Marsha Blackburn

Protecting Air Ambulance Services for Americans Act of 2025

This bill authorizes payment changes under Medicare for air ambulance services based on certain collected data and requires additional reporting from providers of these services.

Current law requires providers of air ambulance services to report certain information regarding general costs and utilization to the Department of Health and Human Services; private health insurers are also required to report information relating to coverage of these services. The bill authorizes the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to revise payment rates under Medicare for air ambulance services based on this data, and it requires providers of air ambulance services to specifically report information relating to costs and utilization under Medicare.

The bill also requires the Government Accountability Office to report on the data that is collected under current law requirements and to recommend changes to Medicare payment rates accordingly.

Rotorcraft Operations Transparency and Oversight Reform Act or the ROTOR Act

This bill addresses aviation safety by increasing requirements for aircraft tracking and communication using Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) technology and expanding oversight.

As background, ADS-B for broadcasting (Out) and receiving (In) transmits information (e.g., location and weather information) between aircraft and air traffic control.

Under the bill, aircraft must generally operate with ADS-B In equipment to provide the aircraft with location information of other aircraft and traffic advisories. Current law does not require this equipment.

Current Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations allow aircraft performing a sensitive government mission to be excepted from requirements for using ADS-B Out equipment. This bill limits which flights may be considered sensitive government missions (e.g., not training flights) and requires additional reporting and notifications for the exception.

The Government Accountability Office must review the use of the ADS-B Out exception and the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the Department of Transportation must annually audit FAA oversight of operations that use the exception.

Further, the bill repeals a 2025 law that exempts certain military helicopters from the ADS-B Out requirements for the Washington, DC, metropolitan area.

The bill also requires

• the OIG of the Army to audit the Army’s coordination with the FAA,

• the FAA to establish an office to coordinate airspace usage of military aircraft and review the safety of flight operations and routes around airports, and

• the FAA to enter into memoranda of understanding with military agencies for safety information sharing.

Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption Act or the PRIME Act

This bill exempts from federal inspection requirements animals and meats that are slaughtered and prepared at custom animal slaughter facilities for distribution within the state. Under current law, a custom slaughter exemption applies if the meat is slaughtered exclusively for personal, household, guest, or employee uses.

Specifically, the bill expands the federal inspection exemption to include the slaughter of animals or the preparation of carcasses, meat, and meat food products that are

• slaughtered and prepared at a custom slaughter facility in accordance with the laws of the state where the facility is located; and

• prepared exclusively for distribution to household consumers in the state or restaurants, hotels, boarding houses, grocery stores, or other establishments in the state that either prepare meals served directly to consumers or offer meat and food products for sale directly to consumers in the state.

The bill does not preempt any state law concerning (1) the slaughter of animals or the preparation of carcasses, meat, and meat food products at a custom slaughter facility; or (2) the sale of meat or meat food products.

This resolution designates June 23, 2025, as Social Media Harms Victim Remembrance Day and encourages government, industry, and community stakeholders to take action to prevent social media-related harm.

Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2025

This bill directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to complete an audit of the Federal Reserve Board and Federal Reserve banks not later than 12 months after enactment. In addition, the bill allows the GAO to audit the Federal Reserve Board and Federal Reserve banks with respect to (1) international financial transactions; (2) deliberations, decisions, or actions on monetary policy matters; (3) transactions made under the direction of the Federal Open Market Committee; and (4) discussions or communications among Federal Reserve officers, board members, and employees regarding any of these matters.

Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act

This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to take a series of actions relating to palliative-care training.

Specifically, HHS must provide support for Palliative Care and Hospice Education Programs. The programs must support the training of health professionals in palliative and hospice care, including through traineeships or fellowships.

In addition, HHS may provide support to medical schools, teaching hospitals, and graduate medical-education programs for training physicians who plan to teach or practice palliative medicine.

HHS must also (1) provide Palliative Care and Hospice Academic Career Awards to health professional schools to promote the career development of academic hospice and palliative care specialists, (2) support individuals in specified fields who are pursuing an advanced degree in palliative care or related fields, and (3) award grants to nursing programs to train individuals in providing palliative care.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality may disseminate information to inform patients, families, and health professionals about the benefits of palliative care.

The National Institutes of Health must expand national research programs in palliative care.

Combating Violent and Dangerous Crime Act

This bill expands the definition of crime of violence for the purposes of determining whether a defendant is subject to an enhanced criminal penalty for using or carrying a firearm in the crime of violence. The bill also expands applicable criminal penalties for bank robbery, carjacking, and kidnapping offenses, as well as certain drug offenses.

Under current law, an individual who uses or carries a firearm in a crime of violence is subject to an enhanced mandatory minimum prison term in addition and consecutive to any other prison term imposed for the underlying crime of violence. The term crime of violence includes a felony that has as an element the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force. This bill expands crime of violence to include a conspiracy or an attempt to commit a felony that has as an element the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force.

This bill expands applicable penalties for federal criminal offenses involving bank robbery, carjacking, or kidnapping, including by specifying the offenses that include as an element force or threat, or intimidation, and therefore qualify as a crime of violence under the existing definition.

Additionally, a conspiracy or attempt to commit a federal bank robbery, carjacking or kidnapping offense qualifies as a crime of violence under the expanded definition.

Finally, the bill establishes additional criminal penalties for certain federal drug offenses involving the manufacture or distribution of candy-flavored controlled substances or similar products for minors.