HR 1388 requires the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to use "fair-value" accounting for federal loan and loan guarantee programs, replacing traditional budget estimates with market-based cost calculations. This means the CBO must provide fair-value cost estimates for new or modified loan programs, and the OMB must annually report these estimates starting in 2026. The bill directs Congress to use these fair-value estimates when enforcing budget rules, ensuring budgetary decisions reflect the true economic cost of credit programs. It directly affects the CBO, OMB, and Congress in how they measure and manage federal credit program costs.
HR 1387, the COST Act, requires federal agencies and recipients of federal funds (including states, local governments, and research grantees) to publicly disclose the percentage and dollar amount of federal funding versus non-federal funding for any program, project, or activity. This disclosure must appear in all public communications describing the initiative (except short social media posts), detailing both the federal share and the non-federal share of costs. Recipients must also certify compliance in progress reports, and the Office of Management and Budget must annually review a sample of communications for adherence and publish findings. The bill establishes a public system for anonymously reporting non-compliant communications, with reports requiring specific details about the program and the noncompliant material.
HR 1363 designates the "Honor and Remember Flag" (created by Honor and Remember, Inc.) as the official symbol honoring U.S. military members who died in service. It requires federal locations - including the Capitol, White House, military memorials, VA medical centers, and all post offices - to display this flag on specific days like Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Flag Day. The bill mandates visible public display at these locations and sets deadlines for implementing the requirement (180 days for regulations, 30 days for flag procurement). It does not alter military benefits or create new programs, focusing solely on symbolic recognition through flag display.
This bill allows survivors of human trafficking to seek court orders to vacate convictions or expunge arrests related to non-violent crimes they committed while being trafficked. Survivors can file motions supported by affidavits from anti-trafficking service providers, and courts must determine if the crime was directly caused by trafficking. It applies to all past and future cases, including retroactive relief for convictions, and adds a new "human trafficking defense" in criminal trials. The law requires annual reports tracking how many survivors use this relief and the outcomes of their cases.
This bill redirects unspent funds from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to the federal disaster relief fund. It requires transferring any unobligated USAID funds - those not yet committed to specific projects as of the bill's enactment - to support disaster response under the Robert T. Stafford Act. The change affects USAID's budget by shifting unused resources to immediate disaster relief efforts, rather than new spending. This is a procedural reallocation of existing funds, not new funding.
Goldie's Act This bill expands enforcement provisions under the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to document and record detailed descriptions of violations of the act observed during inspections and investigations. USDA must provide a copy of all records documenting violations to state, local, and municipal animal control or law enforcement officials within 24 hours of such inspections or investigations. Inspections must be held at least once a year of each research facility, the premises of each animal dealer, and each exhibitor of animals. If violations are found during inspections, then USDA must conduct any necessary follow-up inspections until all the violations are corrected. Inspectors must confiscate or destroy in a humane manner animals found to be suffering physical or psychological harm as a result of failure to comply with the AWA. Violators are subject to civil penalties as outlined in the bill.
This concurrent resolution declares that Congress should not impose any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge relating to the public performance of sound recordings on a local radio station for broadcasting sound recordings over the air, or on any business for such public performance of sound recordings.
SRES 78 is a procedural Senate resolution authorizing the Committee on the Budget to spend funds for its operations. It grants the committee authority to make expenditures from the Senate's contingent fund, hire staff, and use other government agency resources (with approval) from March 2025 through February 2027. The resolution sets specific spending limits: $4.6 million for the first period (March-September 2025), $7.9 million for fiscal year 2026, and $3.3 million for the final period (October 2026-February 2027), with caps on consultant fees and staff training costs. This resolution directly affects only the Committee on the Budget's internal budgeting and administrative functions.
HRES 132 is a House resolution censuring Representative Robert Garcia (CA) for remarks made during a February 12, 2025, hearing and on CNN. The resolution states Garcia referred to Elon Musk - a figure described as a "special government employee" working with the DOGE Service - as a "dick" and urged Democrats to "bring actual weapons" against him, which the resolution claims incited violence. If passed, it would formally reprimand Garcia, require him to appear in the House chamber for the censure to be read, and publicly state the reprimand. This is a procedural disciplinary action, not a policy change affecting the public or government operations.
The Healthy Poultry Assistance and Indemnification Act of 2025 requires the U.S. Department of Agriculture to compensate poultry growers and egg-laying facility owners when their operations are in a USDA-designated "control area" (a zone established due to animal health threats like disease outbreaks). Compensation equals the average income from the owner's five most recent flocks multiplied by the number of flocks they were prohibited from raising during the control period, but cannot exceed the difference between this amount and any other compensation received. Payments must be made within 60 days of the owner's request. This bill directly assists poultry producers facing income loss due to USDA-mandated restrictions during disease control efforts.
This bill repeals the federal estate tax and generation-skipping transfer tax for estates of people who die on or after the bill's enactment date, directly affecting heirs of large estates (typically valued over $13 million for 2025). It also modifies the gift tax by establishing a $10 million lifetime exemption (adjusted for inflation), replacing the current exemption amount. The bill sets new tax brackets for gifts exceeding this threshold and adjusts the calculation method for gift tax liability. These changes apply to gifts made or estates settled after the bill becomes law, with no impact on existing estate plans or transfers before enactment.
HR 1303, the Protecting America’s Seniors’ Access to Care Act, would block the federal government from enforcing a 2024 rule requiring nursing homes to meet minimum staffing standards and mandating Medicaid programs to report payment transparency details. This bill directly affects long-term care facilities and Medicaid programs by preventing the implementation of these specific requirements. The legislation prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services from carrying out the rule published on May 10, 2024, which was designed to improve care quality and accountability in senior healthcare. It stops the rule from taking effect without creating new policies or regulations.
