The Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act of 2025 establishes a federal commission to investigate the history, impacts, and lasting effects of Indian Boarding Schools on Native American communities, including physical, cultural, and emotional consequences. The commission will document these impacts through research, hold meetings across the country to gather testimony from survivors and tribal representatives, and collaborate with a Survivors Truth and Healing Subcommittee and two advisory committees. The commission will produce an initial report within four years and a final report before terminating six years after enactment, with recommendations for Federal action to address the legacy of these policies. This legislation aims to formally acknowledge historical trauma caused by Indian Boarding Schools and guide future Federal efforts toward healing and reconciliation.
She Develops Regulations In Vehicle Equality and Safety Act or the She DRIVES Act This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to revise motor vehicle safety standards to require the use of certain anthropomorphic test devices (i.e., crash test dummies) and testing on female crash test dummies. Specifically, DOT must issue final rules to revise the current testing regulations to include specific adult male and adult female frontal impact and side impact crash test dummies. The final rules must establish or update the testing injury criteria based on real-world injuries and the greatest potential to increase safety. The injury criteria must include head, neck, chest, abdomen, pelvis, upper leg, and lower leg criteria for the crash test dummies. The final rules must also establish crashworthiness frontal and side impact tests for adult female occupants in all front seating positions that are currently tested for adult male occupants (as of the date of the bill's enactment). Further, DOT must promulgate a final decision notice to update the testing procedures for the New Car Assessment Program of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to require the use of these crash test dummies for frontal and side impact crashworthiness testing. Finally, DOT must submit reports to Congress that, among other things, identify timelines for DOT to incorporate additional types of crash test dummies into the regulations and identify testing devices used in other countries for similar crashworthiness standards.
The Veteran Families Health Services Act of 2025 would provide fertility treatment and counseling to active duty military members and their spouses, partners, and gestational surrogates without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or marital status. It requires the Department of Defense to establish procedures for preserving reproductive genetic material before deployment or hazardous assignments and to coordinate with the Department of Veterans Affairs for seamless care transitions. The bill also extends similar fertility services to veterans through the Department of Veterans Affairs, including adoption assistance with a limit of three covered adoptions. It would amend existing law to include fertility treatment under the definition of medical services for veterans.
S 2557, the Epstein Files Transparency Act, requires the Department of Justice to make publicly available, within 30 days of enactment, all unclassified records related to Jeffrey Epstein's investigations, associates (like Ghislaine Maxwell), travel logs, immunity deals, and DOJ internal communications. It mandates the release in a searchable format while prohibiting redactions based on embarrassment or political sensitivity. The bill allows limited redactions only for victim privacy, child pornography, active investigations, graphic content, or national security classifications, with detailed justifications required for any withholdings. The Attorney General must also submit a report to Congress listing all released materials, redactions, and names of officials referenced in the documents. This bill directly affects the DOJ's handling of Epstein-related records and provides the public access to previously withheld information.
This bill permanently extends the enhanced premium tax credit for Affordable Care Act marketplace insurance plans, directly affecting millions of lower-income households (earning 150%-400% of the federal poverty level) who purchase coverage through state or federal marketplaces. It establishes a sliding-scale percentage system where the tax credit reduces monthly premiums based on income, starting at 0% for households earning up to 150% of poverty and increasing to 8.5% for those earning 300%-400% of poverty. The bill replaces temporary provisions with permanent rules, ensuring consistent cost-sharing support for eligible buyers. The changes apply to tax years beginning after December 31, 2025.
Protecting Air Ambulance Services for Americans Act of 2025 This bill authorizes payment changes under Medicare for air ambulance services based on certain collected data and requires additional reporting from providers of these services. Current law requires providers of air ambulance services to report certain information regarding general costs and utilization to the Department of Health and Human Services; private health insurers are also required to report information relating to coverage of these services. The bill authorizes the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to revise payment rates under Medicare for air ambulance services based on this data, and it requires providers of air ambulance services to specifically report information relating to costs and utilization under Medicare. The bill also requires the Government Accountability Office to report on the data that is collected under current law requirements and to recommend changes to Medicare payment rates accordingly.
The Hire Student Veterans Act expands the Work Opportunity Tax Credit to include veterans using educational benefits from the VA (like the GI Bill) or military programs while employed. Employers who hire these veterans can claim the tax credit, reducing their federal tax bill. The bill adjusts eligibility requirements to specifically cover veterans attending school with these benefits and modifies the minimum employment period for them. This change applies to veterans starting work after the bill becomes law.
The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2025 strengthens voting rights protections by requiring preclearance for certain voting changes in jurisdictions with a history of discrimination. It establishes new preclearance requirements for changes to election methods, district boundaries, voter ID rules, and polling locations. The bill updates standards for determining when voting practices deny or abridge rights, particularly for racial, ethnic, and language minority groups. It also requires transparency about voting changes through public notices and strengthens enforcement mechanisms for voting rights violations. The bill directly affects states and localities with documented histories of voting discrimination, aiming to protect minority voters' rights.
This bill allows healthcare providers participating in federal scholarship or loan repayment programs to temporarily pause their service obligations for up to one year to complete palliative care training. It directly affects providers who have signed contracts under the National Health Service Corps Scholarship or Loan Repayment Programs. The key provision amends federal law to let the Secretary grant these deferrals, enabling providers to gain specialized palliative care skills without losing their program commitments. Palliative care focuses on improving quality of life for patients with serious illnesses, so this change aims to build expertise in this critical care area.
The Restoring Essential Healthcare Act repeals a provision that blocked Medicaid payments to certain healthcare providers. Specifically, it removes a restriction from Public Law 119-21 that prevented Medicaid from paying "prohibited entities" for services provided between the law's enactment and this bill's effective date. Payments for those services will now be made retroactively, as if the restriction had never existed. This directly affects Medicaid programs and the healthcare providers previously excluded from receiving these payments.
This bill removes a barrier preventing most low-income students from accessing SNAP benefits. It amends the Food and Nutrition Act to explicitly allow students enrolled at least half-time in recognized higher education programs to qualify for SNAP, reversing a prior exclusion. The key change eliminates the previous requirement that students meet specific exceptions (now deleted) and adds a new eligibility category under Section 3(m)(5). This directly affects low-income undergraduate and graduate students at colleges and training programs who were previously ineligible. The changes take effect January 2, 2026.
This bill authorizes $50 million annually for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to conduct research on firearms safety and gun violence prevention, beginning in fiscal year 2026 through 2031. The funding is in addition to existing CDC appropriations and would support studies under the Public Health Service Act. It does not create new regulations or directly affect individuals, but aims to expand research into causes and prevention strategies for gun violence. The bill focuses solely on enabling CDC research, without proposing policy changes or restrictions.
