Maintaining and Enhancing Hydroelectricity and River Restoration Act This bill establishes a new investment tax credit in the amount of 30% of the basis of any hydropower improvement property. The bill defines hydropower improvement property as property that adds or improves fish passage at a qualified dam; maintains or improves the quality of the water retained or released by a qualified dam; promotes downstream sediment transport and habitat maintenance; upgrades, repairs, or reconstructs a qualified dam to meet safety and security standards; improves public uses of, and access to, public waterways impacted by a qualified dam; removes an obsolete river obstruction; or places into service an approved remote dam. Further, written approval for hydropower improvement property must be obtained from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission or state or local officials prior to January 1, 2032. The bill also allows an election to claim the investment tax credit for qualified progress expenses for some types of hydropower improvement property in advance of such property being placed into service. Any investment tax credit amount claimed for qualified progress expenses reduces the amount of the investment tax credit that may be claimed once the hydropower improvement property is placed into service. The bill authorizes certain entities, including tax-exempt and governmental entities, to treat the investment tax credit for hydropower improvement property as a payment of tax and receive a refund of any overpayment (also known as elective pay). Finally, the investment tax credit for hydropower improvement property may be transferred (i.e., sold).
HR 2095, the Postal Police Reform Act of 2025, amends existing law to clarify the roles of USPS police officers and their authority over property. It explicitly includes "Postal Service police officers" alongside Postal Inspectors in Section 3061 of Title 18, U.S. Code, and gives the Postmaster General new authority to create rules for protecting USPS-owned or controlled property. These rules can include fines or up to 30 days in jail for violations, with penalties clearly defined under the law. The bill directly affects USPS police officers and individuals on USPS property by standardizing their regulatory framework.
HR 2168, the BO’s Act, requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to study home cardiorespiratory monitors used for infants. The study must assess the monitors' effectiveness in tracking heart rate and oxygen levels, evaluate new care models for safe infant sleep environments, and examine health insurance coverage criteria. A report on these findings must be submitted to Congress within one year of the bill’s enactment. This bill does not change current policy but aims to inform future decisions about monitor coverage and infant safety practices, directly affecting parents, healthcare providers, and insurers.
HR 2119, the "St. Patrick’s Day Act," is a procedural bill that adds "St. Patrick’s Day" to the list of official federal holidays under U.S. law. It directly affects federal employees by designating March 17 as a recognized holiday for federal offices and operations. The bill makes a technical amendment to the existing federal holiday schedule in 5 U.S. Code § 6103(a), inserting "St. Patrick’s Day" after Washington’s Birthday. This change does not alter holiday pay, benefits, or other policies - it simply adds the date to the official calendar. The bill has no substantive policy impact beyond administrative naming.
The FOCA Act of 2025 prohibits federal agencies from requiring or banning contractors from using union agreements in construction project bids or contracts. It directly affects federal agencies, contractors, and subcontractors working on federally funded or assisted construction projects (like buildings or infrastructure). The law requires bid documents to not favor or penalize contractors based on whether they have union agreements, aiming to promote open competition and prevent discrimination. This changes how agencies structure bids but does not affect union agreements themselves. The bill applies to all new contracts and subcontracts after enactment, with limited exemptions only for public health/safety emergencies or national security.
This bill amends Section 60123(b) of Title 49, U.S. Code, to expand criminal penalties for interfering with energy infrastructure. It broadens the prohibited actions from "damaging or destroying" to include vandalizing, tampering with, disrupting operations or construction, or preventing operations of energy facilities like pipelines. The change directly affects individuals who interfere with energy transportation infrastructure, increasing legal consequences for a wider range of disruptive acts. The bill focuses on strengthening existing penalties without creating new programs or funding.
This bill expands the Work Opportunity Tax Credit to include military spouses. It adds "qualified military spouse" as a new category eligible for the credit, meaning employers who hire spouses of active-duty service members can claim the tax benefit. To qualify, a spouse must be certified by a local agency as married to an Armed Forces member at the time of hire. The change applies to hires occurring after the law's effective date, directly affecting military spouses seeking employment and employers who hire them.
This bill, the Major Richard Star Act (S 1032), allows veterans with combat-related disabilities to receive both their military retired pay and Veterans Affairs disability compensation simultaneously. It amends U.S. Code sections to remove the automatic reduction in retired pay that previously forced these veterans to choose between the two payments. The key change ensures veterans with combat-related disabilities qualify for full retired pay without offset against their VA disability benefits, effective for payments starting after the bill's enactment date. This directly affects veterans receiving military retired pay under Chapter 61 who also qualify for VA disability compensation for combat-related injuries.
This bill amends federal law to clarify the legal definition of "firearm silencer" and "firearm muffler" under Title 18. It defines these devices as any component designed to reduce firearm noise that attaches to a firearm, including the outer tube or primary housing of such devices. The law directly affects manufacturers, dealers, and owners of silencers by establishing a specific regulatory definition for these products. This definition change, rather than creating new restrictions, ensures consistent application of existing firearm laws to silencer components.
The FIGHT China Act of 2025 restricts U.S. investments in Chinese companies with ties to China's military or surveillance sectors. It prohibits U.S. persons from engaging in transactions involving "prohibited technologies" such as advanced semiconductors (with specific technical specifications), AI systems, quantum computing, and hypersonic weapons, while requiring notification for certain "notifiable technology" investments. The bill mandates that U.S. investors divest from companies on the Non-SDN Chinese Military-Industrial Complex Companies List within one year of enactment. It establishes a process for identifying Chinese entities subject to these restrictions, with annual reports to Congress required for seven years.
HR 1156, the Pandemic Unemployment Fraud Enforcement Act, extends the time limit for prosecuting fraud related to pandemic unemployment programs. It adds a 10-year window for criminal or civil actions against individuals who falsely claimed benefits under Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC), or Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation (MEUC). The law applies only to fraud committed during these specific pandemic-era programs and does not revive cases where the original statute of limitations had already expired before this bill passed. This change gives authorities more time to pursue fraud cases without altering the programs' core eligibility rules.
This bill amends the Higher Education Act to require colleges receiving federal funds to disclose how they handle "civil disturbances" (defined as protests, riots, or strikes disrupting campus safety or learning) in their security policies. It directly affects institutions of higher education that receive federal student aid or other HEA-related funding. Key provisions include adding a specific requirement for schools to report on responding to such disruptions and mandating accreditors to monitor compliance with this new security reporting standard. The law does not prohibit protests but changes how schools must document and address campus disruptions that interfere with safety or education.
