Ron Estes

This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that (1) Congress should adopt a fiscal target to reduce the federal budget deficit to 3% of gross domestic product or less as soon as possible and no later than the end of FY2030; and (2) after the target is achieved, Congress should continue to pursue further deficit reduction with the goal of achieving a balanced federal budget.

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.

**Fair Access to Banking Act** This bill places restrictions on certain banks, credit unions, and payment card networks if they refuse to do business with a person who complies with the law. Restrictions include prohibiting the use of electronic funds transfer systems and lending programs, termination of an institution's depository insurance, and specified civil penalties. Banks and other specified financial institutions are allowed to deny financial services to a person only if the denial is justified by a documented failure of that person to meet quantitative, impartial, risk-based standards established in advance by the institution. This justification may not be based upon reputational risks to the institution. The bill establishes the right for a person to bring a civil action for a violation of this bill.

**Healthy Equipping And Lending Technical Help Panel Act or the HEALTH Panel Act** This bill provides statutory authority for the Panel of Health Advisors within the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The panel provides expertise and recommendations to the CBO to support its analysis and cost estimates relating to health and healthcare. The bill requires the panel to report to the House and Senate Budget Committees on the recommendations the panel provided to the CBO and how the CBO utilized such recommendations. The CBO must publish this report on its website. The bill also requires the panel to consist of 15 members serving three-year terms. The respective chairs and ranking minority members of the House and Senate Budget Committees, and the director of the CBO, must each appoint three members to the panel.

**Heartbeat Protection Act of 2025** This bill makes it a crime for a physician to knowingly perform an abortion (1) without determining whether the unborn child has a detectable heartbeat, (2) without informing the mother of the results, or (3) after determining that an unborn child has a detectable heartbeat. A physician who performs a prohibited abortion is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, up to five years in prison, or both. The bill provides an exception for an abortion that is necessary to save the life of a mother whose life is endangered by a physical (but not psychological or emotional) disorder, illness, or condition. It also provides exceptions for certain pregnancies that are the result of rape or incest. A physician who performs or attempts to perform an abortion under an exception must comply with specified requirements. A woman who undergoes a prohibited abortion may not be prosecuted for violating or conspiring to violate the provisions of this bill.

**Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025** This bill revises requirements for milk provided by the National School Lunch Program of the Department of Agriculture (USDA). Currently, schools participating in the program must provide milk that is consistent with the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans; USDA regulations require milk to be fat-free or low-fat and allow milk to be flavored or unflavored. The bill modifies these restrictions and instead permits schools to offer students whole, reduced-fat, low-fat, and fat-free flavored and unflavored milk. The milk that is offered may be organic or nonorganic. Further, USDA may not prohibit a participating school from offering students any of these milk choices. Further, schools currently must provide a substitute for fluid milk, on receipt of a written statement from a licensed physician, for students whose disability restricts their diet. Under the bill, a parent or legal guardian may also provide the written statement. In addition, schools currently participating in the program must provide meals that meet certain nutrition requirements; USDA regulations require that the average saturated fat content of the meals offered must be less than 10% of the total calories. Under the bill, fluid milk is excluded from the saturated fat content calculation; milk fat included in any fluid milk provided by the program must not be considered saturated fat for the purposes of measuring compliance with USDA regulations. Finally, the bill prohibits schools participating in the program from purchasing or offering milk produced by Chinese state-owned enterprises.

**Reining In Federal Licensing Enforcement Act of 2025 or the RIFLE Act of 2025** This bill revises the federal statutory framework governing the licensing, inspection, and enforcement of federally licensed dealers, importers, and manufacturers of firearms (i.e., federal firearms licensees, or FFLs) by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).  With respect to an application for a license, this bill requires the ATF to make a preliminary determination, provide notice of a proposed denial, and allow the applicant to request a hearing.  With respect to inspections, this bill requires the ATF to establish standards for how it inspects, examines, or investigates FFLs for possible violations. With respect to the enforcement of violations, this bill establishes a new framework. The new framework establishes a presumption that a violation by an FFL is not willful and requires the ATF to provide notice of and work with an FFL to rectify a violation. In the case of a violation that is willful, the ATF has the burden of proving by clear and convincing evidence that the violation was committed willfully. The term *willfully* means that the person had actual knowledge of a legal duty, understood the obligation imposed by the legal duty, and deliberately disregarded the legal duty. The ATF may pursue revocation of an FFL’s license, but only after (1) providing notice and an opportunity to comply; and (2) finding that a lesser administrative action (e.g., warning, warning letter, or warning conference) is not likely to lead to future compliance.

