This bill amends federal laws governing short-barreled shotguns (SBS), which are shotguns with barrels under 18 inches or overall length under 26 inches. It removes state-level taxes, registration, or recordkeeping requirements for SBS owned legally under federal rules, preempts conflicting state laws, and requires the federal government to destroy existing SBS registration records within one year. The bill directly affects lawful owners of SBS who previously registered under the National Firearms Act, simplifying their compliance with federal standards. Key changes include updating definitions to better align with sporting use and eliminating state-level barriers for legally owned SBS.
The TAKE IT DOWN Act makes it a crime to intentionally share intimate images or digital forgeries of people without their consent, with penalties of up to 2 years in prison for adults and 3 years for minors. It requires major online platforms to establish a 48-hour process for victims to request removal of such content, with platforms protected from liability when acting in good faith. The bill defines "digital forgery" as AI-generated content that appears authentic and applies to websites and apps primarily hosting user-generated content, excluding email services and broadband providers. The Federal Trade Commission will enforce these notice and takedown requirements. This legislation directly affects victims of nonconsensual intimate content, the platforms hosting such material, and individuals who distribute it.
HJRES 90 is a congressional resolution seeking to block a Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) rule about carbon credit derivatives. It targets the CFTC’s October 2024 guidance allowing voluntary carbon credit derivative contracts to be listed on exchanges. The resolution uses a specific legal process (Chapter 8 of Title 5, U.S. Code) to formally disapprove this guidance, meaning the rule would be canceled and have no legal effect. This directly affects how carbon credit derivatives could be traded in financial markets, preventing the CFTC’s guidance from taking effect.
The SNAP Reform and Upward Mobility Act of 2025 modifies the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and improves how poverty is measured in the United States. It requires states to gradually increase their matching funds for SNAP from 10% to 50% over nine years, raises the age for certain work requirements from 60 to 65, and mandates states to report on employment and training program outcomes for SNAP recipients. The bill also establishes a Commission to recommend how to value non-cash benefits for poverty measurement and requires the Census Bureau to collect additional data on federal benefit participation to improve poverty calculations. These changes directly affect SNAP recipients, state agencies administering the program, and the methodology used to measure poverty in the U.S.
This Senate resolution commemorates the 30th anniversary of the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, which killed 168 people. It expresses the Senate’s condolences to victims’ families, recognizes the community’s resilience and the heroic response to the attack, and affirms the importance of the Oklahoma City National Memorial as a symbol of hope. The resolution has no policy impact but serves as a formal expression of national remembrance.
The Combating Organized Retail Crime Act amends federal law to strengthen legal tools for addressing organized retail crime, including theft from stores, online, and supply chains. It establishes a new Organized Retail and Supply Chain Crime Coordination Center within the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate Federal, State, local, and tribal law enforcement efforts. The Center will share information, assist with investigations, track crime trends, and provide training to combat these crimes. The bill expands legal definitions to include organized retail crime as a specific category and requires annual reports on the Center's activities. The Center will operate for 7 years before sunset.
The Safeguarding Charity Act (S 1428) clarifies that tax exemptions for charitable organizations (including those under IRS 501(c)(3)) are not considered "Federal financial assistance" under federal law, rules, or regulations. This directly affects tax-exempt charities, religious organizations, and retirement plans (covered under IRS sections 501(c), 501(d), and 401(a)) by excluding their tax benefits from the definition of federal aid. The bill amends the U.S. Code to add a new section explicitly stating this exclusion and includes a rule of construction to prevent retroactive application to tax exemptions before the law's enactment. The legislation aims to prevent regulatory confusion about whether tax exemptions qualify as federal financial assistance in policy contexts.
The POWER Act of 2025 amends the Stafford Act to help electric utilities recover from disasters more effectively. It allows utilities to combine hazard mitigation (like hardening infrastructure) with emergency power restoration efforts using federal disaster funds, and ensures that receiving emergency restoration aid doesn't block them from later qualifying for hazard mitigation assistance. This directly affects electric utilities that receive federal disaster relief under Section 403 of the Stafford Act. The changes apply only to funds appropriated after the bill's enactment.
This bill makes the federal adoption tax credit refundable, allowing eligible taxpayers to receive a refund even if they owe no income tax. It directly affects families who paid qualified adoption expenses (like court fees or agency costs) but previously couldn't claim the full credit due to its non-refundable status. Key provisions include redesignating the credit in tax law as "section 36C" (making it refundable), adding standardized third-party affidavits to verify adoptions, and ensuring existing credit carryforwards are treated as refundable starting in 2025. The changes take effect for tax years beginning after December 31, 2024.
This bill requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to study how pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and other intermediaries affect prescription drug prices and competition. Specifically, the FTC must report within one year on whether PBMs charge different prices to pharmacies, steer patients toward pharmacies they own, use pharmacy data for profit, or design formularies to favor expensive drugs. The bill also mandates an interim report within six months and a separate study on sole-source drug manufacturers and enforcement challenges. It does not directly change drug prices or create new regulations, but instead seeks to gather data to inform potential future policy actions. The study focuses on transparency and competition in the pharmaceutical supply chain, with no immediate price-reducing mechanisms.
HR 2841, the "Putting Trust in Transparency Act," requires nonprofits receiving any federal funding to publicly disclose unredacted donor information (including name, zip code, and contribution amount) within 60 days of filing their annual IRS Form 990. This applies specifically to tax-exempt organizations that receive federal funds, making their major donors' details accessible to the public. Nonprofits failing to file the required Schedule B of Form 990 face automatic revocation of their tax-exempt status after a 60-day grace period. The bill aims to increase transparency around how federal funds are leveraged by nonprofits, requiring disclosure that was previously restricted under IRS rules. It amends tax code provisions to enforce this disclosure and maintain public access to donor information.
This bill repeals a restriction that previously prevented individuals from rolling over funds directly from their Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) to donor-advised funds (DAFs) for charitable giving. It directly affects IRA account holders who wish to make tax-advantaged charitable contributions through DAFs. The key provision amends the Internal Revenue Code to remove the specific language barring such rollovers, allowing these transfers to occur without triggering taxable distributions. The change becomes effective after the bill's enactment, streamlining a pathway for donors to support charities via DAFs using IRA assets.
