United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2025
Seniors’ Access to Critical Medications Act of 2025 This bill temporarily expands flexibilities under the Stark law (i.e., the Physician Self-Referral Law) for certain physicians who dispense covered outpatient drugs under the Medicare prescription drug benefit at the physician's office location (e.g., through an integrated pharmacy). The Stark law generally prohibits physicians from referring patients to receive services that are payable under Medicare or Medicaid from entities in which the physician or an immediate family member has a financial relationship. Specifically, the bill allows, from 2026-2030, physicians to dispense such drugs from the physician's office, including through in-person pickup by a caregiver or via mail, if (1) the physician prescribed the drug, (2) the beneficiary has an ongoing relationship with the physician, (3) the beneficiary had at least one face-to-face visit with the physician in the prior year, and (4) the physician bills for the drug. These requirements also apply to physicians within the same group practice. The Government Accountability Office must report on pharmacies or pharmacy networks that dispense significantly more covered drugs under the Medicare prescription drug benefit after the bill's enactment, the extent to which such pharmacies and networks are owned by physicians or integrated into physician practices, and the common characteristics of these types of arrangements.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2025
Alleviating Barriers for Caregivers Act or the ABC Act This bill requires federal agencies to review and modify the administrative processes related to Medicare, Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and Social Security programs in order to streamline these processes for family caregivers. Specifically, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) must review processes related to eligibility determinations, applications, forms, and communications for these programs and identify ways to simplify and streamline these processes for family caregivers (e.g., reducing the need for family caregivers to submit the same information for multiple programs). The CMS and SSA must solicit input from family caregivers and state and regional organizations, implement any identified improvements, and report on these efforts to Congress. In addition, the CMS must issue a letter to state Medicaid and CHIP programs that encourages states to conduct a similar review and that provides potential improvements.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2025
Guidance Clarity Act of 2025 This bill requires federal agencies to state on the first page of guidance documents that such guidance (1) does not have the force and effect of law, and (2) is intended only to provide clarity to the public about existing legal requirements or agency policies.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2025
This joint resolution provides that the Equal Rights Amendment, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, was ratified by three-fourths of the states and is therefore a valid constitutional amendment, regardless of any time limit that was in the original proposal. The Equal Rights Amendment was originally proposed to the states in 1972. The original proposal included a deadline for ratification of March 22, 1979; Congress subsequently extended the deadline to June 30, 1982. Although the requisite 38 states have ratified the amendment, three of these states did so after the deadlines, and five states subsequently rescinded their ratifications. The status of the amendment has been the subject of litigation.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2025
Innovative Feed Enhancement and Economic Development Act of 2025 or the Innovative FEED Act of 2025 This bill provides for the regulation of zootechnical animal food substances as food additives. The bill defines zootechnical animal food substance as a substance that is added to the food or drinking water of animals and that affects only the animal's gastrointestinal tract, with the intended purpose of affecting the byproducts of the animal's digestion, reducing foodborne pathogens, or altering the animal's gastrointestinal biome. The definition does not include substances that are used to treat or prevent diseases in animals, hormones, or active ingredients of animal drugs. Labels for zootechnical animal food substances must include a disclaimer that the substance may not be used to treat or prevent diseases in animals.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2025
Protecting Access to Ground Ambulance Medical Services Act of 2025 This bill extends the specialized rate increase for Medicare payment of ground ambulance services in rural areas for an additional three years (until January 1, 2028).
