United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2025
Rural Hospital Cybersecurity Enhancement Act This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to create a workforce development strategy to address the need for cybersecurity professionals in rural hospitals. Among other topics, the strategy must consider (1) partnerships between rural hospitals, hospitals that are not rural hospitals, educational institutions, and private nonprofit or for-profit entities; and (2) the development of a cybersecurity curriculum for use in rural educational institutions. HHS must annually brief Congress on the strategy and any programs or initiatives established thereunder. Additionally, HHS must disseminate free materials that rural hospitals may use to train staff about cybersecurity.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2025
This bill prohibits smoking on the premises of any Veterans Health Administration facility. The bill defines smoking as the use of cigarettes, cigars, and pipes (i.e., the heating or combustion of tobacco), as well as the use of any electronic nicotine delivery system.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2025
Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025 This bill reauthorizes through FY2030, modifies, and establishes programs under the Older Americans Act, which supports social services and activities for individuals aged 60 years or older. Reauthorized programs and activities include the national eldercare locator service; regional aging and disability resource centers; grants to support counseling and assistance on pensions and other retirement benefits; grants to support home-delivered nutrition services (sometimes referred to as meals on wheels programs); programs to facilitate the delivery of supportive services to tribal organizations; and programs to prevent elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. The bill also modifies existing programs for older individuals, including by explicitly permitting states to use certain grant funds to make carryout meals available at congregate meal sites or community locations. (Some providers began offering carryout meals to seniors in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.) Further, the bill permits the Administration on Aging to establish and operate, through grants to or contracts with eligible entities, a national resource center to support growth of the direct care workforce. The center’s activities may include the provision of training and technical assistance and the promotion of strategies to recruit and retain direct care workers. Finally, the bill establishes or reconvenes certain advisory groups, including (1) an advisory committee to provide guidance regarding the needs of older Native Americans and the implementation of related programs, and (2) a White House Conference on Aging to recommend improvements to federal programs that serve older individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2025
Combating Violent and Dangerous Crime Act This bill expands the definition of crime of violence for the purposes of determining whether a defendant is subject to an enhanced criminal penalty for using or carrying a firearm in the crime of violence. The bill also expands applicable criminal penalties for bank robbery, carjacking, and kidnapping offenses, as well as certain drug offenses. Under current law, an individual who uses or carries a firearm in a crime of violence is subject to an enhanced mandatory minimum prison term in addition and consecutive to any other prison term imposed for the underlying crime of violence. The term crime of violence includes a felony that has as an element the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force. This bill expands crime of violence to include a conspiracy or an attempt to commit a felony that has as an element the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force. This bill expands applicable penalties for federal criminal offenses involving bank robbery, carjacking, or kidnapping, including by specifying the offenses that include as an element force or threat, or intimidation, and therefore qualify as a crime of violence under the existing definition. Additionally, a conspiracy or attempt to commit a federal bank robbery, carjacking or kidnapping offense qualifies as a crime of violence under the expanded definition. Finally, the bill establishes additional criminal penalties for certain federal drug offenses involving the manufacture or distribution of candy-flavored controlled substances or similar products for minors.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 2025
Expanding Access to Diabetes Self-Management Training Act of 2025 This bill expands Medicare coverage of diabetes outpatient self-management training. Specifically, the bill specifies that in addition to physicians, other health care practitioners may also provide such services. It also specifies that coverage includes an initial 10 hours of training until used, as well as an additional 2 hours of training per year. The bill also prohibits the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services from limiting training that is deemed medically necessary. Additionally, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation must test a model in which such training is provided virtually and evaluate any effects on costs, services, and health outcomes.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 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 · 21 May 2025
Strengthening Transparency and Obligations to Protect Children Suffering from Abuse and Mistreatment Act of 2025 or the STOP CSAM Act of 2025 This bill revises the federal framework governing the prevention of online child sexual exploitation to expand protections for victims, expand requirements for electronic communication service providers and remote computing service providers (providers), and expand related penalties and remedies. The bill extends protections for child victims and witnesses who testify in federal court (e.g., privacy protections) to child victims and witnesses of kidnapping offenses and to child victims and witnesses who were under 18 years of age at the time of the crime, even if they are 18 or older at the time of court proceedings. Additionally, the bill establishes statutory procedures for courts to appoint a trustee to hold restitution payments for certain victims (e.g., minor victims) of offenses involving human trafficking, sexual abuse, child sexual abuse material, illegal sexual activity and related crimes, or crimes of violence. The bill requires providers to report online child sexual exploitation to the CyberTipline (i.e., the national reporting system for online child sexual exploitation) within 60 days. Reports must include specified information, such as information about repeat offenders. The bill establishes criminal and civil penalties for providers who fail to comply with the requirements. Finally, the bill prohibits providers from hosting or storing child pornography or knowingly facilitating the sexual exploitation of children and allows victims to pursue civil remedies.
