Eight Good Things Congress Should Do Before Noon On January 3

Even so, over the past two years, Republicans and Democrats in both chambers have worked together to advance several common‑sense policy measures with the potential to make positive differences in the lives of millions of Americans across red and blue districts alike. 

Last November, we highlighted six such bills, and since our report, Congress has enacted four of the six. As the 119th Congress draws to a close, we revisit the two remaining “good things” from last year’s list and highlight six more below. Each enjoys bipartisan support and has a credible pathway to enactment before year’s end, though with only 24 legislative days scheduled before these bills will die at the end of the current Congress, time is of the essence. 

Proposals

1. Medically Tailored Home-Delivered Meals Program Pilot Act.

2. Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Act Reauthorization.

3. Public Health and Bio-Preparedness Workforce Loan Repayment Reauthorization Act of 2025.

4. EARLY Act Reauthorization of 2025.

5. Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025. 

6. John A. Hauser Mental Health in Aviation Act/Mental Health in Aviation Act of 2025.

7. Rural Community Hospital Demonstration Program Reauthorization Act.

8. Unlocking Native Lands and Opportunities for Commerce and Key Economic Developments (UNLOCKED) Act of 2025.

Medically Tailored Home-Delivered Meals Program Pilot Act

The Medically Tailored Home-Delivered Meals Program Pilot Act (S. 2834/H.R. 5439) stands out as a uniquely bipartisan “food is medicine” initiative. The bill would expand access to medically tailored meals (MTMs) through a pilot program addressing the link between diet, chronic disease, and the health of Medicare enrollees and people with disabilities. It directs the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to run a budget-neutral, six-year demonstration in which selected hospitals (at least 40 nationwide) provide medically tailored, home-delivered meals and nutrition services to eligible Medicare beneficiaries after hospital discharge, either directly or in partnership with qualified community-based organizations.

The pilot is designed to operate across a variety of regions, including rural and medically underserved areas, and to rely on experienced providers that meet evidence-based nutrition standards. Participating hospitals must apply to and be selected by the Secretary, and the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is required to conduct rigorous evaluations and to report on utilization, readmissions, skilled nursing facility admissions, patient satisfaction, clinical outcomes, and net Medicare spending. Most importantly, if enacted, the pilot would help medically vulnerable seniors and people with disabilities get nutritionally specific meals to manage chronic health conditions and generate valuable data for building a more resilient and cost-effective health care system.

The legislation builds on momentum from the 118th Congress. Companion House and Senate bills were introduced then, and the House Ways and Means (W&M) Committee unanimously advanced the proposal as part of H.R. 6780, the American Medical Innovation and Investment Act. In the 119th Congress, the House W&M Committee again unanimously advanced the bill, approving an amended version by a vote of 39-0 on September 16. The approved version reflects an amendment in the nature of a substitute offered by Chairman Jason Smith (R‑MO). Notably, the substitute ties the pilot’s launch to the date of enactment, adds safeguards against fraud, waste, and abuse, and replaces the original bill’s hospital payment offset with a broader requirement that the pilot not increase overall Medicare spending. It also requires that meals be prescribed by a physician or qualified practitioner, provides for two meals per day rather than a minimum of two, adds physician assistants to the clinicians who may furnish services, clarifies beneficiary eligibility, and gives CMS additional flexibility to administer the program.

This MTM pilot legislation continues to have bipartisan sponsorship and bicameral support, reflecting a growing consensus that MTMs can reduce hospitalizations and emergency department visits and lower net health care costs for high-need patients. Sponsors of the companion bills include Reps. Jim McGovern (D‑MA), Nicole Malliotakis (R‑NY), Chellie Pingree (D‑ME), Brian Fitzpatrick (R‑PA), and Dwight Evans (D‑PA), along with Sens. Cory Booker (D‑NJ), Roger Marshall (R‑KS), Bill Cassidy (R‑LA), and Tina Smith (D‑MN).

Given the unanimous committee vote, one viable next step is for House leadership to bring H.R. 5439 to the floor under suspension of the rules. The House suspension calendar is an expedited procedure that permits consideration of noncontroversial legislation in a shortened period but requires a two-thirds supermajority in order to pass. With limited time left in the 119th Congress, the Senate may also need to take up and pass the House-passed H.R. 5439 rather than move a separate Senate vehicle such as S. 2834.

Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Act Reauthorization

The Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Act is the brainchild of Hightstown, New Jersey, high school AP Government and Politics teacher Stu Wexler and his students. A bipartisan, bicameral effort, the Act was passed by the House and Senate in December of 2018 and signed into law in January 2019 by President Trump.