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2025
Social Security Overpayment Relief Act This bill prohibits the Social Security Administration from collecting overpayments made in error to Social Security or Supplemental Security Income recipients 10 or more years prior to the discovery of the error by the administration. This prohibition extends to the collection of funds directly from overpaid recipients and to the adjustment of future payments to those recipients.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2025
Safe Routes Act of 2025 This bill directs the Department of Transportation to waive vehicle weight limits for covered logging vehicles, thus allowing logging vehicles to travel on interstate highways in certain circumstances. The term covered logging vehicle means a vehicle that (1) is transporting raw or unfinished forest products, including logs, pulpwood, biomass, or wood chips; (2) is traveling a distance not greater than 150 air miles on interstate highways from origin to a storage or processing facility; and (3) meets state legal weight tolerances and vehicle configurations for transporting raw or unfinished forest products within the state boundaries in which the vehicle is operating.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2025
Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act This bill expedites payment of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits and eligibility for Medicare coverage for those with metastatic breast cancer (i.e., breast cancer that has spread to other sites in the body). Specifically, the bill eliminates the 5-month waiting period for SSDI benefits and the subsequent 24-month waiting period for Medicare coverage for individuals with metastatic breast cancer. Under current law, individuals generally must wait 5 months after the onset of disability to begin receiving SSDI benefits and an additional 24 months to become eligible for Medicare.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2025
25th Anniversary of 9/11 Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue coins to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States and the establishment of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center. The sale of all coins issued under this bill must include a surcharge to be paid to the National September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center to support operations and maintenance. However, if the issuance of this commemorative coin exceeds certain annual limits, no surcharge may be included.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2025
BAH Restoration Act This bill increases the monthly amount of the basic housing allowance for members of the uniformed services inside the United States. Specifically, the monthly amount of allowance for a member must be the amount of the monthly cost of adequate housing in the area, as determined by the Department of Defense, for members of the uniformed services serving in the same pay grade and same dependency status as the member. (Currently, the allowance is based on the difference between this amount and a percentage of the national average monthly cost of housing for members with the same pay grade and dependency status.)
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2025
John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2025 This bill establishes new criteria for determining which states and political subdivisions must obtain preclearance before changes to voting practices may take effect. Preclearance is the process of receiving preapproval from the Department of Justice (DOJ) or the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before making legal changes that would affect voting rights. A state and all of its political subdivisions shall be subject to preclearance of voting practice changes for a 10-year period if, during the previous 25 years: 15 or more voting rights violations occurred in the state; 10 or more violations occurred, at least 1 of which was committed by the state itself; or 3 or more violations occurred and the state administers the elections. A political subdivision as a separate unit shall also be subject to preclearance for a 10-year period if three or more voting rights violations occurred there during the previous 25 years. States and political subdivisions that meet certain thresholds regarding minority groups must preclear covered practices before implementation, such as redistricting. States and political subdivisions must notify the public of changes to voting practices. The bill authorizes DOJ to require states or political subdivisions to provide certain documents or answers to questions for enforcing voting rights. The bill outlines factors courts must consider when hearing challenges to voting practices, such as the extent of any history of official voting discrimination in the state or political subdivision.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2025
Safe Schools Improvement Act This bill requires states to direct their local educational agencies (LEAs) to establish policies that prevent and prohibit bullying and harassment of elementary and secondary school students. In particular, these policies must prohibit bullying and harassment based on race, color, national origin, disability, religion, or sex. Sex includes sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics (including intersex traits). Further, LEAs must provide (1) students, parents, and educational professionals with annual notice of the conduct prohibited in their disciplinary policies; (2) students and parents with grievance procedures that target such conduct; and (3) the public with annual data on the incidence and frequency of that conduct at the school and LEA level. The Department of Education must conduct and report on an independent biennial evaluation of programs and policies to combat bullying and harassment in elementary and secondary schools. The National Center for Education Statistics must collect state data to determine the incidence and frequency of the conduct prohibited by LEA disciplinary policies.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2025
Federal Firearms Licensee Protection Act of 2025 This bill modifies criminal penalties for an offense involving the theft of a firearm from a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer, or from their business premises. Specifically, the bill does the following: increases from 10 to 20 years the maximum prison term, and creates a 3- or 5-year mandatory minimum prison term for an offense that occurs during the commission of a burglary or robbery. An attempt to commit an offense is subject to the same penalties as a substantive offense.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2025
Governing Unaccredited Representatives Defrauding VA Benefits Act or the GUARD VA Benefits Act This bill imposes fines on individuals for soliciting, contracting for, charging, or receiving any unauthorized fee or compensation with respect to the preparation, presentation, or prosecution of any claim for Department of Veterans Affairs benefits. The attempted commission of such offenses is also punishable by fine.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2025
Eliminating the Marriage Penalty in SSI Act or the EMPSA Act This bill excludes a spouse's income and resources when determining eligibility for Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and disregards marital status when calculating the SSI benefit amount, for an adult who has a diagnosed intellectual or developmental disability. (SSI is a federal income supplement program designed to help aged, blind, and disabled individuals with limited income and resources meet basic needs.)
