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 · 13 May 2025
Equal Opportunity for All Investors Act of 2025 This bill expands who may be considered an accredited investor for purposes of participating in private offerings of securities. (Certain unregistered securities may only be offered to accredited investors.) Specifically, the bill allows an individual to qualify through an examination established by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The examination must be designed with an appropriate difficulty level such that an individual with financial sophistication or training would be unlikely to fail, include methods to determine competency and knowledge in certain areas such as the disclosure requirements of different securities, and be administered by a registered national securities association and offered free of charge to the public. Currently, accredited investors must satisfy certain requirements indicating their reduced exposure to financial risk, including those related to income, net worth, or knowledge and experience.
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 · 28 April 2025
Protecting America's Workers Act This bill expands the coverage of requirements governing workplace safety and health to include protection for federal, state, and local government employees. However, the bill does not cover working conditions otherwise covered by federal requirements for mine safety and health. The bill revises requirements governing worker protection, including by expanding protections for whistle-blowers, such as protections for employees who refuse to perform work because they reasonably believe the work would result in serious injury or illness and for employees who aid inspections; directing employers to furnish a hazard-free place of employment to all individuals performing work, not just employees; directing employers to report work-related deaths or certain injuries, illnesses, or hospitalizations; establishing rights for victims, or representatives of victims, with respect to inspections or investigations of work-related bodily injuries or deaths; and setting the permitted period for employers to correct serious, willful, or repeated violations while citations for the violations are being contested. The bill also revises enforcement and oversight of workplace safety, including by increasing civil and criminal penalties for certain violations, requiring the Department of Labor to investigate fatalities or significant incidents in the workplace, expanding enforcement requirements relating to state occupational safety and health plans, expanding requirements for workplace health hazard evaluations by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and requiring Labor to provide training programs concerning employee rights and employer responsibilities.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2025
Ukraine Support Act This bill addresses the war between Russia and Ukraine by (1) providing assistance to Ukraine and certain European countries, and (2) establishing penalties for Russia and certain foreign persons (individuals and entities). Assistance provided under the bill includes establishing a reconstruction trust fund for Ukraine, requiring the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation to prioritize support for Ukraine, reviving the President’s authority to lend or lease defense articles to Ukraine or Eastern European countries affected by the war through FY2028, extending through 2027 the Department of Defense’s authority to provide security assistance and intelligence support to Ukrainian forces, and requiring the Department of State to take certain actions to build the capacity of the militaries and border forces of Baltic countries. Additionally, the President must periodically determine if the Russian government or any proxy is waging a war of aggression against Ukraine, refusing to sincerely negotiate a peace agreement with Ukraine, or acting in violation of a negotiated peace agreement with Ukraine. If the President makes such a determination, the President must impose certain penalties including property- and visa-blocking sanctions on certain Russian officials; property-blocking sanctions on Russian companies in the oil and mining sectors, Rosatom (Russia's state-owned nuclear enterprise) and its subsidiaries, and certain Russian financial institutions; and increasing the rate of duty on all goods and services imported from Russia into the United States to at least 500% relative to the value of such goods and services.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2025
Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act This bill limits the circumstances in which credit reporting agencies may provide consumer credit reports to third parties in connection with residential mortgage transactions. Specifically, the bill prohibits a credit reporting agency from providing a consumer's credit report to a third party in connection with a residential mortgage transaction unless the transaction consists of a firm offer of credit or insurance and (1) the third party provides documentation certifying that it has the consumer's consent; or (2) the third party has originated a mortgage on behalf of the consumer, is a current mortgage loan servicer to the consumer, or has a current specified banking relationship with the consumer. These provisions take effect 180 days after the bill's enactment.