The Act established the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board as an independent agency of impartial private citizens to expedite the review and release of government-held records related to civil rights cold cases of incidents occurring between January 1, 1940, and December 31, 1979. Records that the Review Board determines should not be immediately publicly disclosed are kept in a protected collection not available to the public. The board and its staff work closely with federal agencies to make these documents more readily available to families of victims of civil rights crimes, legal organizations, journalists, scholars, and students of American history. These cases are unlikely to result in successful prosecutions as witnesses’ memories fade, perpetrators pass away, and evidence is lost or scattered. Nevertheless, the absence of answers means these old wounds can never heal. Forgiveness and reconciliation are difficult under the best of circumstances, but they are almost impossible when a cloud of suspicion and mistrust hangs over the community. If the Act is not reauthorized before the end of the current Congress, the important work that is underway will come to a halt and may never be completed.

The Act originally provided that the board would wind down on or before January 2024, but due to delays in getting the board and its staff up and running, as well as to the tremendous number of documents to be reviewed, Congress reauthorized the board’s mandate until January of 2027.

Although the board has reviewed and released thousands of records, the work is still far from finished. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Jon Ossoff (D-GA), along with Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), Michael Lawler (R-NY), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation (S. 1510 /H.R. 3087) that would extend the lifespan of the board by four years. The Senate bill passed the Senate by unanimous consent and is now held at the desk on the Floor of the House. A House companion bill passed the Oversight and Government Reform Committee with a significant bipartisan vote, indicating that the Senate version is a candidate for the House suspension calendar, which as noted above, requires a two-thirds vote for passage. 

This bipartisan legislation is designed to stabilize and expand the nation’s infectious diseases (ID) and emergency preparedness workforce by alleviating education debt burdens that deter public health professionals from ID careers in underserved areas. The legislation creates a sustainable talent pipeline to meet ongoing and emergent bio-preparedness needs across regions and care settings.

ID specialists play a critical role in caring for patients with HIV and many other infectious diseases. They respond to pandemics and outbreaks and treat infections associated with other health care settings, such as cancer care. Unfortunately, ID physicians are increasingly difficult to find — roughly 80% of US counties have no ID physicians. The ID physician shortage is especially common in underserved areas, leaving many people with serious infections without ID care.

The House version of the Public Health and Bio-Preparedness Workforce Loan Repayment Reauthorization Act (H.R.4445) was introduced in 2025 by Reps. Jason Crow (D-CO), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Lori Trahan (D-MA), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA). The Senate version (S. 4283) was introduced in 2026 by Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Susan Collins (R-ME). The legislation would reauthorize the existing program addressing ongoing and emergent bio-preparedness needs across regions and care settings with loan repayment opportunities for professionals in public health, IDs, HIV, and emergency preparedness who commit to serving in health professional shortage areas, medically underserved communities, federal health facilities (e.g., VA, community health centers), or Ryan White-funded clinics.

By reauthorizing the Bio‑Preparedness Workforce Loan Repayment Program, Congress can address physician shortages in communities with the greatest unmet need, improve patient outcomes in ID and HIV care through earlier diagnosis and treatment, and curb avoidable downstream costs by strengthening prevention and outbreak response capacity.

Protecting Taxpayers from Ghost Preparers Act

This taxpayer protection bill (H.R. 9499) introduced by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY-11) seeks to ensure that taxpayers who are victims of preparer fraud are not unfairly punished for actions they did not commit. 

A ghost preparer is someone who refuses to sign the taxpayer’s return as proof that they assisted in completing the return. Those who take a percentage of the taxpayer’s refund as their fee have an increased incentive to illegally increase the size of those refunds, but if the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) finds problems with the returns, the ghost preparers cannot be found. Ghost preparers target vulnerable individuals, often low-income clients who may have difficulty preparing their own returns or finding trusted tax professionals. 

Under current law, when the IRS determines a return is false or fraudulent, it may assess taxes and civil penalties against the taxpayer at any time, even if the taxpayer did not know or intend to submit a false return. This bill would make clear that the unlimited statute of limitations for tax fraud applies only when the taxpayer intended to commit fraud — not when a dishonest tax preparer acted without the taxpayer’s knowledge.

This bill won unanimous approval from the House W&M Committee and was approved by voice vote of the full House. It now sits with the Senate Finance Committee, which has already approved an identical provision as Section 1003 of the Taxpayers Assistance and Service Act. The most expeditious path to passage would be a motion to discharge H.R. 9499 from the Finance Committee, which could be approved by unanimous consent. The bill could then be offered to the full Senate for unanimous consent. 

