Michael Rulli

Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions Act or the DETERRENT Act

This bill expands oversight and disclosure requirements related to foreign sources and institutions of higher education (IHEs).

Specifically, the bill requires an IHE to annually disclose to the Department of Education (ED) any year in which the IHE

• receives a gift from a foreign country of concern (e.g., China or Russia) or foreign entity of concern of any dollar amount;

• receives a gift or contract from a foreign source (other than a foreign country of concern or foreign entity of concern) that is valued at $50,000 or more, considered alone or in combination with all other gifts or contracts within a calendar year (current disclosure threshold is $250,000 or more), or which has an undetermined monetary value;

• enters into a contract with a foreign country of concern or foreign entity of concern after receiving a waiver for such contract; or

• is substantially controlled by a foreign source.

Additionally, the bill

• prohibits IHEs from entering into contracts with a foreign country of concern or with a foreign entity of concern without obtaining a waiver,

• requires certain IHEs to disclose gifts or contracts between covered individuals (e.g., researchers) and foreign sources, and

• requires private IHEs with specified assets or investments to file annual investment disclosure reports.

The bill requires ED to investigate possible violations of this bill and outlines the various penalties for each violation. Penalties may include losing eligibility for federal student financial aid.

Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act

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.

Protecting Women’s Private Spaces Act

This bill prohibits a person from accessing or using single-sex restrooms, locker rooms, or changing rooms on federal property other than those corresponding to such person's biological sex.

This prohibition does not apply to (1) emergency medical personnel responding to a medical emergency, or (2) law enforcement officers in active pursuit of a suspect or as part of an active investigation.

Combating the Lies of Authoritarians in School Systems Act or the CLASS Act

This bill prohibits public elementary and secondary schools, as a condition of receiving federal elementary and secondary education funds, from accepting funds from or entering into a contract with the Chinese government, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), or any individual or entity acting on behalf of the Chinese government or the CCP. The bill also requires schools to disclose funding from or contracts with a foreign source to the Department of Education.

Reducing Accidents In Locomotives Act or the RAIL Act

This bill addresses safety requirements for rail carriers and trains transporting hazardous materials.

Specifically, the Department of Transportation (DOT) must issue safety regulations for trains carrying hazardous materials to require that rail carriers (1) provide state emergency response commissioners with advance notice and information about the hazardous materials; (2) reduce blocked rail crossings; and (3) comply with certain requirements regarding train length and weight specifications, track standards, speed restrictions, and response plans.

DOT must also establish requirements for wayside defect detectors. These are used by railway systems alongside the tracks to detect defects and failures (e.g., wheel bearing failures). Current federal regulations do not require their use, but federal guidance does address their placement and use. Under the bill, DOT must issue regulations establishing requirements for the installation, repair, testing, maintenance, and operation of wayside defect detectors for each rail carrier operating a train carrying hazardous materials.

Further, DOT must update rail car inspection regulations and audit related inspection programs. This includes prohibiting a railroad from limiting the time required for an employee to complete a railcar, locomotive, or brake safety inspection.

The bill also

• increases the maximum fines DOT may impose on rail carriers for violating safety regulations;

• establishes a statutory requirement for freight trains to have at least two crew members, with exceptions;

• phases out certain railroad tank cars by May 1, 2030;

• expands training for local first responders; and

• imposes a new fee on certain rail carriers.

No User Fees for Gun Owners Act

This bill prohibits a state or local government from imposing any insurance requirement, tax, user fee, or similar charge on the manufacture, import, acquisition, transfer, or continued ownership of a firearm or ammunition. The bill includes an exception for a generally applicable sales tax that is assessed against firearms or ammunition in the same proportion to which the tax applies to other goods or services.

Railway Safety Act of 2025

This bill addresses safety requirements for rail carriers and trains transporting hazardous materials.

Specifically, the Department of Transportation (DOT) must issue safety regulations for trains carrying hazardous materials to require that rail carriers or shippers (1) provide state emergency response commissioners with advance notice and information about the hazardous materials; (2) reduce blocked rail crossings; and (3) comply with certain requirements regarding train length and weight specifications, track standards, speed restrictions, and response plans.

DOT must also establish requirements for wayside defect detectors. These are used by railway systems alongside the tracks to detect defects and failures (e.g., wheel bearing failures). Current federal regulations do not require their use, but federal guidance does address their placement and use. Under the bill, DOT must issue regulations establishing requirements for the installation, repair, testing, maintenance, and operation of wayside defect detectors for each rail carrier operating a train carrying hazardous materials.

The bill also

• increases the maximum fines DOT may impose on rail carriers for violating safety regulations;

• requires DOT to update rail car inspection regulations and audit the federal inspection programs;

• establishes a statutory requirement for freight trains to have at least two crew members, with exceptions;

• phases out certain railroad tank cars by May 1, 2027;

• expands training for local first responders;

• imposes a new fee on certain rail carriers; and

• authorizes grants to improve railway safety.

