School Bus Safety Act of 2023

School Bus Safety Act of 2023

This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to issue rules requiring school buses to have certain safety features. DOT must also establish a grant program to assist in the implementation of the requirements.

Specifically, DOT must issue rules requiring school buses to include

• three-point safety belts for all seats,
• a fire suppression system which addresses engine fires,
• a firewall between the engine and passenger compartment that prevents hazardous quantities of gas or flames from passing through the firewall,
• increased performance standards for interior flammability and smoke emissions,
• an automatic emergency braking system,
• an event data recorder, and
• an electronic stability control system.

DOT must also require at least eight hours of behind-the-wheel training for school bus operators that meets specified requirements.

Further, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) must issue rules on the evaluation of safety sensitive personnel for moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea.

NHTSA must also study the benefits of requiring school buses manufactured in, or imported into, the United States to be equipped with a motion-activated detection system that is capable of detecting road users (e.g., pedestrians and bicyclists) and alerting the bus operator of their presence. NHTSA must issue rules implementing such a requirement.

Finally, DOT must establish a grant program to assist local educational agencies in (1) purchasing school buses equipped with three-point safety belts or any of the other safety features required under this bill, and (2) modifying existing school buses.

Update Date: 2025-07-30 00:00:00

Agricultural Risk Review Act of 2025

Agricultural Risk Review Act of 2025

This bill makes changes to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), including by requiring CFIUS to determine whether a national security review is necessary for reportable agricultural land transactions that are referred by the Department of Agriculture (USDA). (CFIUS oversees the national security risks of certain foreign investment in the United States. CFIUS has the authority to review covered transactions, which include mergers, acquisitions, and takeovers that could result in foreign control of a U.S. business; certain investments in businesses involved in critical technologies, critical infrastructure, or sensitive personal data; and certain real estate transactions.)

Specifically, the bill directs CFIUS to, after receiving notification from USDA, determine (1) whether a reportable agricultural land transaction is a covered transaction, and (2) whether CFIUS should initiate a national security review or take another action with respect to the transaction. 

Reportable agricultural land transaction means a transaction (1) that USDA has reason to believe is a covered transaction, based on information from or in cooperation with the intelligence community; (2) that involves the acquisition of an interest in agricultural land by a foreign person of China, North Korea, Russia, or Iran; and (3) with respect to which a foreign person is required to submit a report to USDA regarding their agricultural land transactions.

The bill also expands CFIUS to include the Secretary of Agriculture for covered transactions that involve agricultural land, agricultural biotechnology, or the agriculture industry (e.g., agricultural transportation, storage, and processing).

Update Date: 2025-07-31 00:00:00

To direct the Commandant of the Coast Guard to update the policy of the Coast Guard regarding the use of medication to treat drug overdose, and for other purposes.

This bill requires the Coast Guard to provide access to naloxone (a medication to reverse opioid overdoses) at its facilities, track distribution of the medication, and monitor the illegal use of of controlled substances. 

The bill directs the Coast Guard to update its policy regarding the use of medication to treat drug overdoses to require naloxone or a similar medication to be made available to members on all Coast Guard installations and in each operational environment. 

Further, the Coast Guard must participate in the Department of Defense (DOD) tracking system for naloxone distribution and the illegal use of fentanyl and other controlled substances. (The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 directed DOD to establish the tracking system.) The bill requires the Coast Guard to finalize a memorandum of understanding with DOD to facilitate Coast Guard access to the tracking system.

The bill also specifies that laws that prohibit manufacturing or distributing controlled substances on vessels apply when controlled substances are intentionally or knowingly placed or caused to be placed on board a vessel (e.g., without the crew's knowledge or on board an unmanned vessel). 

Further, the bill requires the Coast Guard to brief Congress within two years after the bill's enactment about the use of opioids and overdose medication at Coast Guard facilities by members and personnel. The briefing must describe the Coast Guard's progress in implementing its updated policy, the prevalence and incidence of the illegal use of controlled  substances, and its processes to mitigate substance abuse.

Update Date: 2025-07-30 00:00:00

OPTN Fee Collection Authority Act

OPTN Fee Collection Authority Act

This bill authorizes the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), for three years, to collect registration fees directly from a member of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) (e.g., organ procurement organizations and transplant hospitals) for each transplant candidate the member places on the waiting list.