EARLY Act Reauthorization of 2025

About 16% of new breast cancer patients in the United States are women younger than 50. Because most women do not begin regular screenings until age 40 or after, breast cancer diagnoses in younger women are often more advanced and therefore more difficult to treat. Since 2010, the EARLY Act has directed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to organize and administer campaigns to raise awareness about breast cancer risk, early detection, and risk-reducing choices for young women, particularly those under 40. The law also supports prevention research and education programs for doctors and other health care professionals who detect and treat breast cancer. These programs’ authorizations will expire at the end of this year. The EARLY Act Reauthorization of 2025 (S. 2339), introduced by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Mike Crapo (R-ID), would extend the authorizations through 2031. 

The Senate passed S. 2339 by unanimous consent on September 28. The House approved identical language reauthorizing the EARLY Act as part of a larger bill (H.R. 4541) led by Reps. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Kathy Castor (D-FL), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), and Diana Harshbarger (R-TN), which passed by a 394-6 vote. Such broad support suggests that the Senate bill is another candidate for passage via the House suspension calendar. With the potential to improve health outcomes across the country and strong support from Susan G. Komen Foundation, the American Cancer Society, and the American Medical Association, extending the EARLY Act would be a major bipartisan win in the closing days of this Congress. 

Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025

For more than 60 years, the Older Americans Act has been the backbone of the nation’s network of community-based services that help seniors live with health, dignity, and independence in their own homes; however, the program’s most recent authorization of appropriations expired at the end of fiscal year 2024. The Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025 (S. 2120) would renew the program, modernize services, and authorize appropriations through fiscal year 2030. Introduced by Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Rick Scott (R-FL), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Susan Collins (R-ME), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Edward Markey (D-MA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), the bill has strong bipartisan support.

Nutrition is a centerpiece of the bill. It would require nutrition services to add medically tailored meals to seniors’ medical needs where feasible. The bill also establishes a new competitive grant program offering innovative approaches that states and tribal grantees could use to reduce hunger and malnutrition, particularly in rural areas. The bill would also allow states to use up to 25% of group nutrition funds for “grab-and-go” meals. 

The bill would also strengthen the Aging Network. It would allow HHS to designate an official to lead on administering services for mental health, substance use, and cognitive impairments such as Alzheimer’s disease. It would improve coordination with the Disability Network, strengthen access to assistive technology, and call for a White House Conference on Aging. New safeguards, including fair market value and conflict-of-interest requirements, would govern area agencies’ business arrangements with health plans and other organizations. 

For family caregivers, the bill would improve caregiver assessments, emphasize respite care, and support a national resource center for the direct care workforce and family caregiver training. It would extend the Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren advisory council and the RAISE Family Caregivers Act through fiscal year 2030, and the bill would also create an Older Americans Tribal Advisory Committee and expand elder abuse prevention resources. 

The Senate passed this legislation unanimously on July 14. The full House could consider the bill under suspension of the rules and send it to the president’s desk before the 119th Congress ends. Doing so would give states, area agencies on aging, and the millions of seniors and caregivers they serve funding stability through fiscal year 2030.

John A. Hauser Mental Health in Aviation Act / Mental Health in Aviation Act of 2025

The John A. Hauser Mental Health in Aviation Act (S. 3257) and its House counterpart, the Mental Health in Aviation Act of 2025 (H.R. 2591), would modernize the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) approach to mental health and medical certification. The goal is to help pilots and air traffic controllers get the care they need without undue harm to their careers. The Senate bill is named for John A. Hauser, a University of North Dakota aviation student who took his own life in an aircraft in October 2021. Both versions would require the FAA to update its medical certification regulations to encourage individuals to disclose and seek help for mental health conditions. Both would also require periodic reviews of the mental health special issuance process, which allows pilots and air traffic controllers with disqualifying mental health or psychiatric conditions to obtain or keep a health certificate. And both would direct the FAA to implement, within two years, the April 2024 recommendations of its Mental Health & Aviation Medical Clearances Aviation Rulemaking Committee. Each bill would also fund additional aviation medical examiners, including psychiatrists, and a public information campaign to reduce stigma. 

The two versions differ in several respects that Congress will need to reconcile. The Senate bill sets an 18-month deadline for the regulatory update, while the House bill allows two years. The House bill calls for an annual review of the special issuance process, while the Senate bill instead calls for reviews every year for two years and every three years after that. The House bill also requires the FAA to implement the recommendations, while the Senate bill makes implementation discretionary but requires the FAA to justify any rejected recommendation within 90 days and conditions expanded examiner authority on enhanced mental health training. Additionally, the House bill sets aside $13.74 million per year through FY 2028 from existing FAA funds for medical examiners, oversight, and the special issuance backlog, plus $1.5 million per year for a public information campaign. The Senate bill provides up to $15 million per year over the same period for those purposes and enhanced examiner training. It also requires the campaign to be carried out without dedicated funding. 

