Proposed legislation related to civil rights: August 23, 2025 - December 10, 2025

Reminder: Topics include race/racism, ethnicity (no immigration policy), religion, DEI, and affirmative action.

S.2827 - Fair Housing Improvement Act of 2025. To amend the Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination based on source of income, veteran status, or military status.
Introduced September 17, 2025 by Tim Kaine (D-VA). Cosponsored by 15 Democrats, one Independent (Bernie Sanders-VT), and no Democrats. JOHN FETTERMAN was original cosponsor. Referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs the same day. Still in committee.
Comment: Income related to SSI or veterans subsidies may not be used as a factor to disqualify an applicant for housing.

S.2840 - Financial Exploitation Prevention Act of 2025. To amend the Investment Company Act of 1940 to postpone the date of payment or satisfaction upon redemption of certain securities in the case of the financial exploitation of specified adults.
Introduced September 17, 2025 by Bill Hagerty (R-TN). Cosponsored by five Democrats and two Republicans. Referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs the same day. Still in committee.
Comment: Protects adults 65+ from exploitation by bad actors.

EC2071 – October 23, 2025. From the Director for Public Affairs and Congressional Relations, Comptroller of the Currency, Department of the Treasury, transmitting, pursuant to law, the Office of the Comptroller's 2024 Office of Minority and Women Inclusion Annual Report to Congress; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
Comment: For two seconds, I thought that congress.gov had finally decided to upload these ECs to the site. After all, ECs are part of the congressional record, same as a bill. But of course not! To read this, you’ll have to contact your legislators or file a FOIA request.

S.3263 - Stop TSP ESG Act. To amend title 5, United States Code, to prohibit qualified professional asset managers from exercising voting rights associated with the ownership of securities by the Thrift Savings Fund.
Introduced November 20, 2025 by Raphael Cruz (R-TX). No cosponsors. Referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs the same day. Still in committee.
Note: TSP = Thrift Savings Plan (for government employees). ESG = Environmental, Social, and Governance. Here is Cruz’s press release about this bill:
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) introduced the Stop TSP ESG Act. The legislation would prevent professional asset managers who manage federal employee retirement funds from using those taxpayer dollars to push Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies through corporate shareholder votes. The retirement savings program for U.S. government employees is the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), which holds over $1 trillion in assets and in which the core mutual funds are managed primarily by BlackRock Capital Advisers and State Street Global Advisors, which use their TSP holdings to exert proxy voting power to push ESG and DEI policies.
Comment: Cruz doesn’t see the irony in his introducing an anti-DEI bill?

H.R.6181 - John Lewis Every Child Deserves a Family Act. To prohibit discrimination on the basis of religion, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), and marital status in the administration and provision of child welfare services, to improve safety, well-being, and permanency for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning foster youth.
Introduced November 20, 2025 by Danny Davis (D-IL). Cosponsored by 131 Democrats and zero Republicans. Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce the same day. Still in committee.
Comment: Please, please, if this is a topic that you care about, follow this bill. And read it. The “findings” section is powerful. Long and short, a child may not be denied life in a foster home just because they are LGBTQIA+. Nor may prospective foster or adoptive parents be disqualified because they are LGBTQIA+.
Snarky comment, but not really snarky: According to Melania Trump, foster care and adoption are Republican priorities. Isn’t that Melania’s “signature” cause? So why aren’t any of them supporting a bill that would grant thousands upon thousands of children a home?

H.R.6226 - Latino Youth Mental Health Empowerment Act. To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for a national awareness and outreach campaign to improve mental health among the Hispanic and Latino youth population.
Introduced November 20, 2025 by Andrea Salinas (D-OR). Cosponsored by eight Democrats and no Republicans. Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce the same day. Still in committee.
Comment: This bill doesn’t ask for funding for mental health services. It merely requests that Health and Human Services conduct a study to determine what mental health services are needed by the Hispanic and Latino community.

POM26 – (Petition or Memorial). December 10, 2025. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of the State of Alaska urging the United States Congress to award Hmong veterans of the Vietnam War the Congressional Gold Medal; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

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