Veterans Health Care Freedom Act

This bill requires the Center for Innovation for Care and Payment within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to implement a three-year pilot program to improve the ability of veterans who are enrolled in the VA health care system to access hospital care, medical services, and extended care services through the covered care system by providing such veterans with the ability to choose health care providers. Under the bill, the covered care system includes VA medical facilities, health care providers participating in the Veterans Community Care Program (VCCP), and eligible entities or providers that have entered into a Veterans Care Agreement.

A veteran participating in the program may elect to receive care at any provider in the covered care system.

The pilot program removes certain requirements (e.g., location of the veteran) to access care at VA and non-VA facilities. After four years, the bill permanently phases out the requirements for accessing care under the VCCP and Veterans Care Agreements and requires the VA to provide such care under the same conditions of the pilot program. Additionally, after four years, veterans may receive care at a VA medical facility regardless of whether the facility is in the same Veterans Integrated Service Network as the veteran.

Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025

This bill revises requirements for milk provided by the National School Lunch Program of the Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Currently, schools participating in the program must provide milk that is consistent with the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans; USDA regulations require milk to be fat-free or low-fat and allow milk to be flavored or unflavored. The bill modifies these restrictions and instead permits schools to offer students whole, reduced-fat, low-fat, and fat-free flavored and unflavored milk. The milk that is offered may be organic or nonorganic. Further, USDA may not prohibit a participating school from offering students any of these milk choices.

Further, schools currently must provide a substitute for fluid milk, on receipt of a written statement from a licensed physician, for students whose disability restricts their diet. Under the bill, a parent or legal guardian may also provide the written statement.

In addition, schools currently participating in the program must provide meals that meet certain nutrition requirements; USDA regulations require that the average saturated fat content of the meals offered must be less than 10% of the total calories. Under the bill, fluid milk is excluded from the saturated fat content calculation; milk fat included in any fluid milk provided by the program must not be considered saturated fat for the purposes of measuring compliance with USDA regulations.

Finally, the bill prohibits schools participating in the program from purchasing or offering milk produced by Chinese state-owned enterprises.

Natural Gas Tax Repeal Act

This bill eliminates a program administered by the Environmental Protection Agency that provides support for reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas sector. It also repeals a charge on methane emissions from facilities that contain petroleum and natural gas systems and emit 25,000 metric tons or more of greenhouse gases per year.

Protecting American Energy Production Act

This bill prohibits the President from declaring a moratorium on the use of hydraulic fracturing unless Congress authorizes the moratorium. The bill also expresses the sense of Congress that states should maintain primacy (authority) for the regulation of hydraulic fracturing for oil and natural gas production on state and private lands.

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a process to extract underground resources such as oil or gas from a geologic formation by injecting water, a propping agent (e.g., sand), and chemical additives into a well under enough pressure to fracture the formation.

This joint resolution eliminates an annual waste emissions charge on oil or gas facilities under the Methane Emissions Reduction Program. Under the program, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) currently collects a waste emissions charge from specific types of oil or gas facilities, such as onshore or offshore facilities that produce oil or gas, for exceeding emission thresholds for greenhouse gas emissions and methane emissions.

Specifically, the joint resolution nullifies the rule titled Waste Emissions Charge for Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems: Procedures for Facilitating Compliance, Including Netting and Exemptions and published by the EPA on November 18, 2024.

Refugees Using Legal Entry Safely Act or RULES Act

This bill requires non-U.S. nationals (aliens under federal law) applying for asylum to arrive and apply at a U.S. port of entry. Applicants are prohibited from being paroled into the U.S. pending approval of such application. Further, individuals apprehended in the U.S. without legal immigration status are ineligible for asylum. Applicants rejected for asylum are barred from applying for asylum in the future. Under current law, an applicant may reapply in changed or extraordinary circumstances.

Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2025

This bill directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to complete, within 12 months, an audit of the Federal Reserve Board and Federal Reserve banks. 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.

No Congressional Funds for Sanctuary Cities Act

This bill prohibits federal funds from being used as congressionally directed spending (i.e., an earmark) for jurisdictions that withhold information about citizenship or immigration status or do not cooperate with immigration detainers.

Specifically, such funds are denied to any jurisdiction that has a law, policy, or practice that prohibits or restricts any government entity from

• maintaining, sending, or receiving information regarding the citizenship or immigration status of any individual;

• exchanging information regarding an individual's citizenship or immigration status with a federal, state, or local government entity;

• complying with a valid immigration detainer from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS); or

• notifying DHS about an individual's release from custody.

The funding restriction does not apply to a law, policy, or practice that only applies to an individual who comes forward as a victim of or a witness to a criminal offense.

This prohibition begins in FY2026.

This resolution recognizes domestically produced natural gas as affordable, green, and necessary for the United States to be energy dominant while asserting that the United States should take a broad approach to meet energy needs. It also supports efforts to increase domestic production of natural gas and natural gas infrastructure, identify and remove barriers to the production of natural gas, and expedite the approval of liquefied natural gas export facilities in the United States.