Registration fees for the OPTN were historically collected through a contractor. The bill authorizes HRSA, for three years following the bill’s enactment, to collect registration fees directly from OPTN members for each candidate they place on the list and distribute the fees to support the operation of the OPTN. HRSA must publish on the OPTN website the amount of fees collected from each member and their use.

The bill requires the Government Accountability Office to conduct a review relating to the registration fees and report to Congress within two years after the bill’s enactment.

Additionally, the bill supports (1) the integration of electronic health records systems into the OPTN, such as automated referrals and granting procurement organizations access to records of potential donors; and (2) the establishment of a dashboard to display statistics relating to the OPTN.

Update Date: 2025-07-30 00:00:00

A bill to reaffirm the applicability of the Indian Reorganization Act to the Lytton Rancheria of California, and for other purposes.

This bill applies the Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) to the Lytton Rancheria of California. Additionally, the bill authorizes the Department of the Interior to acquire and take land into trust for the benefit of the tribe under the IRA. Land taken into trust shall be part of the tribe's reservation.

A 2009 Supreme Court case, Carcieri v. Salazar, decided that Interior could not take land into trust for a specified tribe because that tribe had not been under federal jurisdiction when the IRA was enacted in 1934. This bill (1) affirms the applicability of the IRA to the Lytton Rancheria of California, thereby deeming the tribe to be under federal jurisdiction as of June 18, 1934, for purposes of the IRA; and (2) authorizes Interior to take land into trust for the benefit of the tribe.

Update Date: 2025-07-30 00:00:00

Secure Our Ports Act of 2025

Secure Our Ports Act of 2025

This bill prohibits owners or operators of certain U.S. maritime transportation facilities from contracting for the lease, ownership, or operation of facilities with enterprises partly or wholly owned by China, Iran, North Korea, or Russia. The covered facilities are located at ports in areas that are subject to enhanced transportation security requirements, including the requirement for an Area Maritime Transportation Security Plan.

Update Date: 2025-07-30 00:00:00

Tribal Forest Protection Act Amendments Act of 2024

Tribal Forest Protection Act Amendments Act of 2024

This bill reauthorizes through FY2030 the Tribal Forest Protection Act (TFPA) and expands the lands and activities eligible for inclusion in the TFPA.

Currently under the TFPA, the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) may enter into contracts and agreements with Indian tribes for tribes to carry out land management projects on federal lands. These projects are designed to protect Indian forest lands and rangelands from wildfire, disease, and other threats coming from federal lands. However, the TFPA is currently limited to projects on federal lands that border or are adjacent to Indian forest lands and rangelands under the jurisdiction of the tribe.

This bill removes certain limitations of the TFPA, first by expanding the definition of Indian forest land or rangeland to include land in Alaska that is held by Alaska Native corporations, thereby allowing these corporations to participate in TFPA projects.

Additionally, the bill removes the requirement that TFPA projects must occur on federal lands that border or are adjacent to Indian forest lands or rangelands. The bill instead requires the federal land involved to have a special geographic, historical, or cultural significance to the tribe.

The bill allows TFPA projects to be carried out directly on Indian forest lands and rangelands. (Currently, the TFPA only applies to work conducted on federal lands and not on tribal lands.)

The bill also updates a requirement for Interior and USDA to report to Congress on TFPA activities.

Update Date: 2025-07-30 00:00:00

Veterinary Services to Improve Public Health in Rural Communities Act

Veterinary Services to Improve Public Health in Rural Communities Act

This bill expands support for public health veterinary services (e.g., disease surveillance or vaccination) in tribal communities to address zoonotic infectious diseases (i.e., diseases that spread between humans and animals).

Specifically, the bill authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Indian Health Service (IHS), to expend funds for public health veterinary services to prevent and control zoonotic disease infection and transmission in IHS areas where the risk for disease occurrence in humans and wildlife is endemic.

HHS may assign or deploy veterinary public health officers from the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps to IHS areas.

Additionally, HHS must submit a biennial report to Congress on the use of funds, the assignment and deployment of veterinary public health officers from the USPHS Commissioned Corps, data related to the monitoring and disease surveillance of zoonotic diseases, and related services.

The bill also includes the IHS as a coordinating agency in the National One Health Framework. (This framework addresses zoonotic diseases and advances public health preparedness in the United States.)