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2025
Rural Veterans Transportation to Care Act This bill expands and makes permanent the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) grant program that provides transportation options to veterans for medical purposes. First, the bill expands the program to cover transportation for veterans in rural areas, in addition to veterans in highly rural areas (who are already eligible under the program). The bill also authorizes the VA to award such grants to county veterans service organizations and tribal organizations to assist veterans with transportation for medical care. Further, the bill increases the maximum grant amount to $60,000. However, if a grant recipient is required to purchase a vehicle to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, such grant amount may be increased to not more than $80,000. Finally, the bill defines rural and highly rural in the same manner as the terms are given under the Rural-Urban Commuting Areas (RUCA) coding system of the Department of Agriculture. RUCA uses population density and commuting patterns to assign designations.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2025
Hospice Recertification Flexibility Act This bill extends until December 31, 2027, the ability of physicians and nurse practitioners to fulfill certain requirements for hospice care recertification under Medicare via telehealth. Specifically, physicians and nurse practitioners may continue to fulfill the requirement of a face-to-face encounter with the hospice patient via telehealth. Such telehealth encounters must be identified with a specialized claims modifier for purposes of billing. The bill's authorization does not apply (1) in areas in which there has been a moratorium for at least six months on the enrollment of new hospice programs under Medicare, Medicaid, or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) due to fraud, waste, or abuse; (2) to providers who are subject to enhanced oversight under Medicare, Medicaid, or CHIP; and (3) to practitioners who are not enrolled as Medicare providers and who have private contracts with Medicare patients that do not meet applicable opt-out requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2025
Dismantling Investments in Violation of Ethical Standards through Trusts Act This bill prohibits a senior federal employee or an employee's spouse or dependent children from holding, purchasing, or selling certain financial instruments during the employee's term of service. (A senior federal employee is defined as any individual occupying a Senior Executive Service position.) Financial instruments covered by this prohibition include any investments in securities, security futures, commodities, or comparable economic interests acquired through synthetic means such as the use of derivatives. The prohibition does not apply to such instruments if they are held in a qualified blind trust or fall below certain value thresholds. Additionally, the prohibition does not apply to diversified mutual funds, diversified exchange-traded funds, specified Treasury debt securities, or compensation from the primary occupation of a spouse or child. The bill provides a 180-day window for individuals affected by the bill to sell any prohibited financial instruments. Any profit made in violation of the prohibition must be disgorged (given) to the Treasury and may subject the individual to a civil fine assessed by the supervising ethics office. A loss from a transaction or holding conducted in violation of this bill may not be deducted from the amount of income tax owed by the applicable senior federal employee, spouse, or dependent child. The bill requires each senior federal employee to annually certify compliance, including the compliance of the employee's spouse and dependent children. The Government Accountability Office must conduct a compliance audit.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2025
Leveling the Playing Field 2.0 Act This bill addresses unfair trade practices by making various changes to U.S. antidumping and countervailing duty laws. Antidumping laws provide relief to U.S industries and workers that are materially injured or threatened with injury due to imports of like products sold in the U.S. market at less than fair value, while countervailing duty laws provide such relief from imports of products subsidized by a foreign government or public entity. Specifically, the bill establishes a process for successive antidumping and countervailing duty investigations. Successive investigations may be concurrent (an ongoing investigation of the same product) or recently completed (not more than two years before the date of the initiation of the successive investigation). Further, the bill establishes a timeline for the Department of Commerce to issue determinations in successive investigations. Among other provisions, the bill authorizes Commerce to apply countervailing duty law to subsidies provided by a foreign government or public entity to a company operating in a different country, use another method for calculating the cost of production in specific circumstances, and require importers to certify that the imported merchandise is not subject to an antidumping or countervailing duty order. Additionally, the bill statutorily establishes procedures for Commerce to conduct circumvention inquiries, including by specifying the deadlines for preliminary and final determinations. The bill also provides statutory authority for Commerce to investigate currency undervaluation as a countervailable subsidy.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2025
