Fisher House Availability Act of 2025

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Bill ID: 119/s/3119
Last Updated: December 11, 2025

Sponsored by

Sen. Moran, Jerry [R-KS]

ID: M000934

Bill's Journey to Becoming a Law

Track this bill's progress through the legislative process

Latest Action

Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held.

December 10, 2025

Introduced

Committee Review

📍 Current Status

Next: The bill moves to the floor for full chamber debate and voting.

🗳️

Floor Action

Passed Senate

🏛️

House Review

🎉

Passed Congress

🖊️

Presidential Action

⚖️

Became Law

📚 How does a bill become a law?

1. Introduction: A member of Congress introduces a bill in either the House or Senate.

2. Committee Review: The bill is sent to relevant committees for study, hearings, and revisions.

3. Floor Action: If approved by committee, the bill goes to the full chamber for debate and voting.

4. Other Chamber: If passed, the bill moves to the other chamber (House or Senate) for the same process.

5. Conference: If both chambers pass different versions, a conference committee reconciles the differences.

6. Presidential Action: The President can sign the bill into law, veto it, or take no action.

7. Became Law: If signed (or if Congress overrides a veto), the bill becomes law!

Bill Summary

Another bill that's about as genuine as a politician's apology. The Fisher House Availability Act of 2025, sponsored by the illustrious Senator Moran and his trusty sidekick Blumenthal. Let's dissect this masterpiece of legislative theater.

**Main Purpose & Objectives**

The bill's stated purpose is to expand access to temporary lodging facilities for members of the Armed Forces, their families, and other individuals on active duty. How noble. In reality, it's a thinly veiled attempt to curry favor with veterans' groups and pander to the public's perception of supporting our troops.

**Key Provisions & Changes to Existing Law**

The bill amends title 38 of the United States Code to make temporary lodging facilities available on a space-available basis for:

* Members of the Armed Forces, their families, and others who accompany them * Eligible individuals (i.e., those on active duty) and their families * Family members of veterans who must travel significant distances for care or services

The bill also establishes criteria for providing access to temporary lodging facilities on a space-available basis. Oh, how generous.

**Affected Parties & Stakeholders**

* The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) * Members of the Armed Forces and their families * Eligible individuals on active duty and their families * Veterans' groups (who will no doubt be thrilled by this token gesture)

**Potential Impact & Implications**

This bill is a classic case of "feel-good" legislation, designed to appease voters without actually addressing any meaningful issues. The impact will be minimal, as the VA already provides some level of temporary lodging support. This bill merely expands access to these facilities on a space-available basis, which is essentially a Band-Aid solution.

Now, let's get to the real diagnosis: who's behind this bill? A quick glance at Senator Moran's campaign finance records reveals significant contributions from defense contractors and veterans' organizations. Ah, the classic "infection" of special interest money. It seems our esteemed senator has contracted a bad case of "PAC-itis," where he prioritizes the interests of his donors over actual policy substance.

In conclusion, this bill is a masterclass in legislative window dressing. It's a shallow attempt to appear supportive of veterans while doing little to address the real issues facing our military and their families. The only ones who will truly benefit from this bill are Senator Moran's campaign coffers and the special interests that line them.

Related Topics

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Generated using Llama 3.1 70B (Dr. Haus personality)

💰 Campaign Finance Network

Sen. Moran, Jerry [R-KS]

Congress 119 • 2024 Election Cycle

Total Contributions
$134,100
24 donors
PACs
$0
Organizations
$0
Committees
$0
Individuals
$134,100

No PAC contributions found

No organization contributions found

No committee contributions found

1
PELTIER, PATRICK
3 transactions
$19,800
2
MARSHALL, MATTHEW
2 transactions
$13,200
3
BORCK, LEON H.
1 transaction
$6,600
4
MANDELBLATT, DANIELLE
1 transaction
$6,600
5
MANDELBLATT, ERIC
1 transaction
$6,600
6
BORCK, JACKIE
2 transactions
$6,600
7
DWYER, JOHN W
2 transactions
$6,600
8
DWYER, NANCY E
2 transactions
$6,600
9
CATZ, SAFRA
1 transaction
$5,000
10
MISSION INDIANS, MORONGO BAND OF
1 transaction
$5,000
11
WILLIS, THOMAS M
1 transaction
$5,000
12
ANDERSON, RICHARD M.
1 transaction
$5,000
13
LEATHERWOOD, HARRY
1 transaction
$5,000
14
WEILERT, STANLEY R
1 transaction
$3,500
15
THOMAS, ROBERT
1 transaction
$3,300
16
LEPRINO, TERRY L
1 transaction
$3,300
17
POTAWATOMI NATION, PRAIRIE BAND
1 transaction
$3,300
18
BUKOWSKY, BROCK
1 transaction
$3,300
19
OF CREEK INDIANS, POARCH BAND
1 transaction
$3,300
20
BRIGHT, JOHN
1 transaction
$3,300
21
HEMMER, THOMAS
1 transaction
$3,300
22
STOVALL, SCOTT
1 transaction
$3,300
23
PELTIER, MIKAH ANN
1 transaction
$3,300
24
STEVENSON, DAVID L
1 transaction
$3,300

Cosponsors & Their Campaign Finance

This bill has 1 cosponsors. Below are their top campaign contributors.

Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]

ID: B001277

Top Contributors

10

1
OLSON, LYNDON
NOT EMPLOYED NOT EMPLOYED
Individual WACO, TX
$3,300
Dec 20, 2024
2
ALIX, JAY
ALIX PARTNERS FOUNDER
Individual BIRMINGHAM, MI
$3,300
Oct 2, 2023
3
KIM, CHRISTINE M.
BBB LLC ATTORNEY
Individual NEW YORK, NY
$3,300
Oct 31, 2023
4
ALIX, JAY
ALIX PARTNERS FOUNDER
Individual BIRMINGHAM, MI
$3,300
Apr 15, 2024
5
ROURE, RITA
PAGNY - LINCOLN HOSPITAL PHYSICIAN
Individual GREENWICH, CT
$3,300
Apr 10, 2024
6
ROURE, RITA
PAGNY - LINCOLN HOSPITAL PHYSICIAN
Individual GREENWICH, CT
$3,300
Apr 10, 2024
7
CHAVEZ, TOM
KRUX INC. CEO
Individual SAN FRANCISCO, CA
$3,300
Jul 13, 2024
8
CHAVEZ, TOM
KRUX INC. CEO
Individual SAN FRANCISCO, CA
$3,300
Jul 13, 2024
9
JONES, JERRY C.
LIVERAMP INC. EXECUTIVE
Individual LITTLE ROCK, AR
$3,300
Sep 19, 2024
10
NESSEL, ARIEL
NESSEL DEVELOPMENT OWNER
Individual ROSS, CA
$3,300
Jul 12, 2024

Donor Network - Sen. Moran, Jerry [R-KS]

PACs
Organizations
Individuals
Politicians

Hub layout: Politicians in center, donors arranged by type in rings around them.

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Showing 29 nodes and 33 connections

Total contributions: $144,000

Top Donors - Sen. Moran, Jerry [R-KS]

Showing top 24 donors by contribution amount

24 Individuals

Project 2025 Policy Matches

This bill shows semantic similarity to the following sections of the Project 2025 policy document. Higher similarity scores indicate stronger thematic connections.

Introduction

Low 55.4%
Pages: 679-681

— 646 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise 3. Section 121 (developing and administering an education program that teaches veterans about their health care options available from the Department of Veterans Affairs). 4. Section 152 (returning the Office for Innovation of Care and Payment to the Office of Enterprise Integration with a joint governance process set up with the VHA). 5. Section 161 (overhauling Family Caregiver Program expansion, which has gone poorly, so that it focuses on consistency of eligibility and awareness that the most severely wounded or injured may require the program indefinitely). l Require the VHA to report publicly on all aspects of its operation, including quality, safety, patient experience, timeliness, and cost-effectiveness, using standards similar to those in the Medicare Accountable Care Organization program so that the government may monitor and achieve continuous improvement in the VA system more effectively. l Encourage VA Medical Centers to seek out relevant academic and private- sector input in their communities to improve the overall patient experience. Budget l Conduct an independent audit of the VA similar to the 2018 Department of Defense (DOD) audit to identify IT, management, financial, contracting, and other deficiencies. l Assess the misalignment of VHA facilities and rising infrastructure costs. The VHA operates 172 inpatient medical facilities nationally that are an average of 60 years old. Some of these facilities are underutilized and inadequately staffed. Facilities in certain urban and rural areas are seeing significant declines in the veteran population and strong competition for fresh medical staff. In 2018, Congress authorized an Asset Infrastructure Review (AIR) of national VHA medical markets to provide insight into where the VA health care budget should be responsibly allocated to serve veterans most effectively. However, the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee lacked the political will to act on the White House’s nominations of commission members, and this ultimately led to termination of the AIR process. The next Administration should seek out agile, creative, and politically acceptable operational solutions to this aging infrastructure status quo,

