Veterans

This resolution designates December 13, 2025, as "National Wreaths Across America Day" to honor the Wreaths Across America project. It recognizes the annual tradition of placing veterans' remembrance wreaths on graves at national cemeteries and memorials across all 50 states and overseas locations, involving volunteers, the trucking industry, and patriotic escort groups like the Patriot Guard Riders. The resolution does not create new policy or affect specific groups through legislative action - it is a symbolic gesture celebrating the project’s mission to "Remember, Honor, and Teach" about veterans' sacrifices. The designation follows the project’s history of delivering over 23 million wreaths since 1992.

The Apprenticeship Infrastructure Tax Credit Act of 2025 creates a tax credit for employers hiring apprentices in infrastructure-related occupations, offering $3,000 per apprentice annually (or $6,000 for veterans, National Guard/reserve members, or military spouses). The credit applies for two consecutive tax years for apprentices enrolled in registered programs meeting federal standards, with a total cap of $5 billion. It specifies infrastructure occupations including construction, installation/maintenance, production, and IT roles, requiring employers to verify apprentices are new hires reported via W-2, not 1099 contractors. The Department of Labor will issue eligibility certificates to employers based on program data, and credits will be tracked and reported annually to ensure the $5 billion cap is not exceeded.

HR 1030, the Flight 293 Remembrance Act, creates a program to support families of U.S. military personnel who died in non-combat plane crashes since 1984 (and earlier crashes with documented records). The bill requires the Defense and Veterans Affairs Secretaries to build a public database of crash victims' details, provide families with personalized guidance on accessing benefits and support services, and establish a dedicated contact point for ongoing assistance. It also mandates a two-year report to Congress assessing the program's progress, family satisfaction, and recommendations for improvement. The law ensures non-discrimination protections apply to all assistance provided under the program. This bill directly affects families of service members lost in non-combat aviation incidents.

This bill requires federal agencies that haven't met a specific goal for awarding contracts to service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses to provide employee training on increasing such contracts. The Small Business Administration, working with the Office of Veterans Business Development, must issue guidance on best practices within 180 days and submit annual reports to Congress listing agencies that missed the target and detailing their training. It directly affects federal agencies with underperforming contracting records and aims to improve opportunities for service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses. The policy focuses on accountability through training, guidance, and reporting rather than altering existing contracting rules.

HR 7932, the HONOR Gold Star Families Act, increases the death gratuity paid to families of service members who died in the line of duty. It raises the current $100,000 payment to $200,000 for deaths occurring on or after January 1, 2026. The bill also adds an annual cost-of-living adjustment to this amount, increasing it each January 1 based on the previous year’s inflation rate as measured by the Consumer Price Index. This directly affects Gold Star Families - those who have lost a service member in military service - by providing a larger initial payment and ensuring future payments keep pace with inflation.

The CRUISE Act (HR 7083) modifies how the Department of Veterans Affairs processes payments to automobile sellers who provide vehicles to disabled veterans under a specific program. It requires payments to be made within 30 days of eligibility, and if delayed, the Department must publicly report the processing time. The bill centralizes payment processing in the Department's Central Office and creates a system to track and resolve payments outstanding for over 90 days. These changes aim to improve efficiency and transparency for sellers participating in the program.

This bill establishes a digital system for TRICARE members to electronically file and track complaints about access to care at military medical facilities. It requires the Defense Department to create a system where beneficiaries can submit complaints online, view their status in real time, and have complaints automatically aggregated quarterly for review. The system mandates annual reports to Congress comparing complaint types (e.g., specialty vs. primary care, pediatric vs. non-pediatric, administrative hurdles) and detailing facility-level actions taken to address issues. The goal is to improve transparency and accountability in military healthcare access.

HR 6097, the Transition Improvement by Estimating Risk Act of 2025 (TIER Act), modifies the military's Transition Assistance Program (TAP) to better support service members transitioning to civilian life. The bill requires TAP counselors to consider four new factors when designing individual transition pathways: child care needs (including Exceptional Family Member Program enrollment), employment status of other household adults, duty station location (including separation from family), and impacts of operational tempo on the member and household. These additions aim to create more personalized transition plans addressing specific family and service-related challenges. The bill directly affects active-duty service members and their families during the separation process. It changes the TAP planning process by mandating these specific considerations be integrated into individualized transition assistance.

Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, and Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2026 This bill provides FY2026 appropriations to several federal departments and agencies for activities and programs related to military construction, veterans, agriculture, and the legislative branch. Specifically, the bill includes 3 of the 12 regular FY2026 appropriations bills: the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026; the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026; and the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2026. The departments, agencies, and activities funded in the bill include Department of Defense military construction and family housing activities, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration, the Senate, various agencies that support Congress, and several related and independent agencies. (Pursuant to the longstanding practice of each chamber of Congress determining its own requirements, funds for the House of Representatives are not included in the Senate bill.) The bill also sets forth requirements and restrictions for using funds provided by this and other appropriations acts.

HR 3494 authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to purchase or develop a cloud-based inventory management system for medical supplies at VA hospitals. The bill requires a pilot program at one VA facility before full implementation and allocates $50 million in funding for this effort. It mandates that the VA complete the system's implementation across all VA hospitals within three years of the bill's enactment. This legislation directly affects VA medical facilities by changing how they track and manage medical supplies.