Tim Burchett

Pilot Certificate Accessibility Act

This bill allows a pilot to present a digital copy of certain certificates (e.g., an airman certificate or a medical certificate) when required to present such documentation by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector.

Under current FAA regulations, a pilot must present for inspection a physical copy of an airman certificate and other paperwork upon a request from the FAA; a federal, state, or local law enforcement officer; or an authorized representative of the Transportation Security Administration or the National Transportation Safety Board. This bill allows a pilot to present a certificate such as an airman certificate or a medical certificate to an FAA inspector as (1) a physical, original copy; or (2) a digital copy stored on an electronic device or cloud storage platform.

The FAA must update current regulations to implement this change.

Defense Against Drones Act of 2025

This bill allows an individual to shoot an unmanned aircraft (i.e., drone) using a legally obtained shotgun if the individual reasonably believes the drone is flying not more than 200 feet above the individual's property. This is subject to applicable state law on the discharge of a firearm.

Not later than 60 days after an event in which an individual shoots a drone and is able to identify its registration number, the individual must report the event's location and the registration number to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

An individual may, but shall not be required to, return the drone to the owner at the owner's request.

The FAA must issue such regulations as are necessary to carry out this bill.

Tennessee Valley Authority Transparency Act of 2025

This bill revises the duties of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Board of Directors to include holding public meetings at least four times each year. The board must provide public notice at least six days before such a meeting, unless the meeting is designated as an emergency. TVA, a federally owned electric utility corporation, provides low-cost electricity in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. It also provides flood control, navigation, and land management for the Tennessee River system.

This bill designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 300 Macedonia Lane in Knoxville, Tennessee, as the "Reverend Harold Middlebrook Post Office Building".

UAP Transparency Act

This bill requires the President to direct each federal agency to declassify all agency records related to unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and make such records available on a public website of the agency.

UAP are (1) airborne objects not immediately identifiable, (2) submerged objects or devices not immediately identifiable and that display characteristics suggesting they may be related to such airborne objects, and (3) objects or devices not immediately identifiable and that are observed to transition between space and the atmosphere or between the atmosphere and bodies of water.

Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds Congressional Gold Medal Act

This bill provides for the posthumous award of a Congressional Gold Medal to Roddie Edmonds in recognition of his achievements and heroic actions during World War II.

Building Lasting Opportunities for Community K–12 Act or the BLOCK Act

This bill repeals on October 1, 2025, specified formula grants for programs administered by the Department of Education (ED). Beginning with FY2026, ED must instead provide block grants for these programs to each state based on amounts received in FY2025.

Specifically, the bill repeals the following allocation formulas for programs under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965:

• the Education for the Disadvantaged program (which includes Basic Grants, Concentration Grants, Targeted Grants, and Education Finance Incentive Grants);

• State Assessment Grants;

• the Migrant Education Program;

• Prevention and Intervention Programs for Children and Youth Who Are Neglected, Delinquent, or At-Risk;

• Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants;

• English Language Acquisition State Grants;

• Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants;

• the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program;

• the Rural Education Achievement Program (which includes both the Small, Rural School Achievement Program and the Rural and Low-Income School Program); and

• Indian Education Formula Grants.

Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner in VA Hospitals Act of 2025 or the SANE Act of 2025

This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to employ at each of its hospitals and urgent care facilities at least one sexual assault nurse examiner or a health care provider who is qualified to conduct a sexual assault forensic examination.

The bill also provides that after examining an individual for sexual assault, a VA health care provider must verbally refer the individual to mental health care services furnished by the VA in a VA hospital or by a non-VA provider under the Veterans Community Care Program if the wait time for services at a VA hospital exceeds 30 days.

In providing such duties related to sexual assault care, the VA must ensure that there is no reduction in, or negative effect on, the patient care responsibilities otherwise carried out by its employees.

No Tax Dollars for Terrorists Act

This bill requires the Department of State to develop and implement a strategy to discourage foreign countries and nongovernmental organizations from providing financial or material support to the Taliban, including by using U.S.-provided foreign assistance to discourage countries and organizations from providing such support to the Taliban.

The State Department must report to Congress on (1) foreign countries and nongovernmental organizations that have provided financial or material support to the Taliban and U.S. efforts to oppose such support; (2) the strategy to discourage such support and a plan for the strategy's implementation; (3) U.S.-funded direct cash assistance programs in Afghanistan; and (4) the Afghan Fund, including Taliban influence over Da Afghanistan Bank (the Afghan central bank).

Trailer Safety Improvement Act

This bill requires that state highway safety programs address trailer safety equipment, preventive maintenance, and other aspects of the proper and safe usage of light- and medium-duty trailers.