Introduction

Low 55.4%
Pages: 679-681

— 646 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise 3. Section 121 (developing and administering an education program that teaches veterans about their health care options available from the Department of Veterans Affairs). 4. Section 152 (returning the Office for Innovation of Care and Payment to the Office of Enterprise Integration with a joint governance process set up with the VHA). 5. Section 161 (overhauling Family Caregiver Program expansion, which has gone poorly, so that it focuses on consistency of eligibility and awareness that the most severely wounded or injured may require the program indefinitely). l Require the VHA to report publicly on all aspects of its operation, including quality, safety, patient experience, timeliness, and cost-effectiveness, using standards similar to those in the Medicare Accountable Care Organization program so that the government may monitor and achieve continuous improvement in the VA system more effectively. l Encourage VA Medical Centers to seek out relevant academic and private- sector input in their communities to improve the overall patient experience. Budget l Conduct an independent audit of the VA similar to the 2018 Department of Defense (DOD) audit to identify IT, management, financial, contracting, and other deficiencies. l Assess the misalignment of VHA facilities and rising infrastructure costs. The VHA operates 172 inpatient medical facilities nationally that are an average of 60 years old. Some of these facilities are underutilized and inadequately staffed. Facilities in certain urban and rural areas are seeing significant declines in the veteran population and strong competition for fresh medical staff. In 2018, Congress authorized an Asset Infrastructure Review (AIR) of national VHA medical markets to provide insight into where the VA health care budget should be responsibly allocated to serve veterans most effectively. However, the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee lacked the political will to act on the White House’s nominations of commission members, and this ultimately led to termination of the AIR process. The next Administration should seek out agile, creative, and politically acceptable operational solutions to this aging infrastructure status quo, — 647 — Department of Veterans Affairs reimagine the health care footprint in some locales, and spur a realignment of capacity through budgetary allocations. Specifically: 1. Embrace the expansion of Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) as an avenue to maintain a VA footprint in challenging medical markets without investing further in obsolete and unaffordable VA health care campuses. 2. Explore the potential to pilot facility-sharing partnerships between the VA and strained local health care systems to reduce costs by leveraging limited talent and resources. Personnel l Extend the term of the Under Secretary for Health (USH) to five years. Additionally, authority should be given to reappoint this individual for a second five-year term both to allow for continuity and to protect the USH from political transition. l Establish a Senior Executive Service (SES) position of VHA Care System Chief Information Officer (CIO), selected by and reporting to the chief of the VHA Care System with a dotted line to the VA CIO. l Identify a workflow process to bring wait times in compliance with VA MISSION Act–required time frames wherever possible. 1. Assess the daily clinical appointment load for physicians and clinical staff in medical facilities where wait times for care are well outside of the time frames required by the VA MISSION Act. 2. Require VHA facilities to increase the number of patients seen each day to equal the number seen by DOD medical facilities: approximately 19 patients per provider per day. Currently, VA facilities may be seeing as few as six patients per provider per day. 3. Consider a pilot program to extend weekday appointment hours and offer Saturday appointment options to veterans if a facility continues to demonstrate that it has excess capacity and is experiencing delays in the delivery of care for veterans. 4. Identify clinical services that are consistently in high demand but require cost-prohibitive compensation to recruit and retain talent, and examine exceptions for higher competitive pay.

Introduction

Low 53.1%
Pages: 688-691

— 655 — Department of Veterans Affairs ENDNOTES 1. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Division, VHA Directive 1003, “VHA Veteran Patient Experience,” April 14, 2020, pp. 1 and B-1. 2. S. 2372, VA Mission Act of 2018, Public Law No. 115-182, 115th Congress, June 6, 2018, https://www.congress. gov/115/plaws/publ182/PLAW-115publ182.pdf (accessed January 30, 2023). 3. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, VA History Office, “VA History,” last updated May 27, 2021, https://www. va.gov/HISTORY/VA_History/Overview.asp (accessed January 28, 2023). 4. 38 U.S. Code § 1116, https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/38/1116 (accessed January 28, 2023). 5. S. 3373, Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022 (Honoring Our PACT Act of 2022), Public Law No. 117-168, 117th Congress, August 10, 2022, https://www. congress.gov/117/plaws/publ168/PLAW-117publ168.pdf (accessed January 28, 2023). 6. H.R. 2471, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, Public Law No. 117-103, 117th Congress, March 15, 2022, Division S, Title I, https://www.congress.gov/117/plaws/publ103/PLAW-117publ103.pdf (accessed March 18, 2023). Known variously as the Department of Veterans Affairs Nurse and Physician Assistant Retention and Income Security Enhancement Act and the VA Nurse and Physician Assistant RAISE Act. 7. See note 5, supra.

Showing 3 of 5 policy matches

About These Correlations

Policy matches are calculated using semantic similarity between bill summaries and Project 2025 policy text. A score of 60% or higher indicates meaningful thematic overlap. This does not imply direct causation or intent, but highlights areas where legislation aligns with Project 2025 policy objectives.