Brad Knott

This resolution expresses condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of the victims of the crash 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 commends the heroic actions of the first responders, emergency services personnel, and all those who aided in the recovery efforts.

**Allowing Military Exemptions, Recognizing Individual Concerns About New Shots Act of 2025 or the AMERICANS Act** This bill prohibits the Department of Defense (DOD) from issuing any COVID-19 vaccine mandate as a replacement for the rescinded vaccine mandate of August 24, 2021, unless the mandate is expressly authorized by Congress. The bill also provides that DOD must establish an application process for remedies for members of the Armed Forces who were discharged or subject to adverse action under the rescinded mandate. Any administrative discharge of a member on the sole basis of a failure to receive a COVID-19 vaccine must be categorized as an honorable discharge, and DOD is prohibited from taking any adverse action against such a member for that reason. DOD must try to retain unvaccinated members and provide such members with professional development, promotion and leadership opportunities, and consideration equal to that of their peers. Additionally, DOD may only consider the COVID-19 vaccination status of members in making certain decisions (e.g., deployments in countries where it is the law) and must establish a process to provide exemptions to certain members for such decisions. Members who were separated from the Armed Forces for refusing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine are not required to repay any bonuses and must be reimbursed if they repaid any portion of a bonus prior to this bill's enactment. This bill applies to all members of the Armed Forces, regardless of whether they sought an accommodation to any DOD COVID-19 vaccination policy.

**Promoting New Bank Formation Act** This bill eliminates and reduces certain requirements applicable to new depository institutions, certain rural community depository institutions, and federal savings associations. Federal banking agencies must issue rules allowing a new depository institution or depository institution holding company three years to meet capital requirements. During this period, a depository institution or its depository institution holding company may request to deviate from an approved business plan, and the appropriate agency has 30 days to approve or deny the request. In addition, the community bank leverage ratio—a way of evaluating debt levels—is reduced for new rural community depository institutions. Specifically, new rural community depository institutions must have a ratio of 8%, with a three-year phase-in of the rate. After this period, the ratio rises to its current level of 9%.  Finally, the bill removes certain restrictions to allow federal savings associations to invest in, sell, or otherwise deal in agricultural loans.

**Locating Every Disbursement in Government Expenditure Records Act or the LEDGER Act** This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to implement a system that tracks all outlays from each appropriation, receipt, or other fund account in the Treasury by each department, agency, office, or other establishment in the executive, legislative, or judicial branches of the federal government. The system must also track the period of availability of the amounts in the applicable appropriation, receipt, or other fund account.

**Tren de Aragua Border Security Threat Assessment Act** This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to submit a border threat assessment and strategic plan regarding Tren de Aragua and other transnational criminal organizations. (Tren de Aragua is a gang that originated in Venezuela.) The threat assessment must include current and potential criminal threats from Tren de Aragua and a description of its origins, strategic aims, funding sources, and U.S. growth and presence. DHS must submit a strategic plan not later than one year after submission of the threat assessment. The plan must include, for example, a consideration of the threat assessment and mitigation efforts regarding Tren de Aragua and other transnational criminal organizations and efforts to disseminate information between DHS and other departments, agencies, and law enforcement entities with missions associated with the border.

**States' Education Reclamation Act of** **2025** This bill abolishes the Department of Education (ED) and repeals any program for which it has administrative responsibility. The Department of the Treasury must provide grants to states, for FY2025-FY2033, for elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education purposes permitted by state law. The level of funding is set at the amount provided to states for federal elementary and secondary education programs and the amount provided for federal postsecondary education programs, respectively, for FY2025, minus the funding provided for education programs that the bill transfers to other federal agencies. States must contract for an annual audit of their expenditures or transfers of grant funds. Program administrative responsibility and delegation of authority are transferred as follows: * ED's job training programs to the Department of Labor, * each special education grant program under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), * ED's Indian education programs to the Department of the Interior, * each Impact Aid program under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to the Department of Defense, * the Federal Pell Grant program and each federal student loan program to Treasury, and * programs under the jurisdiction of the Institute of Education Sciences or the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program to HHS. The Government Accountability Office must report to Congress on (1) the feasibility of reducing the federal tax burden and eliminating federal involvement in providing grants for education programs, and (2) the feasibility of successor federal agencies maintaining transferred education programs.

**Stop Illegal Reentry Act** This bill establishes or increases criminal penalties for certain non-U.S. nationals (*aliens* under federal law) who illegally enter the United States and then commit a felony or illegally reenter the United States. The bill establishes a mandatory minimum prison term of 5 years and allows a life sentence for an individual who (1) improperly enters, or attempts to improperly enter, the United States; and (2) is subsequently convicted of a felony. The bill increases the maximum term of imprisonment from 2 years to 5 years for repeated improper entry.  The bill also increases from 2 years to 10 years the maximum term of imprisonment for an individual who had been denied entry into or removed from the United States and who later enters or attempts to enter without prior approval. The bill increases the maximum term of imprisonment from 10 to 15 years if such an individual was convicted of three or more specified types of misdemeanors before removal. An individual who had been denied entry or removed three or more times and who later enters or attempts to enter the United States shall be fined, imprisoned for up to 10 years, or both. The bill establishes a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and allows a life sentence for an individual who was convicted of a felony before removal, or convicted of illegal reentry at least two times before removal, and who subsequently enters or tries to enter the United States.

**CBO Scoring Accountability Act** This bill requires the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to provide additional cost estimates and reports regarding major legislation that has been enacted into law. Under the bill, *major legislation* is any bill or joint resolution that would be projected to result in outlays of mandatory spending or receipts of federal revenue equal to or greater than 0.25% of the current projected gross domestic product of the United States for that year. For the first 10 years after major legislation has been enacted into law, the bill requires CBO to annually prepare and make publicly available an analysis of the results of carrying out the provisions of the legislation. The analysis must include * an estimate of the costs and the change in federal revenue as a result of the legislation, * a comparison of the current and previous estimates of the costs and change in revenue, and * any applicable updates to the estimates. The bill also requires CBO to submit reports to Congress that explain any discrepancy between the actual and estimated costs and change in revenue that is greater than or equal to 10%.