Lisa Murkowski

Mining Regulatory Clarity Act

This bill allows mining operators to use federal lands for activities ancillary to mining, such as waste disposal, regardless of whether those lands contain mineral deposits valuable enough to be mined (mineral validity). It also establishes the Abandoned Hardrock Mine Fund.

The bill addresses a 2022 decision in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit related to the Rosemont Copper Mine in Arizona (commonly known as the Rosemont decision, described further in CRS Report R48166). The court held that mining claims are only allowed where mineral validity has been established and that mill site claims are more appropriate means for establishing a mining waste disposal site under the Mining Act.

The bill allows a mining operator to (1) locate and include within its plan of operations as many mill site claims (e.g., areas for waste rock disposal) as are reasonably necessary for its operations, and (2) use or occupy public land in accordance with an approved plan of operations.

Additionally, the bill requires any revenue generated from fees for such mill site claims to be deposited into the Abandoned Hardrock Mine Fund. The Department of the Interior must use the fund for certain abandoned hardrock mine reclamation activities.

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.

Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act of 2025

This bill prohibits the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from transmitting certain information to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) utilized by licensed importers or dealers of firearms.

Specifically, the bill prohibits the VA from transmitting personally identifying information of a veteran or a beneficiary to the NICS solely on the basis that such veteran or beneficiary has an appointed fiduciary to manage their benefits, unless there is an order or finding of a judicial authority that such veteran or beneficiary is a danger to themselves or others.

Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act of 2025

This bill exempts from immigrant visa limitations the children of certain individuals who were naturalized due to their military service during World War II. Specifically, this applies to the children of veterans who served honorably during World War II in the U.S. Armed Forces or in Filipino military units such as the Philippine Army, Philippine Scouts, or recognized guerilla units.

Supporting Made in America Energy Act

This bill requires oil and natural gas lease sales that include certain public land and waters, prohibits lease sales in other areas, and establishes related requirements.

Beginning in FY2025, the Department of the Interior must conduct a minimum of four onshore lease sales annually in each state that has federal land available for oil and natural gas leasing. If a lease sale is canceled, delayed, or deferred, Interior must conduct a replacement sale during the same year.

Beginning in FY2026, Interior must conduct a minimum of two offshore, region-wide lease sales annually in the Gulf of Mexico Region of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) by specified dates. The sales must include the Central Gulf of Mexico Planning Area and the Western Gulf of Mexico Planning Area.

Interior must also conduct a minimum of six offshore lease sales of at least 1 million acres each over a 10-year period in the Cook Inlet Planning Area. The bill sets a 12.5% royalty rate for such leases.

Interior must plan and approve the subsequent OCS oil and gas leasing programs by specified deadlines.

The bill extends through 2035 a moratorium on oil and gas leasing in certain eastern and central portions of the Gulf of Mexico and expands the moratorium to include the South Atlantic Planning Area and the Straits of Florida Planning Area.

The bill also requires the President to obtain congressional approval before impeding or circumventing certain federal energy mineral leasing processes.

Streamlining Thermal Energy through Advanced Mechanisms Act or the STEAM Act

This bill expedites the environmental review of certain geothermal energy activities under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). Specifically, the bill expands the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to include certain geothermal exploration or development activities in an existing categorical exclusion from NEPA for certain oil or gas activities.

A categorical exclusion applies to a class of actions that do not require an environmental assessment nor an environmental impact statement under NEPA.

The categorical exclusion established by the bill applies to drilling a geothermal well (1) in an area where drilling has occurred previously within the five years prior to the date when drilling begins; or (2) within a developed field for which an approved land use plan or environmental document prepared under NEPA determined drilling to be a reasonably foreseeable activity, so long as the plan or document was approved within the five years prior to the date when drilling begins.

This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide quarterly budget briefings to Congress, prohibits the VA from providing specified pay incentives to senior-level employees, and establishes an office to carry out customer service initiatives of the VA.

Protecting Regular Order for Veterans Act of 2025 or the PRO Veterans Act of 2025

(Sec. 1) This section requires the VA to provide quarterly budget briefings to Congress, which must include information on any budget shortfalls the VA may be experiencing. The VA must present its plans to address or mitigate shortfalls during such briefings.

