HRES 328 is a non-binding House resolution expressing support for library staff and the essential services libraries provide to communities across the United States. It recognizes libraries as critical infrastructure for community access to information, internet, social services, and safe spaces - especially for underserved groups - and calls for full federal, state, and local funding to sustain these services. The resolution reaffirms the public’s right to free access to information, supports library workers’ rights to unionize and collectively bargain, and defends staff from threats like book bans or intimidation for upholding library missions. It specifically endorses National Library Week and urges protection of civil rights for library workers. (Note: As a procedural resolution, it does not create new law but formally expresses congressional support.)
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.
This bill requires the CDC to collect and publicly share information about concussions and traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) affecting public safety officers, including research on prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. The CDC must update its website and develop outreach to medical professionals, public safety employers, mental health providers, patients, and educational institutions to improve care and awareness. It directly affects law enforcement, firefighters, and other public safety officers by creating a centralized resource for evidence-based practices to address TBIs in their work. The bill focuses on information dissemination, not new funding or mandates, to support better health outcomes for this workforce.
This bill expands the Federal Home Loan Banks' (FHLBs) ability to support community-focused lending by explicitly allowing grants alongside loans and broadening eligible members to include credit unions and community development financial institutions (CDFIs). It requires FHLBs to dedicate 30% of annual net income toward affordable housing and community development (through 2025), with up to 15% allocated for non-competitive grants in low-income, Tribal, or rural areas. The bill also ties executive compensation to mission achievements, such as community investment metrics and affordable housing support. These changes directly affect FHLB members like credit unions, CDFIs, and housing finance agencies by increasing access to subsidized financing and grants for low-income housing and community development.
This bill simplifies state income tax for employees who work across state lines. It ensures such employees pay state income tax only to their home state and to any state where they work more than 30 days in a calendar year. Employers must withhold tax based on these rules, relying on employee location estimates unless using a daily tracking system. It excludes certain workers like professional athletes, entertainers, and film production staff from these rules. The law affects mobile workers (e.g., remote employees, salespeople) who perform duties in multiple states, directly changing where they pay state income tax.
Senate Bill 1466, the Resources for Victims of Gun Violence Act of 2025, establishes an Advisory Council to help victims of gun violence access available resources. The Council, composed of federal agency heads and appointed victims/victim professionals, will identify best practices and create a public resource guide covering medical, financial, mental health, legal, and housing needs. It must produce an initial report within 180 days of enactment (and a follow-up report after two years), sharing this information with Congress, state agencies, and the public through online and print materials. The bill does not authorize new funding and expires after five years.
This bill makes the federal adoption tax credit refundable, allowing eligible taxpayers to receive a refund even if they owe no income tax. It directly affects families who paid qualified adoption expenses (like court fees or agency costs) but previously couldn't claim the full credit due to its non-refundable status. Key provisions include redesignating the credit in tax law as "section 36C" (making it refundable), adding standardized third-party affidavits to verify adoptions, and ensuring existing credit carryforwards are treated as refundable starting in 2025. The changes take effect for tax years beginning after December 31, 2024.
S 1480 (American Infrastructure Bonds Act of 2025) creates a tax credit for state and local governments that issue qualifying infrastructure bonds. It allows issuers to receive a 28% credit from the Treasury on each interest payment made on these bonds, paid simultaneously with the interest. The bonds must meet specific criteria: interest would normally be tax-exempt under federal law, they cannot be private activity bonds, and the issuer must elect to use this credit. This provision reduces the cost of issuing infrastructure bonds for governments, making it cheaper to finance projects like roads, bridges, and water systems.
The FORECAST Act of 2025 requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to improve subseasonal-to-seasonal weather and climate forecasting by developing new multi-model forecast systems, enhancing data collection across Earth systems (atmosphere, ocean, land, ice), and creating an online clearinghouse for forecast data. It establishes a workforce program to train and recruit professionals in weather modeling, data assimilation, and emerging technologies like AI, including scholarships and annual workforce planning. The bill authorizes $28.5 million annually for NOAA to implement these changes and fund partnerships with universities and research institutions. These provisions directly affect NOAA, climate researchers, and the broader weather forecasting community, aiming to strengthen forecast accuracy for extreme weather events and climate impacts.
HR 2880 provides due process protections for federal employees who are promoted to career positions (in the competitive service, excepted service, or Senior Executive Service) and serve under a probationary period. It requires these employees to be covered by existing federal employment laws, including special protections for Department of Veterans Affairs staff. The bill also allows employees removed from such positions between January 20, 2025, and the law's enactment to be reinstated to their former or equivalent role with backpay. Political appointees are excluded from these protections and reinstatement provisions.
HR 2906, the SERVICE Act, requires federal agencies to submit a detailed report to Congress and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) before reducing their workforce by more than 5% in a fiscal year. The report must analyze financial impacts (including pay, benefits, and replacement costs), mission effects on specific offices/services, and the agency’s analytical basis for the reduction. The GAO must then review the report within 180 days and assess whether it includes all required elements and credible supporting data. This 210-day review period applies to all agencies covered under the law, directly affecting federal workforce planning decisions. The bill aims to ensure transparency and evidence-based decision-making around federal staffing changes.
This bill repeals a restriction that previously prevented individuals from rolling over funds directly from their Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) to donor-advised funds (DAFs) for charitable giving. It directly affects IRA account holders who wish to make tax-advantaged charitable contributions through DAFs. The key provision amends the Internal Revenue Code to remove the specific language barring such rollovers, allowing these transfers to occur without triggering taxable distributions. The change becomes effective after the bill's enactment, streamlining a pathway for donors to support charities via DAFs using IRA assets.
