FDA Modernization Act 3.0 This bill requires the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to publish an interim final rule implementing a provision of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 that authorized the use of certain alternatives to animal testing to support investigational use of a new drug. The rule must replace references to animal tests, data, studies, models, and research with references to nonclinical tests, data, studies, models, and research throughout the FDA’s regulations governing investigational new drug applications, and may make other changes to the regulations as appropriate. The rule must be published within one year of the bill’s enactment, and must take immediate effect as an interim final rule.
HR 3632, the Power Plant Reliability Act of 2025, requires electric utilities to provide at least 5 years' advance notice to federal and state regulators before permanently retiring any generating unit with a capacity of 5 megawatts or more. The bill mandates that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) can order utilities to continue operating specific plants or develop long-term transmission plans if it finds interstate service inadequate, while prohibiting FERC from forcing new plant construction or energy sales that would harm service. Utilities must also cover costs for these changes through adjusted rates, and the bill includes a provision exempting compliance actions from environmental law penalties. This directly affects large power generators, state energy commissions, and transmission operators by creating new notice requirements and FERC oversight for plant retirements.
S 748 reaffirms that the Lytton Rancheria of California remains subject to the Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) of 1934, ensuring the tribe’s land and governance rights under federal law. It directly affects the Lytton Rancheria by enabling the Secretary of the Interior to acquire and hold land in trust for the tribe under Section 5 of the IRA (25 U.S.C. § 5108). The bill’s key mechanism allows the tribe to expand its reservation through land acquisitions that become part of the reservation and are managed under standard federal trust regulations. This clarifies existing legal authority without creating new requirements, focusing solely on reaffirming the tribe’s established rights under the IRA.
This bill reauthorizes the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), the agency that regulates ocean shipping in the United States, through fiscal year 2029 with increased funding from $49.2 million in 2026 to $57 million in 2029. It creates new complaint mechanisms for addressing anticompetitive practices by shipping exchanges and establishes three new advisory committees (for shippers, ports, and carriers) to provide input on ocean shipping policies. The bill also requires the FMC to develop rules for containerized freight price indexes and mandates annual reporting on foreign practices affecting ocean shipping competitiveness. These changes aim to improve oversight of the international ocean freight system while reducing regulatory duplication for industry participants.
HR 3962, the ESTUARIES Act, extends a deadline within the National Estuary Program. It amends Section 320(i)(1) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act by changing the year "2026" to "2031" in a requirement related to program management. This change directly affects the National Estuary Program, which oversees coastal water quality protection and restoration efforts. The bill makes a specific procedural adjustment to the program's timeline without altering its core policies or funding.
The PERMIT Act (HR 3898) amends the definition of "navigable waters" under the Clean Water Act to exclude specific water features from federal regulation. It explicitly removes waste treatment systems, ephemeral streams (flowing only after rain), prior converted cropland, groundwater, and other features designated by regulators. This change directly affects federal agencies like the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers, reducing their jurisdiction over these excluded water bodies. The bill aims to streamline permitting by clarifying which waters fall under federal Clean Water Act oversight.
The Protect America's Workforce Act cancels an executive order issued on March 27, 2025, that excluded certain groups from federal labor-management relations programs, making it legally unenforceable. It also ensures that all collective bargaining agreements between federal agencies and labor unions, which were active as of March 26, 2025, remain fully effective until their agreed terms expire. This directly affects federal agencies, labor unions, and the employees covered by these agreements. The bill prevents federal funds from being used to implement the canceled executive order while preserving existing labor agreements.
ePermit Act This bill establishes requirements related to digitizing environmental reviews conducted under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) must develop, publish, and iteratively update data standards for the collection and curation of certain data related to environmental reviews. CEQ must also design, test, and build prototype tools for environmental reviews. Additionally, CEQ must publish guidance to assist relevant agencies in implementing such standards as well as certain minimum functional requirements, such as data sharing that enables automated transfer of relevant data among federal agencies. Federal agencies responsible for environmental reviews or authorizations must implement the data standards and such minimum functional requirements. To the maximum extent practicable, CEQ and such agencies must iteratively develop and maintain a unified interagency data system consisting of interconnected federal agency systems and shared services for environmental reviews and authorizations, including a common interactive, digital, cloud-based authorization portal. Within a year, CEQ must oversee a pilot of shared services for environmental reviews and authorizations, including the portal. To the maximum extent practicable, CEQ must develop and implement the unified interagency data system by December 1, 2027.
This bill authorizes the placement of a memorial honoring women who supported the U.S. war effort during World War II (including those working as pilots, engineers, and in factories) on federal land in Washington, D.C. It specifies two locations: Area I on the National Mall map or the National Mall Reserve, as defined in existing law. The memorial was previously authorized by Section 702 of the 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act (Public Law 117-328), and this bill clarifies its permitted locations.
HR 573, the "Studying NEPA’s Impact on Projects Act," requires the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) to annually publish detailed reports starting July 2025 on how the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) affects federal projects. The reports will track NEPA-related lawsuits (including outcomes and costs), the length and cost of environmental reviews (like impact statements), and timelines for completing key review steps over 5- to 10-year periods. Data must be broken down by project type (e.g., energy, transportation) and sector (e.g., renewable energy, pipelines) to show trends in compliance, delays, and expenses. This information will be made publicly available online and submitted to relevant congressional committees, providing transparency on NEPA’s practical implementation without changing the law itself.
SRES 483 is a ceremonial Senate resolution honoring Dr. Jane Goodall, who passed away on October 1, 2025. It pays tribute to her lifelong work as a primatologist, conservationist, and founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and Roots & Shoots program, which engages youth globally in environmental action. The resolution recognizes her scientific contributions - including groundbreaking chimpanzee research at Gombe - and her advocacy for wildlife protection, education, and community-based conservation efforts like Tanzania's TACARE program. As a non-binding resolution, it does not enact policy changes but formally commemorates her legacy.
This bill directs the American Battle Monuments Commission to correct historical errors by identifying Jewish World War I and II veterans buried overseas under incorrect Christian markers (Latin crosses) and replacing them with appropriate markers. It establishes a 10-year program to contact families of affected veterans, with the Commission funding the effort at $500,000 annually through nonprofit contracts. The program specifically targets veterans buried in foreign U.S. military cemeteries with markers indicating non-Jewish faith, addressing a documented mistake affecting approximately 900 Jewish servicemembers. This directly affects Jewish veterans' families by honoring their heritage and correcting past burial inaccuracies.