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 · 8 April 2025
Destruction of Hazardous Imports Act This bill expands the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) authority to require the destruction of certain items that are refused import into the United States and pose a risk to public health. Under current law, imported food, drugs, medical devices, tobacco products, and cosmetics are subject to FDA review. If an imported item is deficient in a specified manner (e.g., counterfeit, misbranded, or manufactured under insanitary conditions), the item is generally refused admission to the United States. An item refused admission may generally be exported, except that the FDA may destroy a drug, medical device, or tobacco product that is valued under $2,500 without the opportunity for export. Under the bill, the FDA may order the destruction, without the opportunity for export, of any food, drug, medical device, tobacco product, or cosmetic that is refused admission if the item presents a significant public health concern. If such an order is issued, the item’s owner or consignee must destroy it within 90 days at their own cost. The bill also prohibits the unauthorized movement (e.g., export) of an item subject to a destruction order. A violator is subject to a fine, a prison term of up to one year, or both. The FDA must promulgate regulations to carry out these provisions. These regulations must provide for due process for the owner or consignee of an item subject to a destruction order, including notice and an opportunity to appear before the item is destroyed.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2025
Freedom in School Cafeterias and Lunches Act or the FISCAL Act This bill revises requirements for milk provided by the National School Lunch Program of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to require that schools offer plant-based milk. Under current law, schools must provide a substitute for fluid milk for students whose disability restricts their diet (on receipt of a written statement from a licensed physician). Schools may also substitute a nondairy beverage for fluid milk for students who have an identified medical or other special dietary need (on receipt of a written statement from a medical authority or a student's parent or legal guardian). The bill eliminates the exceptions and documentation requirements. Instead, schools participating in the school lunch program must offer all students a plant-based milk option that is consistent with (1) the most recent U.S. Dietary Guidelines, or (2) USDA-established nutritional standards if the milk is not included under those guidelines.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2025
Protect America's Workforce Act This bill nullifies the Executive Order titled Exclusions from Federal Labor-Management Relations Programs (issued on March 27, 2025), which excludes specified executive agencies and subdivisions from the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute. The statute authorizes federal employees' participation in collective bargaining and enforces collective bargaining rights. The bill also specifies that a covered collective bargaining agreement in place as of March 26, 2025, shall have full force and effect through the stated term of the agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2025
Servicemembers and Veterans Empowerment and Support Act of 2025 This bill modifies and implements policies and procedures related to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care and benefits for veterans who have experienced military sexual trauma (MST), which is generally defined as physical assault of a sexual nature, battery of a sexual nature, or sexual harassment that occurred while the veteran was serving in the military. In the case of any veteran who claims that a covered mental health condition (e.g., post-traumatic stress disorder) based on MST was incurred or aggravated by active service, the VA must consider (1) a diagnosis of the condition by a mental health professional, (2) a medically proven link between current symptoms and MST, and (3) credible corroborating evidence that MST occurred. The VA may not deny a veteran's claim of compensation for a covered mental health condition based on MST without first (1) advising the veteran that nonmilitary evidence and behavioral evidence may constitute credible corroborating evidence, and (2) allowing the veteran an opportunity to furnish the corroborating evidence or advise the VA of potential sources of such evidence. The Veterans Benefits Administration must conduct an annual special focus review on the accuracy of the processing of claims for disability compensation for disabilities relating to MST. Additionally, the bill (1) expands eligibility for MST counseling and treatment to former members of the reserve components regardless of duty status, and (2) requires various outreach by the VA to inform potentially eligible individuals about MST care.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2025
Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025 This bill imposes penalties on certain persons (individuals and entities) if the President determines that the Russian government or a person acting at Russia's direction is involved with (1) refusing to negotiate a peace agreement with Ukraine; (2) violating a negotiated peace agreement; (3) initiating another invasion of Ukraine; or (4) overthrowing, dismantling, or seeking to subvert the Ukrainian government. If the President makes such a determination, the bill requires certain actions including the President must impose visa- and property-blocking sanctions on specified persons such as the Russian president, certain Russian military commanders, and any foreign person that knowingly provides defense items to the Russian armed forces; the President must increase the rate of duty on all goods and services imported from Russia into the United States to at least 500% relative to the value of such goods and services; the President must increase the rate of duty on all goods and services imported into the United States from countries that knowingly engage in the exchange of Russian-origin uranium and petroleum products to at least 500% relative to the value of such goods and services; the Department of the Treasury must impose property-blocking sanctions on any financial institution organized under Russian law and owned wholly or partly by Russia, and any financial institution that engages in transactions with those entities; and the Department of Commerce must prohibit the export, reexport, or in-country transfer to or in Russia of any U.S.-produced energy or energy product.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2025
Hunger-Free Future Act of 2025 This bill prohibits any reevaluation or update to the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) by the Department of Agriculture (USDA) that results in an increase in food insecurity (i.e., an increase in the number of households that lack adequate food as a result of having insufficient money and other resources to acquire food). As background, USDA created the TFP (the cost of purchasing a nutritionally adequate low-cost diet), which is used to determine maximum monthly benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). USDA calculates the cost of the TFP (i.e., the market basket of goods) each year to account for food price inflation. Under a provision of the 2018 farm bill, USDA must reevaluate the market basket of goods every five years based on current food prices, food composition data, consumption patterns, and dietary guidance.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2025
Financial Exploitation Prevention Act of 2025 This bill establishes procedures for delaying the redemption of certain securities if an investment company or agent believes that an older individual or an individual with certain impairments has been financially exploited. Specifically, the bill allows for the delay of the redemption of a security issued by an open-end investment management company and serviced by a transfer agent if the company or agent reasonably believes the redemption involves the financial exploitation of an individual (1) age 65 or older, or (2) age 18 or older who is unable to protect his or her own interests due to a mental or physical impairment. (Open-end investment management companies offer securities in pooled investment vehicles such as mutual funds. Transfer agents facilitate certain transactions for corporations and investment companies, including dividend distribution and change of securities ownership.) The company may initially delay the redemption for up to 15 days and, upon making a determination of exploitation, may delay the redemption an additional 10 days. A state regulator, appropriate administrative agency, or court may extend this period. In the event of delay, the company must hold the amounts related to the redemption in a demand deposit account. The bill also establishes notification requirements. The bill requires the registered open-end investment company and transfer agent to notify the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) if they elect to comply with the procedures established under this bill. Additionally, the SEC must make recommendations to address the financial exploitation of these adults.
![Official portrait of Rep. Fields, Cleo [D-LA-6]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/677426250b34857ecc90908f_200.jpg)