John Carter

This resolution declares that every state within the United States has the sovereign right to exclude any person who does not have the right to be there. It also declares that the states along the southern border (1) were invaded by terrorists, narco-terrorist cartels, and criminal actors from 2021 through 2024; and (2) have the sovereign and unilateral authority to defend themselves against such an invasion.

This resolution supports the designation of Career and Technical Education Month to celebrate career and technical education across the United States.

**Drug Cartel Terrorist Designation Act** This bill directs the Department of State to designate four specified drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. (Among other things, such a designation allows the Department of the Treasury to require U.S. financial institutions to block transactions involving the organization.) The four specified cartels in the bill are the Gulf Cartel, the Cartel Del Noreste, the Cartel de Sinaloa, and the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion. The bill also requires the State Department to submit a detailed report on those four cartels and any other cartels it may identify. Based on this report, the State Department must designate as a foreign terrorist organization any such identified cartel (or faction thereof) that meets certain criteria for designation as a foreign terrorist organization. The bill specifies that it may not be construed to expand eligibility for asylum.

**Achieving Choice in Education Act or the ACE Act** This bill expands the expenses that may be paid for with tax-free distributions from a qualified tuition program (known as a 529 plan) to include certain elementary, secondary, and homeschool education expenses and makes other changes related to 529 plans. The bill also limits the tax exclusion for interest on state or local bonds. Under current law, 529 plan distributions are excluded from gross income if they are used to pay for qualified higher education expenses, which includes up to $10,000 (per year and per beneficiary) for tuition at an elementary or secondary public, private, or religious school. The bill expands the expenses that may be paid for with tax-free 529 plan distributions to include homeschooling tuition and the following expenses related to elementary, secondary, and homeschool education: * curriculum, * books, * instructional and online educational materials, * tutoring or educational classes outside the home, * testing fees, * fees for dual enrollment in a higher education institution, and * educational therapies for disabled students. The bill also increases the amount of tax-free 529 plan distributions that may be used to pay for elementary, secondary, and homeschool education expenses to $20,000. The bill increases the annual gift tax exclusion by $20,000 for contributions made to a 529 plan. (Under current law, up to $19,000 may be excluded from taxable gifts in 2025.) Finally, the bill limits the tax exclusion for interest on state or local bonds to bonds issued by states that meet minimum school choice requirements or political subdivisions of such states.

**Protect American Election Administration Act of** **2025** This bill generally prohibits a state from soliciting, receiving, or expending any payment or donation of funds, property, or personal services from a private entity for the purpose of administering a federal election. For example, the bill prohibits the use of these payments or donations for programs related to voter education, outreach, and registration. The prohibition shall not apply to a state's acceptance and use of a private entity's donation of space to be used for a polling place or an early voting site.

**No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2025** This bill modifies provisions relating to federal funding for, and health insurance coverage of, abortions. Specifically, the bill prohibits the use of federal funds for abortions or for health coverage that includes abortions. Such restrictions extend to the use of funds in the budget of the District of Columbia. Additionally, abortions may not be provided in a federal health care facility or by a federal employee. Historically, language has been included in annual appropriations bills for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that prohibits the use of federal funds for abortions—such language is commonly referred to as the Hyde Amendment. Similar language is also frequently included in appropriations bills for other federal agencies and the District of Columbia. The bill makes these restrictions permanent and extends the restrictions to all federal funds (rather than specific agencies). The bill's restrictions regarding the use of federal funds do not apply in cases of rape, incest, or where a physical disorder, injury, or illness endangers a woman's life unless an abortion is performed. The Hyde Amendment provides the same exceptions. The bill also prohibits qualified health plans from including coverage for abortions. Currently, qualified health plans may cover abortion, but the portion of the premium attributable to abortion coverage is not eligible for subsidies.