This bill repeals origination fees charged on new Federal Direct Loans under the Higher Education Act. It directly affects borrowers who take out new federal student loans through the Direct Loan program, eliminating an upfront fee they previously paid. The change takes effect for loans with their first disbursement or consolidation applications received on or after July 1 following the bill's enactment. The bill focuses solely on removing this specific fee, not on tax changes as the title suggests.
The Part-Time Worker Bill of Rights Act would expand benefits for part-time workers by reducing the eligibility requirement for family and medical leave from 12 months of employment to just 90 days. It prohibits discrimination against part-time employees based on their work hours and requires employers to offer preferred work schedules to existing part-time employees before hiring new staff or using contractors. The bill mandates that employers compensate part-time workers for hours they could not schedule due to new hires, and establishes enforcement mechanisms through the Department of Labor. This legislation directly affects part-time workers and employers with more than 15 employees across various sectors, including government agencies.
The Schedules That Work Act would require employers in retail, food service, cleaning, hospitality, and warehouse sectors to provide workers with at least 14 days' advance notice of their schedules and pay predictability pay for last-minute changes. It gives employees the right to request schedule changes for reasons including health conditions, caregiving responsibilities, or enrollment in career training programs. Employers must engage in a good-faith process to address these requests unless they have a legitimate business reason to deny them. The bill aims to address widespread problems with unpredictable schedules that make it difficult for low-wage workers to manage family responsibilities, access healthcare, and secure stable housing and child care.
The Schedules That Work Act would require employers in retail, food service, hospitality, cleaning, and warehouse sectors to provide workers with 14 days' advance notice of their schedules and pay predictability wages for last-minute changes. It allows employees to request schedule changes related to caregiving responsibilities, health conditions, education, or other jobs, with employers required to engage in good-faith discussions about such requests. The bill prohibits retaliation against employees who request schedule changes and mandates written notice of schedule changes and predictability pay. It applies to employers with 15 or more employees in covered sectors, aiming to address widespread issues with unpredictable schedules that negatively impact workers' ability to care for family members, maintain housing stability, and access health care.
This bill requires TRICARE to cover fertility-related care, including in vitro fertilization (IVF), for active-duty military members and their dependents starting October 2027. It mandates up to three IVF cycles per year with single embryo transfers by default (unless medically necessary), eliminates cost-sharing barriers after an infertility diagnosis, and prohibits coverage for genetic screening, cloning, or artificial wombs. The law defines "infertility" based on medical guidelines and specifies covered treatments like egg/sperm retrieval, embryo preservation, and fertility medications. It does not apply to former service members or their dependents.
Essential Caregivers Act of 2025 This bill prohibits certain health care facilities from limiting the access of essential caregivers to residents of those facilities, including during designated emergency periods. Specifically, the bill generally prohibits Medicare skilled nursing facilities, Medicaid nursing facilities, Medicaid intermediate care facilities, and associated inpatient rehabilitation facilities from restricting the access of essential caregivers to residents of the facilities, including during emergency periods in which visitation rights are otherwise restricted. During emergency periods, facilities may restrict access for an initial period of up to seven days and for one additional maximum seven-day period (if the additional period is approved by the state health department). Facilities may restrict access for a total of 7 days (or 14 days with the approval of the state health department) during an emergency period. Essential caregivers must agree to comply with any safety protocols set by the facility, which may be no more stringent for caregivers compared to those for staff. Caregivers who fail to comply with these requirements may be denied access, subject to an appeals process.
This bill amends a section of federal law to change the reference from "the White House" to "the People's White House" in a specific legal citation (Section 307104 of Title 54, U.S. Code). It is a purely procedural change to the text of the law, not a substantive policy shift. The bill does not alter historic preservation standards, protections, or funding for the White House grounds. It simply updates the formal name used within the legal code.
HR 6731, the "Restore Trust in Government Act," requires Members of Congress, the President/Vice President, and their spouses or dependent children to divest certain financial investments during federal service. It defines "covered investments" broadly (including stocks, commodities, and derivatives) but excludes Treasury bonds, municipal bonds, family farm interests, and some Alaska Native Settlement stock. Covered individuals must sell holdings within 90-180 days of taking office or enacting the law, with limited exceptions for qualified blind trusts or spouses’ occupational trading. Violations incur a 10% fee on the investment value and require returning profits, paid to the Treasury. Ethics offices enforce these rules, publish penalty details, and issue divestiture certificates.
The SAFER SKIES Act (S 3481) grants state, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement and correctional agencies new authority to counter drone threats to public safety and critical infrastructure, including venues for large gatherings and correctional facilities. It requires these agencies to complete federal training and certification before using counter-drone technologies, and mandates 48-hour notifications to federal authorities after taking action. The bill establishes a national training program, creates reporting requirements for agencies using these authorities, and provides funding for purchasing counter-UAS systems through existing grant programs. It also increases penalties for unauthorized drone use near prisons and in national defense airspace, with state and local counter-drone authorities set to expire in 2031.
This bill prohibits the implementation of the WISeR model under Medicare, specifically blocking the Secretary of Health and Human Services from adopting the "Medicare Program; Implementation of Prior Authorization for Select Services for the Wasteful and Inappropriate Services Reduction (WISeR) Model" or any similar model. It directly affects Medicare beneficiaries and providers by preventing a new payment and service delivery approach that would require prior authorization for certain services. The key provision is a direct ban on the WISeR model's rollout, as outlined in the July 1, 2025, federal notice. This change would maintain current Medicare approval processes for affected services without creating new requirements. The bill does not establish new benefits or alter existing Medicare coverage rules.
This bill establishes a Diversity and Inclusion Administrator at the Department of Labor to increase African American participation in apprenticeships. It requires all new and renewing registered apprenticeship programs to submit plans boosting African American enrollment and creates competitive grants for programs targeting underserved communities in fields like construction, healthcare, and tech. The grants fund outreach, mentoring, and support services to help African American youth access and complete apprenticeships. The bill directly affects African American young people and apprenticeship programs nationwide, with $2 million authorized for fiscal year 2026.
HR 6718, the Professional Student Degree Act, amends the Higher Education Act to clarify the definition of a "professional degree" for federal education purposes. It replaces the previous definition with a new section listing specific degrees that meet the criteria, including Pharmacy (Pharm.D.), Law (J.D.), Medicine (M.D.), Dentistry (D.D.S.), Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.), and others like Nursing (D.N.P.) and Business Administration (M.B.A.). This definition requires degrees to signify both completion of academic requirements for professional practice (often requiring licensure) and skills beyond a bachelor's level. The bill directly affects students pursuing these designated degrees by formally recognizing them under federal education law, without creating new programs or changing funding.