Protecting America’s Seniors’ Access to Care Act This bill prohibits administration, implementation, or enforcement of the rule titled Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Minimum Staffing Standards for Long-Term Care Facilities and Medicaid Institutional Payment Transparency Reporting , which was issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on May 10, 2024. Specifically, the bill prohibits administration, implementation, or enforcement of provisions that, among other changes, (1) establish minimum staffing standards for nurses in Medicare and Medicaid long-term care facilities, including requiring a nurse to be onsite 24/7 and requiring a minimum of 3.48 total nurse staffing hours per resident per day; and (2) require state Medicaid programs to report on payments to direct care workers and support staff of nursing facilities and intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2025
Driver Reimbursement Increase for Veteran Equity Act of 2025 or the DRIVE Act of 2025 This bill increases the mileage reimbursement rate available to beneficiaries for travel to or from Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities in connection with vocational rehabilitation, required counseling, or for the purpose of examination, treatment, or care. Specifically, the bill makes the reimbursement rate for such travel equal to or greater than the mileage reimbursement rate for government employees using private vehicles when no government vehicle is available. The bill also requires the VA to ensure that an allowance based on mileage is paid not later than 90 days after the request is properly submitted to the VA.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2025
Family Income Supplemental Credit Act or the FISC Act This bill replaces the federal child tax credit with monthly payments provided by the Social Security Administration (SSA) to qualified pregnant women and caregivers of eligible children. Specifically, the bill provides a monthly payment of $800 to a qualified pregnant woman, $400 to a qualified caregiver for each eligible child who is under six years old, and $250 to a qualified caregiver for each eligible child who is at least six years old. The monthly payment increases by 20% if the individual is a married pregnant woman or married to a qualified caregiver of an eligible child. Under the bill, the monthly payment begins to phase out for individuals with an adjusted gross income exceeding $125,000 ($250,000 for joint filers) for the most recently ended tax year. (Other limitations apply.) The bill defines an eligible child as an individual who is under 18 years old; is a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or permanent resident alien; and does not provide more than half of their own financial support during the tax year. Further, a qualified caregiver must be at least 18 years old, reside with the child, and economically support the child. The bill also provides funding for the monthly payments and establishes the Bureau of Family Statistics within the SSA to provide certain information. Finally, the bill requires the SSA to issue regulations, establish a system to report marital or caregiver status changes, and report to Congress annually on the payments.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2025
This concurrent resolution declares that Congress should not impose any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge relating to the public performance of sound recordings on a local radio station for broadcasting sound recordings over the air, or on any business for such public performance of sound recordings.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2025
More Homes on the Market Act This bill increases the amount of gain from the sale of a principal residence that an individual may exclude from gross income (for federal tax purposes). Under the bill, an individual may exclude from gross income gain from the sale of a principal residence of up to $500,000 (currently $250,000), and taxpayers who are married and file a joint federal income tax return may exclude up to $1 million (currently $500.000). The bill also requires these amounts to be adjusted annually for inflation.
![Official portrait of Rep. Golden, Jared F. [D-ME-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/g000592_200.jpg)