Next, the section prohibits the VA from providing certain senior-level employees with a critical skill incentive, which is generally a payment bonus for employees possessing a high-demand skill or skill that is at a shortage. Specifically, the VA may not provide such an incentive to an employee in a Senior Executive Service position or other comparable position in the VA Central Office, regardless of the actual location where the employee performs the functions of the position. Senior-level employees whose positions are primarily in the VA Central Office but perform some portion of their job function based out of non-Central Office VA facilities are eligible for an incentive for their non-Central Office work.

The section also provides that an incentive may only be provided to senior-level employees on an individual basis and upon approval by specified officers (e.g., the Under Secretary for Health).

The VA must report to Congress annually regarding senior-level employees who were provided a critical skill incentive.

Improving Veterans’ Experience Act of 2025

(Sec. 2) This section establishes the Veterans Experience Office through FY2028 to carry out the key customer experience initiatives of the VA relating to veteran and beneficiary satisfaction with and usage of VA benefits and services.

The Government Accountability Office must complete an analysis of and report on the methodology, effectiveness, and implementation of findings and feedback of veterans and beneficiaries used by the VA, including the Veterans Experience Office, to improve customer experience and satisfaction.

Love Lives On Act of 2025

This bill extends entitlement for various benefit programs and services for surviving spouses of deceased members of the Armed Forces or veterans.

The bill provides that the remarriage of a surviving spouse must not bar the furnishing of dependency and indemnity compensation or special pension benefits to such spouse.

Additionally, the Department of Defense may not terminate the payment of an annuity for a surviving spouse under the Survivor Benefit Plan solely because the surviving spouse remarries.

The bill also expands the definition of a dependent under TRICARE to include a remarried widow or widower whose subsequent marriage has ended due to death, divorce, or annulment.

AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2025

This bill requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to issue a rule requiring AM radio capabilities to be standard in all new passenger vehicles. (AM radio is often used to deliver emergency alerts and news and entertainment programming; some newer vehicles do not include AM equipment.)

Specifically, this bill applies to passenger vehicles (1) manufactured in the United States for sale in the United States, imported into the United States, or shipped in interstate commerce; and (2) manufactured after the rule's effective date. The rule must require all such vehicles to have devices that can receive signals and play content transmitted by AM stations or digital audio AM stations installed as standard equipment and made easily accessible to drivers.

Prior to the rule's effective date, manufacturers that do not include devices that can access AM radio as standard equipment (1) must inform purchasers of this fact through clear and conspicuous labeling, and (2) may not charge an additional or separate fee for AM radio access.

DOT may assess civil penalties for any violation of the rule. The Department of Justice may also bring a civil action to enjoin a violation.

DOT’s authority to issue the rule expires 10 years after the bill’s enactment.

Further, the Government Accountability Office must study and report on the dissemination of emergency alerts to the public, including by conducting an assessment of AM broadcast stations relative to other Integrated Public Alert and Warning System communication technologies.

Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025

This act extends and modifies the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program, under which states and counties containing certain federal land may receive payments from the Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for schools, roads, and certain other municipal services.

The act modifies the SRS program, including by

• extending payments made to states and counties containing federal land through FY2026,

• providing lapsed payments for FY2024 and FY2025,

• extending the authority of counties to initiate projects using such funds through FY2028, and

• extending the authority to initiate projects proposed by resource advisory committees through FY2028.

Improving Atmospheric River Forecasts Act

This bill requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to establish an atmospheric river forecast improvement program.

In carrying out the program, NOAA must seek to reduce loss of life and property and other economic losses caused by atmospheric river events through research and development on accurate, effective, and actionable forecasting and warnings. The program must generally involve the establishment of quantitative atmospheric river forecast skill metrics, the development of an atmospheric river forecast system within a unified forecast system, and the development of tools and products to predict periods of active or inactive atmospheric river landfalls and inland penetration, among other activities.

The program must periodically test and evaluate the value of incorporating innovative observations (e.g., observations from radar, aircraft, ocean buoys, and other sources) to facilitate the improvement of modeling and forecasting. The program must also consider the development of best practices for communicating the existence and severity of atmospheric river events, as well as other information about atmospheric rivers. The program may seek to improve precipitation modeling, with an emphasis on forecasting for complex terrain.

