Don Bacon

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.

With respect to new criminal offenses, 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 such an offense.

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

The bill also prohibits certain assaults on state or local law enforcement officers who work for an agency of a state or the District of Columbia that receives federal funding.

The bill limits federal court review of challenges to state court convictions for killing a public safety officer or judge.

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.

Finally, the bill temporarily directs the Department of Justice to make grants to improve relations between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve.

Optimizing Postpartum Outcomes Act of 2025

This bill requires (1) the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to issue guidance to support coverage of prenatal and postpartum pelvic health services under Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), (2) the Government Accountability Office to study gaps in Medicaid coverage of these and other services for postpartum women, and (3) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to educate health professionals and postpartum women on pelvic health services.

Gold Star and Surviving Spouse Career Services Act

This bill expands eligibility for the Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program to the spouses of certain veterans and members of the Armed Forces. Such program is administered by the Department of Labor and generally provides career and employment services to disabled veterans.

The bill expands eligibility for the program to spouses of

• persons who died while members of the Armed Forces;

• persons who died of a service-connected disability;

• members of the Armed Forces serving on active duty who, for more than 90 days, are listed as missing in action, captured by a hostile force, or forcibly detained or interned in the line of duty by a foreign government power;

• persons who have a total permanent disability resulting from a service-connected disability; and

• persons who died while an evaluated total disability was in existence.

SNAP Staffing Flexibility Act of 2025

This bill allows a state agency to hire a contractor to perform Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) certification or other state functions for SNAP under certain conditions.

Specifically, a state agency may hire a contractor when the state experiences an increase in SNAP applications or an inability to timely process such applications from causes that include (1) pandemics and other health emergencies, (2) seasonal workforce cycles, (3) temporary staffing shortages, and (4) weather or other natural disasters. The bill includes specific parameters for a state agency that hires a contractor based on temporary staffing shortages.

A contractor hired under this bill must be part of a blended workforce and may not supplant existing merit-based personnel in the state.

Further, a state agency must notify the Department of Agriculture (USDA) of the intent to hire a contractor and provide any information or data supporting state agency increases in SNAP applications or the inability to timely process applications. USDA must make the notification and accompanying information publicly available on the USDA website.

Finally, USDA must submit an annual report to Congress that includes specific information and recommendations, including information on the measures taken by USDA to address increases in SNAP applications.

Youth Lead Act

This bill reauthorizes through FY2030 National Institute of Food and Agriculture grants to the Girl Scouts of the USA, the Boy Scouts of America, the National 4–H Council, and the National FFA Organization. These grants must be used to establish pilot projects to expand the programs carried out by the organizations in rural areas and small towns.

Trade Review Act of 2025

This bill requires congressional notification and review of new or increased duties (i.e., tariffs) imposed by the President on articles imported into the United States.

Specifically, the President must notify Congress within 48 hours of imposing or increasing a duty on articles imported into the United States. This notification must include (1) the rationale for imposing or increasing the duty, and (2) an assessment of the duty's potential impact on U.S. businesses and consumers. The bill limits the duration of a duty to 60 days, unless a joint resolution of approval is enacted into law.

A duty shall cease to have force or effect if a joint resolution of disapproval is enacted into law.

Michael Lecik Military Firefighters Protection Act

This bill establishes a presumption of service-connection for specified diseases becoming manifest in certain military firefighter veterans to a degree of disability of 10% or more within 15 years of the veteran's separation from active military, naval, or air service. Under a presumption of service-connection, specific diseases or disabilities diagnosed in certain veterans are presumed to have been caused by the circumstances of their military service. Health care benefits and disability compensation may then be awarded.

Veterans addressed by this bill are those who (1) are trained in fire suppression, and (2) served on active duty in a military occupational specialty or career field with a primary responsibility of firefighting or damage control for at least five years in the aggregate.

Autonomy for Disabled Veterans Act

This bill increases the maximum amount authorized under the Home Improvements and Structural Alterations (HISA) grant program to $10,000 for veterans with a service-connected disability and $5,000 for those with disabilities that are not service-connected. The HISA grant program provides medically necessary improvements and structural alterations to a veteran's (or service member's) primary residence for specified purposes (e.g., allowing for entrance to their home).

The bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to increase the maximum dollar amount of the grant in accordance with inflation as determined by the Consumer Price Index.

Seniors in the Workforce Tax Relief Act

This bill establishes a new above-the-line federal tax deduction through 2029 for individuals who attain the age of 65 before the end of the tax year. (Above-the-line deductions are subtracted from gross income to calculate adjusted gross income.)

Under the bill, the amount of the tax deduction is $25,000 for individuals (or $50,000 for joint filers and surviving spouses) and begins to phase out for individuals with an adjusted gross income over $100,000 (or $200,000 for joint filers and surviving spouses).

Tip Tax Termination Act

This bill excludes from gross income for federal tax purposes up to $20,000 of eligible tips received during the tax year. The bill also requires the Internal Revenue Service to modify the tables and procedures used to withhold federal income tax from wages to take into account eligible tips excluded from gross income.

The bill defines eligible tips as amounts received while performing services in a position that generally relies on tips as part of wages, including cosmetology, hospitality, and food service.

Further, under the bill, the amount of eligible tips excluded from gross income must not be included in determining federal tax deductions or credits, except for purposes of calculating the child tax credit and earned income tax credit.

Finally, the exclusion from gross income only applies to eligible tips received before 2030.