Eugene Vindman

Disability and Age in Jury Service Nondiscrimination Act

This bill prohibits the exclusion of individuals from jury service on the basis of their disability or age.

Further, the bill prohibits the disqualification of individuals from jury service who fail to meet certain qualifications (e.g., adequate proficiency in English) on the basis of their disability if reasonable accommodations can be made.

Safe Schools Improvement Act

This bill requires states to direct their local educational agencies (LEAs) to establish policies that prevent and prohibit bullying and harassment of elementary and secondary school students. In particular, these policies must prohibit bullying and harassment based on race, color, national origin, disability, religion, or sex. Sex includes sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics (including intersex traits).

Further, LEAs must provide (1) students, parents, and educational professionals with annual notice of the conduct prohibited in their disciplinary policies; (2) students and parents with grievance procedures that target such conduct; and (3) the public with annual data on the incidence and frequency of that conduct at the school and LEA level.

The Department of Education must conduct and report on an independent biennial evaluation of programs and policies to combat bullying and harassment in elementary and secondary schools. The National Center for Education Statistics must collect state data to determine the incidence and frequency of the conduct prohibited by LEA disciplinary policies.

Safeguarding Americans from Fraudulent and Experimental Drugs Act of 2025 or the SAFE Drugs Act of 2025

This bill provides for increased oversight of drug compounding and imposes statutory limits on compounded drugs that are essentially copies of commercially available drugs.

Currently, subject to certain requirements, compounded drugs (i.e., drugs that are mixed or altered to meet patient needs) do not require Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. Additional limits apply to the compounding of drugs that are essentially copies of commercially available drug products.

Under the bill, a compounded drug is essentially a copy of a commercially available drug product if (1) the compounded drug contains any active ingredient found in a commercially available drug product, and (2) there is no change made for an individual patient that results in a significant difference between the compounded drug and the commercially available drug. (The FDA’s current definition of the term also addresses dosage strength and route of administration.)

The bill increases the frequency at which a licensed pharmacist or physician may compound a drug that is essentially a copy of a commercially available drug to 20 times per month. Current FDA policy allows four such prescriptions per month.

The bill also imposes annual reporting requirements on physicians, facilities, and pharmacies (except hospital-based pharmacies) that compound certain drug products for out-of-state patients more than 20 times per month. Further, the bill subjects certain large-scale outsourcing facilities (i.e., FDA-registered facilities that compound in bulk) to regular inspection and reporting requirements.

Promoting Physical Activity for Americans Act

This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to continue issuing at least every 10 years physical-activity guidelines based on the most current scientific and medical knowledge.

HHS must also publish updated reports that detail evidence-based practices and highlight continuing physical-activity issues between iterations of the guidelines.

EQIP Improvement Act of 2025

This bill modifies payment limitations and reduces the federal cost share and required payments for certain projects authorized under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). As background, this Department of Agriculture program provides technical and financial assistance to agricultural producers and forest landowners to address natural resource concerns.

Specifically, the bill limits the total payments available to a person or legal entity under EQIP to $150,000 over a specified five-year period. (A $450,000 statutory limit was in effect for FY2019-FY2024, and a regulatory contract limit of $450,000 currently applies.)

The bill also reduces the maximum federal cost share to 40% (from 75%) for the costs associated with planning, installation, or maintenance for specified conservation practices (e.g., access roads, dams, and waste storage facilities) and removes a requirement that 50% of EQIP funding for payments go to practices related to livestock production.

Governing Unaccredited Representatives Defrauding VA Benefits Act or the GUARD VA Benefits Act

This bill imposes fines on individuals for soliciting, contracting for, charging, or receiving any unauthorized fee or compensation with respect to the preparation, presentation, or prosecution of any claim for Department of Veterans Affairs benefits. The attempted commission of such offenses is also punishable by fine.

Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act

This bill requires the Department of Labor to address workplace violence in health care, social service, and similar sectors.

Specifically, Labor must issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires certain employers to take actions to protect workers and other personnel from workplace violence. The standard applies to employers in the health care sector, in the social service sector, and in sectors that conduct activities similar to those in the health care and social service sectors. Among other elements, the standard must require each employer to (1) develop a workplace violence prevention plan, (2) promptly investigate incidents of workplace violence, and (3) provide relevant training and education to employees.

The bill requires certain hospitals and skilled nursing facilities to comply with this standard as a condition of Medicare participation.