S 213, the Main Street Tax Certainty Act, makes the qualified business income deduction permanent for small business owners. It directly affects pass-through business owners (like sole proprietors and small partnerships) who currently benefit from this tax break. The bill removes the temporary expiration of Section 199A of the tax code, providing long-term certainty for these taxpayers by ensuring they can continue deducting up to 20% of their qualified business income.
This bill modifies tax code provisions to benefit energy producers. It allows oil and gas companies to deduct intangible drilling and development costs more favorably when calculating taxable income, by disregarding depreciation and depletion expenses already reflected on their financial statements. The change applies to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2025. This directly affects domestic energy producers who incur these specific drilling costs.
This bill amends the Social Security Act to require states to establish and enforce child support obligations from biological fathers for unborn children, directly affecting mothers expecting a child and the fathers of those children. Key provisions include allowing mothers to request support starting from the month of conception (as confirmed by a physician), permitting retroactive payments even after birth if paternity is later established, and requiring court determination of payment amounts considering the mother's and child's best interests. The bill prohibits mandatory paternity testing without the mother's consent and bans any procedures posing risk to the unborn child. It defines "unborn child" as any human fetus at any developmental stage carried in the womb, with the law taking effect two years after enactment.
The Apprenticeship Pathways Act of 2025 funds business groups and nonprofits (called "industry intermediaries") to create apprenticeship programs for secondary students and disconnected youth (ages 16-25 not in school or work). It prioritizes high-poverty schools, rural communities, and underrepresented groups like women in construction and people with disabilities. Key provisions include using federal funds to cover 50% of apprentice wages, provide wraparound support (childcare, tutoring, transportation), and develop training in high-demand fields like plumbing, healthcare, and technology. The bill directs these intermediaries to partner with schools and employers to build pathways into skilled trades and STEM careers.
The MERIT Act of 2025 makes significant changes to federal personnel management by repealing Chapter 43 performance-based actions and modifying procedures for disciplinary actions, furloughs, and bonus recoupment. It extends probationary periods for senior executives (to 2 years) and competitive service employees (to 2 years), establishes new rules for reducing retirement benefits of employees convicted of felonies related to their federal service, and creates standardized procedures for adverse actions including written notice requirements and response periods. The bill also allows agencies to recoup bonuses for misconduct and modifies procedures for handling furloughs of more than 14 days. These changes apply to all federal employees across government agencies and aim to clarify and streamline personnel management processes.
HR 643, the Federal Insurance Office Elimination Act, eliminates the Federal Insurance Office within the Treasury Department and removes the position of its Director. The bill updates federal law by deleting references to the office from the Dodd-Frank Act and other legislation, while clarifying that Treasury retains all existing authority over insurance matters. This change directly affects the structure of federal financial regulation by removing a specific oversight role and modifying related statutory language. The bill does not alter insurance policy or create new regulatory requirements, only removing an existing office and its associated references.
This bill renames the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) as the "Consumer Financial Empowerment Agency" across all federal laws and documents, affecting over 25 statutes including the Dodd-Frank Act and Truth in Lending Act. It makes no substantive policy changes but updates references to the agency's name in legal texts, regulations, and government records. The change applies to all existing provisions, titles, and definitions within federal law without altering the agency's structure or authority. This is a purely procedural renaming bill with no new funding or regulatory impact.
The Regulation Decimation Act requires federal agencies to repeal at least ten existing regulations before issuing a new rule that affects businesses, states, or local governments. For major rules (those with significant economic impact), agencies must repeal ten related rules and ensure the new rule's cost does not exceed the cost of the repealed rules, with Office of Management and Budget certification. The law excludes internal agency policies and rules revised to reduce burdens, and mandates agencies to review all costly or outdated rules within 90 days of enactment, reporting on rule reductions to Congress every five years. This bill directly affects federal agencies creating new regulations, aiming to reduce regulatory burden through mandatory rule repeal.
HR 685, the SAVE Moms and Babies Act of 2025, prohibits the FDA from approving new abortion drugs or allowing investigational use of existing ones. It restricts existing abortion drugs to in-person administration by certified healthcare providers in clinics or hospitals (not pharmacies), limits use to pregnancies under 70 days gestation, and requires providers to certify they can handle complications like severe bleeding or ectopic pregnancies. The bill mandates reporting of adverse events (such as hospitalizations or infections) to the FDA without patient identifiers and defines "abortion drug" broadly as any drug intended to terminate pregnancy, excluding specific medical exceptions. This directly affects FDA approval processes, healthcare providers prescribing these drugs, and drug manufacturers.
HR 645, the National Constitutional Carry Act, would prevent all U.S. states and localities from requiring permits or imposing penalties for carrying firearms in public. It directly affects eligible U.S. citizens (including non-residents) who legally possess firearms under state and federal law, removing current permit requirements for public carry. The bill’s key provision amends federal law to invalidate any state or local law that criminalizes or discourages public firearm carry, except where private property owners clearly prohibit firearms or security screening occurs. This would override existing state permit laws, making permitless carry legal across all states and territories for qualified individuals.
HR 703, the Main Street Tax Certainty Act, makes a key tax deduction permanent for small business owners. It removes the temporary sunset provision (subsection (i)) from Section 199A of the tax code, ensuring the qualified business income deduction remains available for eligible small businesses. This change directly affects pass-through business owners (like S-corps, partnerships, and sole proprietorships) who currently qualify for this deduction. The permanent change takes effect for tax years starting after December 31, 2025.
HR 682, the Heartbeat Protection Act of 2025, prohibits physicians from performing abortions without first checking for a detectable fetal heartbeat according to standard medical practice and informing the patient of the results. It directly affects physicians and clinics performing abortions, requiring them to document heartbeat checks and comply with strict exceptions for life-threatening conditions, rape (with 48-hour documentation of counseling/treatment), or incest involving minors (with proof of prior report to authorities). Violations could result in fines or up to five years in prison, though the bill explicitly states it does not create or recognize a right to abortion. The law adds detailed documentation requirements for exceptions and mandates retention of medical records per federal health privacy rules.
