This bill modifies Medicare's physician self-referral rules to improve access for rural communities. It creates a new exemption for "covered rural hospitals" (defined as facilities in rural areas more than 35 miles from another hospital or critical access hospital) from certain restrictions on physicians owning hospitals. The bill also removes a prohibition on expanding existing physician-owned hospitals, allowing such expansions after the law's enactment. These changes directly affect rural hospitals seeking Medicare participation and physicians who own or operate hospitals in underserved areas.
This bill changes a tax rule for Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) that use taxable subsidiaries. It increases the percentage limit for assets held in these subsidiaries from 20% to 25% of a REIT's total assets, directly affecting REIT companies that operate through such subsidiaries. The key provision amends the Internal Revenue Code to restore this higher asset threshold, which had been reduced earlier. The change applies to taxable years starting after December 31, 2025.
Preserving Patient Access to Home Infusion Act This bill specifically includes pharmacy services and home infusion drugs that are administered without a pump as part of covered home infusion therapy under Medicare. The bill also allows nurses and physician assistants to establish and review the plan of care for home infusion therapy, and it specifies that payment may be made regardless of whether a practitioner is physically present in the home at the time the drug is administered.
This bill repeals federal waivers that allow California to set its own vehicle and engine emission standards under the Clean Air Act. It directly affects California's Air Resources Board (CARB), prohibiting the state from adopting or enforcing standards for nonroad engines (like construction equipment, farm vehicles, and locomotives) or new motor vehicles. Key provisions include removing federal authorization for California's vehicle standards (Section 177) and invalidating all existing waivers for state emission rules. The bill would eliminate California's ability to enforce its own emission requirements for these categories, shifting authority entirely to federal standards.
This bill treats Kenya, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Chad as combat zones for purposes of determining eligibility for certain federal tax benefits available to members of the U.S. Armed Forces. (Conditions apply.) Specifically, under the bill, a qualified hazardous duty area is treated as a combat zone for purposes of determining the filing status of an individual whose spouse is missing in action; excluding compensation received by a member of the Armed Forces serving in a combat zone from gross income and wages subject to withholding; forgiving the income tax liability of a member of the Armed Forces who dies in a combat zone; certain estate tax rules applicable to a member of the Armed Forces who dies in a combat zone or as a result of an injury, wound, or disease suffered while in a combat zone; the exemption from the federal excise tax imposed on certain telephone services for telephone calls originating from a combat zone by a member of the Armed Forces; and postponing certain federal tax deadlines (e.g., filing a tax return, paying taxes, and claiming a tax refund) for a member of the Armed Forces serving in a combat zone. The bill defines a qualified hazardous duty area as Kenya, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Chad if any member of the U.S. Armed Forces is entitled to special pay (e.g., hostile fire pay and imminent danger pay) for services performed in such locations.
The Stop CCP VISAs Act of 2025 would prohibit U.S. visas for Chinese citizens seeking to study or conduct research in the United States. It specifically blocks the issuance of F-1 (academic student), J-1 (exchange visitor), and M-1 (vocational student) visas for these purposes. This bill directly affects Chinese nationals who otherwise qualify for these student visa categories at U.S. educational institutions. The policy change would amend immigration law to implement this visa ban.
HR 2168, the BO’s Act, requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to study home cardiorespiratory monitors used for infants. The study must assess the monitors' effectiveness in tracking heart rate and oxygen levels, evaluate new care models for safe infant sleep environments, and examine health insurance coverage criteria. A report on these findings must be submitted to Congress within one year of the bill’s enactment. This bill does not change current policy but aims to inform future decisions about monitor coverage and infant safety practices, directly affecting parents, healthcare providers, and insurers.
The FOCA Act of 2025 prohibits federal agencies from requiring or banning contractors from using union agreements in construction project bids or contracts. It directly affects federal agencies, contractors, and subcontractors working on federally funded or assisted construction projects (like buildings or infrastructure). The law requires bid documents to not favor or penalize contractors based on whether they have union agreements, aiming to promote open competition and prevent discrimination. This changes how agencies structure bids but does not affect union agreements themselves. The bill applies to all new contracts and subcontracts after enactment, with limited exemptions only for public health/safety emergencies or national security.
HR 1198, the Let’s Get to Work Act of 2025, amends work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and extends them to public housing and tenant-based rental assistance programs. It increases the work requirement period from 3 to 6 months for non-exempt SNAP participants (ages 18-50 without children), while adding exemptions for parents with young children, individuals over 60, and married couples where one spouse complies with work rules. These changes apply directly to SNAP recipients and public housing tenants meeting the specified criteria, aligning housing program eligibility with SNAP’s updated work rules. The bill modifies existing provisions without creating new programs or altering benefit levels.
This bill amends federal law to clarify the legal definition of "firearm silencer" and "firearm muffler" under Title 18. It defines these devices as any component designed to reduce firearm noise that attaches to a firearm, including the outer tube or primary housing of such devices. The law directly affects manufacturers, dealers, and owners of silencers by establishing a specific regulatory definition for these products. This definition change, rather than creating new restrictions, ensures consistent application of existing firearm laws to silencer components.
The One Agency Act (S 1059) would transfer primary responsibility for enforcing U.S. antitrust laws from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to the Department of Justice (DOJ). It would transfer all FTC antitrust actions, employees, assets, and funding to the DOJ during a transition period of up to 18 months, during which the FTC could no longer initiate new antitrust investigations or enforcement actions. The bill would also make technical amendments to various laws to replace references to the FTC with references to the DOJ in antitrust contexts. This consolidation aims to eliminate overlapping enforcement jurisdiction between the two agencies and improve efficiency in antitrust enforcement.
The AMERICA Act imposes new rules on large digital advertising companies to prevent conflicts of interest and increase transparency. It prohibits entities with over $20 billion in annual digital ad revenue from owning multiple parts of the digital advertising ecosystem (e.g., a company cannot own both a digital ad exchange and a brokerage). Companies with over $5 billion in revenue must act in their customers' best interests, provide detailed transaction data upon request, and maintain separate business units to avoid conflicts. The law also requires digital ad exchanges to offer fair access to all buyers/sellers and mandates annual compliance certifications to the Attorney General.
