United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2025
Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2025 This bill establishes new background check requirements for firearm transfers between private parties (i.e., unlicensed individuals). Specifically, it prohibits a firearm transfer between private parties unless a licensed gun dealer, manufacturer, or importer first takes possession of the firearm to conduct a background check. The prohibition does not apply to certain firearm transfers or exchanges, such as a gift between spouses.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2025
Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2025 This bill establishes more stringent background check requirements for proposed firearm transfers from a federal firearms licensee (e.g., a licensed gun dealer) to an unlicensed person. Specifically, it increases the amount of time, from 3 business days to a minimum of 10 business days, that a federal firearms licensee must wait to receive a completed background check prior to transferring a firearm to an unlicensed person. (This type of transaction is often referred to as a default proceed transaction.) If a submitted background check remains incomplete after 10 business days, then the prospective purchaser may submit a petition for a final firearms eligibility determination. If an additional 10 days elapse without a final determination, then the federal firearms licensee may transfer the firearm to the prospective purchaser. The Government Accountability Office must report on the extent to which the changes have prevented firearms transfers to prohibited persons. The Federal Bureau of Investigation must report on the number of petitions it receives for final federal firearms determinations. The Department of Justice, in consultation with the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence and Firearms, must report on further amendments to the background check process that would likely reduce the risk of death or great bodily harm to victims of domestic violence, domestic abuse, dating partner violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2025
Expanding Access for Online Veteran Students Act This bill increases the monthly housing stipend available under the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Program for individuals who pursue programs of education solely through distance learning on more than a half-time basis.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2025
Treatment, Recovery, Education, Awareness, and Training for Youth Act or the TREAT Youth Act This bill reauthorizes through FY2030 the Preventing Youth Overdose: Treatment, Recovery, Education, Awareness, and Training (PYO-TREAT) program, which is administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The PYO-TREAT program provides grants and other support to educational and public entities for substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery for children and young adults.
United States · United States Congress · 29 May 2025
Justice for America’s Veterans and Survivors Act of 2025 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to annually report on causes of death among veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2025
Stop Foreign Funds in Elections Act This bill prohibits contributions or donations by foreign nationals in connection with state or local ballot initiatives, referenda, or recall elections.
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 · 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 · 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 · 1 May 2025
Ensuring Community Access to Pharmacist Services Act This bill provides for permanent coverage under Medicare of certain pharmacist services. Specifically, the bill provides for permanent coverage of testing and treatment services provided by pharmacists relating to (1) COVID-19, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and streptococcal pharyngitis (strep throat); and (2) other public health needs in relation to a declared public health emergency. (Similar authorities were temporarily granted during the COVID-19 public health emergency.) Such services must be provided in accordance with the applicable state laws governing pharmacists' scope of practice.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2025
Assault Weapons Ban of 2025 This bill makes it a crime to knowingly import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess a semiautomatic assault weapon (SAW) or large capacity ammunition feeding device (LCAFD). The prohibition does not apply to a firearm that is (1) manually operated by bolt, pump, lever, or slide action, except for certain shotguns; (2) permanently inoperable; (3) an antique; (4) only capable of firing rimfire ammunition; or (5) a rifle or shotgun specifically identified by make and model. The bill also exempts from the prohibition the following, with respect to a SAW or LCAFD: importation, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession related to certain law enforcement efforts, or authorized tests or experiments; importation, sale, transfer, or possession related to securing nuclear materials; and possession by a retired law enforcement officer. The bill permits continued possession, sale, or transfer of a grandfathered SAW, which must be securely stored. A licensed gun dealer must conduct a background check prior to the sale or transfer of a grandfathered SAW between private parties. The bill permits continued possession of, but prohibits sale or transfer of, a grandfathered LCAFD. Newly manufactured LCAFDs must display serial number identification. Newly manufactured SAWs and LCAFDs must display the date of manufacture. The bill also allows a state or local government to use Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program funds to compensate individuals who surrender a SAW or LCAFD under a buy-back program.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2025
Ernest Peltz Accrued Veterans Benefits Act This bill establishes procedures for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to issue a pension that was due but unpaid at the time of a veteran’s death. Specifically, if the VA issues a decision awarding entitlement to a pension to a veteran prior to the veteran’s death but issues the payment after the veteran dies, the pension must be paid to the first available recipient on the following list: (1) the veteran’s living spouse; (2) the veteran’s living children; (3) the veteran’s living dependent parents; or (4) the estate of the veteran, unless the estate will escheat (i.e., transfer to the state). To be eligible for such pension payments, a claimant of accrued benefits must file an application within one year after the veteran's death. If no application for accrued benefits is filed within one year following the death of the veteran, the pension must be paid to the veteran’s estate unless the estate will escheat.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2025
PFAS–Free Procurement Act of 2025 This bill prohibits an executive agency from renewing or entering into a contract for the procurement of covered items that contain perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) or perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). Under the bill, covered items means (1) nonstick cookware and cooking utensils; and (2) furniture, carpet, and any rug treated with stain-resistant coating. Both PFOS and PFOA are types of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as PFAS. PFAS are man-made and may have adverse human health effects. The bill also specifies that agencies must prioritize the procurement of covered items that do not contain PFAS.
