United States · United States Congress · 29 May 2025
Interactive Federal Review Act This bill revises the environmental review process for federal-aid highway projects to encourage the use of certain digital platforms and models. Specifically, the Department of Transportation (DOT) must encourage recipients of federal highway funding who are carrying out environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) to utilize (1) interactive, digital, cloud-based platforms; and (2) high fidelity, three-dimensional digital models of infrastructure project elements, such as digital twins. DOT must also select at least 10 federal-aid highway projects to demonstrate the use of these platforms and models in carrying out the environmental impact analysis and community engagement processes required under NEPA. Further, DOT must publish technology-neutral best practice guidance to encourage sponsors of projects that receive federal funds from DOT to use these platforms and models in carrying out the environmental impact analysis and community engagement processes required under NEPA.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2025
Second Chance Reauthorization Act of 2025 This bill reauthorizes through FY2030 various federal grants for state, local, and tribal governments, nonprofit organizations, and service providers to support individuals who reenter the community following a period of incarceration. Specifically, the bill reauthorizes the following: grants for adult and juvenile offender reentry demonstration projects; grants for family-based substance abuse treatment programs; grants to evaluate and improve educational methods at prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities; grants for career training education; the offender reentry substance abuse and criminal justice collaboration program; and grants to nonprofit organizations for community-based mentoring and transitional services.
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 · 19 May 2025
Delivering Digitally to Our Veterans Act of 2025 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide a way for individuals who are entitled to VA educational assistance to electronically send and receive correspondence with the VA related to such assistance. The VA must ensure individuals are provided an opportunity to opt in to electronic correspondence.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2025
VA Hospital Inventory Management System Authorization Act This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to purchase or develop and implement a cloud-based information technology system for the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to manage inventory. If the VA purchases or develops such a system, the VA must implement a pilot program at one VHA facility before implementing the system throughout the entire VA to determine whether the functions of the system are satisfactory.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2025
Medal of Sacrifice Act of 2025 This bill directs the President to issue a medal of sacrifice for eligible law enforcement officers and first responders who are killed in the line of duty. The bill also directs the President to establish a commission on the medal of sacrifice and appoint its members. The bill sets forth responsibilities of the commission, including to advise on the design of the medal and determine how the medal will be presented. Under the bill, eligible law enforcement officers and first responders include federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial law enforcement officers or first responders who are not subject to an official act of wrongdoing (e.g., a determination that the officer or first responder acted outside the scope of their duties or in a manner that was not in accordance with official policies or procedures). A law enforcement officer or first responder who is subject to an official act of wrongdoing is generally not eligible for the medal of sacrifice. However, in the case of such an officer or first responder, the bill requires the commission to investigate the circumstances surrounding the officer or first responder's cause of death and issue a final determination on their eligibility.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2025
Bipartisan American Homeownership Opportunity Act of 2025 This bill provides a new refundable tax credit for first-time homebuyers and a new tax credit to home builders for the construction of starter homes, both subject to limitations. First-time homebuyers may claim a tax credit equal to the amount of the down payment up to $50,000, subject to income limitations. The tax credit begins to phase out when a homebuyer’s income exceeds $300,000 for joint filers or surviving spouses, $225,000 for head of household filers, and $150,000 for single filers. The amounts are adjusted annually for inflation after 2025. The bill requires homebuyers to add the amount received as a tax credit to taxable income if, within five years from the purchase, the house is sold, leased, or is no longer used as the principal place of residence. (Some exceptions apply.) The bill also provides a tax credit for home builders of up to 15% of construction costs (materials and labor) incurred to build a home that is no larger than 1,200 square feet and is sold for an amount that does not exceed 80% of the median home prices for the area. The amount of the tax credit increases to 30% if the home is sold to a first-time home buyer. Finally, under the bill, each state receives an annual allocation for the tax credit for the construction of starter homes, for allocation by the state’s housing finance agency to builders (similar to the administration of the low-income housing tax credit).
