The White House announced that President Donald Trump signed 10 bills into law on Tuesday October 20, covering a wide range of issues from Social Security and online dating scams to human trafficking and domestic manufacturing.
The measures include new protections for dating-app users who have communicated with suspected fraudsters, the redesignation of an Arizona national monument as a national park, and an opportunity for some clergy members to reverse their Social Security exemption.
The Clergy Act
H.R. 227, known as the Clergy Act, affects members of the clergy, which include church ministers, members of religious orders, and Christian Science practitioners, who had previously obtained an exemption from Social Security coverage.
The new law creates a two-year period during which eligible members of the clergy can apply to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to revoke that exemption, allowing them to rejoin Social Security coverage.
The legislation is designed to create another opportunity for clergy members who previously opted out of Social Security coverage to reverse that decision. Existing law generally prevents such an exemption from being revoked, so H.R. 227 creates a specific exception to that rule.
Pleasant Valley Ranger District Land Transfer
H.R. 837 concerns federal land in Arizona. The law requires the federal government to transfer the ownership of the Pleasant Valley Ranger District Administrative Site, which is in Arizona's Tonto National Forest, to Gila County.
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The property is being transferred without payment for the land itself, although the county must pay costs associated with the conveyance, such as surveys and required environmental analyses.
The law is now enacted, but the land doesn't simply change hands immediately. Gila County must make a written request for the property within 180 days of enactment.
Critical Infrastructure Manufacturing Feasibility Act
H.R. 1721, the Critical Infrastructure Manufacturing Feasibility Act, is aimed at establishing whether high-demand products that are needed by America's “16 designated critical infrastructure sectors,” which include Chemical, Energy, Healthcare, Transportation Systems and Water and Wastewater, could be manufactured domestically.
The law directs the Secretary of Commerce to identify products that are in high demand but are being imported because of U.S. manufacturing, material, or supply-chain constraints. Officials must examine the costs and benefits of making them in America, including potential effects on jobs, working conditions, and product prices.
The study must be conducted within one year, while a report containing its findings and recommendations must be submitted to Congress and published on the Department of Commerce website within 18 months.
Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe Project Lands Restoration Act
H.R. 2388, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe Project Lands Restoration Act, gives approximately 1,082.63 acres of federal land in Washington to the Lower Elwha Tribal Community, or Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, making the land part of the Lower Elwha Indian Reservation and restoring it to tribal trust status.
The legislation directly benefits the tribe and changes the legal status of the specified federal land. It also directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a survey to define the property's boundaries “as soon as practicable” after enactment.
The legislation specifies that the transferred land can’t be treated as Indian lands for the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.
Romance Scam Prevention Act
H.R. 2481, the Romance Scam Prevention Act, introduces new protections for people using online dating services.
Online dating platforms will now have to warn users who have received messages from members who have been banned for fraudulent activity. The warning must identify the banned account and warn that the person “may have been using a false identity or attempting to defraud members.” It must also advise users not to send money or financial information and provide fraud-prevention and customer-service information.
Providers must generally send the notification within 24 hours of imposing a fraud ban, though they can delay it for up to three days under certain circumstances.
Southcentral Foundation Land Transfer Act
H.R. 3620, the Southcentral Foundation Land Transfer Act of 2025, concerns property in Anchorage, Alaska.
The law requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to transfer approximately 3.372 acres of federally owned property in Anchorage, to the Southcentral Foundation, which must be used for health and social-services programs.
Like the Gila County legislation, the foundation doesn’t have to pay the federal government for the property, but the Secretary must complete the conveyance “as soon as practicable, but not later than two years.”
Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act
H.R. 4307, the Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act, focuses on the role some federal employees can play in spotting possible human trafficking.
The law requires the Secretary of Labor to establish a training and continuing-education program for certain Department of Labor employees to help them detect human trafficking while carrying out their jobs. Training must include identifying suspected victims and suspected traffickers and procedures for referring potential cases to the Department of Justice and other appropriate authorities.
The Labor Secretary has 180 days from enactment to implement the training program. The law also requires “periodic continuing education,” rather than just making this a one-off training exercise.
Vicksburg National Military Park Boundary Modification Act
H.R. 4467, the Vicksburg National Military Park Boundary Modification Act, authorizes another federal land transfer.
The law requires the Secretary of the Interior to transfer a total of approximately 7.43 acres within the Vicksburg National Military Park to the State of Mississippi without payment. The law states that Mississippi must use the land to “facilitate public access to the Park and to enhance the visitor experience.”
Chiricahua National Park Act
H.R. 6380, the Chiricahua National Park Act, changes Chiricahua’s official status from a national monument to a national park.
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The law redesignates Chiricahua National Monument in Arizona as Chiricahua National Park. Importantly, this doesn’t create an entirely new protected area: the monument's existing boundaries become the national park boundaries.
It also requires protection of traditional cultural and religious sites and consultation with Indian tribes. Tribe members must be provided access for traditional cultural and customary uses, while the Secretary of the Interior can temporarily close “one or more specific areas of the National Park to protect traditional cultural and customary uses in the area by members of the Indian Tribe.”
License to Drill Act
Finally, H.R. 7831, the License to Drill Act, deals with fees charged for applications for permits to drill for oil and gas.
The law means oil and gas companies applying for new permits to drill on federal land will continue paying application processing fees through 2037. The requirement had previously been due to expire in 2026.
The measure will, therefore, mostly affect companies applying for new federal oil and gas drilling permits, as well as the federal agencies responsible for processing those applications.
What Do the New Laws Mean for Americans?
While the 10 laws cover largely unrelated areas, several will produce tangible changes for individuals and businesses, while others primarily affect government agencies, land management or specific communities.
Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: John Fitzpatrick and Paul Donnelley.