United States · United States Congress · 4 December 2025
New Opportunities for Business Ownership and Self-Sufficiency Act This bill increases the percentage of individuals who may participate in a Self-Employment Assistance (SEA) program, generally expands eligibility for such programs, and modifies certain SEA program requirements. As background, an SEA program provides an individual with an SEA allowance, rather than regular unemployment compensation benefits, if such individual is (1) eligible for unemployment compensation benefits and identified as likely to exhaust such benefits, (2) participating in self-employment assistance activities which include entrepreneurial training, business counseling, and technical assistance and are approved by the state, and (3) working full-time on establishing a business and becoming self-employed. Under current law, the number of individuals participating in an SEA program may not exceed 5% of the individuals receiving regular unemployment compensation benefits in the state. The bill increases the percentage of individuals who may participate in a state SEA program to 10%, eliminates the requirement that an individual be determined likely to exhaust unemployment compensation benefits (generally expanding individual eligibility for an SEA program), and requires individuals to certify (at least weekly) that they are working full-time on establishing a business and becoming self-employed. Finally, the bill allows individuals to meet the requirement to participate in state-approved self-employment assistance activities if such activities either (1) include entrepreneurial training, business counseling, and technical assistance (permitted under current law); or (2) are performed pursuant to a state-approved business plan and market feasibility study.
United States · United States Congress · 2 December 2025
Pregnant Students' Rights Act This bill requires each institution of higher education (IHE) that participates in federal student aid programs to provide certain information to prospective and enrolled students on the rights and resources for pregnant students to carry a baby to term or students who may become pregnant while enrolled at the IHE to carry a baby to term. In particular, this required information must include a list of community and on-campus resources that exist to help a pregnant student in carrying the baby to term and caring for the baby after birth, information about the accommodations available to help a pregnant student carry the baby to term and parent the baby after birth, and information on how to file a discrimination complaint related to the student's determination to carry a baby to term.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2025
Fertilizer Research Act of 2025 This bill directs the Department of Agriculture to publish on the department's website a report on the U.S. fertilizer industry. Among other things, the report must include a description of the impacts on the fertilizer industry that influence the prices that agricultural producers receive for their products; a description of the size and value of the U.S. fertilizer market over the previous 25 years; a description of the importation of fertilizer into the United States and the impacts that antidumping and countervailing duties have on retail fertilizer prices; a study of market concentration of the U.S. fertilizer industry; an assessment of the regulatory environment governing fertilizer production, distribution, and usage; and a description of the extent to which current public price reporting of fertilizer is transparent for market participants and recommendations on whether further reporting is needed.
United States · United States Congress · 31 October 2025
Firearm Access During Shutdowns Act This bill requires various federal agencies to continue certain operations, functions, and services related to firearms during a government shutdown. The bill applies to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Instant Criminal Background Check System, including the processing of background checks in support of the operations of the Directorate of Enforcement Programs and Services of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); the ATF's Directorate of Enforcement Programs and Services; the activities of the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security relating to firearms and firearm-related products, including activities related to processing of applications for export licenses; and the activities of the Department of State's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls relating to firearms and firearm-related products, including activities related to processing of applications for export licenses. Under the bill, (1) these operations, functions, and services are deemed to relate to an emergency involving the safety of human life or the protection of property; and (2) employees carrying out the operations, functions, and services are deemed to be excepted employees. (Under an exception in the Antideficiency Act, an employee whose duties involve the safety of human life or the protection of property may be required to work during a government shutdown. Employees who are required to work during a government shutdown because they fall under this or other exceptions are known as excepted employees.)
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2025
Pay Our Troops Act of 2026 This bill provides continuing appropriations for military pay for any period during which interim or full-year appropriations for FY2026 are not in effect (i.e., a government shutdown). Specifically, the bill provides FY2026 continuing appropriations for the pay and allowances of (1) members of the Armed Forces, including reserve components, who perform active service during the period; and (2) civilian personnel and contractors of the Department of Defense (and the Department of Homeland Security in the case of the Coast Guard) who are providing support to such members of the Armed Forces. If a government shutdown occurs, the bill provides the continuing appropriations until the earlier of (1) the enactment into law of specified appropriations legislation, or (2) January 1, 2027.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2025
This resolution (1) condemns the assassination of Charles "Charlie" James Kirk and all forms of political violence; and (2) honors the life, leadership, and legacy of Charlie Kirk.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2025
Pay Our Border Patrol and Customs Agents Act This bill provides FY2026 appropriations for the salaries and expenses of certain U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) employees who are required to work during a lapse in appropriations (i.e., government shutdown) in FY2026. Specifically, the bill provides appropriations to CBP for the salaries and expenses of agents of the U.S. Border Patrol and officers of the Office of Field Operations who are excepted from furlough (i.e., required to work) during a lapse in discretionary appropriations in FY2026.
United States · United States Congress · 3 September 2025
CRP Improvement and Flexibility Act of 2025 This bill increases federal assistance and incentives for eligible participants and entities in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) of the Farm Service Agency. CRP is a land conservation program that provides an annual rental payment to farmers in exchange for farmers removing environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and planting species that will improve environmental health and quality. The bill increases the CRP annual rental payment limitation from $50,000 to $125,000. The bill also permanently establishes a continuous enrollment procedure for land that will be enrolled under the State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement Initiative. Additionally, the bill provides federal cost sharing payments for the establishment of grazing infrastructure on all CRP contracts and practices, if grazing is included in the conservation plan and addresses a resource concern. It also provides federal cost sharing payments under CRP for management activities to implement the conservation plan that are not related to haying or grazing. Further, the bill allows emergency haying on CRP land during the primary nesting season in response to drought, flooding, wildfire, or other emergencies if certain conditions are met. It also modifies the conditions under which haying and grazing may be permitted on CRP land.