United States Reciprocal Trade Act

This bill expands presidential trade authorities.

The bill allows the President, in certain circumstances, to (1) negotiate with a foreign country for tariff reductions on exported U.S. goods, or (2) impose additional duties on imported goods. Specifically, the President may take these actions if it is determined that the country (1) when importing a good from the United States, applies a higher rate of duty on that good than the rate imposed by the United States when the good is imported from that country; or (2) similarly imposes other, nontariff trade restrictions on that good. This authority shall be effective for three years, subject to a three-year renewal.

The President must terminate a rate of duty increase under this bill if the country no longer applies such higher rates or nontariff trade restrictions, or if the higher rate is no longer in the interest of the United States.

The bill also requires the President to consult with and notify Congress regarding the intention of the President to increase a rate of duty on imported goods.

Congress may nullify a rate of duty increase implemented under this bill through a joint resolution of disapproval.

This joint resolution nullifies the Environmental Protection Agency rule titled Phasedown of Hydrofluorocarbons: Management of Certain Hydrofluorocarbons and Substitutes Under the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2020 and published on October 11, 2024. The rule establishes an emission reduction and reclamation program for the management of hydrofluorocarbons, which are greenhouse gases. The rule also establishes alternative Resource Conservation and Recovery Act standards for certain ignitable spent refrigerants being recycled for reuse.

Regulation Decimation Act

This bill requires federal agencies to repeal certain existing rules prior to issuing a new rule.

Specifically, the bill prohibits an agency from issuing a rule that imposes a cost or responsibility on a nongovernmental person or a state or local government unless it repeals ten or more related rules.

Additionally, an agency may not issue a major rule that imposes such a cost or responsibility unless (1) the agency has repealed ten or more related rules, and (2) the cost of the new rule is less than or equal to the cost of the rules being repealed. A major rule is a rule that has resulted in or is likely to result in (1) an annual economic effect of at least $100 million; (2) a major increase in costs or prices for consumers, individual industries, government agencies, or geographic regions; or (3) significant adverse effects on competition, employment, investment, productivity, or innovation.

Any such repealed rule must be published in the Federal Register.

This bill does not apply to a rule or major rule that (1) relates to an internal agency policy or practice, (2) relates to procurement, or (3) is being revised to be less burdensome to decrease requirements imposed or compliance costs.

Additionally, each federal agency must submit to Congress and the Office of Management and Budget a report that includes a review of each rule of the agency and that identifies whether each rule is costly, ineffective, duplicative, or outdated.

Main Street Tax Certainty Act

This bill makes permanent the qualified business income (QBI) tax deduction.

Under current law, individuals, estates, and trusts may deduct the lower of (1) 20% of QBI from a qualified business, qualified real estate investment trust dividends, and qualified publicly traded partnership income; or (2) 20% of taxable income less net capital gain. (Some limitations apply.)

However, under current law, the QBI tax deduction expires after December 31, 2025.

Promoting Domestic Energy Production Act

This bill allows corporations to reduce their adjusted financial statement income to account for certain intangible costs related to oil, gas, or geothermal well drilling and development for purposes of calculating the corporate alternative minimum tax.

Under current law, a 15% corporate alternative minimum tax is imposed on a corporation with adjusted financial statement income exceeding an average of $1 billion for a consecutive three-year period (or an average of $100 million for a U.S. corporation that is part of a foreign parent multinational group if the adjusted financial statement income of such group exceeds an average of $1 billion for a consecutive three-year period). Adjusted financial statement income generally is the net income or loss reported on the corporation’s applicable financial statement for a tax year, with adjustments for specific items.

This bill expands the reductions that may be made to a corporation’s adjusted financial statement income to include (1) intangible drilling and development costs incurred by an operator of a domestic oil, gas, or geothermal well that are allowed as a deduction in the current tax year when computing regular taxable income; and (2) any depletion expenses related to the intangible oil, gas, or geothermal well drilling and development costs.

Sarah's Law

This bill requires the Department of Justice or the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain a non-U.S. national (alien under federal law) who is unlawfully present in the United States and has been charged with, arrested for, convicted of, or admits to having committed acts that constitute the essential elements of a crime that resulted in the death or serious bodily injury of another person.

DHS must obtain information about the identity of any victims of the crimes for which the detained individual was charged or convicted. DHS shall provide the victim, or a relative or guardian of a deceased victim, with information about the detained individual, including name, date of birth, nationality, immigration status, criminal history, and a description of any related removal efforts.

No Retaining Every Gun In a System That Restricts Your Rights Act

This bill modifies the retention requirements for firearm transaction records of federal firearms licensees (FFLs) that go out of business.

Current law generally requires FFLs that go out of business to deliver their firearm transaction records to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

This bill removes the requirement for FFLs that go out of business to deliver their firearm transaction records to the ATF. Further, the bill requires the ATF to destroy all out-of-business records it has collected from FFLs.