Legislation

The Stronger Start for Working Families Act aims to significantly expand access to the refundable Child Tax Credit. This legislation lowers the required earned income threshold for eligibility from \$3,000 to just \$1. These changes are set to take effect for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2025.

The Disaster Zone Energy Affordability and Investment Act aims to support businesses recovering from recent disasters. This legislation allows affected taxpayers to transfer additional unused general business tax credits based on their eligible expenditures within the disaster area. These provisions apply to areas declared a major or state disaster after December 31, 2023.

The Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act of 2026 clarifies the regulatory status of certain software developers in the digital asset space. This bill specifically exempts non-controlling developers and service providers for distributed ledger technology from being classified as "money transmitters" under federal law. This exemption applies when their activities involve creating software or providing infrastructure support, rather than controlling user transactions. The Act ensures these foundational developers are not subject to money transmission registration requirements based solely on their technical contributions.

The Public Health Nursing Act establishes a new federal program to strengthen the public health nursing workforce. This initiative provides grants to state, local, and territorial health departments to recruit, hire, and train registered nurses for public health roles, especially in underserved areas. Funds will support direct nursing services, necessary supplies, and administrative costs, prioritizing areas with high rates of chronic disease and poor maternal/infant outcomes.

The Critical Mineral Mining Education Act of 2026 establishes programs within the Department of State to address the U.S. shortage of skilled mining professionals. It creates educational opportunities through scholarships, internships, and international exchanges focused on critical minerals. The Act also establishes fellowship programs to send U.S. students abroad and bring foreign experts to the U.S. to build domestic mining education capacity. These initiatives are authorized through fiscal year 2030 (for one program) and funded through 2035 (for the fellowship programs).

The Multiemployer Plan Relief Act amends the Internal Revenue Code to create an exception to automatic enrollment requirements for multiemployer pension plans. This change places multiemployer plans alongside governmental and church plans as exempt from these specific automatic enrollment rules. The provision is set to take effect for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2024.

The COLAs Don’t Count Act of 2026 amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to exclude specific supplementary payments made under Section 1616(a) of the Social Security Act from being counted as income for SNAP eligibility and benefit calculations. This change aims to ensure these payments do not negatively impact a household's federal nutrition assistance. The Act is set to take effect on October 1, 2027.

The Credit Card Competition Act of 2026 mandates new federal regulations to increase competition in credit card processing networks. These rules will prevent large card issuers and networks from limiting transaction routing options available to merchants. The Federal Reserve must establish these rules within one year, while also creating a national security risk list for payment networks.

This bill mandates the Department of Defense to develop and report on a new, comprehensive cyber workforce strategy by January 2027. The strategy must assess progress on the existing framework, detail workforce size and goals, and outline resource requirements. It also requires identifying roadblocks and opportunities for leveraging external partnerships and commercial tools to improve talent acquisition and development.

This bill officially renames the United States Postal Service facility located at 46164 Westlake Drive in Sterling, Virginia. The building will now be known as the "Firefighter Trevor Brown Post Office Building." This designation will be used in all official records and references to the facility going forward.

This bill, the PUBLIC SAFETY Act, redirects federal enforcement appropriations to significantly boost funding for local law enforcement through the COPS Hiring Program and the Byrne JAG Program. It provides substantial new resources to help local governments hire more police officers and support justice initiatives. Furthermore, it waives matching fund requirements for smaller jurisdictions seeking COPS grants.

The Equality in the Halls of Congress Act allows the five U.S. territories and commonwealths—American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands—to each contribute one statue to the National Statuary Hall Collection. This legislation ensures these jurisdictions are represented alongside the 50 states in the collection. The Architect of the Capitol is tasked with implementing the necessary steps to acquire and place these statues.

The AI for Mainstreet Act aims to support small businesses by integrating artificial intelligence assistance into the Small Business Development Center program. This initiative will provide guidance, training, and resources to help small businesses evaluate and effectively use AI in their operations. The bill defines AI for the purposes of the Small Business Act but does not authorize any new federal funding for these expanded services.

The No American Benefits Abroad Act prohibits individuals receiving public assistance from sending money outside the United States via international wire transfer. This legislation requires wire transfer providers to obtain written confirmation from senders regarding their receipt of public assistance benefits. The goal is to restrict the use of U.S. welfare funds for transfers abroad.

The Bike the Border Act mandates that U.S. Customs and Border Protection must establish procedures to facilitate non-motorized crossings, such as by bicycle and on foot, across the Gordie Howe International Bridge within one year of enactment. The bill also requires a government accountability report to review the progress and offer recommendations for further encouraging this type of cross-border traffic.

The Homeland Threat Response Act authorizes U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to assist federal, state, and local authorities in investigations, response, threat mitigation, and resolution of acts of terrorism, mass violence, and certain violent acts. This amendment expands the role of CBP within the Department of Homeland Security to provide critical support during such emergencies.

This resolution supports designating 2026 as the "International Year of the Woman Farmer." It recognizes the vital and critical role women play in agriculture both in the United States and globally. The designation aims to honor their contributions to food systems and encourage future participation in the agricultural workforce.

This joint resolution directs the President to remove U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Iran unless Congress has explicitly authorized such military action. It asserts that no such authorization currently exists. The bill permits continued activities like intelligence sharing and assisting allies with necessary defensive measures against Iranian threats.

The Genomic Answers for Children’s Health Act of 2026 mandates that state Medicaid programs cover whole genome and whole exome sequencing for children with specific medical conditions, effective January 1, 2027. This sequencing is to be covered as a first-tier diagnostic test for genetic disorders, rare diseases, or conditions of unknown origin. The bill also directs the HHS Secretary to promote awareness and address implementation challenges for this new mandatory benefit.

This resolution expresses support for the designation of the week of January 25-31, 2026, as the 52nd annual National Catholic Schools Week. It recognizes the significant contributions of Catholic schools across the U.S. for their academic excellence and values-based education. The bill specifically applauds these institutions for serving a diverse student population and promoting a brighter future for the nation.