The bill also requires NOAA to acquire and sustain adequate crewed and uncrewed aircraft (i.e., drones), equipment, and personnel necessary to meet air reconnaissance mission requirements annually during the expected atmospheric river season (November through March).

National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Reauthorization Act of 2025

This bill reauthorizes through FY2028 the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) and expands the activities federal agencies must conduct under the program, including activities relating to secondary effects of earthquakes and post-earthquake infrastructure performance.

NEHRP is a coordinated earthquake hazards reduction program of four federal agencies: the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the National Science Foundation. Under NEHRP, these agencies are required to conduct various activities relating to earthquakes, including advancing warning systems, hazard reduction measures, and research to improve understanding of earthquakes and their effects.

The bill expands the scope of the activities under NEHRP, including requiring the agencies to

• improve understanding of and develop resilience measures for secondary effects and multiple hazards associated with earthquakes, such as tsunamis and fires;

• improve post-earthquake functional recovery, which means maintaining or restoring the pre-earthquake functionality of buildings and lifeline infrastructure systems (e.g., infrastructure for water, electricity, and transportation); and

• assist public entities with developing an inventory, and conducting seismic performance evaluation, of infrastructure with high seismic risk.

Additionally, the bill specifically includes tribal governments in the activities conducted under NEHRP.

Fire Ready Nation Act of 2025

This bill provides statutory authority for existing wildfire response services of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and establishes new programs and collaborative efforts to improve fire forecasting and readiness.

Specifically, in addition to other efforts, the bill directs NOAA to

• establish a coordinated fire weather services program to support readiness for and responsiveness to wildfires, fire weather, smoke, post-fire flooding and debris, and related hazards;

• develop a digital presence to promote access to and use of the services, tools, data, and information produced by the fire weather services program;

• establish a fire weather test bed to facilitate the evaluation and implementation of new capabilities, including through research and development on the use of uncrewed aircraft systems (commonly known as drones) to improve data collection;

• conduct an annual assessment after the close of fire weather season to investigate data gaps and update systems as needed;

• evaluate and update, as appropriate, the Automated Surface Observing System (the primary surface weather network in the United States) and the system used to rate the risk of wildfire; and

• establish an Incident Meteorologist Service within the National Weather Service to provide on-site support before, during, and after significant weather-related events.

The bill also exempts federal wildland firefighters, fire management response officials, and accompanying incident meteorologists and management teams from certain premium pay limitations.

Finally, the bill directs the Government Accountability Office to evaluate and report on the implementation of the fire weather services program, among other topics.

Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Reauthorization Act

This bill reauthorizes through FY2029 and revises Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grants for programs and training to improve mental health among health care professionals and a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) initiative to educate health care professionals about their mental health and related services.

Specifically, the bill reauthorizes HRSA grants to health care service providers and medical professional associations to implement programs supporting these professionals’ mental health, such as through peer-support programs or providing mental health care. It also authorizes HRSA to prioritize applicants that focus on reducing administrative burden on health care workers.

Also, the bill reauthorizes HRSA grants to government and certain educational entities for training health care students and professionals on how to address mental health and related issues. It also specifies that grants or contracts awarded under the program must be for not less than three years.

Additionally, the bill reauthorizes a CDC education and awareness initiative to help health care professionals understand and seek support for their mental health. It also requires the CDC to submit annual reports to specified congressional committees on the initiative’s activities and outcomes.

This resolution expresses support for observing National Trafficking and Modern Slavery Prevention Month during the period of January 1-February 1, 2025.

Archie Cavanaugh Migratory Bird Treaty Amendment Act

This bill states that nothing in the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 (MBTA) prohibits possessing, selling, bartering, purchasing, shipping, or transporting any authentic Alaska Native handicraft, clothing, or art on the basis that it contains a nonedible migratory bird part, so long as the bird was not taken in a wasteful or illegal manner. (The MBTA implements four international treaties that the United States entered into with Canada, Mexico, Japan, and Russia. The MBTA prohibits the taking of protected migratory bird species without prior authorization.)

The bill directs the Department of State to work with the Department of the Interior to enter into appropriate bilateral procedures with countries that are parties to the treaties under the MBTA to clarify the treatment of Alaska Native handicraft containing nonedible migratory bird parts from the species of migratory birds listed in those treaties. Further, Interior must modify any regulations implementing the MBTA to implement this bill.

