SRES 176 designates April 5, 2025, as "Gold Star Wives Day" to honor the surviving spouses of fallen military members and recognize Gold Star Wives of America, Inc., an organization supporting these families. The resolution commemorates the 80th anniversary of the group's founding on April 5, 1945, with Eleanor Roosevelt's involvement. It formally encourages the public to observe the day to raise awareness of the organization's advocacy and support for military families. This is a symbolic resolution with no new policy or funding changes, focusing solely on recognition.
This resolution designates the week of April 19-27, 2025, as "National Park Week" in the U.S. Senate. It encourages the public to responsibly visit, experience, and support national parks across the United States. The resolution highlights the National Park System’s role in preserving natural and cultural resources while acknowledging its economic impact and recreational value. It does not create new laws or alter funding, focusing solely on recognition and public engagement.
The Combating Organized Retail Crime Act amends federal law to strengthen legal tools for addressing organized retail crime, including theft from stores, online, and supply chains. It establishes a new Organized Retail and Supply Chain Crime Coordination Center within the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate Federal, State, local, and tribal law enforcement efforts. The Center will share information, assist with investigations, track crime trends, and provide training to combat these crimes. The bill expands legal definitions to include organized retail crime as a specific category and requires annual reports on the Center's activities. The Center will operate for 7 years before sunset.
Supplemental Oxygen Access Reform Act of 2025 or the SOAR Act of 2025 This bill establishes certain requirements with respect to the payment and provision of supplemental oxygen and related services under Medicare. For example, the bill provides for separate payments, indexed to inflation, of oxygen and related equipment, supplies, and services under Medicare (rather than under the competitive acquisition program). It also specifically covers services that are provided by respiratory therapists under Medicare and provides for an additional payment adjustment for these services. Additionally, the bill (1) requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to develop an electronic template for providers to use when prescribing oxygen and related equipment, supplies, and services; and (2) establishes certain rights for beneficiaries receiving these items and services, such as the right to choose their suppliers and to receive clear communications and be informed about the services provided.
Anyone But China Safe Drug Act or the ABC Safe Drug Act This bill restricts federal health care programs from purchasing drugs with active ingredients manufactured in China and provides tax incentives for the purchase of certain pharmaceutical and device manufacturing property for use in the United States. The bill phases in restrictions on federal health care programs’ purchase of drugs. By January 1, 2030, federal health care programs may not purchase any drug that contains active ingredients from China or countries that do not meet the health and safety standards of the Food and Drug Administration. The Department of Health and Human Services may issue a waiver for an agency or program that is unable to meet this requirement; this waiver authority expires in 2031. The bill also requires all drugs to be labeled with the country of origin of each active ingredient in the drug. Drugs that are not labeled with this information are deemed misbranded. Finally, the bill allows 100% tax expensing for qualified pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing property placed in service between 2025 and 2030. Qualified pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing property is any tangible property placed in service in the United States as part of the construction or expansion of property for the manufacture of drugs or devices.
This bill prohibits the U.S. military from renewing, extending, or entering into new long-term retail contracts on military bases with businesses controlled by "covered nations" (nations designated under existing law). It requires the Secretary of Defense to review all existing such contracts within 180 days, terminating those involving covered retailers unless a waiver is granted or the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS) determines the business won't harm national security. Waivers are only allowed if the retailer provides vital services with no alternatives and security risks are mitigated. The bill directly affects retailers operating on military bases who are controlled by designated nations, with immediate impact on their ability to maintain base contracts.
This bill (S 1481) repeals a specific provision (Section 13532 of Public Law 115-97) related to advance refunding bonds. It restores the previous rules allowing state and local governments to issue these bonds for infrastructure projects, as if the 2017 amendment had never been enacted. The change directly affects state and local governments seeking to refinance existing debt using advance refunding bonds. The bill takes effect upon enactment and does not create new funding or alter infrastructure project eligibility.
