HR 3376 creates the Water Affordability, Transparency, Equity, and Reliability Trust Fund, funded by increasing the corporate tax rate from 21% to 24.5% starting in 2025, with annual funding capped at $35 billion or 1/20th of 20-year infrastructure needs. The bill allocates funds to clean water programs (42%), safe drinking water programs (42.5%), household water well systems (1%), colonias assistance (0.5%), and Indian health services (3%), requiring specific prioritization of low-income and minority communities for many programs. It mandates an EPA study on water affordability, discriminatory practices, and civil rights violations in water service, including data collection on service disconnections affecting vulnerable populations. The bill also includes provisions for lead service line replacement, PFAS contamination response, and job training grants for water system operators with specific requirements to prioritize low-income communities.
This bill, S 1716 (Vision Lab Choice Act of 2025), modifies vision care coverage under health plans by limiting agreements between optometrists and vision plans to two-year terms (with possible two-year extensions) and prohibiting plans from restricting optometrists' choices of labs or suppliers for patient vision care. It directly affects optometrists and health insurance issuers offering limited-scope vision benefits, ensuring they cannot force optometrists to use specific labs or materials. The bill requires annual state enforcement notifications by the Secretary and clarifies that state laws governing vision plans take precedence if they conflict with this law. It does not change overall coverage requirements but focuses on provider choice and contract terms within vision benefit plans.
Saving Our Veterans Lives Act of 2025 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to implement a program to provide, upon request, a firearm lockbox (or voucher for such item) to eligible individuals. Currently, there is a pilot program under which certain veterans may be prescribed a lockbox by a VA clinician. The VA must also provide information with respect to the benefits of and options for secure firearm storage. The VA must develop an informational video on the secure storage of firearms as a suicide prevention strategy and publish the video on its website. Additionally, the VA must publish information to inform individuals who participate in the lockbox program that such lockboxes are not for resale. The VA must also implement a public education campaign to educate eligible individuals about the availability of lockboxes under the program and that participation in the program does not affect the rights of an individual with respect to the lawful ownership of a firearm.
The Rural Broadband Modernization Act would create a federal program to fund broadband infrastructure in rural areas through grants, loans, and loan guarantees. It establishes a minimum service standard of 100 Mbps symmetrical broadband for all rural households, prioritizing projects for communities without any existing broadband service (or with inadequate service) and requiring at least 90% of households in a service area to be unserved. The program would allocate $500 million annually from 2026-2030, with funds distributed based on the number of small communities (under 2,500 residents) in each state. Eligible applicants include local governments, tribal entities, and private companies that can demonstrate they'll meet the service requirements within 5 years.
HR 3277, the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act, requires group health plans and health insurance issuers to cover medically necessary outpatient and inpatient treatments for congenital anomalies or birth defects primarily affecting the eyes, ears, teeth, mouth, or jaw. This includes reconstructive procedures, dental/orthodontic support during treatment, and follow-up care, but excludes purely cosmetic surgery not tied to a medical diagnosis. Cost-sharing (like copays) for these services must not be stricter than for other medical benefits. The law takes effect for plan years beginning January 1, 2026, and mandates insurers to provide notice about this coverage to beneficiaries.
The MIL FMLA Act expands the Family and Medical Leave Act to provide military families with additional leave options. It allows eligible employees to take up to 26 workweeks of leave during a 12-month period to care for a covered servicemember (active duty member or veteran), regardless of the employee's family relationship to the servicemember. The bill adds new definitions to include domestic partners, grandparents, siblings, and other extended family members as eligible caregivers, and creates a new "veteran leave" provision for employees who are covered servicemembers needing leave due to service-related serious injury or illness. These changes aim to better support military families by providing more comprehensive leave options for caregiving needs related to military service.
HR 3293, the Support Water-Efficient Strategies and Technologies Act of 2025, increases financial support for farmers and ranchers adopting water-saving agricultural practices. The bill allows up to 85% of costs for drought-resilient farming (like dryland systems), water conservation methods (reducing irrigation use), and perennial crop systems (such as long-term grain or forage crops). It also modifies existing conservation programs to better account for income loss during transitions to these practices and adds requirements for soil health outreach and testing. The changes apply to participants in USDA conservation programs under the Food Security Act of 1985, with a $200,000 payment cap over five years for any single entity.
HR 3306, the Truth in Tariffs Act, requires retailers selling goods to U.S. consumers to clearly display the portion of a product's price caused by applicable tariffs (called a "tariff surcharge"). This applies to most retailers but exempts small businesses as defined by the Small Business Act. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will enforce this rule, treating violations as unfair or deceptive practices under existing law, with penalties similar to those for other FTC violations. The law takes effect 30 days after enactment, covering tariffs imposed by the President after January 20, 2025.
This bill allows businesses to immediately deduct research and development (R&D) costs instead of spreading them over 60 months, directly benefiting companies investing in innovation. It increases the refundable R&D credit cap for small businesses from $250,000 to $750,000 over time, with specific phase-in amounts starting in 2025. Additionally, it expands access for startups by raising the gross receipts threshold for eligibility from $5 million to $15 million and increasing credit rates for qualified small businesses. These changes aim to make R&D tax incentives more accessible and valuable for smaller companies and new ventures.
This bill delays Medicare payment changes for ground ambulance services until 2028 and adds temporary rate increases during a transition period. It directly affects Medicare beneficiaries using ambulance services and ambulance providers who bill Medicare, particularly in rural areas. Key provisions extend the effective date for payment adjustments from October 2025 to January 2028 and establish temporary payment rates: 26.7% for super-rural ambulance services and 4.3% or 3.4% for regular ground ambulance services during the transition period (October 2025-January 2028). These changes aim to prevent sudden payment cuts that could disrupt access to ambulance care.
This bill bans the commercial provision of conversion therapy - defined as paid attempts to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity - as it is deemed ineffective and harmful. It directly affects therapists, clinics, and any commercial entity offering such services, while exempting gender transition support and non-discriminatory counseling. Key mechanisms include prohibiting paid conversion therapy, banning deceptive advertising (e.g., claiming it’s harmless), and empowering the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general to enforce penalties. The law focuses on preventing fraud by stopping profit-driven practices with no scientific basis, aligning with professional consensus on the risks.
The TEST AI Act of 2025 establishes a pilot program to develop measurement standards for artificial intelligence (AI) systems used by federal agencies. It requires the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to create testbeds (controlled testing environments) and form a working group - including government, private sector, and academic representatives but excluding citizens of China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran - to define standards covering reliability, security, privacy, and bias in AI systems. Within two years, NIST must develop testbeds to demonstrate these standards, and after the first demonstration, submit a report to Congress detailing findings and recommendations. The bill aims to create consistent evaluation methods for federal AI use, ensuring systems are safe, effective, and secure.
