Burgess Owens

Restoration of Employment Choice for Adults with Disabilities Act

This bill relaxes requirements that allow entities with a special wage certificate to pay subminimum wages to individuals with disabilities.

Specifically, the bill eliminates a requirement that an individual with a disability who is age 24 or younger receive pre-employment transition services and meet specified vocational rehabilitation criteria before beginning subminimum wage work.

The bill also relaxes career counseling and service referral requirements that apply to an individual with a disability who is paid at a subminimum wage. Current law requires an entity to ensure that an individual employed at subminimum wage receives periodic career counseling, information, and referrals to other services from the designated state agency. Under the bill, this requirement is met if the employer makes a documented effort to contact the state agency for those resources on behalf of the employee, and the state agency subsequently fails to provide the counseling, information, and referrals.

EAGLES Act of 2025

This bill reauthorizes the National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) within the U.S. Secret Service.

It reauthorizes the functions of NTAC through FY2030 and expands them to include additional activities related to the prevention of targeted violence, such as the establishment of a national program on targeted school violence prevention.

Physician Led and Rural Access to Quality Care Act

This bill expands flexibilities for physicians and physician-owned hospitals under the Stark law (i.e., the Physician Self-Referral Law).

The Stark law generally prohibits physicians from referring patients to receive services that are payable under Medicare or Medicaid from entities in which the physician or an immediate family member has a financial relationship. The bill allows physicians or their immediate family members to have financial interests in rural hospitals that are located more than 35 miles (or 15 miles in certain mountainous areas or areas with only secondary roads) from a hospital or critical access hospital.

The Stark law also generally prohibits physician-owned hospitals from expanding the number of operating rooms, procedure rooms, or beds beyond the number in existence as of March 23, 2010, in order to be excepted under the Stark law. The bill removes this restriction.

Alzheimer's Screening and Prevention Act of 2025 or the ASAP Act

This bill provides for Medicare coverage of blood tests to screen for the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias. Specifically, the bill provides for coverage of genomic sequencing blood or blood product tests, or other equivalent tests, that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

Reducing Hereditary Cancer Act

This bill provides for Medicare coverage of germline mutation testing for individuals with a personal or family history of a hereditary cancer gene mutation or suspected history of hereditary cancer, as well as for associated coverage of risk-reducing surgeries and screenings.

Alternatives to Prevent Addiction In the Nation Act or the Alternatives to PAIN Act

This bill reduces cost-sharing and prohibits the imposition of certain utilization requirements under the Medicare prescription drug benefit for certain non-opioid pain management drugs.

Specifically, the bill requires such drugs to be covered without a deductible and to be placed on the lowest cost-sharing tier (if any). The bill also prohibits the imposition of prior authorization requirements (i.e., requiring prior approval from a plan) or step therapy requirements (i.e., requiring the use of alternative drugs before a drug is covered under a plan) with respect to such drugs.

Firearm Access During Shutdowns Act

This bill requires various federal agencies to continue certain operations, functions, and services related to firearms during a government shutdown.

The bill applies to

• the Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Instant Criminal Background Check System, including the processing of background checks in support of the operations of the Directorate of Enforcement Programs and Services of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF);

• the ATF's Directorate of Enforcement Programs and Services;

• the activities of the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security relating to firearms and firearm-related products, including activities related to processing of applications for export licenses; and

• the activities of the Department of State's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls relating to firearms and firearm-related products, including activities related to processing of applications for export licenses.

Under the bill, (1) these operations, functions, and services are deemed to relate to an emergency involving the safety of human life or the protection of property; and (2) employees carrying out the operations, functions, and services are deemed to be excepted employees. (Under an exception in the Antideficiency Act, an employee whose duties involve the safety of human life or the protection of property may be required to work during a government shutdown. Employees who are required to work during a government shutdown because they fall under this or other exceptions are known as excepted employees.)