Edward Markey

Broadcast Freedom and Independence Act of 2025

This bill prohibits the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from taking action against or imposing certain conditions on individuals on the basis of viewpoints broadcast or disseminated by the individuals or their affiliates.

Specifically, the FCC may not revoke a license or authorization of, or otherwise take action against, an individual or entity on the basis of viewpoints broadcast or otherwise disseminated by the individual or entity or an affiliate thereof. Further, the FCC may not impose conditions on its approval of certain transactions on the basis of viewpoints broadcast or otherwise disseminated by the individual or entity seeking approval of the transaction, or an affiliate thereof.

Under the bill, the FCC retains its authority to take action or impose conditions on the basis of (1) violations of certain existing laws regarding lottery information, fraud, and obscene language; or (2) the broadcast or other dissemination of content that constitutes incitement under the First Amendment.

Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act of 2025

This bill establishes the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies in the United States within the legislative branch and sets forth its powers, duties, and membership.

Among other duties, the commission must investigate the impacts and ongoing effects of the Indian Boarding School Policies (federal policies under which American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian children were forcibly removed from their family homes and placed in boarding schools).

Further, the commission must develop recommendations on ways to (1) protect unmarked graves and accompanying land protections; (2) support repatriation and identify the tribal nations from which children were taken; and (3) discontinue the removal of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian children from their families and tribal communities by state social service departments, foster care agencies, and adoption agencies.

Keep Americans Safe Act

This bill establishes a new criminal offense for the import, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device (LCAFD).

The bill does not prohibit certain conduct with respect to an LCAFD, including the following:

• importation, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession related to certain law enforcement efforts, or authorized tests or experiments;

• importation, sale, transfer, or possession related to securing nuclear materials; and

• possession by a retired law enforcement officer.

The bill permits continued possession of, but prohibits sale or transfer of, a grandfathered LCAFD.

Newly manufactured LCAFDs must display serial number identification and the date of manufacture.

Additionally, the bill allows a state or local government to use Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program funds to compensate individuals who surrender an LCAFD under a buy-back program.

Stopping Abuse and Fraud in Electronic Lending Act of 2025 or the SAFE Lending Act of 2025

This bill creates additional consumer protections applicable to certain credit and banking transactions, including matters concerning remotely created checks, electronic fund transfers, registration of small-dollar lenders, overdraft fees, and the collection of personal information.

Under the bill, remotely created checks may only be issued by a person specifically designated in writing by a consumer. The consumer must provide the designation to the consumer's depository institution. (A remotely created check is a check not issued by the bank and not signed by the account owner.)

A voluntary agreement to repay a small-dollar consumer credit transaction by an electronic fund transfer is subject to certain protections, including the right of the consumer to stop payment.

Small-dollar consumer credit providers must register with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Any small-dollar consumer credit transaction is subject to the laws of the state in which the consumer resides.

The bill also prohibits overdraft fees on prepaid accounts.

Social Security Expansion Act

This bill increases Social Security benefits, expands Social Security payroll taxes, and makes other changes to the Social Security program.

Specifically, the bill changes the way Social Security benefits are calculated by increasing the primary insurance amount applicable to average monthly earnings that fall below a specified amount, and increasing bend points for individuals who become eligible for Social Security after 2025. (Bend points are dollar amounts at which earnings are segmented for the purpose of calculating an individual’s primary insurance amount. The share of an individual’s earnings that are replaced by Social Security decreases at each escalating bend point.)

The bill also revises the method of calculating cost-of-living adjustments to account for the spending of individuals over the age of 62 and establishes a new minimum benefit for certain low earners. Further, the bill permits full-time students who are the children of deceased or disabled workers to collect Social Security or railroad retirement child’s benefits until they reach age 22.

With respect to taxes, the bill extends payroll taxes on wages, salaries, and self-employment earnings to income above $250,000. (In 2025, the maximum amount subject to Social Security payroll tax is $176,100.) The bill also increases the net investment income tax and subjects active trade or business income to this tax.

Finally, the bill combines the existing Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund into a single Social Security Trust Fund.

Ethan's Law

This bill establishes a framework to regulate the storage of firearms on residential premises at the federal, state, and tribal levels.

At the federal level, the bill establishes statutory requirements for firearms on residential premises to be safely stored if a minor is likely to gain access without permission or if a resident is ineligible to possess a firearm.

An individual who violates the requirements is subject to criminal penalties. A firearm stored in violation of the requirements is subject to seizure and forfeiture.

