HR 5393, the Southern Arizona Protection Act, nullifies a 2000 presidential proclamation that established the Ironwood Forest National Monument in Arizona. It prohibits the future creation or expansion of national monuments within the specific area depicted in the 2000 Ironwood Forest National Monument map, except with explicit approval from Congress. The bill directly affects land management decisions in that Southern Arizona region by restricting the use of the Antiquities Act, which allows presidents to designate national monuments. This changes the process by requiring Congressional action instead of presidential authority for monument designations in the specified area.
HR 5410, the Critical Mineral Brine Extraction Research and Development Act, directs the U.S. Department of Energy to fund research and demonstrations for extracting critical minerals (like lithium or cobalt) from saltwater solutions (brine). It requires the Department to collaborate with private industry to scale up this technology, improve its performance, and lower costs through pilot projects. The bill authorizes $2 million annually from 2026 to 2030 for this work and mandates a congressional report within one year assessing the technology’s feasibility, barriers, and potential federal-private partnerships for domestic mineral supply. This directly affects the Department of Energy, private sector partners, and future domestic mineral production, focusing solely on advancing the technology’s development without mandating specific extraction or use.
The FAMILY Act would establish a national paid family and medical leave insurance program that provides wage replacement benefits for workers needing time off for caregiving or medical reasons. It defines "qualified caregiving" to include caring for a family member with a serious health condition, personal medical needs, or recovery from violence (including domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking). Benefits would be calculated based on earnings, with a minimum monthly benefit of $580 and maximum of $4,000, administered by a new Office of Paid Family and Medical Leave within the Social Security Administration. Eligible individuals would need to have worked for at least 8 quarters in the previous year and file an application with required documentation, while existing state paid leave programs would continue to operate alongside this federal program.
Rural Veterans’ Improved Access to Benefits Act of 2025 This bill extends and expands the pilot program under which certain non-Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care professionals may be contracted to provide disability examinations to veterans, regardless of the jurisdiction of their licensure, for purposes of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits and care. Specifically, the bill (1) expands the types of health care professionals who may provide such examinations, and (2) extends the authority for such professionals to be contracted for this purpose through January 5, 2031. Currently, such examinations may only be contracted to licensed non-VA physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, audiologists, or psychologists. The bill expands the list to include qualified health care professionals who are eligible for appointment to specified positions in the Veterans Health Administration, including hospital or clinic directors, dentists, and pharmacists. The VA must report on its use of the expanded authority under this bill.
HR 3767, the Health Professionals Scholarship Program Improvement Act of 2025, requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to guarantee full-time clinical employment contracts for scholarship participants within 90 days of completing their training. These contracts must be at VA facilities with the highest need, offering competitive salaries and benefits consistent with VA standards. The bill mandates biannual reports to Congress on implementation until September 30, 2027, to track compliance with the new employment requirement. This directly affects health professionals who complete VA scholarship programs by ensuring post-graduation job placement. The key mechanism is the mandatory 90-day employment guarantee for participants, replacing previous processes.
HR 3579 requires veterans to submit an application before the VA can begin an initial evaluation for vocational rehabilitation services. It limits employment assistance under the program to a maximum of 365 days per veteran. The bill also mandates the VA to annually report veterans' regional office assignments, pre- and post-program wages, and average wait times for counselor meetings to Congress and the public. Additionally, it requires an independent review of VA rehabilitation programs within one year of enactment to recommend improvements.
HR 2334, the Servicemember Residence Protection Act, amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to prevent state "squatter's rights" laws from applying to properties owned by active-duty military members. The bill specifically blocks states from allowing squatters to claim ownership of a servicemember's home during the member's period of military service. This directly protects deployed servicemembers and their families by ensuring their property rights remain secure while they serve. The key mechanism is a new federal provision (Section 301A) that overrides conflicting state laws for military-owned properties occupied by squatters during active service.
This bill modifies the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship program for veterans. It reduces the maximum months of scholarship use from 60 to 45 and lowers the required benefit usage threshold from 90% to 67.5% for certain veterans. The changes prioritize veterans who have used the most months of their regular education benefits and those pursuing STEM degrees. Veterans must now exhaust all their regular education benefits under Chapter 33 before accessing this scholarship, as specified in new subsection (d)(5). The bill directly affects veterans using education benefits to pursue STEM fields.
Equal COLA Act This bill applies a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for annuities paid under the Federal Employees Retirement System that is equal to the increase in inflation, regardless of the amount of the increase. Specifically, for any year in which the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has increased over the previous year, the COLA amount shall be increased by the change in the CPI from the previous year. Current law applies an adjustment equal to the change in CPI only if the change is 2% or less. If the change is between 2% and 3%, the adjustment is limited to 2%. If the change is more than 3%, the adjustment is limited to 1% less than the change.
Saving the Civil Service Act This bill generally prohibits changes to the classification of positions in the competitive service and excepted service unless certain conditions are met. (Competitive service positions are subject to competitive examination while excepted service positions are appointed under one of five schedules. Competitive service positions have notice and appeal requirements for adverse actions that are not applicable to most excepted positions, including those of a confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating character under Schedule C.) On October 21, 2020, President Donald Trump issued an executive order that placed executive agency positions that are of a confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating character, and that are not normally subject to change as a result of a presidential transition, under a new Schedule F in the excepted service. The order was subsequently revoked by President Joe Biden. The bill prohibits executive agency positions in the competitive service from being placed in the excepted service, unless such positions are placed in a schedule in the excepted service as in effect on September 30, 2020. The bill also prohibits positions in the excepted service from being placed in any schedule other than the aforementioned schedules. Additionally, agencies may not (1) transfer occupied positions from the competitive or excepted service into Schedule C without the consent of the Office of Personnel Management, or (2) transfer employees in the excepted service to another schedule or transfer employees in the competitive service to the excepted service without employee consent.
Federal Adjustment of Income Rates Act or the FAIR Act This bill modifies pay rates for federal employees in 2026. Specifically, the bill increases rates under the statutory pay systems and for prevailing rate employees by 3.3% and increases locality pay by 1%.
This bill (HCONRES 48) is a ceremonial resolution authorizing the use of the U.S. Capitol rotunda for a "lying in honor" ceremony for Charles James Kirk, a recognized advocate for free speech, civil discourse, and youth political engagement. It grants permission for his remains to be displayed in the rotunda, with timing and duration to be determined by the House Speaker, Senate President pro tempore, and the Capitol Architect. The resolution does not create new laws or policies but formally permits a traditional honor reserved for individuals who have made significant contributions to the nation. It affects no specific group or legislation, serving only as a commemorative gesture for Kirk's legacy.