The bill requires the Department of Agriculture to conduct a feasibility study on the delivery of oral rabies vaccines to wildlife reservoir species that are connected to the transmission of rabies to tribal members living in Arctic regions of the United States. The study must (1) evaluate the efficacy of the oral rabies vaccines, and (2) make recommendations to improve the delivery of these vaccines.

Update Date: 2025-07-30 00:00:00

PATROL Act

Preventing Aliens Through Rivers or Land Act or the PATROL Act

This bill prohibits the Department of Justice (DOJ) from bringing certain civil actions against a state for building a physical structure impacting navigable waters along the U.S. border for security purposes. Specifically, the DOJ is prohibited from bringing an action for (1) the construction of a bridge, causeway, dam, dike, or other structure over or in a port, harbor, or other navigable water of the United States without federal approval; or (2) the creation of any obstruction to the navigable capacity of waters of the United States without federal approval.

Update Date: 2025-07-30 00:00:00

Alaska Native Vietnam Era Veterans Land Allotment Extension Act of 2024

Alaska Native Vietnam Era Veterans Land Allotment Extension Act of 2024

This bill extends for an additional five years the time period during which an eligible Alaska Native veteran may apply for a land allotment under the Alaska Native Vietnam Era Veterans Land Allotment Program. The program makes Alaska Native veterans who served in the Armed Forces in Vietnam between August 5, 1964, and December 31, 1971, or their heirs eligible to receive up to 160 acres of federal land in Alaska.

Under the current program, the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management may accept applications through December 29, 2025. This bill extends this time period for an additional five years to December 29, 2030.

Update Date: 2025-07-30 00:00:00

Red Snapper Act of 2025

Red Snapper Act of 2025

This bill prohibits the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) from restricting certain fishing activities in the South Atlantic until data from the South Atlantic Great Red Snapper Count study is integrated into the next South Atlantic red snapper Southeast Data, Assessment, and Review (SEDAR) stock assessment. 

The bill provides that NOAA may not issue an interim rule, final rule, or Secretarial Amendment establishing an area closure or a bottom fishing closure for specified species until (1) the study is complete; and (2) the study data is integrated into the first South Atlantic red snapper SEDAR stock assessment that is carried out after the bill's enactment. The limitation applies to fishing for species managed under the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region, including red snapper, grouper, and porgy.

(Closures generally restrict recreational and commercial fishing to prevent overfishing and for other conservation purposes.)

Update Date: 2025-07-30 00:00:00

Indian Health Service Emergency Claims Parity Act

Indian Health Service Emergency Claims Parity Act

This bill extends from 72 hours to 15 days the time period to notify the Purchased/Referred Care (PRC) program of emergency medical care received from a non-Indian Health Service (IHS) medical provider or at a non-IHS medical facility. This bill does not apply to individuals who are elderly or disabled, who continue to have a 30-day notification requirement for emergency services.

The IHS provides medical and dental services directly to American Indian and Alaska Native patients whenever possible. The PRC program pays for medical or dental care that is provided away from an IHS or tribal health care facility. The PRC program must be notified of requests for authorization of payment for health care services from a non-IHS provider.

Currently in emergency cases, the patient, an individual on behalf of the patient, or the medical care provider must, within 72 hours after the beginning of treatment for the condition or after admission to a health care facility, notify a PRC authorizing official of the need for the emergency medical care. This bill instead allows the patient, other individual, or provider to notify PRC within 15 days of the treatment or admission.

Update Date: 2025-07-30 00:00:00

Subterranean Border Defense Act

Subterranean Border Defense Act

This bill requires recurring annual reporting by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on the implementation of a strategic plan to counter illicit cross-border tunnel operations. Currently, CBP is only required to report once no later than one year after the plan's development. 

Update Date: 2025-07-30 00:00:00

Southern Border Transparency Act of 2023

Southern Border Transparency Act of 2023

This bill requires various reports on immigration, particularly regarding individuals paroled into the United States.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection must monthly publish details on non-U.S. nationals (aliens under federal law) paroled into the United States at ports of entry or individuals encountered between land ports of entry and subsequently granted parole. The report must include details regarding citizenship, nationality, and demographic information.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services must quarterly publish the number of humanitarian parole petitions received and the number of those granted, disaggregated by nationality.

