James Risch

Credit Union Board Modernization Act

This bill revises the required frequency of meetings held by a credit union's board of directors. Specifically, new credit unions and credit unions with a low soundness rating must meet monthly. All other credit unions must hold at least six meetings annually, with at least one meeting held during each fiscal quarter. Currently, all credit union boards must meet at least once a month.

Major Richard Star Act

This bill allows a veteran with a combat-related disability to receive retirement pay, without reduction, concurrently with their disability compensation. This includes veterans with a combat-related disability and fewer than 20 years of creditable service. (Currently, veterans who receive combat-related special compensation and retirement pay are subject to an offset in retirement pay for concurrent receipt of such benefits.)

Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act of 2025

This bill modifies the waiver process under the Clean Air Act related to state emission control standards for new motor vehicles (or new motor vehicle engines).

Under current law, states are preempted from adopting or enforcing emission control standards for new motor vehicles (or new motor vehicle engines) unless the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides a waiver authorizing a state to adopt such standards if certain requirements are met.

The bill provides that state standards that directly or indirectly limit the sale or use of new motor vehicles with internal combustion engines are not eligible for waivers. The bill also prohibits the EPA from determining that any state standards amended after the bill's enactment are within the scope of an existing waiver.

Additionally, the bill requires the EPA to revoke waivers granted between January 1, 2022, and the date of enactment of this bill if the standards directly or indirectly limit the sale or use of new motor vehicles with internal combustion engines.

Protecting Life and Integrity in Research Act of 2025

This bill prohibits federal agencies from supporting research involving, and prohibits any entity from soliciting or knowingly acquiring, human fetal tissue obtained pursuant to an induced abortion.

Specifically, the bill prohibits any federal agency from conducting, funding, approving, or otherwise supporting research involving such tissue. Federal agencies may conduct or support research involving human fetal tissue obtained after a miscarriage or stillbirth.

Additionally, the bill prohibits any entity from soliciting or knowingly acquiring, receiving, or accepting a donation of human fetal tissue where the entity knows it was obtained pursuant to an induced abortion. Entities violating this prohibition are subject to criminal penalties. The bill provides an exception for transfers for purposes of autopsy or burial.

Security and Oversight for International Landholdings Act of 2025 or the SOIL Act of 2025

This bill establishes and expands requirements for reviewing and disclosing transactions regarding foreign investments in agricultural land.

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) must review certain investments in agricultural land held by a person (i.e., individual or entity) that is a national of, or subject to the jurisdiction of, a country (1) designated as a nonmarket economy, or (2) identified as posing a risk to the national security of the United States. Under current law, CFIUS reviews the national security implications of certain foreign investments in U.S. businesses or real estate, including critical infrastructure or technologies.

CFIUS must also review certain real estate acquisitions or transfers of an interest, other than a security, for nonresidential properties that are located within 50 miles of a military installation.

The bill also prohibits federal assistance, including subsidies, from being provided to a person for an agricultural real estate holding which is owned by any of the foreign persons specified above.

The bill requires any foreign person who enters into a leasing agreement for agricultural land that is longer than five years to report the lease to the Department of Agriculture (USDA). Current requirements only apply to agriculture land acquired or transferred.

Further, USDA must prepare and make publicly available an annual report describing agricultural land holdings by foreign persons, including specific information related to foreign persons from China and Russia.

Traveler's Gun Rights Act

This bill broadens the scope of allowable firearms transactions involving active duty servicemembers and their spouses and individuals who do not have a residence in any state.

Currently, federal firearms laws generally prohibit a federal firearms licensee (e.g., a gun dealer) from selling or delivering a firearm to an individual whose state of residence is different than the state where the licensee's place of business is located.

This bill defines the term state of residence as the state in which an individual is present with an intention of making a home.

In the case of an individual who does not have a physical residence in any state, the term state of residence means the address of the individual's private mailbox or post office box.

In the case of a member of the Armed Forces on active duty, or his or her spouse, the term state of residence means (1) the state in which the member's permanent duty station is located, and (2) the state where the member maintains a place of abode from which he or she commutes to the permanent duty station.

Space National Guard Establishment Act of 2025

This bill establishes a Space National Guard as the reserve component of the U.S. Space Force, specifically in Alaska, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, New York, and Ohio. The Space National Guard consists of specified units of the Air National Guard and must use existing facilities, infrastructure, and installations.

Protect Our Military Families' 2nd Amendment Rights Act

This bill broadens the scope of allowable firearms transactions involving active-duty service members and their spouses.

Specifically, the bill allows a licensed gun dealer, importer, or manufacturer to sell or ship a firearm or ammunition to the spouse of a member of the Armed Forces on active duty outside the United States. Current law already allows a licensed dealer, importer, or manufacturer to sell or ship a firearm or ammunition to a member of the Armed Forces on active duty outside the United States.

The bill also specifies that, for purposes of federal firearms laws, a member of the Armed Forces on active duty, or his or her spouse, is a resident of the state in which (1) the member or spouse maintains legal residence, (2) the permanent duty station of the member is located, and (3) the member maintains a home from which he or she commutes to the permanent duty station.

Securing American Agriculture Act

This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to assess, on an annual basis, U.S. dependency on critical agricultural products or inputs that could be exploited in the event that China weaponizes such a dependency. USDA must submit a report to Congress on the assessment, which must include recommendations to reduce U.S. dependency on China to supply critical agricultural products or inputs.

Under the bill, critical inputs include all farm management, agronomic, and field-applied production inputs (e.g., agricultural equipment, fertilizers, veterinary drugs, and seed).

The bill specifies that, in conducting the assessment, USDA may not require a private entity to provide information to USDA. Further, the bill requires USDA to comply with certain confidentiality requirements and restricts disclosures of the information.

Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act

This bill provides for the award of Congressional Gold Medals to the members of the 1980 U.S. Olympic men's ice hockey team in recognition of the team's achievement at the 1980 Winter Olympic Games.

Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025

This act reauthorizes the Department of Defense to sell its excess aircraft and aircraft parts that are acceptable for commercial sale for wildfire suppression purposes. Such authority begins June 12, 2025, and ends October 1, 2035.

The act also provides that such aircraft may be used to deliver water by air in order to suppress wildfire (the previous authority only provided for the delivery of fire retardant).

The act removes the previous limitation on providing international wildfire suppression assistance with such purchased aircraft.

Hershel "Woody" Williams National Medal of Honor Monument Location Act

This bill requires the authorized monument honoring Medal of Honor recipients to be located within the Reserve (the great cross-axis of the National Mall, which generally extends from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial and from the White House to the Jefferson Memorial).

This concurrent resolution declares that Congress should not impose any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge relating to the public performance of sound recordings on a local radio station for broadcasting sound recordings over the air, or on any business for the public performance of sound recordings broadcast on a local radio station.