Act of 2025 This bill expands special tribal criminal jurisdiction (STCJ) to include certain controlled substance-related offenses and firearms offenses. It also allows tribal courts to execute warrants for electronic material. STCJ allows participating tribes to investigate, prosecute, convict, and sentence both Indian and non-Indian offenders who commit covered crimes in Indian country against Indian victims. Covered crimes currently include assault of tribal justice personnel, child violence, dating violence, domestic violence, obstruction of justice, sexual violence, sex trafficking, stalking, and a violation of a protection order. The bill expands STCJ to allow participating tribes to prosecute individuals for controlled substance-related offenses (i.e., drug trafficking, unlawful drug possession, or unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia) and firearms offenses (i.e., use or possession of a firearm in furtherance of a covered crime or by a person who has been convicted of domestic violence). Additionally, the bill allows participating tribes to exercise STCJ over a controlled substance-related offense or a firearms offense if neither the defendant nor the alleged victim is an Indian. (Currently, this exception only applies in cases of obstruction of justice or assault of tribal justice personnel.) The bill allows offenders convicted pursuant to STCJ to be incarcerated through the Bureau of Prisons Tribal Prisoner Program. The bill gives tribal courts the same authority as state courts to compel service providers to disclose stored electronic communication information through court-issued warrants, court orders, or administrative subpoenas.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2025
Supporting Healthy Mothers and Infants Act of 2025 This bill modifies the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) to add requirements for supporting individuals impacted by a substance use disorder. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Agriculture to collaborate with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop and disseminate nutrition education materials for individuals impacted by a substance use disorder, including materials for infants impacted by prenatal substance exposure and neonatal abstinence syndrome; conduct outreach to individuals who are potentially eligible for the WIC program and who are impacted by such a disorder; and make available to states through an online clearinghouse any nutrition education and training materials related to nutrition for individuals impacted by a substance use disorder or neonatal abstinence syndrome. In addition, the nutrition education materials developed in collaboration with HHS must be included in (1) Center for Substance Abuse Prevention-developed education materials, and (2) HHS guidance on improving care for infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome and their families. Under current law, the WIC program includes certain education related to drug abuse. This bill replaces references to drug abuse with substance use disorder.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2025
This resolution expresses the House of Representatives' grave concern with (1) the humanitarian crisis and acute suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, and (2) the suffering of the hostages and hostage families. The resolution also calls on the White House, the Department of State, and other relevant federal agencies to use all available diplomatic tools to bring about the release of the hostages, the disbursement of food and humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians, and a durable end to the Gaza conflict.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2025
Improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act of 2025 This bill establishes several requirements and standards relating to prior authorization processes under Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. Specifically, MA plans must (1) establish an electronic prior authorization program that meets specified standards; (2) annually submit to the CMS for publication specified prior authorization information, including the percentage of requests approved and the average response time; and (3) meet other standards, as set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), relating to the quality and timeliness of prior authorization determinations. The CMS and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology must publish on the CMS' website a report that analyzes the information received from MA plans, the feasibility of implementing real-time decision making with respect to prior authorization requests, and the impact of decisions that are made using artificial intelligence on patient access.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2025
Healthy Food Financing Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2025 This bill reauthorizes and provides specified funds for the Department of Agriculture's Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) through FY2030 and for each fiscal year thereafter. As background, HFFI provides loans, grants, and technical assistance resources to eligible healthy food retailers and food supply chain enterprises to improve and support access to fresh, healthy, and affordable food in urban and rural underserved communities.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2025
This resolution expresses support for the designation of DIPG Awareness Day. DIPG is diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, a terminal childhood brain cancer.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2025
Stronger Communities through Better Transit Act This bill requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to establish a grant program to support operating projects for public transportation and related service improvements, particularly in underserved communities and areas of persistent poverty. Specifically, the bill requires DOT to allocate funding under the program for urbanized areas, states, and Indian tribes that are recipients of funds under either the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA's) Urbanized Area Formula Funding program or Formula Grants for Rural Areas program. Eligible recipients may use funding for operating costs associated with projects that improve public transportation service for transit-dependent populations and support increased transit ridership (e.g., service expansion, information technology enhancements, and workforce development). DOT must apportion the funding so that recipients receive funds that are proportional to their share of operating costs. The bill also provides for an increased federal cost share for operating assistance for projects or programs carried out in areas of persistent poverty or underserved communities. DOT must set up a multimodal access measurement interface for public agencies to aid transit agencies in determining and reporting on access to jobs and essential services. A grant recipient must (1) report specific information to the FTA for inclusion in the National Transit Database, and (2) survey transit riders and non-riding residents regarding transit service improvements. Further, the bill expands the purposes of the public transportation programs to include supporting public transportation's role in combating climate change through growing/retaining transit ridership.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2025