The legislation has strong bipartisan support in both chambers. H.R. 2591 was introduced by Reps. Sean Casten (D-IL) and Pete Stauber (R-MN), and the House passed the amended bill on September 8, 2025. In the Senate, S. 3257 was introduced by Sens. John Hoeven (R-ND) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and passed by unanimous consent on September 24 after adopting a substitute amendment. Additionally, the legislation is endorsed by a broad coalition of aviation stakeholders, including the Air Line Pilots Association and National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), with NATCA publicly urging both chambers to resolve their differences and pass identical versions when lawmakers return in November.

The remaining step is for both chambers to agree on a single text, and the lame duck session offers an opportunity for final passage. S. 3257 has been held at the desk in the House since October 1. The House can therefore take up the Senate-passed text directly under suspension of the rules. Alternatively, the chambers could resolve their differences and move several aviation mental health bills together as a single package before the 119th Congress adjourns.

Rural Community Hospital Demonstration Program Reauthorization Act

The Rural Community Hospital Demonstration Program Reauthorization Act (S. 4460/H.R. 8967) continues a bipartisan and bicameral effort to protect access to health care for rural communities. The Act would extend authorization for the Rural Community Hospital Demonstration (RCHD) program created by Congress in 2003. The program allows participating hospitals to be reimbursed at a reasonable cost for inpatients and swing bed services, instead of being reimbursed under the inpatient prospective payment system. This increased reimbursement helps vulnerable hospitals continue providing services that would otherwise lose money. According to CMS most recent evaluation, the RCHD did improve Medicare inpatient margins, and hospital leaders consistently reported that RCHD participation was “crucial for maintaining financial viability.”

The program has been reauthorized three times since its creation. The current authorization expires June 30, 2028, though some hospital individual agreements end sooner. CMS reportedly has told some hospitals that it will not renew agreements until it is clear the program will be extended. The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) and the Kansas Hospital Association have cautioned that even a temporary lapse could threaten participating hospitals’ viability, resulting in cuts to services or even closures. 

Introduced by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) on April 30, the bill received immediate, broad, bipartisan support, passing the Senate by unanimous consent less than three weeks later. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-IA), Rep. Jared Golden (ME-02), Rep. Mike Flood (NE-01), Rep. Janelle Bynum (OR-05), and 12 other bipartisan cosponsors introduced an identical House version the same day the Senate bill was received in the House. The bill is endorsed by the American Hospital Association, the NRHA, and state hospital associations. Given its bipartisan support, this bill also could be a candidate for passage on the House suspension calendar.

Unlocking Native Lands and Opportunities for Commerce and Key Economic Developments (UNLOCKED) Act of 2025

The UNLOCKED Act (S. 3383) is a bipartisan measure to modernize how federally recognized Tribes lease and develop their trust lands, introduced by Sens. Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). According to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, many Tribes have the land and natural resources to support robust economic development, but outdated leasing and right-of-way requirements often delay projects, limit Tribal self-determination, and hinder effective use of federal infrastructure and economic development funding. 

Under the Long-Term Leasing Act, Tribal leases require the approval of the Secretary of the Interior and are capped at an initial 25-year term, with one renewal of up to 25 years. According to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, these limits can discourage developers and lenders from financing large-scale projects on Tribal lands. Tribes can get longer leasing authority only through Tribe-specific acts of Congress, and to date, Congress has amended the Act to give 58 Tribes their own long-term leasing authority. The UNLOCKED Act would let all federally recognized Tribes issue leases of up to 99 years, subject to secretarial approval. It would also let Tribes grant rights-of-way across Tribal lands directly under Tribal regulations approved by the Secretary of the Interior. This change builds on the 2012 HEARTH Act, which lets Tribes approve their own leases but leaves the related rights-of-way subject to federal approvals that can take years. Additionally, the Congressional Budget Office estimates its cost to be insignificant, and the bill contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates.

The Senate passed the bill, with an amendment, by unanimous consent on September 29. S. 3383 was received in the House on October 5 and is being held at the desk. The most direct path to enactment is for the House to take up and pass S. 3383, and the House has already shown support for the bill’s central leasing reform. On March 3, it passed H.R. 5910, bipartisan legislation that would extend 99-year leasing authority to all federally recognized Tribes. While it is not a direct companion to S. 3383 because it does not include the rights-of-way provisions, it shows House agreement on the core goal of S. 3383. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) has also introduced S. 4813, the companion bill to H.R. 5910, if Congress decides to focus on a narrower, leasing-only approach. 

ArentFox Schiff has been proud to advocate for several of these measures on behalf of our clients.