Nancy Mace

Opportunities for Fairness in Farming Act of 2025

This bill establishes restrictions and requirements for agricultural checkoff programs. These are programs overseen by the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to promote and provide research and information for a particular agricultural commodity without reference to specific producers or brands (e.g., the Cotton Board, Cattlemen's Beef Board, or National Watermelon Promotion Board).

The bill prohibits boards established to carry out a checkoff program with annual assessment revenue equal to more than $20 million or a USDA order issued under such a checkoff program from entering into a contract or agreement to carry out activities under the program with a party that engages in activities to influence any government policy or action that relates to agriculture.

A board or its employees or agents acting in their official capacity may not engage in any

• act that may involve a conflict of interest;

• anticompetitive activity;

• unfair or deceptive act or practice; or

• act that may be disparaging to, or in any way negatively portray, another agricultural commodity or product.

Upon approval of USDA, a board may enter directly into contracts and agreements to carry out generic promotion, research, or other activities authorized by law if the agreement or contract requires records accounting for the funds received to be submitted to the board.

Further, the board must meet specified requirements regarding the publication of budgets and disbursements of funds.

The USDA Office of Inspector General and the Government Accountability Office must conduct specified audits regarding checkoff programs.

Veterans Affairs Distributed Ledger Innovation Act of 2025

This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to report to Congress on the feasibility, potential benefits, and risks associated with implementing distributed ledger technology to improve claims adjudication and prevent fraud, waste, and abuse within the VA’s benefits administration systems. Under the bill, a distributed ledger (1) is shared across a set of distributed nodes that participate in a network and store a complete or partial replica of the ledger, (2) is synchronized between the nodes, and (3) has data appended to it by following a specified consensus mechanism.

Stop Importing Terrorism Act

This bill tightens U.S. admission restrictions on a spouse or child of certain individuals barred from the United States due to terrorist activity and makes deportable certain previously admitted individuals.

Under current law, the spouse or child of an individual who is inadmissible to the United States due to terrorist activity is barred from admission to the United States if the terrorist activity occurred within the last five years. However, there is an exception that applies to a spouse or child of such an individual (1) who did not know or should not have reasonably known of the terrorist activity, or (2) whom the consular officer or the Department of Justice has reasonable grounds to believe has renounced such activity.

The bill repeals this exception. The bill also deems deportable any individual admitted under this exception on or after January 20, 2021.

American Students First Act

This bill bars federal financial assistance from going to state public institutions of higher education if the institution offers certain benefits to non-U.S. nationals (aliens under federal law) who are not lawfully present in the United States. Specifically, these institutions may not offer these individuals (1) tuition rates that are lower than or equal to rates for in-state residents who are U.S. citizens, or (2) state-based financial aid.

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.