Joaquin Castro

Protect Our Letter Carriers Act of 2025

This bill requires or authorizes certain actions related to the U.S. Postal Service (USPS).

The bill requires the Department of Justice to appoint an assistant U.S. attorney in each judicial district to coordinate and supervise the investigation and prosecution of various crimes related to postal services (for example, assault on a postal service employee, breaking into a post office, or obstruction of mails).

The bill also requires the U.S. Sentencing Commission to amend sentencing guidelines to provide that the assault or robbery of a postal employee shall be treated the same as the assault of a law enforcement officer.

Additionally, the bill authorizes appropriations for the USPS to install high security collection boxes and replace older versions of the universal mailbox key with electronic versions.

This resolution supports federal investment in public K-12 schools, affirms that the Department of Education (ED) plays a vital role in the public education system, and states that public education funding should not be diverted (e.g., through the use of vouchers) to privately run K-12 schools.

The resolution also rejects any claim that the executive branch has the legal authority to (1) dismantle or relocate ED or any of its major offices; or (2) reduce federal funding for public education, block federal grants for education, or transfer funding burdens for education to state and local governments.

This joint resolution prohibits a proposed foreign military sale of certain defense articles and services to Israel.

This joint resolution provides that the Equal Rights Amendment, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, was ratified by three-fourths of the states and is therefore a valid constitutional amendment, regardless of any time limit that was in the original proposal.

The Equal Rights Amendment was originally proposed to the states in 1972. The original proposal included a deadline for ratification of March 22, 1979; Congress subsequently extended the deadline to June 30, 1982. Although the requisite 38 states have ratified the amendment, three of these states did so after the deadlines, and five states subsequently rescinded their ratifications. The status of the amendment has been the subject of litigation.

Keep the Watchdogs Running Act

This bill authorizes a federal office of inspector general (OIG) to continue performing its duties during a lapse in appropriations (i.e., government shutdown).

During a lapse in appropriations, the OIG may obligate funds (1) at the rate of operations and under the authority and conditions provided in the most recently enacted appropriations act, and (2) to perform its duties with respect to any program that continues during the lapse in appropriations.

Expanding Head Start Eligibility Act of 2025

This bill expands eligibility for Head Start programs to include the children of families eligible for specified public assistance programs.

Specifically, the bill expands Head Start eligibility to include the children of families that qualify for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), and federal housing assistance (commonly known as Section 8). The bill also provides statutory authority for the eligibility of families that qualify for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Families that qualify for state-funded food assistance programs with eligibility standards identical or substantially similar to the standards for SNAP must also be eligible for Head Start.

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.)

Medicare Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act of 2025

This bill provides for Medicare coverage of dental, vision, and hearing care. Coverage includes (1) routine dental cleanings and exams, basic and major dental services, emergency dental care, and dentures; (2) routine eye exams, eyeglasses, and contact lenses; and (3) routine hearing exams, hearing aids, and exams for hearing aids. With respect to such care, the bill establishes special payment rules, limitations, and coinsurance requirements.