HR 1330 establishes the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino, authorizing its location within the National Mall's "Reserve" area. The bill requires the Smithsonian Board to coordinate with federal agencies managing potential museum sites, including notifying relevant congressional committees before land transfers. It mandates that the museum's exhibits and programs accurately represent the diverse cultures, histories, and viewpoints of Hispanic and Latino communities in the U.S., seeking input from a broad range of community experts. The Smithsonian must also submit regular reports to Congress detailing compliance with these representation requirements.
The SASS Act (HR 1334) creates a single application process for two federal school safety grant programs: one administered by the COPS Office and the other by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). Schools and school districts seeking funding for safety improvements will no longer need to submit separate applications for these programs. The bill requires the COPS Office and BJA to provide technical assistance to help applicants complete the unified application. This change reduces administrative burden for schools applying for safety grants under these programs.
More Homes on the Market Act This bill increases the amount of gain from the sale of a principal residence that an individual may exclude from gross income (for federal tax purposes). Under the bill, an individual may exclude from gross income gain from the sale of a principal residence of up to $500,000 (currently $250,000), and taxpayers who are married and file a joint federal income tax return may exclude up to $1 million (currently $500.000). The bill also requires these amounts to be adjusted annually for inflation.
HR 1313, the "One Flag for All Act," prohibits displaying any flag other than the U.S. flag on the exterior or in publicly accessible areas (like lobbies or hallways) of covered public buildings, including government offices, military bases, and embassies. The bill allows specific exceptions, such as POW/MIA flags, state flags for congressional offices, historical U.S. flags (like the Betsy Ross flag), and flags representing military units or tribal governments. This law directly affects how flags are displayed in federal and public spaces, requiring exclusive use of the U.S. flag in those designated areas while preserving established exceptions.
Fighting Trade Cheats Act of 2025 This bill increases penalties for, and establishes additional enforcement mechanisms related to, fraudulent and grossly negligent violations of U.S. customs laws. Specifically, the bill increases the maximum civil penalty for a fraudulent violation to three times the domestic value of the merchandise. (Currently, the maximum penalty is the domestic value of the merchandise.) It prohibits a person who commits a fraudulent violation from importing merchandise into the United States for a five-year period. Additionally, the bill increases the maximum civil penalty for a grossly negligent violation to the lesser of (1) 3 times the domestic value of the merchandise; or (2) 10 times the lawful duties, taxes, and fees. (Currently, the maximum penalty is the lesser of the domestic value of the merchandise or four times the lawful duties, taxes, and fees.) It prohibits a person who commits a grossly negligent violation from importing merchandise into the United States for a two-year period. Further, the bill applies these importation bans to an affiliated person (e.g., a family member or employee) of the person who committed the fraudulent or grossly negligent violation. The bill establishes a private right of action for an interested party (e.g., a manufacturer) affected by customs fraud or grossly negligent violations. The bill prohibits any person (or an affiliated person) who commits a fraudulent or grossly negligent violation from participating in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Importer of Record program, and further requires revocation of their importer of record numbers.
HR 1339, the Safeguarding Social Security and Medicare Act, requires the Comptroller General to conduct a study within one year of enactment on how inflation and rising living costs impact Social Security and Medicare benefits. The study will examine these effects and provide Congress with specific recommendations for legislative actions to maintain full benefits for these programs. This study directly addresses the needs of 71.7 million Social Security recipients and 66.6 million Medicare beneficiaries, focusing on financial pressures faced by seniors and disabled individuals. The bill itself does not change current benefits but aims to inform future policy decisions through evidence-based analysis.
The Veterans Jobs Opportunity Act creates a tax credit for veterans or their spouses starting small businesses in underserved communities. It allows eligible businesses to claim a 15% credit on up to $50,000 of qualifying start-up costs (like equipment or lease payments) during their first two years of operation. To qualify, the business must be owned and controlled by a veteran or spouse, located in an underserved area (such as a HUBZone or persistent poverty county), and meet small business size limits (under $5 million in annual revenue or 50 employees). The credit is claimed as part of the general business credit, requires taxpayer election, and the Treasury must evaluate its effectiveness every four years.
This bill authorizes the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to collect registration fees from Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) members (including hospitals and transplant centers) for each transplant candidate listed on the OPTN registry. The fees, collected per candidate, must be used solely to support OPTN operations and cannot be used for other purposes. The bill requires quarterly transparency updates on the OPTN website showing fee amounts collected and how they are spent, and mandates a government review within two years. The fee collection authority expires after three years from the bill’s enactment.
S 533, the National Right-to-Work Act, eliminates requirements for workers to join a union or pay dues as a condition of employment in private-sector workplaces and railroads. It amends the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and Railway Labor Act by removing language that allowed "union security agreements," meaning employers and unions can no longer mandate union membership or financial dues for employees. This directly affects workers in unionized private companies and railroad jobs covered by collective bargaining agreements. The law applies to new or renewed contracts after its enactment, changing how labor agreements can structure financial obligations for employees.
The Presidential Allowance Modernization Act of 2025 increases annual financial benefits for former U.S. Presidents and their surviving spouses. It sets a $200,000 annual annuity and a $200,000 annual allowance for former Presidents (replacing prior rates), and raises the surviving spouse allowance from $20,000 to $100,000 per year. Both the annuity and allowance for former Presidents will adjust annually for inflation using Social Security's cost-of-living formula. The allowance for former Presidents may be reduced if their income exceeds $400,000, but the reduction is structured to ensure the allowance remains sufficient for security costs.
S 538, the ELECT Act of 2025, ends taxpayer funding for presidential election campaigns after 2024. It terminates the existing system where income tax payments financed campaigns by amending the tax code to stop this practice starting in 2025. Any remaining funds in the Presidential election campaign fund will be transferred to the general Treasury to reduce the federal deficit. This bill directly affects future presidential campaigns and the federal budget by removing taxpayer subsidies for campaign expenses.
The ELITE Vehicles Act repeals three key tax credits for electric vehicles under the Internal Revenue Code: the clean vehicle credit (Section 30D), the credit for previously-owned clean vehicles (Section 25E), and the credit for qualified commercial clean vehicles (Section 45W). It also excludes electric vehicle recharging property from the alternative fuel vehicle refueling credit. These changes directly affect individuals and businesses purchasing new or used electric vehicles, as well as those installing EV charging infrastructure, by eliminating the associated tax benefits. The repeal applies to vehicles purchased or under binding contract after 30 days following the bill's enactment.
