United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2025
Faster Labor Contracts Act This bill establishes mandatory deadlines for parties negotiating an initial collective bargaining agreement (CBA) and provides for mediation and arbitration to finalize CBAs. Under the bill, CBA negotiations must begin within 10 days after an employer receives a written request from a newly recognized or certified bargaining representative. The bill provides that parties must make every reasonable effort to conclude and sign a CBA. Further, the bill provides that, if the parties have not reached an agreement after 90 days, either party may request mediation by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS). The bill directs FMCS to use its best efforts to secure an agreement. If mediation does not result in an agreement within 30 days (or an additional period agreed to by both parties), FMSC must refer the parties to an arbitration panel to render a decision settling the dispute. The panel must consider specified factors, including the employer's financial prospects and employees' cost of living. The resulting CBA is binding on the parties for two years. (Parties may agree to amend the terms during the two-year period.) The bill specifies that (1) an employer must maintain current wages, hours, terms, and conditions of employment during negotiations; and (2) an employer's duty to collectively bargain continues even if a representative has been decertified. The Government Accountability Office must report to Congress regarding the average number of days between the certification or recognition of a bargaining representative and the date the initial CBA was executed.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2025
Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act of 2025 This bill generally prohibits the manufacture, process, use, and distribution in commerce of commercial asbestos or any mixture or article containing commercial asbestos. The President may, on application, grant exemptions from the prohibition in situations where it is necessary to protect national security interests.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2025
George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2025 This bill addresses a wide range of policies and issues regarding policing practices and law enforcement accountability. It increases accountability for law enforcement misconduct, restricts the use of certain policing practices, enhances transparency and data collection, and establishes best practices and training requirements. The bill enhances existing enforcement mechanisms to remedy violations by law enforcement. Among other things, it does the following: lowers the criminal intent standard—from willful to knowing or reckless—to convict a law enforcement officer for misconduct in a federal prosecution, limits qualified immunity as a defense to liability in a private civil action against a law enforcement officer, and grants administrative subpoena power to the Department of Justice (DOJ) in pattern-or-practice investigations. It establishes a framework to prevent and remedy racial profiling by law enforcement at the federal, state, and local levels. It also limits the unnecessary use of force and restricts the use of no-knock warrants, chokeholds, and carotid holds. The bill creates a national registry—the National Police Misconduct Registry—to compile data on complaints and records of police misconduct. It also establishes new reporting requirements, including on the use of force, officer misconduct, and routine policing practices (e.g., stops and searches). Finally, it directs DOJ to create uniform accreditation standards for law enforcement agencies and requires law enforcement officers to complete training on racial profiling, implicit bias, and the duty to intervene when another officer uses excessive force.
United States · United States Congress · 2 September 2025
Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2025 or the Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025 This bill reauthorizes, revises, and establishes several programs related to weather forecasting, monitoring, and research. For example, the bill reauthorizes through FY2030 programs that are administered by the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), including the U.S. Weather Research Program. It also provides statutory authority for NOAA's Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment (known as VORTEX-USA). The bill also requires NOAA to establish programs that support weather forecasting technology, including improvements to radar accuracy, weather forecasting in underserved areas, and coastal flooding forecasting. NOAA must also acquire weather-related data from the private sector and establish a pilot program to test the compatibility of this data with NOAA infrastructure. In addition, NOAA must improve weather-related communication systems, including those related to hazardous weather events, through system upgrades that use more modern technology (e.g., cloud-based services) and that allow for expanded coverage (e.g., in rural areas). Finally, NOAA must administer programs that support weather forecasting for agricultural and water management, including pilot programs to improve precipitation forecasts in the western and central states and a soil moisture monitoring network.
United States · United States Congress · 29 August 2025
Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act or the MORE Act This bill decriminalizes marijuana. Specifically, it removes marijuana from the list of scheduled substances under the Controlled Substances Act and eliminates criminal penalties for an individual who manufactures, distributes, or possesses marijuana. The bill replaces statutory references to marijuana and marihuana with cannabis . The bill also makes changes related to the economic impact of decriminalization, including the following: requires the Bureau of Labor Statistics to regularly publish demographic data on cannabis business owners and employees, establishes a trust fund to support various programs and services for individuals and businesses in communities impacted by the war on drugs, imposes an excise tax on cannabis products produced in or imported into the United States and an occupational tax on cannabis production facilities and export warehouses, and makes Small Business Administration loans and services available to entities that are cannabis-related legitimate businesses or service providers. The bill also makes changes to other federal programs and legal processes to account for decriminalization, including the following: prohibits the denial of federal public benefits to a person on the basis of certain cannabis-related conduct or convictions, prohibits the denial of benefits and protections under immigration laws on the basis of an event (e.g., conduct or conviction) relating to possession or use of cannabis that is no longer prohibited under the bill, and establishes a process to expunge convictions and conduct sentencing review hearings related to federal cannabis offenses.
