George Whitesides

This resolution requires the House of Representatives to convene and hold recorded quorum calls during a government shutdown. It also limits recesses and adjournments during a government shutdown.  Under the resolution, a government shutdown occurs when there is a lapse in appropriations for any federal agency or department as a result of a failure to enact a regular appropriations bill or a continuing resolution. The resolution requires the House to convene on each day on which a government shutdown is in effect unless a recess or adjournment is permitted. Under the resolution, such a recess or adjournment is only permitted if  * the House has met for each of the first five consecutive calendar days on which the government shutdown is in effect, * the proposed period of adjournment or recess does not last for more than two consecutive calendar days, and * the House has met for at least five consecutive calendar days since the expiration of the most recent period of adjournment or recess. The resolution also requires the House to hold at least one recorded quorum call on each day that the House is in session during a government shutdown.  Members of the House who fail to record their presence during a quorum call on two or more consecutive days must be fined $500 for a first offense and $2,500 for any subsequent offense unless the failure is due to an illness. A Member may not use official or campaign funds to pay the fine.

This resolution honors the teachers who have earned or maintained National Board Certification as of March 2025.

**Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025** This bill reauthorizes the Department of Defense to sell its excess aircraft and aircraft parts that are acceptable for commercial sale for wildfire suppression purposes. Such authority begins October 1, 2025, and ends October 1, 2035. The bill also provides that such aircraft may be used to deliver water by air in order to suppress wildfire (the previous authority only provided for the delivery of fire retardant). The bill removes the previous limitation on providing international wildfire suppression assistance with such purchased aircraft.

**Smoke and Heat Ready Communities Act of 2025** This bill authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to make grants to air pollution control agencies to support the development and implementation of programs that support local communities in detecting, preparing for, communicating with the public about, or mitigating the environmental and public health aspects of wildfire smoke and extreme heat. The EPA must establish a formula to distribute the grants among air pollution control agencies. The bill requires the EPA to establish four Centers of Excellence for Wildfire Smoke and Extreme Heat at institutions of higher education to research (1) the effects of smoke emissions from wildland fires and extreme heat on public health, and (2) the means by which communities can better respond to impacts from such conditions. Additionally, the EPA must begin to carry out research to * study the health effects of smoke emissions from wildland fires and extreme heat; * develop and disseminate personal and community-based interventions to reduce exposure to, and health effects of, wildland fire smoke emissions and extreme heat; * increase the quality of smoke and extreme heat monitoring and prediction tools and techniques; and * develop implementation and communication strategies. The EPA must also establish a competitive grant program to assist certain entities (e.g., a state) in developing and implementing collaborative community plans for mitigating the impacts of smoke emissions from wildland fires and extreme heat.

**Keep Our Promise to America's Children and Teachers Act or the Keep Our PACT Act** This bill provides funding through FY2035 for grant programs operated by local educational agencies to provide supplementary educational and related services to low-achieving students and other students who attend elementary and secondary schools with relatively high concentrations of students from low-income families. Additionally, the bill permanently reauthorizes the grant program to assist states and outlying areas in providing special education and related services to children with disabilities. The amounts provided by the bill are designated as an emergency requirement for the purposes of Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) rules and other budget enforcement procedures.

**Emergency Wildfire Fighting Technology Act of 2025** This bill requires the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior to (1) jointly evaluate the container aerial firefighting system to assess its use to mitigate and suppress wildfires, and (2) report on the results of the evaluation to Congress. The system allows for the use of airdrop-capable disposable containers of water or fire retardant in order to increase the number of airlift assets available for wildfire emergencies.

**Department of Veterans Affairs Continuing Professional Education Modernization Act or the VA CPE Modernization Act** This bill modifies the program under which the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) reimburses certain full-time health care professionals for continuing professional education expenses. Under current law, only board-certified physicians and dentists are eligible for such reimbursement. The bill expands the program to require reimbursement for various specified full-time health care professionals (e.g., registered nurses) and increases the amount available for a physician or dentist. Additionally, the bill removes the requirement that an individual be board-certified to receive reimbursement. The VA may adjust the amount of the reimbursement, so long as the adjustment does not result in a reimbursement of less than $2,000 per year for each specified position.