On December 26, 2025, the President signed several congressional bills into law. These laws cover a range of topics from environmental protection to veterans' rights and tax deadline extensions.
The “Save Our Seas 2.0 Amendments Act” (S. 216) authorizes funding for the Marine Debris Program through fiscal year 2029 and for the Marine Debris Foundation in fiscal year 2025. The law also changes some administrative requirements for both the program and foundation.
The “Congressional Award Program Reauthorization Act” (S. 284) retroactively reauthorizes the Congressional Award Board, which runs a program recognizing young people's achievements. This authorization is effective as if enacted on October 1, 2023, and continues through October 1, 2028.
Another measure, the “Great Lakes Fishery Research Reauthorization Act” (S. 2878), ensures continued funding to monitor, assess, and research fisheries in the Great Lakes Basin through fiscal year 2030.
The “Modernizing Access to our Public Waters Act of 2025,” or “MAPWaters Act of 2025” (H.R. 187), directs the Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior to standardize and publish data related to public outdoor recreational access on federal waterways as well as federal fishing restrictions.
With H.R. 410, known as the “Alaska Native Vietnam Era Veterans Land Allotment Extension Act of 2025,” Congress has extended the Alaska Native Vietnam Era Veterans Land Allotment Program until December 29, 2030.
Finally, H.R.1491, titled the “Disaster Related Extension of Deadlines Act,” requires that when a tax return deadline is postponed due to a federally-declared disaster or certain other events, this postponement will be treated as an official extension for purposes of calculating limits on tax refunds.
