HR 1410 expands access to mental health care for 9/11 responders and survivors by allowing licensed mental health providers (not just physicians) to conduct initial health evaluations and certifications under the World Trade Center Health Program. It adjusts the program’s funding formula to account for changing enrollment numbers by linking annual funding to the previous year’s enrollment ratio, and clarifies that deceased individuals are excluded from enrollment counts. The bill also extends the timeframe for adding new health conditions to the program’s list and requires a 2028 report assessing long-term funding needs through 2090. These changes aim to streamline eligibility, improve care access, and ensure sustainable funding for the program.
The Federal Infrastructure Bank Act of 2025 would create a new Federal Infrastructure Bank to provide financing for infrastructure projects across the United States. The bank would offer loans, equity investments, and loan guarantees to eligible entities like state governments, corporations, and public-private partnerships for projects including roads, bridges, ports, airports, and energy systems. The bill requires at least 10% of the bank's funding to support rural infrastructure projects and prohibits funding for projects influenced by China or located outside the United States. The bank would maintain risk-based capital at no less than 10% and would be regulated by the Federal Reserve System.
HR 1226, the Restoring Checks and Balances Act, requires most new federal regulations to expire automatically five years after taking effect unless Congress specifically reauthorizes them. This directly affects federal agencies that issue regulations, mandating they submit detailed reauthorization requests to Congress by December 1 of the year before expiration, including justifications and related rules. The bill requires agencies to publicly post these requests online and prohibits agencies from reissuing or modifying expired regulations. It excludes certain rules, such as those related to national security, criminal enforcement, agency operations, or imminent health/safety emergencies. The law does not change existing regulations, only new ones issued after its enactment.
This bill establishes a "Secure the Southern Border Fund" to finance border wall construction and related security measures along the U.S.-Mexico border. It creates a 5% fee on remittance transfers to foreign countries and increases Form I-94 (Arrival/Departure Record) fees, with portions of these fees directed to the fund. The bill requires annual reporting on illegal border crossings and sets a deadline of December 31, 2025, for completing border barriers. The fund will finance physical barriers, roads, technology, and equipment for U.S. Border Patrol agents, while also including provisions to increase overtime pay for Border Patrol agents.
This bill requires the Government Accountability Office to analyze new federal legislation for potential duplication with existing programs, offices, or initiatives. When the GAO identifies such overlaps, it must report the findings to the Congressional Budget Office Director and the committee that introduced the bill, and publish the information on its website. The bill aims to improve government efficiency by flagging redundant spending before new programs are fully implemented, affecting the GAO, budget officials, and legislative committees.
This bill creates American Dream Accounts, which are tax-advantaged savings accounts designed to help eligible U.S. citizens save for purchasing a first home. The accounts allow contributions up to $7,500 annually (or $10,000 for those aged 35 or older) with tax-free growth and tax-free withdrawals when used to buy a first home, subject to a $500,000 lifetime limit on qualified distributions. Funds must be kept in a bank or qualified trustee, cannot be invested in life insurance, and cannot be commingled with other property. Withdrawals for purposes other than qualified first-time home purchases are subject to income tax and a 10% penalty. The bill also establishes rules for rollovers between accounts, reporting requirements, and penalties for excess contributions or prohibited transactions.
This bill, known as the MINT Act, changes how certain municipal bonds are treated for tax purposes by removing a temporary restriction that applied to bonds guaranteed by Federal Home Loan Banks. It affects state and local governments issuing bonds backed by these federal financial institutions, allowing them to maintain tax-exempt status more broadly. The legislation removes a time limit that previously applied to these guarantees and updates safety standards to be set by the Federal Housing Finance Agency rather than fixed rules. These changes apply only to guarantees issued after the bill becomes law, restoring a previous tax treatment for these financial instruments.
This bill modifies tax rules for qualified opportunity funds, which are investment vehicles designed to encourage capital investment in designated economically distressed areas. It extends the time period for designating qualified opportunity zones from 10 to 20 years and allows taxpayers to make qualifying investments through December 31, 2036, instead of the previous December 31, 2026 deadline. The legislation also adds specific requirements for residential rental projects within these funds, including income limits for tenants, a cap on annual rent increases of 3 percent, and a 60-day advance notice requirement for rent hikes. These changes aim to provide more flexibility for investors while maintaining certain protections for low-income residents in the projects.
HR 506, the "Security First Act," allocates $110 million annually (2025-2028) for border security grants to state/local law enforcement through the Operation Stonegarden program, funded by a new trust fund using seized monetary instruments at the border. It requires the State Department to assess whether major Mexican cartels (like Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation) and gangs (like Tren de Aragua) meet criteria for foreign terrorist organization designation. The bill mandates a detailed technology needs analysis by DHS within one year, evaluating border security tech gaps, new surveillance systems, and infrastructure to address threats like drug trafficking and human smuggling. This analysis must be updated biannually and includes assessing privacy impacts, staffing needs, and coordination with Mexican law enforcement.
HR 422, the "No Subsidies for Wealthy Universities Act," limits how federal research funds can cover indirect costs (like administrative expenses) at universities with large endowments. It prohibits institutions with endowments over $5 billion from using any federal research funds for indirect costs, caps indirect costs at 8% for those with $2-5 billion in endowments, and sets a 15% cap for all other institutions. The bill requires annual collection of endowment data by the National Center for Education Statistics and mandates public reporting of how indirect costs are used. It directly affects research funding for the wealthiest universities, reducing federal support for their administrative operations. The policy applies to new federal research awards starting one year after enactment.