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 · 29 April 2025
Transitioning Retiring And New Service Members to Port Ocean Rail and Truck Jobs Act or the TRANSPORT Jobs Act This bill requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to develop and make public the Veteran to Supply Chain Employee Action Plan. Among other elements, the plan must identify (1) barriers and challenges of members of the Armed Forces who are eligible for counseling under the Transition Assistance Program and veterans in searching or training for employment in the supply chain industry, and (2) challenges that supply chain employers face when recruiting, hiring, or retaining veterans and such members of the Armed Forces. The plan must also recommend specific short- and long-term actions that DOT, the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, or the Department of Labor can take to help veterans and such members of the Armed Forces in becoming supply chain employees.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2025
Guarding Unprotected Aging Retirees from Deception Act of 2026 or the GUARD Act of 2026 This bill allows state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies and grantees that receive funds from certain law enforcement grant programs to use the funds to investigate general financial fraud, elder financial fraud, and pig butchering. Pig butchering refers to a confidence and investment fraud in which a victim is gradually lured into transferring increasing amounts of money, generally in the form of cryptocurrency, into a fake virtual investment. The bill allows federal law enforcement agencies to assist state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies and fusion centers in the use of tracing tools for blockchain and related technology tools. Finally, the bill requires the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) to report on efforts to combat general financial fraud, elder financial fraud, pig butchering, and scams, including an evaluation of any legislative recommendations to improve the efforts. The bill also requires FinCEN to report on the state of general financial fraud, elder financial fraud, pig butchering, and scams in the United States, including trends in the crimes.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2025
Daniel J. Harvey, Jr. and Adam Lambert Improving Servicemember Transition to Reduce Veteran Suicide Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Defense (DOD) to provide additional information and assistance related to mental health care to veterans in the Solid Start program and members of the Armed Forces in the Transition Assistance Program. Specifically, the bill requires that counseling provided under DOD’s Transition Assistance Program include additional mental health information, including information about the risk of suicide and other potential stressors associated with separation from the Armed Forces. The bill also expands the activities that must be carried out by the VA under the Solid Start program, which is an outreach program for veterans in their first year of separation from service. Specifically, under the program, the VA must (1) assist eligible veterans who elect to enroll in the VA health care system, and (2) educate veterans about mental health and counseling services available through the Veterans Health Administration.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2025
Preventing Risky Operations from Threatening the Education and Career Trajectories of Students Act of 2025 or the PROTECT Students Act of 2025 This bill sets forth provisions to address financial predatory practices in higher education, including by establishing additional protections for students and student loan borrowers. Specifically, the bill provides statutory authority for Department of Education (ED) regulations related to gainful employment, borrower defense to repayment, and closed school discharges. For example, ED's 2023 gainful employment regulations specify that ED considers a career education program to be preparing students for gainful employment if it meets specified debt-to-earnings or earnings premium measures. Additionally, the bill prohibits institutions of higher education (IHEs) that participate in federal student aid programs from taking specified actions, such as (1) restricting students' ability to pursue claims against IHEs in court, and (2) withholding official transcripts because of a balance owed by the student. The bill requires IHEs to spend at least 30% of their tuition and fee revenue on instruction. The bill also includes additional oversight measures, such as providing statutory authority for an enforcement unit within ED's Office of Federal Student Aid to assess complaints against IHEs, third-party servicers, and student loan servicers; establishing the For-Profit Education Oversight Coordination Committee within the executive branch; and requiring ED to establish and operate a system that tracks complaints or reports of suspicious activity by IHEs, third-party servicers, and student loan servicers. The bill makes funding available to ED for the administrative costs of operating student aid programs.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2025
Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2025 This bill expands federal enforcement of criminal offenses related to organized retail and supply chain crime. The term organized retail and supply chain crime includes criminal offenses involving the interstate transportation of stolen property, the sale or receipt of stolen goods, or theft from an interstate or foreign shipment that is committed by, in coordination with, or at the instruction of an organization. First, with respect to criminal offenses involving the interstate transportation of stolen property or the sale or receipt of stolen goods, the bill broadens the scope of conduct that qualifies as offenses by allowing prosecutions to be based on the aggregate value of stolen items over a 12-month period. Additionally, the bill makes the offenses predicate offenses (i.e., underlying offenses) for prosecutions under the federal money laundering statute and authorizes the criminal forfeiture of any property obtained from the proceeds of an offense. Second, with respect to criminal offenses involving theft from an interstate or foreign shipment, the bill also makes an offense an underlying offense for prosecution under the federal money laundering statute and authorizes the criminal forfeiture of any associated property. Third, the bill expands the federal money laundering statute to include offenses involving general-use prepaid cards, gift certificates, or store gift cards. Finally, the bill temporarily establishes a center within the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate federal law enforcement activities related to organized retail and supply chain crime.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2025