Quarterly, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) must report on individuals encountered or apprehended at the southern U.S. border and within nearby patrol sectors. The report must contain information including citizenship, nationality, demographics, the number receiving fear of persecution screenings, and immigration outcomes. DHS must also annually report on individuals paroled into the United States on humanitarian grounds, including demographics, employment authorizations, and current immigration status.

Update Date: 2025-07-30 00:00:00

Fair Credit for American Hostages Act

Fair Credit for American Hostages Act

This bill prohibits a consumer reporting agency from including adverse credit information on a consumer's credit report if it occurred during a time when that consumer was held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad.

Update Date: 2025-07-30 00:00:00

A bill to clarify where court may be held for certain district courts in Texas and California.

This bill adds College Station to the list of places where court must be held in the Galveston Division of the Southern District of Texas. 

Additionally, the bill adds El Centro to the list of places where court must be held in the Southern District of California. 

Update Date: 2025-07-30 00:00:00

Never Again Education Reauthorization Act of 2023

Never Again Education Reauthorization Act of 2023

This act extends the authorization for the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum to carry out certain Holocaust education program activities through FY2030.

Update Date: 2025-07-30 00:00:00

MSD Act

Measures for Safer School Districts Act or the MSD Act

This bill requires each local educational agency (LEA), as a condition of receiving federal elementary and secondary education funds, to establish procedures for responding to school emergencies and for timely notifying parents of school emergencies. It also requires interior and exterior doors in schools to be reinforced. 

Specifically, the bill requires each LEA to (1) develop and implement emergency response procedures covering all students, faculty, and staff at public schools under the jurisdiction of the LEA; and (2) ensure that parents and guardians receive timely notification of covered threats and emergencies (e.g., active shooter situations, bomb threats, and natural disasters) that occur on school grounds, during school transportation, or during school-sponsored activities. These emergency response procedures must meet specified criteria, including by requiring commonly used alarm system responses for specific types of emergencies.

Additionally, the bill requires the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to convene a rulemaking advisory committee to review and develop findings and recommendations to require the installation or modification of interior and exterior doors in any school that receives federal funding. Further, CISA must (1) submit a report to Congress on the advisory committee's findings and recommendations, and (2) issue a final rule that requires the installation or modification of interior and exterior doors in schools to reinforce such doors.

The bill authorizes the use of grants under the Homeland Security Grant Program to carry out the bill's provisions.

Update Date: 2025-07-30 00:00:00

Promoting American Patriotism In Our Schools Act

Promoting American Patriotism In Our Schools Act

This bill requires local educational agencies (LEAs) to establish, maintain, and enforce policies that require federally funded public elementary and secondary schools to display the U.S. flag, educate students about the U.S. flag, and direct students and staff to recite the Pledge of Allegiance on a daily basis.

Specifically, LEAs, as a condition of receiving federal elementary and secondary education funds, must require the following activities at each school:

• for all students, teachers, and staff to recite the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of each school day (with an exception for religious or personal reasons);
• for the U.S. flag to be prominently displayed in each classroom and gymnasium; and
• for educational materials on the history, significance, and proper display of the U.S. flag to be incorporated into the civics or history curriculum of each grade level.

The bill includes annual certification requirements. Further, the bill authorizes and directs the Department of Education to issue and secure compliance with rules or orders with respect to an LEA that fails to certify (or certifies in bad faith) compliance with the bill's requirements.

Update Date: 2025-07-30 00:00:00

Eliminate DEI in Colleges Act

Eliminate DEI in Colleges Act

This bill prohibits an institution of higher education (IHE) from receiving federal funds or participating in federal student aid programs if the IHE carries out diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

Specifically, the bill requires an IHE to certify to the Department of Education (ED) that the IHE (1) does not and will not carry out any program, project, initiative, or other activity that advocates, promotes, or otherwise supports DEI; and (2) does not and will not maintain any office or other entity within the IHE that advocates, promotes, or otherwise supports DEI.

Each IHE that provides the certification must, upon request, make available to ED any information necessary to verify the accuracy of the certification. 

ED must publish regulations to implement and enforce the bill's provisions. 

The bill establishes a process through which an IHE may appeal ED's decision to terminate the IHE's financial assistance for failure to comply with the bill's provisions.

Update Date: 2025-07-30 00:00:00