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
Promoting Access to Diabetic Shoes Act This bill allows a nurse practitioner or physician assistant to fulfill documentation requirements for coverage, under Medicare, of special shoes for diabetic individuals. Under current law, such requirements may be satisfied only by a physician.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2025
This resolution condemns Hamas in the harshest terms for its attacks on Israel and demands that Hamas immediately release all remaining hostages. The resolution also (1) expresses sympathy to the hostages, those wounded, and their families; and (2) mourns those killed by Hamas on October 7, 2023, and during captivity.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2025
Kids Online Safety Act This bill requires covered online platforms, including social media platforms, to implement tools and safeguards to protect users and visitors under the age of 17. Covered platforms are online platforms, video games, messaging applications, or video streaming services used or likely to be used by individuals under the age of 17, with specified exceptions. The bill generally requires covered platforms to exercise reasonable care in the design and use of features that increase minors’ online activity in order to prevent and mitigate harm to minors (e.g., mental health disorders and severe harassment). Covered platforms are also required to provide certain safeguards to minors, such as protections for minors’ data; tools for parents of minors, such as access to minors’ privacy settings; and a mechanism for account holders and visitors to report harm to minors on the platform. Covered platforms are prohibited from conducting market or product research on children under the age of 13, and may only conduct such research on those under the age of 17 with parental consent. The bill provides for enforcement through the Federal Trade Commission and states. The bill also requires online platforms to meet certain requirements before using algorithms that select, order, or prioritize information presented to users based on user-specific data not provided for that purpose. Specifically, such platforms must (1) provide users with notice of the use of such algorithms, and (2) permit users to switch to an algorithm that does not rely on such user-specific data.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2025
This resolution recognizes the significance of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month as an important time to celebrate the significant contributions of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders to the history of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2025
Protecting Access to Ground Ambulance Medical Services Act of 2025 This bill extends a specialized rate increase for Medicare payment of ground ambulance services in rural areas until January 1, 2028, and provides for a higher rate increase for services furnished between October 1, 2025, and January 1, 2028.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2025
Living Donor Protection Act of 2025 This bill prohibits life insurance, disability insurance, and long-term insurance carriers from denying or otherwise restricting coverage for living organ donors. Specifically, carriers may not deny, cancel, vary premiums, or otherwise impose conditions on policies based on an individual's status as a living organ donor. The bill also expressly specifies that recovery from organ-donation surgery constitutes a serious health condition that entitles eligible employees to job-protected medical leave. In addition, the Department of Health and Human Services must update educational materials on living organ donation to include information about the benefits and risks of living organ donation and the impact of donation on insurance access, particularly with respect to the bill's changes.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2025
Claiming Age Clarity Act This bill changes certain terms that are used by the Social Security Administration (SSA) to describe the ages at which a worker may claim Social Security retirement benefits. First, the SSA must use minimum monthly benefit age instead of early eligibility age . This refers to the earliest age (62 under current law) at which a worker may claim benefits. (Currently, the benefit amount of a worker who claims benefits early is reduced to account for the longer period during which the worker is expected to receive benefits.) Second, the SSA must use standard monthly benefit age instead of full retirement age and normal retirement age . These terms refer to the age at which a worker may claim benefits without a reduction in the benefit amount. (Currently, this age ranges from 65 to 67, depending on the worker's year of birth.) Finally, the SSA must use the term maximum monthly benefit age for any reference to age 70 as the maximum age at which a worker may receive delayed retirement credits. The SSA may not use the term delayed retirement credit. These terms refer to the mechanism that increases the benefit amount of a worker who delays claiming benefits after reaching the full retirement age. (Currently, a worker receives a credit for each month between the full retirement age and age 70 that the worker delays claiming benefits. Each credit increases the benefit amount that the worker will receive after claiming benefits by a specified percentage.)
![Official portrait of Sen. Collins, Susan M. [R-ME]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/c001035_200.jpg)