Joaquin Castro

Advanced Coursework Equity Act

The proposal would require schools to identify and remove barriers that prevent students from lower-income backgrounds and certain racial or ethnic groups from enrolling in advanced classes like gifted programs and honors courses. Schools would need to use fair methods to identify talented students across all communities rather than relying only on traditional testing, and would have to track whether advanced programs are becoming more diverse. The changes would affect elementary and secondary school students, teachers, and administrators working to expand access to challenging coursework.

Securing Partner Supply Chains Act

This bill would require the federal government to assess and strengthen supply chains for critical goods and materials that the U.S. relies on from allied countries, aiming to reduce dependence on unreliable or hostile nations. It affects American manufacturers, defense contractors, and government agencies by establishing new standards for evaluating which foreign suppliers are trustworthy partners. The goal is to make sure the U.S. has secure access to essential materials and products during emergencies or conflicts.

Expressing support for the designation of the week beginning on September 8, 2025, as "National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week".

This resolution expresses support for the designation of National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week.

ARMAS Act of 2025

The bill's title and vague subject classification don't provide enough concrete detail to summarize what specific policy changes it would make. Based on the acronym "ARMAS" and the international affairs focus, it likely addresses some aspect of foreign policy, military assistance, or arms-related matters, but without access to the bill's actual text or more specific subject details, a factual summary of its concrete effects cannot be reliably written.

Terrorist Watchlist Modification Review Act

This bill would require the government to establish a process for people to challenge their placement on terrorist watchlists and seek removal if they believe they were wrongly added. The legislation aims to give individuals a fair way to dispute being on these lists, which can affect their ability to travel, work, and access certain services, while still allowing law enforcement to maintain security screening tools.

United States Development Finance Corporation Effectiveness Act

This bill would review and potentially strengthen how the U.S. Development Finance Corporation operates when providing loans and investments to support American businesses and development projects in other countries. The changes would likely focus on making sure the corporation is effectively competing with similar organizations from other countries and delivering results that benefit both U.S. companies and the countries receiving the investments.

Global Child Thrive Reauthorization Act of 2025

This bill would reauthorize and continue funding for international programs aimed at improving child health, nutrition, and development in low-income countries around the world. The legislation affects U.S. foreign aid spending and organizations that work on global child welfare initiatives, potentially expanding or modifying how American resources are directed toward reducing childhood mortality and improving living conditions for vulnerable children overseas.

PARTNER Act

Providing Appropriate Recognition and Treatment Needed to Enhance Relations Act or the PARTNER Act This bill authorizes the President to extend diplomatic immunities and privileges provided by the International Organizations Immunities Act, including immunity from certain lawsuits and exemption from property taxes, to specified international regional and research organizations. Specifically, the bill authorizes the President to extend these immunities and privileges to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a regional organization with 10 members including Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore, and Vietnam; the Pacific Islands Forum, a regional organization with 18 members including Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea; the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), a regional organization with 15 members and 6 associate members including Barbados, Grenada, Jamaica, and Saint Lucia; and the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), an international research organization focused on particle physics. The bill also authorizes the President to extend to the permanent observer mission of the African Union to the United Nations the privileges and immunities provided to permanent missions to the United Nations of member states.

Head Start for Our Future Act

This bill would expand and strengthen the Head Start program, which provides early childhood education and support services to low-income families with young children. The legislation likely aims to increase funding, improve teacher qualifications, or expand access to these preschool and developmental services for disadvantaged children before they enter kindergarten.

Reaffirming the United States commitment to respecting the sovereignty of Mexico and condemning calls for military action in Mexico without Mexico's consent and congressional authorization.

This resolution expresses Congress's support for Mexico's independence as a nation and opposes any military operations on Mexican soil unless Mexico agrees to them and Congress formally approves them. It pushes back against recent political rhetoric suggesting the U.S. military should take action in Mexico without Mexican permission, reaffirming that such actions would violate international law and Mexico's rights as a sovereign country.

Stop Arming Cartels Act of 2025

Stop Arming Cartels Act of 2025 This bill expands the regulation of .50 caliber rifles under federal firearms laws and authorizes new civil remedies for certain violations. Firearms that are trafficked from the United States to Mexico are often routed to transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), including cartels. In recent years, TCOs increasingly use .50 caliber rifles in attacks on Mexican security forces. In 2025, in Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. v. Estados Unidos Mexicanos , the U.S. Supreme Court held that the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) bars a civil lawsuit by Mexico against U.S. firearms manufacturers and one U.S. firearms distributor for costs associated with gun violence in Mexico. (The PLCAA limits the civil liability of firearms manufacturers and sellers for damages resulting from the criminal or unlawful misuse of firearms.) This bill generally criminalizes the import, sale, manufacture, transfer, and possession of .50 caliber rifles under the Gun Control Act and subjects .50 caliber rifles to regulation (i.e., registration and licensing requirements) under the National Firearms Act. Additionally, the bill criminalizes the sale or transfer of firearms and ammunition to foreign individuals or entities designated as significant foreign narcotics traffickers or as part of their networks and sanctioned under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act). Finally, the bill creates an exception under the PLCAA to allow civil lawsuits against firearms manufacturers or sellers that knowingly sell or transfer a firearm or ammunition to a foreign individual or entity designated and sanctioned under the Kingpin Act.