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2025
Accelerating the Growth of Rural Innovation and Tourism Opportunities to Uphold Rural Industries and Sustainable Marketplaces Act or the AGRITOURISM Act This bill establishes an Office of Agritourism within the Department of Agriculture to encourage and promote agritourism activities and businesses in each state. Under the bill, agritourism activities and agritourism businesses include educational experiences, outdoor recreation, entertainment and special events, direct sales, and accommodations.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2025
This bill establishes a permanent Feral Swine Eradication and Control Program. Under the current feral swine pilot program, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) respond to the threat that feral swine pose to agriculture, native ecosystems, and human and animal health. Under the bill, NRCS and APHIS must continue the program. Among other things, this program (1) develops methods to eradicate or control feral swine or to restore damage caused by feral swine, and (2) may provide financial assistance to agricultural producers for these purposes. The bill directs NRCS and APHIS to contract with one or more land-grant colleges or universities to provide educational support and assistance with the control and eradication efforts under the program. The bill also provides funding for the program (through the Commodity Credit Corporation) through FY2030, with 40% of the funds allocated to NRCS and 60% to APHIS. Currently, the funds are evenly allocated between NRCS and APHIS.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2025
Strong Communities Act of 2025 This bill allows funds under the Community Oriented Policing Services grant program to be used to make competitive grants for local law enforcement agencies to provide training to officers and recruits who agree to serve in law enforcement agencies in their communities.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2025
Small Entity Update Act This bill requires the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to study approaches to reduce the impact of SEC rules on small businesses and other small entities, make appropriate recommendations, and revise applicable rules. Specifically, the bill requires the SEC to evaluate the current definition of small entity with respect to SEC rules. Under the bill, the SEC must provide specific and detailed recommendations to Congress on how the SEC can revise the definition of small entity to (1) align with specified statutory goals, including reducing unnecessary burdens on small entities; and (2) expand the number of entities covered. In addition, the SEC must adjust for inflation every five years any dollar amounts used to define small entities. The SEC must also revise the applicable rules to implement these recommendations.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2025
The Territorial Response and Access to Veterans' Essential Lifecare Act or the TRAVEL Act of 2025 This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to assign a physician who has been appointed in the Veterans Health Administration to serve as a traveling physician for a period of not more than one year. Such physician must provide health care to veterans at VA facilities located in American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and any other territory or possession of the United States. Traveling physicians must coordinate with non-VA providers when necessary to ensure high quality and coordinated care for veterans receiving hospital care and medical services. The VA must provide a relocation or retention bonus to traveling physicians.
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.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2025
Lieutenant Osvaldo Albarati Stopping Prison Contraband Act This bill increases federal criminal penalties for providing or attempting to provide a cell phone to an individual who is incarcerated at a prison.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2025
Harnessing Effective and Appropriate Long-Term Health for Moms On Medicaid Act of 2025 or the HEALTH for MOM Act of 2025 This bill allows state Medicaid programs to cover services that are provided by maternity health homes (designated providers or health teams that provide pregnancy and postpartum coordinated care services). Participating maternity health homes must meet standards set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), including the ability to coordinate prompt access to services, develop individualized care plans, provide supportive services, and coordinate with pediatric care providers. States must conduct outreach to providers, pregnant women, and other relevant stakeholders on the availability of such health homes and must report specified information relating to the implementation and outcomes of such services. The CMS must award grants to states to develop plans for implementation. The bill also temporarily increases the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (i.e., federal matching rate) for maternity health home services.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2025
Air Traffic Control Workforce Development Act of 2025 This bill expands and modifies Air Traffic Control (ATC) workforce training and programs. The bill provides statutory authority for the Enhanced Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative (AT-CTI) program. As background, standard AT-CTI institutions of higher education offer nonengineering aviation degrees that teach basic courses in ATC and aviation administration, and graduates complete training at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Academy. Students at Enhanced AT-CTI schools are provided with equivalent FAA Academy ATC training and may be placed directly into an ATC facility. The bill establishes a grant program for schools participating in the Enhanced AT-CTI program and provides for a faculty annuity supplement for ATC instructors at participating institution of higher education. The FAA must convene an aviation rulemaking committee to review and provide recommendations on the (1) curricula of the FAA Academy, AT-CTI program, and Enhanced AT-CTI program; and (2) Air Traffic Skills Assessment exam. Based on the committee's recommendations, the FAA must initiate a rulemaking or make policy and guidance updates, with an exception. The bill authorizes funding through FY2031 for the procurement and placement at ATC facilities of Tower Simulator Systems, which are used to train air traffic controllers on airport tower operations. The bill also requires DOT to establish ATC recruitment and retention incentive programs, the FAA to support the development of mental health services training related to conditions for ATCs, and the FAA to submit a report to Congress on the status of the Airspace Non-cooperative Surveillance Radar program.
![Official portrait of Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/6774617a0b34857ecc9091b5_200.jpg)