Legislative Activity

This resolution designates the first week of August as "National Community Health Center Week" to honor the vital role these centers play in providing comprehensive primary care to millions of Americans. It celebrates the 60-year legacy of community health centers in improving public health outcomes, supporting local economies, and expanding access to essential services. The bill encourages all Americans to visit their local centers and recognize the dedicated staff and partners who make this care possible.

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 Stop Insider Trading Act restricts Members of Congress and their immediate families from purchasing individual stocks and requires public notice before selling existing holdings to prevent conflicts of interest. Additionally, the bill establishes a national photo identification requirement for voting in federal elections, including specific provisions for in-person and mail-in ballots.

The American Franchise Act aims to protect the traditional franchise business model by clarifying the definition of a "joint employer." This legislation establishes that a franchisor is only considered a joint employer if it exercises "substantial direct and immediate control" over the essential terms of employment for a franchisee's workers. This change specifically targets liability risks associated with maintaining brand standards, ensuring franchisors are not automatically held responsible for local labor practices. The new standard applies prospectively to future legal proceedings.

The "Combating Illicit Xylazine Act" aims to combat the illegal use of xylazine by adding it to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act, which would allow for increased regulation and tracking of the substance. The bill includes exemptions and delayed effective dates for certain requirements to ease the transition for legitimate users, such as veterinarians and animal handlers. It also directs the Sentencing Commission to review sentencing guidelines for xylazine-related offenses and mandates reports to Congress on the prevalence and impact of illicit xylazine use. Finally, it will include xylazine in Arcos tracking.

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 Sunshine Protection Act of 2025 proposes making daylight saving time the permanent, year-round standard time across the United States. By advancing standard time zones by one hour, the bill eliminates the need for biannual clock changes. Additionally, it provides states that currently observe standard time year-round the option to maintain their existing timekeeping practices.

The Birthright CLAIM Act of 2026 proposes significant restrictions on automatic U.S. citizenship for children born to non-citizen parents, requiring at least one parent to be a lawful permanent resident. The bill also increases residency requirements for transmitting citizenship to children born abroad and mandates DNA testing to verify paternity when citizenship is claimed through a U.S. citizen father.

The NSF AI Education Act of 2025 significantly expands the National Science Foundation's role in bolstering the AI workforce through education and training. It establishes new scholarships and fellowships for students and professionals in AI-related fields, while also creating Centers of AI Excellence at community colleges and technical schools. Furthermore, the bill funds research awards to develop effective AI teaching methods and materials for K-12 education. Overall, this legislation aims to build a robust, skilled, and diverse AI talent pipeline across all educational levels.

This bill authorizes the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal to recognize the collective heroism of the individuals who defended Bataan, Corregidor, and other locations in the Pacific theater during World War II. The medal honors the extraordinary sacrifice of U.S. service members and Filipino forces who fought and endured imprisonment by Imperial Japan. Following the presentation, the medal will be permanently displayed at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. The legislation also allows for the production and sale of bronze duplicate medals.

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 SHARE Act of 2025 establishes new federal requirements for the FBI to share criminal history record information with states participating in professional licensing interstate compacts. This information sharing is strictly for the purpose of conducting background checks on applicants seeking to practice a profession in another compact state. States receiving this data are severely restricted on how they can use or further disseminate the detailed criminal history, generally only being permitted to report a binary "satisfactory" or "unsatisfactory" determination back to the compact's Commission.

This bill directs the presentation of Congressional Gold Medals to the crew of the Artemis II mission to recognize their historic achievements in returning humans beyond low Earth orbit. The medals will honor the crew's role in setting new space exploration records and paving the way for future lunar and Mars missions. The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to strike these medals and produce bronze duplicates for sale.

The TSP Modernization Act facilitates the electronic transfer of funds from Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) accounts to qualified retirement plans. This change will take effect one year after the bill is enacted, allowing participants to move their savings more efficiently. The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board is responsible for implementing this new electronic transfer process.

This bill strengthens U.S. access to critical minerals by authorizing international partnerships and agreements to build secure, transparent supply chains with allies. It establishes Energy Security Compacts to diversify energy and mineral sources while protecting American jobs and the environment. Finally, the legislation creates new leadership roles and exchange programs at the State Department to build a skilled domestic mining workforce and counter foreign leverage over essential resources.

The License to Drill Act extends the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) authority to collect oil and gas permit processing fees until 2037. This extension ensures that fees collected from 2027 through 2037 are directly transferred to the BLM Permit Processing Improvement Fund.

This Act authorizes the President to award the Medal of Honor to Robert Lodge for his valorous actions while serving in the Air Force during the Vietnam War on May 10, 1972. The legislation specifically waives any existing time limits that would otherwise prevent the posthumous presentation of the award.

This Act aims to address the mental health needs following pregnancy loss through two main avenues. Title I expands and intensifies research by the National Institute of Mental Health to understand the causes and treatments for related mental health complications, including establishing a national longitudinal study. Title II amends existing grant programs to ensure funding is available for delivering clinical mental health services and support to individuals who have experienced a pregnancy loss.

This resolution calls upon all Americans to honor the service members who died defending freedom and peace, particularly on Memorial Day 2026. It recognizes the ultimate sacrifice of over one million Americans in pursuit of these ideals. The bill emphasizes the importance of continuing to express gratitude and commemorate these patriots.

The Protect Domestic Oil and Gas Small Business Act of 2026 exempts small "marginal wells" from specific performance standards and reporting requirements set by the EPA under the Clean Air Act. This legislation aims to reduce regulatory burdens on these smaller oil and gas operations. The bill also mandates automatic approval for state plans that remove these standards for marginal wells.