Dan Sullivan

Back the Blue Act of 2025

This bill establishes new criminal offenses for violent conduct against judicial officers and law enforcement officers and makes related changes. The bill also broadens the authority of certain law enforcement officers to carry firearms.

Specifically, the bill prohibits killing, attempting to kill, or conspiring to kill a federal judge, a federal law enforcement officer, or a public safety or judicial officer for a state, local, or tribal agency that receives federal funding. The bill also prohibits fleeing to avoid prosecution, custody, or confinement for an offense.

Additionally, the bill prohibits killing former federal judges, former federal law enforcement officers, or former public safety or judicial officers for state, local, or tribal agencies that receive federal funding.

The bill also prohibits certain assaults on state or local law enforcement officers for state (or District of Columbia) agencies that receive federal funding.

The bill limits federal court review of challenges to state court convictions for killing a public safety officer or judge. The bill also limits the recoverability of damages and attorney's fees in a proceeding to enforce a civil rights violation during or relating to conduct by the injured person that constitutes a felony or crime of violence.

The bill allows federal, state, and local law enforcement officers to carry firearms if authorized by law. The bill also allows qualified law enforcement officers to carry concealed firearms and ammunition (including magazines) in school zones and in certain federal facilities that are open to the public.

This resolution recognizes November 2025 as National Native American Heritage Month and the Friday after Thanksgiving as Native American Heritage Day.

This bill directs the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to withdraw the final determination titled Adoption of Energy Efficiency Standards for New Construction of HUD- and USDA-Financed Housing and published on April 26, 2024.

The determination adopted updated minimum energy efficiency standards for newly built homes (except manufactured housing) financed through certain HUD and USDA programs. Specifically, it adopted the (1) 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), which applies to single family homes and multifamily low-rise buildings up to three stories; and (2) 2019 American National Standards Institute/American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers/Illuminating Electrical Society (ANSI/ASHRAE/IES) Standard 90.1, which applies to multifamily residential buildings with four or more stories. HUD and USDA must also revert to using the energy efficiency standards required before the determination.

In addition, the bill prohibits HUD, USDA, and the Department of Veterans Affairs from taking actions or using federal funds to implement or enforce the determination or any substantially similar determination. It also prohibits the Federal Housing Finance Agency from finalizing, implementing, or enforcing a determination or rule relating to energy efficiency standards for single and multifamily housing.

Finally, the bill prohibits HUD and USDA from adopting updates to the IECC or ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1 in certain circumstances unless at least 26 states have adopted codes or standards that meet or exceed the update's requirements.

Combating Organized Retail Crime Act

This bill expands federal enforcement of criminal offenses related to organized retail and supply chain crime. The term organized retail and supply chain crime includes criminal offenses involving the interstate transportation of stolen property, the sale or receipt of stolen goods, or theft from an interstate or foreign shipment that is committed by, in coordination with, or at the instruction of an organization.

First, with respect to criminal offenses involving the interstate transportation of stolen property or the sale or receipt of stolen goods, the bill broadens the scope of conduct that qualifies as offenses by allowing prosecutions to be based on the aggregate value of stolen items over a 12-month period. Additionally, the bill makes the offenses predicate offenses (i.e., underlying offenses) for prosecutions under the federal money laundering statute and authorizes the criminal forfeiture of any property obtained from the proceeds of an offense.

Second, with respect to criminal offenses involving theft from an interstate or foreign shipment, the bill also makes an offense an underlying offense for prosecution under the federal money laundering statute and authorizes the criminal forfeiture of any associated property.

Third, the bill expands the federal money laundering statute to include offenses involving general-use prepaid cards, gift certificates, or store gift cards.

Finally, the bill temporarily establishes a center within the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate federal law enforcement activities related to organized retail and supply chain crime.

Access Technology Affordability Act of 2025

This bill allows a refundable federal tax credit, through 2030, equal to the amounts paid for qualified access technology for use by a blind individual who is the taxpayer, the taxpayer's spouse, or a dependent of the taxpayer. (Limits apply.)

The bill defines qualified access technology as hardware, software, or other information technology with the primary function of converting or adapting information that is visually represented into forms or formats usable by blind individuals.

The tax credit is limited to (1) amounts paid that are not compensated by insurance or otherwise, and (2) an aggregate amount of $2,000 (adjusted for inflation) per blind individual in any period of three consecutive taxable years.

