Federal Firearms Licensee Protection Act of 2025 This bill modifies criminal penalties for an offense involving the theft of a firearm from a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer, or from their business premises. Specifically, the bill does the following: increases from 10 to 20 years the maximum prison term, and creates a 3- or 5-year mandatory minimum prison term for an offense that occurs during the commission of a burglary or robbery. An attempt to commit an offense is subject to the same penalties as a substantive offense.
This joint resolution (SJRES 12) seeks to block an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule that established procedures for a "Waste Emissions Charge" affecting petroleum and natural gas systems. Specifically, it targets the EPA's November 2024 rule (89 Fed. Reg. 91094) which outlined compliance methods like netting and exemptions for emissions charges. If passed, the resolution would formally disapprove the rule under federal law (Chapter 8 of Title 5, U.S. Code), preventing it from taking effect. The bill directly affects the oil and gas industry by removing a specific regulatory framework for emissions reporting and fees. This is a procedural disapproval measure, not a new policy.
The HIDTA Enhancement Act updates the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program to prioritize fentanyl trafficking. It requires HIDTA programs to submit annual reports detailing fentanyl seizures, trafficking patterns, and law enforcement data, and increases annual funding to $333 million for fiscal years 2025-2030. The bill also directs the Attorney General to allocate additional prosecutorial resources, including temporarily reassigning U.S. attorneys to focus on fentanyl-related cases, to support investigations and prosecutions. This affects HIDTA programs, federal and local law enforcement, and the Office of National Drug Control Policy.
The Disaster Management Costs Modernization Act (S 773) allows state and local governments receiving federal disaster relief funds to redirect unused money originally set aside for management costs toward disaster preparedness, recovery, or mitigation activities. Specifically, it defines "excess funds" as the difference between the authorized management cost amount and actual spending, making these funds available for up to five years after reallocation. The bill also requires a Government Accountability Office study to review past management costs during major disasters and assess if current funding levels are appropriate, without authorizing new funds. This change applies to grants for disasters declared after the bill's enactment.
S 796, the Book Minimum Tax Repeal Act, repeals a corporate minimum tax provision in the Internal Revenue Code that previously applied to certain businesses. The bill removes the requirement for corporations to pay a minimum tax based on their alternative minimum taxable income, effectively eliminating this specific tax obligation for affected corporations. Key provisions amend Section 55 of the tax code to delete corporate minimum tax calculations and related references, treating corporations as having a zero tentative minimum tax. This change directly affects corporations that would have been subject to this minimum tax, with the repeal taking effect for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2024.
HR 1668 prohibits the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from using funds to support sheltering programs or facility improvements for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) short-term holding facilities. It specifically cancels unused funds from two 2023 and 2024 appropriations acts that were previously allocated to FEMA for this purpose. The bill directly affects FEMA's budget authority and prevents the agency from funding non-Federal entities providing such support. This is a procedural funding change, not a new immigration policy.
This bill extends the exclusivity period for certain advanced drugs from 7 to 11 years. It defines "advanced drug product" as a drug using genetically targeted technology to modulate gene function (e.g., suppress or activate genes). This change directly affects pharmaceutical companies developing these specific advanced therapies by granting them longer market exclusivity. The policy change modifies the Social Security Act to provide extended protection for these innovative drugs, allowing companies more time to recoup research and development costs.
HR 1651 would nullify a specific Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule finalized on May 9, 2024. This rule established emissions standards for greenhouse gases from new, modified, and reconstructed fossil fuel power plants, set guidelines for existing plants, and repealed the previous "Affordable Clean Energy Rule." The bill would make this EPA rule unenforceable, directly affecting fossil fuel power plants by removing these federal emissions requirements. It does not create new regulations but cancels an existing EPA rule.
HR 1680, the UPLIFT Act, requires all local law enforcement agencies in jurisdictions that restrict immigration enforcement (often called "sanctuary jurisdictions") to fully cooperate with federal immigration authorities. It amends a 1996 law to prohibit local entities from restricting officers from asking about immigration status, sharing information about suspected criminals, or complying with federal detainer requests for suspected inadmissible or deportable individuals. The bill also mandates annual compliance reports to Congress, allows local governments to sue states for noncompliance, and provides legal immunity to jurisdictions following federal detainers. This would directly affect local police departments and county jails in areas with policies limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
HR 250 requires the Joint Committee on the Library to procure a statue of Benjamin Franklin by December 31, 2025, and place it in a permanent, public-accessible location within the U.S. Capitol by December 31, 2026. The statue must be positioned to be viewable during guided Capitol tours offered by the Capitol Visitor Center. This is a procedural bill focused solely on the acquisition and placement of the statue, with no substantive policy changes or direct impact on constituents or laws.
H.J. Res. 62 is a congressional disapproval resolution targeting a rule issued by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) concerning the protection of marine archaeological resources. If passed, it would nullify the rule (published in the Federal Register on September 3, 2024) and prevent it from taking effect, halting its implementation. This resolution directly affects the enforcement of BOEM’s protections for underwater archaeological sites, such as shipwrecks or ancient artifacts, by removing the regulatory framework governing activities in those areas. The mechanism relies on Chapter 8 of Title 5, U.S. Code, which allows Congress to block federal agency rules through formal disapproval.
The SCREEN Act requires online platforms that create, host, or make available pornographic content for profit to implement age verification technology that prevents minors from accessing such content. Covered platforms must use technology to verify users' age and block access to content defined as "harmful to minors" - material that appeals to prurient interest, depicts sexual acts in a patently offensive way, and lacks serious value for minors. The Federal Trade Commission will enforce the law, requiring platforms to conduct regular audits, maintain reasonable data security for age verification information, and make their verification processes public. Platforms must comply with these requirements within one year of the bill's enactment, with the goal of protecting minors from exposure to online pornography.