SNAP Administrator Retention Act of 2025 This bill directs the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to pay Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) state agencies for 100% of SNAP administrative personnel costs. The bill also requires that state SNAP agency administrators be paid at least the same amount as federal employees. (Under current law, FNS generally pays 50% of a state's administrative costs for SNAP.) Specifically, FNS must pay a state agency for 100% of all SNAP administrative personnel costs that are part of an FNS-approved state agency personnel wage plan. This must include all costs associated with hiring and training new employees, maintaining those personnel costs, and complying with wage standards. The state agency must use these funds (1) to supplement, not supplant, nonfederal funds used for existing administrative personnel costs; and (2) for existing or additional full-time positions that are above the number of positions that were held in FY2024. The bill also requires that the wage standards for SNAP state agency administrators be (1) at least the same amount as the General Schedule (GS) pay rate for federal employees; and (2) updated annually based on any increase in the GS pay rate, including locality adjustments.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2025
Assault Weapons Ban of 2025 This bill makes it a crime to knowingly import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess a semiautomatic assault weapon (SAW) or large capacity ammunition feeding device (LCAFD). The prohibition does not apply to a firearm that is (1) manually operated by bolt, pump, lever, or slide action, except for certain shotguns; (2) permanently inoperable; (3) an antique; (4) only capable of firing rimfire ammunition; or (5) a rifle or shotgun specifically identified by make and model. The bill also exempts from the prohibition the following, with respect to a SAW or LCAFD: importation, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession related to certain law enforcement efforts, or authorized tests or experiments; importation, sale, transfer, or possession related to securing nuclear materials; and possession by a retired law enforcement officer. The bill permits continued possession, sale, or transfer of a grandfathered SAW, which must be securely stored. A licensed gun dealer must conduct a background check prior to the sale or transfer of a grandfathered SAW between private parties. The bill permits continued possession of, but prohibits sale or transfer of, a grandfathered LCAFD. Newly manufactured LCAFDs must display serial number identification. Newly manufactured SAWs and LCAFDs must display the date of manufacture. The bill also allows a state or local government to use Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program funds to compensate individuals who surrender a SAW or LCAFD under a buy-back program.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2025
Equality Act This bill prohibits discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity with respect to businesses, employment, housing, federally funded programs, and other settings. Specifically, the bill expands Title II and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit public accommodations and federally funded programs, respectively, from discriminating based on sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity. It also includes stores, transit services, recreational facilities, and establishments that provide health care, accounting, or legal services as public accommodations under Title II. The bill also expands Title IV (desegregation of public schools) and Title VII (employment discrimination) to specifically include sexual orientation and gender identity. (The Supreme Court held in Bostock v. Clayton County that Title VII's prohibition of employment discrimination based on sex also prohibits employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.) The bill similarly expands the Fair Housing Act (discrimination in public and private housing) to include sexual orientation and gender identity. It also prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity by creditors and with respect to jury selection. The bill defines sex for purposes of the aforementioned provisions to include sex stereotypes, pregnancy, childbirth, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2025
Medicare for All Act This bill establishes a national health insurance program that is administered by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Among other requirements, the program must (1) cover all U.S. residents; (2) provide for automatic enrollment of individuals upon birth or residency in the United States; and (3) cover items and services that are medically necessary or appropriate to maintain health or to diagnose, treat, or rehabilitate a health condition, including hospital services, prescription drugs, mental health and substance abuse treatment, dental and vision services, long-term care, gender affirming care, and reproductive care, including contraception and abortions. The bill prohibits cost-sharing (e.g., deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments) and other charges for covered services. Additionally, private health insurers and employers may only offer coverage that is supplemental to, and not duplicative of, benefits provided under the program. Health insurance exchanges and specified federal health programs terminate upon program implementation. However, the program does not affect coverage provided through the Department of Veterans Affairs or the Indian Health Service. The bill also establishes a series of implementing provisions relating to (1) health care provider participation; (2) HHS administration; and (3) payments and costs, including the requirement that HHS negotiate prices for prescription drugs. Individuals who are age 18 or younger, age 55 or older, or already enrolled in Medicare may enroll in the program starting one year after enactment of this bill; other individuals may buy into the program at this time. The program must be fully implemented two years after enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2025
Guarding Unprotected Aging Retirees from Deception Act of 2026 or the GUARD Act of 2026 This bill allows state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies and grantees that receive funds from certain law enforcement grant programs to use the funds to investigate general financial fraud, elder financial fraud, and pig butchering. Pig butchering refers to a confidence and investment fraud in which a victim is gradually lured into transferring increasing amounts of money, generally in the form of cryptocurrency, into a fake virtual investment. The bill allows federal law enforcement agencies to assist state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies and fusion centers in the use of tracing tools for blockchain and related technology tools. Finally, the bill requires the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) to report on efforts to combat general financial fraud, elder financial fraud, pig butchering, and scams, including an evaluation of any legislative recommendations to improve the efforts. The bill also requires FinCEN to report on the state of general financial fraud, elder financial fraud, pig butchering, and scams in the United States, including trends in the crimes.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2025