United States · United States Congress · 26 August 2025
Middle Mile for Rural America Act This bill reauthorizes through FY2031 a Department of Agriculture program to support middle mile broadband infrastructure in rural areas. Under the program, m iddle mile infrastructure is broadband infrastructure that does not connect directly to end users (including anchor institutions) and may include interoffice transport, backhaul, internet connectivity, data centers, or special access transport to rural areas. The program provides grants, loans, and loan guarantees for middle mile projects in rural areas. It was established in 2018 but has not been funded.
United States · United States Congress · 15 August 2025
Digital Evaluation for Tax Enforcement and Compliance Tracking Act of 2025 or the DETECT Act of 2025 This bill directs the Government Accountability Office to submit a report to Congress within 180 days from the date of enactment on the potential of artificial intelligence to assist the Internal Revenue Service in detecting tax fraud.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2025
Biochar Research Network Act of 2025 This bill directs the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) to establish a biochar research network of not more than 20 research sites or facilities to test the impact of biochar across various soil types, application methods, and climates to learn more about its potential to benefit agriculture, forestry, and the environment. Eligible entities for the research network include (1) state agriculture and forestry experiment stations; and (2) research facilities of the ARS, the Forest Service, and the Departments of Energy, Commerce, and the Interior. Biochar is created by heating biomass (e.g., wood, grass, and manure) in a low-oxygen environment and can be applied to soil to sequester carbon and improve soil health.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2025
Fixing Emergency Management for Americans Act of 2025 or the FEMA Act of 2025 This bill reestablishes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) (currently within the Department of Homeland Security) as an independent, cabinet-level agency. It also makes broad changes to FEMA’s disaster and hazard mitigation assistance programs. The bill generally transfers FEMA’s current functions and authorities to the independent FEMA, except for certain security-related programs. The bill makes various changes to the Public Assistance program, including by establishing new grants for expedited funding to repair or replace disaster-damaged facilities, establishing block grants that recipients may choose instead of Public Assistance for smaller disasters, expediting and expanding uses of funding for emergency response and debris removal, and allowing use of excess administrative funds for increasing recipients’ disaster management capacity. The bill makes various changes to the Individual Assistance program, including by expanding eligibility for housing assistance, expanding mitigation and direct (non-financial) assistance for residences, reducing certain restrictions on funds duplicating program benefits, and establishing a unified disaster application system. The bill makes various changes to FEMA’s mitigation programs, including by establishing mitigation plans with preapproved projects, authorizing an entire Hazard Mitigation Grant Program grant to be provided before costs are incurred, changing pre-disaster mitigation assistance to noncompetitive formula grants, and allowing recipients to combine mitigation project funds from multiple federal programs. Additionally, federal entities must publish various information relating to disaster assistance and conduct various studies on related topics (e.g., preliminary damage assessments, fast-moving disasters, and government emergency alerting systems).
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2025
This bill designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1019 Avenue H in Fort Madison, Iowa, as the "Martin L. Graber Post Office".
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2025
Farmers First Act of 2025 This bill extends through FY2030 and revises the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN). This Department of Agriculture program provides competitive grants to states, Indian tribes, and qualified nonprofit organizations to provide stress assistance programs (i.e., professional agricultural behavioral health counseling, helplines, and resources) to individuals engaged in farming, ranching, and agriculture-related occupations. The bill specifies that the grant funding for farm telephone helplines and websites may also be used for crisis lines. Further, FRSAN grant recipients may establish referral relationships with providers, including Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, health centers, rural health clinics, and critical access hospitals.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2025
Livestock Indemnity Program Improvement Act of 2025 This bill requires the Farm Service Agency (FSA) to update the market value for livestock on a quarterly basis for the purposes of determining Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) payment rates. The FSA must determine the market value in coordination with the Agricultural Marketing Service and use other appropriate resources. As background, LIP is an FSA program that provides indemnity payments to eligible livestock owners and contract growers for livestock deaths in excess of normal mortality or reduced sales prices due to specified events (e.g., adverse weather, disease, or animal attack). In general, the rate of payment is 75% of the market value of the affected livestock.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2025
This resolution condemns the June 1, 2025, targeted act of terror in Boulder, Colorado, as an act of ideologically motivated violence and reaffirms the House of Representatives' commitment to protecting the rights of all Americans to assemble peacefully and practice their faith without fear of violence.
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 · 13 May 2025
Healthy Dog Importation Act This bill expands Department of Agriculture (USDA) requirements for the importation of live dogs. Prior to a dog's arrival into the United States, USDA must receive electronic documentation about the dog's health. The documentation must demonstrate that the dog (1) is in good health; (2) has received all necessary vaccinations and parasite treatments and demonstrated negative test results as evidenced by a certificate from a licensed veterinarian; and (3) is officially identified by a permanent method approved by USDA. Additionally, a dog entering the United States for transfer (e.g., for sale, adoption, exchange, or donation) must be at least six months old and accompanied by a USDA permit. USDA must promulgate regulations to, among other things, deny entry of any dog in violation of the new requirements, require USDA to maintain a centralized database of imported dogs, and establish fees for verifying required documentation and issuing transfer permits. USDA must provide an exception to any requirements under the bill for dogs that are transferred as a personal pet of U.S. origin returning to the United States; as a U.S. military working dog; for research purposes; for veterinary treatment under certain conditions, including appropriate quarantining; or for lawful importation into the state of Hawaii (from the British Isles, Australia, Guam, or New Zealand) if the dog is less than six months old and is not transported out of Hawaii for transfer at less than six months old. USDA also has enforcement authority under the bill.
![Official portrait of Rep. Feenstra, Randy [R-IA-4]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/f000446_200.jpg)