**Foreign Adversary Risk Management Act or the FARM Act** This bill places the Secretary of Agriculture on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). It also requires CFIUS to review any investment that could result in foreign control of any U.S. agricultural business. Further, the bill includes agricultural systems and supply chains in the definitions of *critical infrastructure* and *critical technologies* for the purposes of reviewing such investments. The Department of Agriculture and the Government Accountability Office must each annually analyze and report on foreign influence in the U.S. agricultural industry.

**Congressional Budget Office Scheduling Reform Act** This bill requires the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to annually publish a schedule of the expected publication dates of its major recurring reports. The schedule must must include, at a minimum, the expected publication dates for * the baseline for the budget year and subsequent updates, * the report on options to reduce the deficit, * the report on the accuracy of budgetary projections for the most recently completed fiscal year, and * the report on programs or activities with unauthorized appropriations. CBO must (1) publish the schedule on its public website no later than December 31 of each year, and (2) update the schedule during the following calendar year as necessary.

**WHO is Accountable Act** This bill prohibits the use of federal funds to seek U.S. membership in the World Health Organization (WHO), or to make contributions to the WHO, until the Department of State makes certain certifications to Congress. Specifically, these prohibitions shall apply until the State Department certifies that the WHO has met certain conditions, including that the WHO (1) has adopted reforms to ensure that humanitarian assistance is not politicized; (2) is not under the control of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and is not involved in a cover-up of the CCP's response to the COVID-19 pandemic; (3) has granted observer status to Taiwan; and (4) has ceased engagement on certain issues, such as climate change, access to abortion, and gender identity.

**Pet Food Uniform Regulatory Reform Act of 2025 or the PURR Act of 2025** This bill establishes the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) as the sole regulatory authority over pet food for dogs and cats. It also provides certain flexibilities for pet food manufacturers with respect to the types of ingredients they may use and the associated labeling and marketing requirements. The bill specifies that, with exceptions for certain existing oversight activities, no state or local government may establish, implement, or enforce any authority or requirement relating to pet food marketing or labeling and instead provides for oversight by the CVM. The bill requires the CVM to review and act on pet food ingredient submissions within 90 days. Additionally, the bill provides a presumption that pet food ingredients are generally recognized as safe (GRAS) if they are recognized as acceptable per the Association of American Feed Control Officials and the CVM does not find otherwise. Manufacturers may voluntarily notify the CVM of ingredients that are considered GRAS but that have not yet been specifically recognized as such. The bill also allows manufacturers to state, without prior approval, that their products (1) sometimes, but not always, have certain ingredients (e.g., flavors); (2) have certain health benefits (e.g., tartar control); or (3) are human grade or natural, if certain conditions are met.

**Defending American Jobs and Investment Act** This bill provides for the enforcement of remedies against foreign countries that have extraterritorial or discriminatory taxes. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of the Treasury to periodically submit a report to Congress that lists each foreign country that has one or more extraterritorial or discriminatory taxes. Treasury must commence enhanced bilateral engagement with each foreign country included in the report. This engagement must (1) express the concern of the United States with respect to the adverse trade and economic effects of tax policies that violate bilateral tax treaties and international tax norms, (2) urge the repeal of extraterritorial and discriminatory taxes that target U.S. persons, and (3) advise the foreign country of remedial actions (as outlined by this bill). The bill increases income tax and withholding tax rates on certain foreign citizens, corporations, and partnerships of any foreign country listed in Treasury's report. The bill provides the executive branch with additional tools to enforce against extraterritorial and discriminatory taxes. These tools include * authorizing the President to prohibit government contracting for or procurement of goods or services from a foreign country listed in Treasury's report, * directing Treasury to consider these taxes in assessing whether to enter into or update a bilateral tax treaty with the foreign country, and * requiring the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the Department of Commerce to consider these taxes in assessing whether to enter into any free trade agreement or executive agreement with the foreign country.

This bill removes the lesser prairie-chicken (*Tympanuchus pallidicinctus*), including each of its distinct population segments, from the threatened and endangered species lists that are published under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Further, the bill prohibits the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from designating such species as threatened or endangered, and thus, protecting such species under such act.

**Sarah's Law** This bill requires the Department of Justice or the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain a non-U.S. national (*alien* under federal law) who is unlawfully present in the United States and has been charged with, arrested for, convicted of, or admits to having committed acts that constitute the essential elements of a crime that resulted in the death or serious bodily injury of another person. DHS must obtain information about the identity of any victims of the crimes for which the detained individual was charged or convicted. DHS shall provide the victim, or a relative or guardian of a deceased victim, with information about the detained individual, including name, date of birth, nationality, immigration status, criminal history, and a description of any related removal efforts.