This bill requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to study how pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and other intermediaries affect prescription drug prices and competition. Specifically, the FTC must report within one year on whether PBMs charge different prices to pharmacies, steer patients toward pharmacies they own, use pharmacy data for profit, or design formularies to favor expensive drugs. The bill also mandates an interim report within six months and a separate study on sole-source drug manufacturers and enforcement challenges. It does not directly change drug prices or create new regulations, but instead seeks to gather data to inform potential future policy actions. The study focuses on transparency and competition in the pharmaceutical supply chain, with no immediate price-reducing mechanisms.
Transportation Freedom Act This bill reduces taxes on auto companies and repeals specified environmental regulations on cars and trucks. The bill establishes a new tax deduction equal to 200% of eligible wages paid or incurred by domestic producers of automobiles or automobile components, subject to limitations. It also allows an entity to reduce (and adjust) its financial statement income (for purposes of calculating liability for the alternative minimum tax) by the amount of eligible wages it elects to deduct. The bill nullifies the 2024 rules of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding (1) the finalization of specified greenhouse gas (GHG) programs and the reduction of emissions from certain light-duty and medium-duty vehicles (e.g., cars and trucks that are under a certain weight) starting with model year 2027, and (2) phase three of GHG emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles (e.g., school buses and tractor-trailer trucks). It also repeals the 2024 rules of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regarding corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards for certain cars, trucks, and vans. Additionally, the bill eliminates (1) the option given to California to set standards for car emissions that are more stringent than those set under the Clean Air Act, and (2) the option for other states to adopt California's standards. NHTSA and the EPA must establish new CAFE and GHG standards, respectively, for vehicles that are economically practicable and technologically feasible. The GHG standards may not require the production or sale of electric vehicles.
Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act or the SAVE Act This bill requires individuals to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. Specifically, the bill prohibits states from accepting and processing an application to register to vote in a federal election unless the applicant presents documentary proof of U.S. citizenship. The bill specifies what documents are considered acceptable proof of U.S. citizenship, such as identification that complies with the REAL ID Act of 2005 that indicates U.S. citizenship. Further, the bill (1) prohibits states from registering an individual to vote in a federal election unless, at the time the individual applies to register to vote, the individual provides documentary proof of U.S. citizenship; and (2) requires states to establish an alternative process under which an applicant may submit other evidence to demonstrate U.S. citizenship. Each state must take affirmative steps on an ongoing basis to ensure that only U.S. citizens are registered to vote, which shall include establishing a program to identify individuals who are not U.S. citizens using information supplied by certain sources. Additionally, states must remove noncitizens from their official lists of eligible voters. The bill allows for a private right of action against an election official who registers an applicant to vote in a federal election who fails to present documentary proof of U.S. citizenship. The bill establishes criminal penalties for certain offenses, including registering an applicant to vote in a federal election who fails to present documentary proof of U.S. citizenship.
The S-CAP Act of 2025 increases the maximum number of shareholders allowed for an S corporation from 100 to 250. This change directly affects small businesses that currently operate as S corporations and wish to grow their ownership structure by adding more shareholders. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to adjust this shareholder limit, simplifying ownership expansion for qualifying businesses. The new rule takes effect for tax years beginning after December 31, 2025.
The REPAIR Act requires motor vehicle manufacturers to provide consumers and repair facilities with access to vehicle data, repair information, tools, and parts necessary for maintenance and repairs. It prohibits manufacturers from using technological or contractual barriers that restrict consumers' ability to choose repair facilities or use alternative parts, including aftermarket, recycled, or remanufactured components. The law mandates that manufacturers make critical repair information available to repair shops and alternative parts manufacturers at fair, reasonable costs, and ensures owners can access vehicle data without restrictions. The Federal Trade Commission will enforce these requirements, with penalties for violations, and an advisory committee will monitor implementation and identify barriers to competition. This legislation directly affects car owners, independent repair shops, parts manufacturers, and vehicle manufacturers by promoting competition and consumer choice in vehicle repair.