Working for Immigrant Safety and Empowerment Act or the WISE Act This bill expands eligibility for U nonimmigrant visas (victims of criminal activity) and prohibits immigration enforcement activities in specified areas. Generally, U visas are for victims of specified crimes (e.g., rape, trafficking, or domestic violence) who assist with the investigation or prosecution of the crime. The bill adds hate crimes, child abuse, and elder abuse as crimes that may qualify a victim for a U visa and removes criteria related to the victim's assistance with the investigation or prosecution of the crime. Furthermore, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) must provide work authorization to U visa applicants, whereas currently DHS may grant work authorization but is not required to do so. The bill also eliminates the annual numerical cap on U visas. The bill establishes a rebuttable presumption that certain individuals, including U visa applicants and T visa (victims of human trafficking) applicants, shall not be detained while the application is pending. Additionally, the bill provides immigration-related protections, such as by extending the admission period and providing work authorization, to the spouse or child of a nonimmigrant visa holder who subjected that spouse or child to battery or extreme cruelty. Further, the bill prohibits, with some exceptions for exigent circumstances, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or U.S. Customs and Border Protection from conducting immigration enforcement actions within 1,000 feet of a school, health care facility, place of worship, or other location specified in the bill.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2025
Child Care Nutrition Enhancement Act of 2025 This bill increases and modifies reimbursements for meals and snacks served under the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). CACFP is a Food and Nutrition Service program that provides federal reimbursements for meals and snacks provided to eligible children and adults who are enrolled at participating child care centers, day care homes (i.e., private homes that provide nonresidential child care services), and adult day care centers. Specifically, the bill eliminates the two-tiered system for CACFP reimbursement rates for day care homes and generally makes all day care homes eligible for the same reimbursement rates. Under current law, day care homes located in a low-income area or with a low-income provider receive higher reimbursement rates (i.e., Tier I rates). Day care homes that do not qualify for Tier I rates receive Tier II rates, which are lower. Further, the bill provides an additional 10-cent reimbursement for each eligible meal and snack served in the CACFP. The bill also allows the provider of a family or group day care home to serve reimbursable meals and snacks to their own children when serving meals and snacks to children in their care. Specifically, the bill eliminates the current requirement that the child of a day care home provider meet the program's income eligibility requirement in order for the day care provider to receive reimbursement for the meals and snacks served to their child.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2025
Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2025 This bill revises and reauthorizes for seven years the Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative and its Northwest Straits Advisory Commission. The initiative and the commission work to protect and restore marine waters, habitats, and species of the Northwest Straits region (i.e., the waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and of Puget Sound from the Canadian border to the south end of Snohomish County in Washington state). Among other duties, the commission must provide resources and technical support for marine resources committees, develop scientifically sound restoration and protection recommendations, and serve as a public forum for informal policy discussions about the marine ecosystem of the Northwest Straits region.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2025
Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2025 This bill expands federal enforcement of criminal offenses related to organized retail and supply chain crime. The term organized retail and supply chain crime includes criminal offenses involving the interstate transportation of stolen property, the sale or receipt of stolen goods, or theft from an interstate or foreign shipment that is committed by, in coordination with, or at the instruction of an organization. First, with respect to criminal offenses involving the interstate transportation of stolen property or the sale or receipt of stolen goods, the bill broadens the scope of conduct that qualifies as offenses by allowing prosecutions to be based on the aggregate value of stolen items over a 12-month period. Additionally, the bill makes the offenses predicate offenses (i.e., underlying offenses) for prosecutions under the federal money laundering statute and authorizes the criminal forfeiture of any property obtained from the proceeds of an offense. Second, with respect to criminal offenses involving theft from an interstate or foreign shipment, the bill also makes an offense an underlying offense for prosecution under the federal money laundering statute and authorizes the criminal forfeiture of any associated property. Third, the bill expands the federal money laundering statute to include offenses involving general-use prepaid cards, gift certificates, or store gift cards. Finally, the bill temporarily establishes a center within the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate federal law enforcement activities related to organized retail and supply chain crime.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2025
Supplemental Oxygen Access Reform Act of 2025 or the SOAR Act of 2025 This bill establishes certain requirements with respect to the payment and provision of supplemental oxygen and related services under Medicare. For example, the bill provides for separate payments, indexed to inflation, of oxygen and related equipment, supplies, and services under Medicare (rather than under the competitive acquisition program). It also specifically covers services that are provided by respiratory therapists under Medicare and provides for an additional payment adjustment for these services. Additionally, the bill (1) requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to develop an electronic template for providers to use when prescribing oxygen and related equipment, supplies, and services; and (2) establishes certain rights for beneficiaries receiving these items and services, such as the right to choose their suppliers and to receive clear communications and be informed about the services provided.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2025
Closing the Bump Stock Loophole Act of 2025 This bill generally prohibits the import, sale, manufacture, transfer, receipt, or possession of a device that is primarily designed, or redesigned, to increase the rate of fire when attached to a semiautomatic firearm; a device, part, or combination of parts that is designed and functions to increase the rate of fire of a firearm; or a semiautomatic firearm that has been modified to materially increase the rate of fire or to approximate the action or rate of fire of a machine gun. Additionally, the bill adds to the list of firearms subject to regulation under the National Firearms Act semiautomatic firearms that have been modified to materially increase the rate of fire or approximate the action or rate of fire of a machine gun.
![Official portrait of Rep. Smith, Adam [D-WA-9]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/116_rp_wa_9_smith_adam_200.jpg)