Closing the Bump Stock Loophole Act of 2025 This bill generally prohibits the import, sale, manufacture, transfer, receipt, or possession of a device that is primarily designed, or redesigned, to increase the rate of fire when attached to a semiautomatic firearm; a device, part, or combination of parts that is designed and functions to increase the rate of fire of a firearm; or a semiautomatic firearm that has been modified to materially increase the rate of fire or to approximate the action or rate of fire of a machine gun. Additionally, the bill adds to the list of firearms subject to regulation under the National Firearms Act semiautomatic firearms that have been modified to materially increase the rate of fire or approximate the action or rate of fire of a machine gun.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2025
Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe Act of 2025 or the NO FAKES Act of 2025 This bill creates a federal intellectual property right to protect individuals from unauthorized digital replicas (e.g., digital content made using generative artificial intelligence) of their voice and visual likeness. Specifically, the bill gives each individual or right holder the right to authorize the use of the individual's voice or visual likeness (1) in a digital replica, or (2) for a product or service requiring authorization to avoid liability under the bill. This property right is not assignable during the individual’s lifetime but is licensable and does not expire upon the death of the individual. Generally, any individual or entity that engages in specified prohibited activities (e.g., distributing a digital replica without authorization) shall be liable in a civil action and subject to related penalties. The bill exempts specified uses from liability, such as categories of conduct likely to involve protected speech under the First Amendment (e.g., news reporting, sports broadcasts, and satire). The bill establishes a notice-and-takedown process for unauthorized digital replicas. The bill establishes penalties related to false or deceptive notice. The bill expressly preempts state laws related to digital replicas except for causes of action under state statutes or common law in existence as of January 2, 2025.
United States · United States Congress · 8 April 2025
Save Our Sequoias Act This bill provides for the conservation of giant sequoia trees ( Sequoiadendron giganteum ) in California. Specifically, it provides statutory authority for the Giant Sequoia Lands Coalition and outlines the coalition's duties. The coalition must submit a Giant Sequoia Health and Resiliency Assessment and annually update it. The information from the assessment must be made available so the information can be integrated into certain other plans. The coalition must also create and maintain a website that contains the assessment, educational materials, searchable information about individual giant sequoia groves, and a searchable database to track the status and costs of reforestation and rehabilitation activities. In addition, the bill declares an emergency on certain public lands and allows officials to carry out protection plans during the emergency to respond to the threat of wildfires, insects, and drought. The emergency expires after seven years. The Department of the Interior must develop and implement a Giant Sequoia Reforestation and Rehabilitation Strategy. Finally, the bill establishes a variety of programs and funds to support the conservation of giant sequoias.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2025
Remote Access Security Act This bill broadens the scope of the U.S. export control system to include remote access of items. Remote access means (1) access to an item subject to the jurisdiction of the United States by a foreign person through a network connection, including the internet or a cloud computing service, from a location other than where the item is physically located; or (2) any other form of access specified in regulations promulgated by the Department of Commerce. The Export Control Reform Act of 2018 (ECRA), which is implemented through the Export Administration Regulations, provides a permanent statutory basis for controlling the export of dual-use goods (e.g., items with both civilian and military uses) and certain military parts and components. This bill applies export controls under ECRA to remote access of items, thereby allowing Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security to issue licenses and impose penalties related to remote access of controlled items.
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
Ensuring Access to Specialty care Everywhere Act of 2025 or the EASE Act of 2025 This bill requires the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) to test a model that uses a network of providers to remotely furnish specialty health care to Medicare, Medicaid, and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) beneficiaries in rural areas. To conduct the model, the CMMI must select at least one provider network that is a nonprofit entity and that consists of at least 50 federally qualified health centers, rural health clinics, critical access hospitals, or rural emergency hospitals. At least half of the providers in the network must be located in rural areas. Providers must use digital methods (e.g., telehealth technology) to provide specialty care and must coordinate with beneficiaries' primary care providers.