At the state and tribal levels, the bill requires the Department of Justice to award grants to implement functionally identical requirements for the safe storage of firearms.

Enhancing First Response Act

This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to report on certain activations of the Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS). DIRS is a reporting system that is activated during severe weather and other events impacting communications service and enables communications providers to report outages and other degradations to service.

If the system was activated for at least seven days, the FCC must issue a preliminary report that includes information about the number, duration, and nature of all associated outages. The FCC must also hold at least one public field hearing in the area affected by the event, and it must issue a final report that includes recommendations for improving the resiliency of affected networks or recovery efforts.

Separately, the FCC must publish a general report on (1) the volume and nature of 9-1-1 outages that are not required to be reported under current outage notification rules, and (2) the value to public safety agencies of the inclusion of visual information in outage notifications from communications providers.

The bill also requires the Office of Management and Budget, by 30 days after the bill's enactment, to categorize public safety telecommunicators as a protective service occupation under the Standard Occupational Classification System.

Finally, the Office of the Inspector General of the FCC is directed to publish a report on the implementation of Kari’s Law, which requires multiline telephone systems to be preconfigured to allow users to dial 9-1-1 directly from any phone without dialing any additional code or prefix.

Empowering and Enforcing Environmental Justice Act of 2025

This bill establishes the Office of Environmental Justice within the Department of Justice (DOJ). It also establishes grants to improve the capacity of state, local, and tribal governments to enforce environmental laws involving environmental justice matters. (On February 5, 2025, DOJ issued a directive to close its Office of Environmental Justice by March 15, 2025.)

Korematsu-Takai Civil Liberties Protection Act of 2025

This bill prohibits the detention or imprisonment of an individual based solely on an actual or perceived protected characteristic of the individual. The term protected characteristic includes each of the following: race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, and any additional characteristic that the Department of Justice determines to be a protected characteristic.

Stop Antiabortion Disinformation Act or the SAD Act

This bill prohibits deceptive advertising for reproductive health services.

Specifically, the bill makes it unlawful for a person (i.e., individual, partnership, corporation, association, or organization) to deceptively advertise the reproductive health services they offer, including by misrepresenting that the person (1) offers or provides contraception or abortion services (or referrals for such contraception or abortion services), or (2) employs or offers access to licensed medical personnel.

The bill provides for enforcement by the Federal Trade Commission.

In addition to any other penalty, violations are subject to a civil penalty that may not exceed the greater of $100,000 (adjusted annually for inflation) or 50% of the revenue earned during the preceding 12-month period by the ultimate parent entity of the person who violated the bill.

United States Colored Troops Congressional Gold Medal Act

This bill provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal posthumously to the African Americans who served with Union forces in recognition of their bravery and outstanding service during the Civil War.

This joint resolution terminates the national emergency relating to energy declared by the President on January 20, 2025, in Executive Order 14156.

The executive order states that the supply of and infrastructure for energy in the United States is insufficient to meet the country's needs. It defines energy as crude oil, natural gas, lease condensates, natural gas liquids, refined petroleum products, uranium, coal, biofuels, geothermal heat, the kinetic movement of flowing water, and critical minerals.

The executive order directs the heads of executive departments and agencies to use available emergency and other authorities to take certain actions to address this topic, including approving development of domestic energy resources, expediting the completion of authorized energy infrastructure (particularly in the Northeast, West Coast, and Alaska), and pursuing the use of emergency permitting provisions under certain environmental regulations.

The executive order also directs the Department of Defense to conduct an assessment of its ability to acquire and transport energy resources (particularly in the Northeast and West Coast), and invokes emergency military construction authority to address any vulnerabilities identified in the assessment.

This resolution commemorates the 67 lives lost in the collision of American Eagle Flight 5342 and the U.S. Army helicopter flying under the call sign PAT 25 near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on January 29, 2025.

The resolution also expresses gratitude to the law enforcement and emergency medical personnel who responded to the collision.

Safety Enhancements for Communities Using Reasonable and Effective Firearm Storage Act or the SECURE Firearm Storage Act

This bill establishes security requirements for the business premises of a licensed firearms importer, manufacturer, or dealer.

Specifically, when the premises are closed for business, an importer, manufacturer, or dealer must secure the firearms inventory and securely store paper business records.

A violator is subject to penalties—a civil fine, suspension or revocation of a license, or both a civil fine and suspension or revocation of a license.