Bill Cassidy

This bill revises Chapter 22 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to provide a uniform rate of duty for all whiskies.

This resolution encourages (1) the people of the United States to join in a national effort to salute AmeriCorps members, alumni, and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers and to raise awareness about the importance of national and community service; and (2) all individuals to consider opportunities to serve in AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors.

VetPAC Act of 2025

This bill establishes the Veterans Health Administration Policy Advisory Commission for purposes of reviewing operations at the Veterans Health Administration and preparing reports with recommendations for Congress based on such review.

Prioritizing Offensive Agricultural Disputes and Enforcement Act or the Ag Disputes Act

This bill establishes a joint task force to identify and address trade barriers to U.S. agricultural exports.

Specifically, the bill directs the President to establish the Agricultural Trade Enforcement Task Force. Members of this task force include employees of the Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

The bill requires the task force to (1) identify trade barriers to U.S. agricultural exports that are vulnerable to dispute settlement under the World Trade Organization (WTO) or other trade agreements to which the United States is a party, (2) develop and implement a strategy for enforcing violations of trade agreements related to those trade barriers, (3) identify like-minded trading partners that could act as complainants on disputes relating to specific trade barriers that are systemically or economically important to the United States, and (4) submit periodic reports to Congress.

In its first report, the task force must include a plan for filing a request for consultations under the WTO with respect to agricultural price supports implemented by the Indian government.

Haiti Economic Lift Program Extension Act of 2025

This bill extends through FY2035 the special duty-free rules for various apparel products imported from Haiti, including the duty-free treatment provided for a limited amount (referred to as tariff preference levels) of certain apparel products assembled in and imported from Haiti.

The bill directs the President to proclaim such modifications to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS) that may be necessary to restore preferential treatment to articles that became ineligible for such treatment due to prior revisions to the HTS.

Flood Insurance Affordability Tax Credit Act

This bill establishes a new refundable tax credit for up to 33% of the flood insurance premiums paid (or incurred) under the National Flood Insurance Program to insure a principal residence. The bill also requires the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to establish a program for paying the tax credit in advance.

Under the bill, the tax credit for flood insurance premiums may be reduced depending on the taxpayer’s household income in relation to the federal poverty line (FPL). The tax credit begins to phase out once a taxpayer’s household income is 350% of the FPL and is completely phased out once a taxpayer’s household income reaches 435% of the FPL. (Other limitations may apply.)

Further, the tax credit for flood premiums may not be claimed by a married taxpayer who files a separate federal income tax return or a taxpayer who may be claimed as a dependent.

Finally, the bill requires the IRS to establish a program that allows a taxpayer to receive the allowable tax credit amount for flood insurance premiums (based on tax return information for the most recent tax year available) in advance.

Protect Medicaid Act

This bill prohibits federal payment under Medicaid for the administrative costs of providing health benefits to noncitizens who are ineligible for Medicaid based on their immigration status. The Department of Health and Human Services must report on specified information regarding states that provide health benefits to such individuals.

Improve and Enhance the Work Opportunity Tax Credit Act

This bill increases the work opportunity tax credit (WOTC) for wages paid during the first year of employment to certain employees. The bill also eliminates the maximum age limit applicable to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit recipients for purposes of the WOTC.

Under current law, an employer generally may claim a WOTC in the amount of 40% of up to $6,000 (or of up to $24,000 for certain veterans, $3,000 for summer youth employees, and $10,000 for long-term family aid recipients) of qualified wages paid during the first year of employment to an employee who is a member of a targeted group. (Exceptions and limitations apply.)

The bill increases the WOTC to (1) 50% of up to $6,000 (or of up to $24,000 for certain veterans) of qualified first-year wages paid to an employee who is a member of a targeted group (other than a summer youth employee or recipient of long-term family aid), and (2) 50% of up to $12,000 (or of up to $48,000 for certain veterans) of qualified wages paid during the first year of employment to such employee if the employee works at least 400 hours during the year.

Finally, the bill eliminates the maximum age limit applicable to SNAP benefit recipients and, thus, allows an employer to claim the WOTC for qualified first-year wages paid to an employee who is at least 18 years old and receiving SNAP benefits for a certain period of time.

Fairness for Disabled Young Adults Act

This bill expands eligibility for Social Security child’s benefits to include the disabled children of eligible or deceased workers for whom the disability began between ages 22 and 25. (Under current law, such disabled children are eligible for benefits only if their disability began before age 22.)

Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act or the HALT Fentanyl Act

This act permanently places fentanyl-related substances as a class into schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. A schedule I controlled substance is a drug, substance, or chemical that has a high potential for abuse; has no currently accepted medical value; and is subject to regulatory controls and administrative, civil, and criminal penalties under the Controlled Substances Act.

Under the act, offenses involving fentanyl-related substances are triggered by the same quantity thresholds and subject to the same penalties as offenses involving fentanyl analogues (e.g., offenses involving 100 grams or more trigger a 10-year mandatory minimum prison term).

Additionally, the act establishes a new, alternative registration process for certain schedule I research.

The act also makes several other changes to registration requirements for conducting research with controlled substances, including

• permitting a single registration for related research sites in certain circumstances,

• waiving the requirement for a new inspection in certain situations, and

• allowing a registered researcher to perform certain manufacturing activities with small quantities of a substance without obtaining a manufacturing registration.