Alaska’s Right to Ivory Sales and Tradition Act or the ARTIST Act

This act prohibits states from imposing bans on marine mammal products produced by Alaska Natives.

Specifically, states may not prohibit the interstate commerce, importation, sale, transfer, trade, barter, or possession of marine mammal ivory, marine mammal bone, or baleen legally produced by an Alaska Native as an authentic Alaska Native article of handicrafts and clothing.

Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act of 2025

This bill extends through FY2030 and modifies the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act to address algal blooms and hypoxia (deficiency of oxygen) in U.S. marine, estuarine, and freshwater systems. Harmful algal blooms are high concentrations of algae that may create nuisance or toxic conditions that are harmful to humans, animals, aquatic ecosystems, and the economy.

The bill directs the Inter-Agency Task Force on Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia to submit to Congress an action strategy for harmful algal blooms at least once every five years. The bill also expands the task force's membership to include the Department of Energy.

The bill also expands the duties of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under the National Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia program. NOAA must also carry out a variety of activities related to monitoring, predicting, preventing, mitigating, and responding to marine, coastal, and Great Lakes harmful algal bloom and hypoxia events. For example, NOAA must establish (1) a national network of observing systems for monitoring, detecting, and forecasting harmful algal blooms; and (2) a national-level incubator program to increase the number of strategies, technologies, and measures available to prevent, mitigate, and control harmful algal blooms.

Additionally, the Environmental Protection Agency must develop and enhance operational freshwater harmful algal bloom monitoring, observing, and forecasting programs in lakes, rivers, and reservoirs and carry out other activities related to researching freshwater harmful algal blooms and hypoxia events.

North Pacific Research Board Enhancement Act

This bill makes certain changes to the North Pacific Research Board, including changes to the board’s composition and allocations for funding for administrative expenses. The board sets research priorities and administers grants to support research on fisheries and marine ecosystems in the waters surrounding Alaska.

Specifically, this bill adds to the board one additional member to represent Alaska Natives. This board member must have personal knowledge of and direct experience with subsistence uses of resources (the practice of relying on the surrounding environment as a source of food and material). The bill also imposes a three-year term limit on those board members representing fishing interests and Alaska Natives, and permits such members to serve one additional term upon reappointment.

With respect to funding, under current law the board may use up to 15% of grant program funding for administrative expenses (e.g., support for the board and grant administration). Under the bill, if the program's total funding in a given fiscal year is less than its total funding in the prior fiscal year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration may increase the 15% cap on administrative expenses for that fiscal year. Any such increase must prioritize supporting the board’s continued operation, maximizing funds directed to research, and maintaining high-quality grant administration. Further, the bill waives the 15% cap altogether for five years following the bill’s enactment.

This resolution (1) mourns the passing of former President Jimmy Carter and extends sympathy to his family; and (2) honors his life, legacy, and contributions to the United States.

Laken Riley Act

This act requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain certain non-U.S. nationals (aliens under federal law) who have been arrested for burglary, theft, larceny, shoplifting, assault of a law enforcement officer, or any crime that results in death or serious bodily injury to another person. The act also authorizes states to sue the federal government for decisions or alleged failures related to immigration enforcement.

Under this act, DHS must detain an individual who (1) is unlawfully present in the United States or did not possess the necessary documents when applying for admission; and (2) has been charged with, arrested for, convicted of, or admits to having committed acts that constitute the essential elements of the above crimes.

The act also authorizes state governments to sue for injunctive relief over certain immigration-related decisions or alleged failures by the federal government if the decision or failure caused the state or its residents harm, including financial harm of more than $100. Specifically, the state government may sue the federal government over a

• decision to release a non-U.S. national from custody;

• failure to fulfill requirements relating to inspecting individuals seeking admission into the United States, including requirements related to asylum interviews;

• failure to fulfill a requirement to stop issuing visas to nationals of a country that unreasonably denies or delays acceptance of nationals of that country;

• violation of limitations on immigration parole, such as the requirement that parole be granted only on a case-by-case basis; or

• failure to detain an individual who has been ordered removed from the United States.