United States · United States Congress · 12 August 2025
Keep Seniors Fed Act This bill amends the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to exempt certain Social Security benefits (e.g., retirement and disability benefits) from household income for the purposes of determining program eligibility.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2025
Pedestrian Hazard, Awareness, and Safety Expansion Act of 2025 or the PHASE Act of 2025 This bill directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) to conduct studies and award grants to improve road safety for pedestrians and vulnerable road users. Specifically, the bill directs NIST to transmit to DOT potential solutions to improve and enhance traffic control devices using innovative technologies in order to better equip vehicle operators (including bicycles) and protect pedestrians and vulnerable road users. In addition, DOT must establish a program to provide grants to cities, Indian tribes, and municipalities to implement infrastructure that improves pedestrian safety (e.g., innovative technology for crosswalks, expanded buffer zones, and upgraded highway traffic signals). DOT must also carry out a study on developing physical alternatives to better protect pedestrians and vulnerable road users from traffic incidents.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2025
Lowering Obstacles to Achievement Now Act or the LOAN Act This bill revises federal student aid programs, including the Federal Pell Grant program and the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. It also repeals the education provisions that were enacted under P.L. 119-21 (commonly known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act). Among other provisions, the bill revises the Federal Pell Grant program by (1) providing funding to increase the maximum award for each eligible student, and (2) allowing income-eligible graduate students to utilize their remaining Pell Grant eligibility toward their first graduate degree. Changes to the PSLF program include (1) reducing the number of monthly loan payments required for loan forgiveness, and (2) removing the requirement that a borrower must be employed in a public service job at the time of forgiveness. The bill makes Dreamer students (i.e., students who have been granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status and who entered the United States before the age of 18) who meet certain educational criteria eligible for federal financial aid. The bill also (1) establishes refinancing programs for federal and private student loans; (2) creates a new income-driven repayment plan; and (3) repeals origination fees for Direct Subsidized Loans, Direct Unsubsidized Loans, and Direct PLUS Loans. The bill repeals the education provisions that were enacted under P.L. 119-21. For example, the act addressed the amount of federal financial aid available to students by changing the mix and availability of student loans. (For more information, see CRS Report R48727 .)
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2025
Protecting Health Care and Lowering Costs Act 2025 This bill makes permanent temporary provisions that generally expand eligibility for and increase the amount of the premium tax credit. This bill also repeals multiple Medicaid, Medicare, and health-related tax provisions enacted by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). Currently, eligible taxpayers may claim the premium tax credit, which applies toward the cost of obtaining health insurance through health insurance exchanges. To qualify, a taxpayer’s household income must meet or exceed 100% of the federal poverty level (FPL) and, after 2025, may not exceed 400% of the FPL (maximum income limit). For 2021-2025, the maximum income limit is eliminated, which generally expands eligibility for the premium tax credit. Further, under current law, the amount of the premium tax credit is partially based on the taxpayer’s household income multiplied by the applicable percentage. The applicable percentage varies depending on which of six income ranges (adjusted for inflation after 2025) the taxpayer’s household income falls within. For 2021-2025, the applicable percentages are lowered and the adjustment of the applicable percentages for inflation is eliminated, which generally increases the amount of the premium tax credit. The bill permanently eliminates the 400% maximum income limit, lowers the applicable percentages, and eliminates the inflation adjustment for the applicable percentages. Finally, the bill repeals multiple Medicaid, Medicare, and health-related tax provisions enacted by the OBBBA, including certain Medicare and Medicare eligibility and verification requirements, the reduced window for retroactive Medicaid coverage, and premium tax credit verification requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2025
Wildfire Emergency Preparedness Act of 2025 This bill establishes grants, training, and interagency coordination for responding to wildfires and fires in the wildland-urban interface (WUI) (i.e., where undeveloped land or vegetation meets human infrastructure). It also requires measures for protecting the health of firefighters and emergency responders. The bill establishes an Under Secretary of Agriculture for Fire Coordination to manage coordination of government preparation and response to wildfires and WUI fires. Such office may award grants to fire departments and emergency medical services organizations for training firefighting personnel or obtaining personal protective equipment for responding to such fires. Also, the Forest Service must establish a national plan with guidelines for training structural (i.e., urban) firefighters to respond to wildfires and WUI fires. The Forest Service may provide grants to certain nonprofit organizations to carry out training programs pursuant to the plan. Upon request from agencies, the Department of Defense (DOD) may allow its firefighters to conduct operations or assist in responding to wildfires and WUI fires. Agencies must reimburse DOD for such services. Additionally, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health must perform research and development and report to Congress on protecting the respiratory health of firefighters and identifying certain hazardous substances in areas affected by wildfires and WUI fires. Also, task forces within the National Urban Search and Rescue Response System of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) must train each member in peer mental health support and include members who are mental health practitioners.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2025
Enhance Access To SNAP Act of 2025 or the EATS Act of 2025 This bill expands eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for certain students. Specifically, the bill removes the restriction on SNAP eligibility for students to allow otherwise eligible students who are attending institutions of higher education (IHEs) at least half time to participate in SNAP. Under current law, students 18-49 years old are restricted from participating in SNAP, with exceptions (e.g., caring for a child under the age of 6 or employed for at least 20 hours a week). The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 temporarily exempted some students from certain SNAP eligibility requirements; these temporary student exemptions expired after the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency on May 11, 2023. Further, the bill provides that students enrolled at least half time in a recognized school, training program, or IHE constitute individual households (not residents of institutions ) and may be eligible for SNAP benefits. (Participation in SNAP is limited to households.)
![Official portrait of Rep. Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b001278_200.jpg)