Finally, the act expresses the sense that Congress agrees with the interpretation of the Controlled Substances Act in United States v. McCray, a 2018 case decided by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York. In that case, the court held that butyryl fentanyl, a controlled substance, can be considered an analogue of fentanyl even though, under the Controlled Substances Act, the term controlled substance analogue specifically excludes a controlled substance.

Protecting Students on Campus Act of 2025

This bill requires the Department of Education (ED) and institutions of higher education (IHEs) participating in federal student aid programs to distribute information on how to report alleged violations of civil rights under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. (Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in federally funded programs or activities.)

Specifically, the bill requires ED's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to conduct a public awareness campaign regarding the rights of individuals under Title VI. This campaign must be updated annually and distributed to IHEs.

The bill requires an IHE to post a link on its website on how to file a Title VI complaint with OCR. Additionally, the IHE must annually post the materials from OCR's public awareness campaign. The information must be posted in high-traffic public places on campus (e.g., student centers) and high-traffic websites (e.g., the website for student services).

OCR must give monthly congressional briefings on (1) the number of complaints filed with OCR, (2) how OCR plans to address those complaints and the investigations opened in response to those complaints, and (3) how long those complaints remain open. Additionally, the bill prohibits OCR from closing or dismissing a complaint due to resolution via another agency or avenue.

The bill also requires annual reporting by IHEs on discrimination complaints. Further, the bill directs ED's Office of Inspector General to audit and study discrimination complaints.

Offshore Energy Security Act of 2025

This bill directs the Department of the Interior to conduct two offshore oil and gas lease sales per year for 10 years in the Gulf of Mexico Region Program Area, places a moratorium on oil and gas leases in certain areas, and establishes related requirements.

Interior must offer at least 74 million acres for each offshore lease sale in such region. The bill stipulates the terms and conditions of such leases. Interior must also carry out the lease sales in accordance with the Record of Decision approved by Interior on January 17, 2017.

Interior may waive certain requirements under the National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program that would delay final approval of those lease sales.

In addition, the bill prohibits such lease sales from being invalidated as a result of lawsuits relating to environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. It also limits delays to the lease sales as a result of the lawsuits.

Finally, the bill extends through 2035 a moratorium on oil and gas leasing in (1) any area east of the Military Mission Line in the Gulf of Mexico; (2) any area in the Eastern Planning Area that is within 125 miles of Florida's coastline; and (3) certain areas in the Central Planning Area, including specified areas along Florida's coastline. It also places a moratorium through 2035 on oil and gas leasing in the South Atlantic Planning Area or the Straits of Florida Planning Area.

Disaster Housing Reform for American Families Act

This bill requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to establish a five-year pilot program under the Individuals and Households Program (IHP) through which FEMA contracts to provide factory-built housing to serve disaster survivors until the disaster declaration terminates and then be utilized for affordable housing. It also authorizes FEMA to provide IHP grants for closing costs associated with obtaining certain mortgages.

Specifically, FEMA must enter into a contract with a producer or seller of manufactured or modular homes to construct such housing as a type of temporary housing assistance under IHP. The bill requires the housing to meet specified criteria, including that it must be available within 90 days (unless extended to 120 days) after the disaster declaration, have no more than four units, and provide a minimum level of protection from natural hazards. The housing must conform to various specified standards, but the bill authorizes the Department of Housing and Urban Development to waive any such requirement for construction under the pilot program.

Also, the bill requires FEMA to establish guidelines for transferring the housing to an affordable housing program after the termination of the relevant disaster declaration. However, the bill also authorizes it to become permanent housing after the declaration terminates.

In addition, the bill authorizes FEMA to provide IHP grants to disaster-impacted individuals or households purchasing residential property for closing costs associated with obtaining a mortgage from a federal program providing affordable financing options.

Connected Maternal Online Monitoring Act or the Connected MOM Act

This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to report, and provide resources for states, on coverage of remote physiologic devices and related services (e.g., blood glucose monitors) under Medicaid, so as to improve maternal and child health outcomes for pregnant and postpartum women.

This bill excludes locality-based comparability payments from the calculation of retirement and disability annuities for new employees in the Federal Employees’ Retirement System. (General schedule and certain other federal employees receive locality-based comparability payments when their official worksite is located in a geographic area with a pay disparity between federal and non-federal workers of more than 5%.)

Federal Employee Return to Work Act

This bill prohibits providing certain annual or locality-based pay increases to teleworking federal employees.

Currently, federal law mandates annual adjustments to General Schedule (GS) pay rates according to (1) a formula based on the annual percentage change in the Employment Cost Index (a measure of labor costs in the private sector); and (2) the difference between public and private sector pay rates in an employee's locality, if that difference exceeds 5%. For example, in 2025, the default annual rate of pay for a GS-7 (step 1) employee is $49,960; the adjusted annual rate of pay for a GS-7 (step 1) employee in the locality pay area that includes Washington, DC, is $57,164.

The bill makes executive agency employees who telework at least one day each week (or, in the case of an alternative work schedule, 20% or more each week) ineligible for these payments.

The bill is effective on the first day of the fiscal year beginning after the bill's enactment.