Lisa Blunt Rochester

This resolution designates the week beginning on October 12, 2025, as National Wildlife Refuge Week.

The resolution acknowledges the importance of national wildlife refuges for their recreational opportunities and contribution to local economies.

Finally, the resolution reaffirms the support of the Senate for wildlife conservation and the National Wildlife Refuge System.

This resolution supports the designation of October 5-11, 2025, as National 4–H Week and recognizes the important role of 4–H as the youth development program of the Cooperative Extension System and the Department of Agriculture.

Fair Pay for Federal Contractors Act of 2025

This bill provides back pay to employees of federal contractors who lost pay due to a lapse in appropriations (i.e., government shutdown) in FY2026.

Specifically, the bill provides appropriations for federal agencies that are subject to a lapse in appropriations in FY2026 to adjust the price of contracts to compensate federal contractors for providing back pay to employees who were affected by the lapse in appropriations.

The agencies must adjust the price of any contract for which the contractor stopped, suspended, delayed, or interrupted all or part of the work under the contract due to the lapse in appropriations. The price adjustment must compensate the contractor for reasonable costs incurred to (1) compensate employees who were furloughed or laid off, were not working, or experienced a reduction of hours or compensation due to the lapse in appropriations; or (2) restore paid leave taken by employees during the lapse in appropriations if the contractor required or permitted employees to use paid leave as a result of the lapse in appropriations.

The maximum amount of weekly compensation of an employee for which an adjustment may be made under this bill may not exceed the lesser of (1) the employee's actual weekly compensation, or (2) $1,442 (or a lesser amount pro-rated for an employee who works less than 40 hours per week).

The bill also requires the Office of Federal Procurement Policy to submit a report to Congress on the adjustments made under this bill.

This joint resolution nullifies the rule titled Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; Marketplace Integrity and Affordability, which was issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on June 25, 2025.

The rule makes several changes to enrollment requirements for health insurance exchanges, including (1) requiring annual open enrollment periods for all exchanges to begin by November 1 and end by December 31, (2) requiring all exchanges to conduct pre-enrollment verification of eligibility for at least 75% of new enrollments through special enrollment periods, and (3) prohibiting Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients from enrolling in plans through exchanges or in state Basic Health Programs (state programs for certain low-income residents).

The rule also prohibits individual and small group health insurers from covering certain sex-trait modification procedures as an essential health benefit.

Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2025

This act requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to increase the amounts payable for wartime disability compensation, additional compensation for dependents, the clothing allowance for certain disabled veterans, and dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children. Specifically, the VA must increase the amounts by the same percentage as the cost-of-living increase in benefits for Social Security recipients that is effective on December 1, 2025. The act requires the VA to publish the amounts payable, as increased, in the Federal Register.

The VA is authorized to make a similar adjustment to the rates of disability compensation payable to persons who have not received compensation for service-connected disability or death.

This resolution expresses support for the designation of National Estuaries Week.

Protect America's Workforce Act

This bill nullifies two executive orders: Exclusions from Federal Labor-Management Relations Programs (issued on March 27, 2025) and Further Exclusions From the Federal Labor- Management Relations Program (issued on August 28, 2025). The executive orders exclude specified executive branch agencies and subdivisions from the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute and the Foreign Service Labor-Management Relations Statute. The statutes authorize federal employees' participation in collective bargaining and enforce collective bargaining rights.

The bill also specifies that a collective bargaining agreement that is in place as of March 26, 2025, and is between an executive branch agency and any labor organization that is an exclusive representative of federal employees, shall have full force and effect through the stated term of the agreement.

This resolution

• designates September 2025 as National Voting Rights Month,

• encourages people to uphold the right to vote,

• encourages Congress to pass certain voting rights legislation,

• recommends the development of a curriculum in public schools and universities regarding voting,

• expresses appreciation for the U.S. Postal Service having issued a special Representative John R. Lewis stamp, and

• invites Congress to allocate funds for public service announcements regarding elections.

Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal Act

This bill prohibits a predispute arbitration agreement from being valid or enforceable if it requires arbitration of an employment, consumer, antitrust, or civil rights dispute.

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.

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.