Legislative Activity

The Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Reauthorization Act of 2026 extends vital funding for ALS research and clinical trial programs through 2031. This legislation strengthens oversight by enhancing grant review processes, improving safety reporting requirements, and mandating a comprehensive five-year FDA action plan to accelerate the development of treatments for rare neurodegenerative diseases.

The MOMMIES Act aims to improve maternal health outcomes by expanding Medicaid and CHIP coverage for pregnant and postpartum individuals to a full year. The bill mandates comprehensive benefits, including oral health services, and establishes a maternity care home demonstration project to provide coordinated, culturally appropriate care. Additionally, it increases provider reimbursement rates for primary care, promotes access to doula services, and requires federal studies to address disparities and improve telehealth access in maternal care.

The Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025 aims to streamline and modernize the prior authorization process within Medicare Advantage plans. This bill mandates the adoption of electronic prior authorization systems and significantly increases transparency regarding approval rates and decision times starting in 2027. Furthermore, it establishes new enrollee protections and grants the Secretary authority to enforce faster decision timeframes for medical services.

The Mamas First Act aims to improve maternal health outcomes and reduce mortality rates by mandating Medicaid coverage for doula, midwife, and lactation support services. This legislation ensures that these essential prenatal, labor, and postpartum care services are provided without out-of-pocket costs to patients. By expanding access to these culturally congruent care providers, the bill seeks to address significant disparities in maternal health across the United States.

The TEACH Improvement Act of 2026 reforms the TEACH Grant program by updating award amounts, streamlining the service obligation process, and establishing new oversight measures for participating institutions. The bill introduces stricter accountability for schools with high grant-to-loan conversion rates and creates a formal process for borrowers to have erroneously converted loans reinstated as grants. Additionally, it mandates expanded reporting and enhanced servicer accountability to ensure the program effectively supports future educators.

This resolution honors Danette Anthony Reed for her distinguished 50-year membership and her leadership as the 31st International President and CEO of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. It recognizes her commitment to advancing initiatives that empower families, promote economic wealth, and advocate for social justice within local communities.

The Fresh Bucks for Fresh Produce Act establishes a federal pilot program that provides $60 in monthly benefits to low-income households for the purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables. By awarding grants to states, the program aims to increase food security, expand access to healthy produce, and support local retailers in underserved communities.

The Save MEDICARE Act of 2026 aims to increase transparency and accountability within the Medicare Advantage program by reforming payment methodologies, tightening oversight of diagnosis coding, and accelerating audit processes. The bill also enhances the Department of Veterans Affairs' ability to recover healthcare costs from private insurers and empowers states to enforce federal requirements for Medicare Advantage plans. These measures are designed to ensure more accurate payments, reduce deceptive practices, and protect resources for all Medicare enrollees.

This resolution congratulates the Carolina Hurricanes on winning the 2026 Stanley Cup Championship, their first in 20 years. It celebrates their dominant playoff run, significant economic impact on Wake County, and extensive community contributions. The bill also recognizes the outstanding performances of the players, coaches, and staff who brought the championship back to Raleigh.

The Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act strengthens worker protections by amending the Fair Labor Standards Act to mandate pay transparency, guarantee timely final pay, and significantly increase penalties for wage theft. It also extends the statute of limitations for filing wage claims and establishes a federal grant program to support local efforts in preventing wage theft and assisting workers with recovery. Overall, the bill aims to ensure workers receive the full wages they are owed through stricter enforcement and greater accountability for employers.

The Freedom of Association in Higher Education Act of 2025 aims to protect students' rights to join single-sex social organizations at colleges receiving federal funding. This bill prevents institutions from taking adverse action against students or groups solely because of sex-based membership policies. It ensures these organizations are treated fairly compared to other campus groups regarding participation and privileges. Ultimately, the Act safeguards a student's freedom to choose their associations, including single-sex clubs.

The LIFT the BAR Act repeals decades-old restrictions that barred many lawfully present noncitizens from accessing essential federal public benefits. This legislation restores eligibility for programs like SNAP, Medicaid, CHIP, and housing assistance for qualified noncitizens. The bill also updates terminology, replacing "alien" with "noncitizen" throughout relevant statutes.

The Pell Grant Preservation and Expansion Act of 2026 aims to significantly strengthen federal student aid by doubling the maximum Pell Grant award and funding it through mandatory appropriations. This bill also expands eligibility to include Dreamer students, restores Pell Grant eligibility for students with certain scholarships, and reforms Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) rules to make regaining aid easier after academic setbacks. These changes are designed to stabilize and expand access to postsecondary education for millions of students.

The CHILD Labor Act significantly strengthens protections against child labor by expanding the definition of oppressive child labor and requiring updated regulations for hazardous work under the Fair Labor Standards Act. It enhances enforcement through supply chain accountability, extended "hot goods" restrictions, liability for successor businesses, and increased civil and criminal penalties for violations. Furthermore, the Act imposes strict child labor requirements on federal contractors and recipients of federal financial assistance.

This bill, the "Protect Local Funding Act," prohibits the finalization, implementation, or enforcement of the proposed "Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance" published on May 29, 2026, or any substantially similar rule. It prevents federal agencies from enacting this specific regulation concerning federal financial assistance.

This bill, the "Expanding Access to Credit through Consumer-Permissioned Data Act," amends the Equal Credit Opportunity Act to require mortgage lenders to consider additional, consumer-permissioned credit information, such as rent payments, when evaluating loan applications. This aims to expand mortgage access for millions of consumers whose credit history is not fully reflected in traditional reports. Lenders must provide applicants with a notice explaining this right, and underwriting systems must be updated to process this alternative data.

The Keep Public Funds in Public Schools Act of 2026 aims to redirect funding by eliminating federal tax incentives for private school scholarships. Specifically, it repeals the tax credit for contributions to scholarship-granting organizations and removes the income exclusion for certain scholarship amounts received. These changes are set to take effect starting in 2027.

This bill, the "Artificial Intelligence Environmental Impacts Act of 2026," mandates a comprehensive study by the EPA on the environmental and energy impacts of AI data centers and infrastructure. It also requires the National Institute of Standards and Technology to establish a consortium to develop measurement standards for these impacts. Finally, the legislation establishes an annual public reporting system for large AI data centers detailing their environmental footprint.

This bill expresses support for designating June 5, 2026, as "National Gun Violence Awareness Day" and the entire month of June 2026 as "National Gun Violence Awareness Month." The designations aim to honor the nearly 47,000 people killed by gunfire each year and raise public awareness about the devastating impact of gun violence. The resolution encourages the public to wear orange on that day and focus on community efforts to promote gun safety.

The Protecting Student Privacy Act amends the Higher Education Act to safeguard student financial aid information from being used for immigration enforcement purposes by federal, state, or local agencies. This bill specifically prohibits the sharing of this personally identifiable data with immigration enforcement entities unless compelled by a court order or with voluntary, uncoerced consent from the individual. Furthermore, the Act mandates reporting to Congress if any violations of this privacy protection occur.