The Keeping All Students Safe Act prohibits the use of unlawful seclusion and restraint in schools receiving federal funding, including physical restraint that restricts breathing or blood flow, chemical restraint not prescribed for medical treatment, and mechanical restraint. The bill requires schools to use less restrictive interventions first, mandates that staff using physical restraint be trained and certified through State-approved programs, and requires immediate parent notification after any restraint incident. States must develop plans to monitor compliance, collect and report data on restraint incidents (disaggregated by race, disability status, and school type), and implement positive behavioral interventions. The bill provides $40 million annually for five years to support states in implementing these requirements and improving school climate through evidence-based approaches.
This bill amends the Higher Education Act to extend the loan limits for graduate and professional students indefinitely. It removes the previous expiration date (June 30, 2026) for these limits, meaning graduate and professional students will continue to have access to the same federal loan amounts without a set end date. The key change modifies Section 455(a) by eliminating the sunset provision and updating the effective date language in the law. This directly affects students pursuing advanced degrees who rely on federal loans for tuition and living expenses. The bill makes a technical adjustment to existing student loan policy without creating new benefits or altering eligibility criteria.
HR 6638 requires NASA and the Commerce Secretary to submit a report within 180 days of enactment on creating a U.S. institute focused on space resources (like minerals and energy in space). The report must evaluate options for studying how to responsibly identify, develop, and use space resources to support U.S. space leadership, including reducing business risks and partnering with universities and industry. It will assess whether a physical or virtual institute would be most effective and how to maximize information sharing. This bill does not establish the institute but mandates a study to inform future decisions.
The Safer Schools Act of 2025 establishes a 5-year federal pilot program providing grants to public schools for security risk assessments and physical security upgrades. Public schools that have experienced violent incidents involving multiple people are prioritized for both types of grants. Schools receiving assessment grants must first identify vulnerabilities, while improvement grants fund specific security measures like panic alarms linked to local police, with federal funds covering up to 50% of costs. The program allocates $600 million total ($100M-$300M annually), requiring schools to submit financial reports and post-implementation safety surveys, with annual congressional reports tracking outcomes.
HR 6484, the Kids Online Safety Act, requires social media platforms and online services (termed "covered platforms") to implement specific safety measures for minors under 17. The bill mandates default privacy settings that limit communication with other users, default time limits on platform usage, and parental control tools to monitor and restrict children's online activity. Platforms must prevent advertising of harmful products like drugs, alcohol, and gambling to minors and provide clear safety information before minors register or make purchases. The legislation also requires annual independent audits of platforms' compliance with these safety measures and establishes a Kids Online Safety Council to provide recommendations on online safety for minors.
This bill requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to launch a nationwide online safety education program within 180 days of enactment, targeting minors under 17. It mandates collaboration with schools, parents, online platforms, and nonprofits to promote best practices for safe internet use, including protection from harmful content (like adult material or cybercrimes) and mental health risks. The FTC must submit annual reports to Congress for 10 years detailing these efforts. The law directly affects minors, parents/guardians, schools, and online platforms through these educational initiatives, without restricting content or imposing new regulations.
This bill amends the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) to extend protections to teens aged 12-17 in addition to children under 13. It requires operators of websites, online services, applications, and mobile apps to obtain verifiable consent from parents for children's personal information and from teens themselves for teens' personal information. The bill prohibits operators from using children's or teens' personal information for individual-specific advertising without consent, mandates clear privacy notices, and requires data deletion upon request. It also establishes new reporting requirements for the Federal Trade Commission regarding high-impact social media companies that affect children or teens.
The Safer GAMING Act requires online video game providers to give parents default-enabled tools to limit communication between their minor children (under 18) and other players (including adults) within interactive online games. Providers must make these privacy and safety controls easy to use, automatically active on minors' accounts, and only adjustable by parents. The Federal Trade Commission enforces these requirements as deceptive practices, and states can also take action to stop violations. This directly affects parents of minors who play online games with chat or voice features, aiming to reduce exposure to inappropriate interactions.
HR 6253 requires online platforms using personalized recommendation systems (like social media or video sites) to provide clear notices and options to minors under 18. It mandates that platforms offer an input-transparent algorithm as the default setting - meaning it doesn’t use hidden user data to curate content - and gives minors the ability to switch algorithms or limit recommendation types. Platforms must also disclose how data is collected, what the system optimizes (e.g., engagement time), and how user-specific data is used. The Federal Trade Commission will enforce these requirements under existing laws, with the bill preempting conflicting state regulations.
This bill prohibits social media platforms from offering disappearing messages (like Snapchat's ephemeral chats) to users under 17. It requires platforms to provide parents with easily accessible tools to approve or block private messaging for minors, with direct messaging disabled by default for users under 13. App stores must also display clear warnings to parents when minors attempt to download apps with private messaging features. These requirements apply to all social media platforms defined under the bill, with enforcement handled by the Federal Trade Commission.
The HOMEFRONT Act of 2025 exempts military housing for single service members and families (under the Department of Defense) from the National Historic Preservation Act, meaning these facilities won’t need to meet historic preservation standards. It allows the Secretary of Defense to temporarily exclude up to 0.1% of such housing units from the exemption, but excludes any historic sites listed on the National Register as of January 20, 2025. The bill also prohibits landlords of privatized military housing from requiring tenants to sign nondisclosure agreements related to leases or housing services, applying retroactively to all existing agreements. These changes directly affect military housing residents and the Department of Defense’s management of housing facilities.
The App Store Accountability Act requires major app stores (with over 5 million US users) to verify users' ages at account creation and obtain verifiable parental consent before minors can download apps or make in-app purchases. App stores must clearly display age ratings for apps, provide age verification data to developers, and notify parents of significant app changes affecting minors. App developers must verify user age and parental consent through the app store's system, use age data only for age-appropriate restrictions, and cannot enforce terms against minors without verified parental consent. The Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general will enforce these requirements, with app developers potentially shielded from liability if they follow the rules and industry standards.