Pay Our Capitol Police Act

This bill provides FY2026 continuing appropriations for the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) to pay and provide benefits for employees who are working during a government shutdown.

The bill provides the appropriations for any period during which interim or full-year appropriations for FY2026 are not in effect (i.e., a government shutdown). Specifically, the bill provides the appropriations to the USCP for salaries, overtime pay, hazardous duty pay, recruitment and retention bonuses, and employee benefits for (1) members of the USCP who are excepted employees (i.e., required to work) or are performing emergency work during the shutdown, and (2) civilian employees who are providing support to the members.

The bill also provides appropriations for payments to USCP contractors who are providing support to the members of the USCP who are working during the shutdown.

The appropriations provided by this bill may not be used during any period in which continuing appropriations are in effect for these purposes.

The appropriations are available until the earlier of (1) the enactment into law of legislation to provide FY2026 appropriations for the USCP or the legislative branch (including continuing appropriations), or (2) September 30, 2026.

The bill must take effect as if it had been enacted on October 1, 2025.

This joint resolution nullifies the rule submitted by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), issued on December 9, 2024, and related to the record of decision (ROD) for the program that leases, develops, produces, and transports oil and gas in and from the Coastal Plain program area within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

The 2024 ROD that is being nullified by this resolution replaced the 2020 ROD that made all of the approximately 1.6 million acres of the program area available for oil and gas leasing. The 2024 ROD adopted Alternative D2 in the 2024 Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Program Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, which made approximately 1.2 million acres unavailable for leasing or exploration in order to protect and conserve resources and certain uses in these areas. However, the 2024 ROD requires the statutory minimum of 400,000 acres to be made available for oil and gas leasing in a specified lease sale, subject to certain stipulations and operating procedures. Under current law, those acres must be located in the areas with the highest potential for the discovery of hydrocarbons.

Keep SNAP Funded Act of 2025

This bill provides appropriations for the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide uninterrupted benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) during any period in which legislation has not been enacted to provide continuing or full-year FY2026 appropriations to USDA.

The bill also provides appropriations for retroactive payments for SNAP benefits that were missed on or after September 30, 2025, and before this bill is enacted.

The appropriations provided by this bill are available until legislation is enacted to provide FY2026 appropriations for USDA (including continuing appropriations).

Head start Education And Development Workforce Advancement and Yield Act or the HEADWAY Act

This bill allows some teachers in Early Head Start programs to teach while in the process of earning their Child Development Associate (CDA) credential and completing training.

Currently, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must ensure that all teachers providing direct services to children and families in Early Head Start centers (1) have a minimum of a CDA credential and have been trained in early childhood development, and (2) have been trained in early childhood development with a focus on infant and toddler development.

The bill revises this requirement by requiring at least one teacher per classroom (instead of all teachers) to have a CDA credential and training. In particular, the bill requires HHS to ensure that (1) each additional teacher providing direct services to children and families is in the process of earning a CDA credential and completing training, and (2) the Early Head Start agency provides a mentor to oversee the progress and guide the work of a teacher who is in the process of earning a CDA credential and completing training.

Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act

This bill allows, beginning in 2028, for Medicare coverage and payment for multi-cancer early detection screening tests that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration and that are used to screen for cancer across many cancer types, if the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services determines such coverage is appropriate. Coverage is limited to those under a certain age (age 68 in 2028, increased by one year every year thereafter) and to one test every 11 months.

Keep America Flying Act of 2026

This bill provides continuing appropriations to pay air traffic controllers, other essential Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees, and certain Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees during the period in which interim or full-year appropriations for FY2026 are not in effect (i.e., the government shutdown).

Specifically, the bill provides FY2026 continuing appropriations to pay and provide benefits to

• air traffic controllers and other FAA essential operational personnel whose services are required for the safe and orderly operation of the national airspace system; and

• TSA employees engaged in screening operations, aviation security duties, or related mission-support functions necessary to carry out security screening.

The bill also provides appropriations for payments to FAA and TSA contractors who are providing support to these employees.

The bill provides the continuing appropriations until the earlier of (1) the enactment into law of specified appropriations legislation, or (2) September 30, 2026.

The bill must take effect as if it had been enacted on September 30, 2025.