Health

Territorial Student Access to Higher Education Act

Territorial Student Access to Higher Education Act This bill requires public institutions of higher education that participate in federal student aid programs to charge no more than in-state tuition and fee rates to students who are residents of Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, or the U.S. Virgin Islands, provided they are also U.S. nationals.

Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Protecting Prudent Investment of Retirement Savings Act

Protecting Prudent Investment of Retirement Savings Act This bill modifies the requirements for fiduciaries of employer-sponsored retirement plans. First, the bill generally requires a plan fiduciary to make investment decisions based solely on pecuniary factors (i.e., factors that a fiduciary prudently determines are expected to have a material effect on the risk or return of an investment based on appropriate investment horizons consistent with the plan's policies and objectives). The bill allows nonpecuniary factors to be considered in certain situations, such as when selecting investment options for certain participant-directed retirement plans or if the fiduciary is unable to distinguish between investment alternatives on the basis of pecuniary factors alone. The bill also prohibits a plan fiduciary from discriminating when selecting, monitoring, and retaining any fiduciary, counsel, employee, or service provider of the plan. The bill requires a plan fiduciary to act solely and prudently in accordance with the interests of the plan's participants and beneficiaries when exercising a shareholder right (e.g., voting of proxies). However, the fiduciary duty to manage shareholder rights does not require the voting of every proxy or the exercise of every shareholder right. Finally, the bill requires a plan fiduciary to provide specified notices with respect to a pension plan that provides a participant or beneficiary the opportunity to select from designated investment alternatives.

Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services relating to "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; Marketplace Integrity and Affordability".

This joint resolution nullifies the rule titled Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; Marketplace Integrity and Affordability , which was issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on June 25, 2025. The rule makes several changes to enrollment requirements for health insurance exchanges, including (1) requiring annual open enrollment periods for all exchanges to begin by November 1 and end by December 31, (2) requiring all exchanges to conduct pre-enrollment verification of eligibility for at least 75% of new enrollments through special enrollment periods, and (3) prohibiting Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients from enrolling in plans through exchanges or in state Basic Health Programs (state programs for certain low-income residents). The rule also prohibits individual and small group health insurers from covering certain sex-trait modification procedures as an essential health benefit.

Motion to proceed to consideration of measure rejected in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 47 - 52. Record Vote Number: 8.

RELIEVE Act

Removing Extraneous Loopholes Insuring Every Veteran Emergency Act or the RELIEVE Act This bill expands eligibility for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) reimbursement of emergency treatment for veterans who are treated in a non-VA facility. Specifically, the bill waives the requirement that a veteran must have received VA care within the 24-month period preceding the furnishing of emergency treatment if the veteran receives such emergency treatment within the 60-day period following their enrollment in the VA health care system.

Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

To rename the medical center of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Dallas, Texas, as the "Eddie Bernice Johnson VA Medical Center".

This bill designates the medical center of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Dallas, Texas, as the Eddie Bernice Johnson Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center or the Eddie Bernice Johnson VA Medical Center.

Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

TEAM Veteran Caregivers Act

Transparency and Effective Accountability Measures for Veteran Caregivers Act or the TEAM Veteran Caregivers Act The bill revises the administration of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) caregiver programs. Specifically, the bill requires the VA to formally recognize caregivers of veterans by identifying any caregiver in the health record of the veteran. Such caregivers covered by the bill include those participating in the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers and those participating in the Program of General Caregiver Support Services. The bill requires the VA to notify veterans and their caregivers regarding any clinical determinations made relating to claims, tier reduction, or termination of assistance under, or eligibility for, the specified caregiver programs. The notifications must be standardized and contain specified details regarding the decisions. The bill also requires the VA to temporarily extend benefits under the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers for at least 90 days after the receipt of notice that a veteran is no longer clinically eligible for the program. Such an extension shall not apply to the termination of caregiver benefits (1) if the VA determines the caregiver committed fraud or abused or neglected the veteran, (2) if another primary provider or individual caregiver is designated within 90 days after the termination, (3) if the terminated individual moves out or abandons their relationship with the veteran, or (4) upon request of the caregiver or veteran.

Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Office of the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services relating to "Policy on Adhering to the Text of the Administrative Procedure Act".

Failed of passage in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 50 - 50. Record Vote Number: 654.

FDA Modernization Act 3.0

FDA Modernization Act 3.0 This bill requires the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to publish an interim final rule implementing a provision of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 that authorized the use of certain alternatives to animal testing to support investigational use of a new drug. The rule must replace references to animal tests, data, studies, models, and research with references to nonclinical tests, data, studies, models, and research throughout the FDA’s regulations governing investigational new drug applications, and may make other changes to the regulations as appropriate. The rule must be published within one year of the bill’s enactment, and must take immediate effect as an interim final rule.

Held at the desk.