Legislative Activity

This resolution honors the life and legacy of the Honorable Kay Granger, celebrating her nearly 28 years of service in the U.S. House of Representatives. It recognizes her historic achievements as a trailblazer for women in public office, her dedicated advocacy for national defense, and her lasting contributions to the city of Fort Worth, Texas.

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 Biotechnology Diplomacy and Expertise Enhancement Act of 2026 mandates the integration of biotechnology expertise into the Department of State’s Regional Technology Officer program. By recruiting specialized experts and providing comprehensive training, the bill aims to strengthen U.S. diplomatic leadership, security, and innovation in the global biotechnology sector.

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, their spouses, and dependent children from purchasing or selling individual stocks to prevent conflicts of interest. Additionally, the bill mandates that voters provide valid photo identification when voting in person or by mail in federal elections.

The STRATA Act of 2026 establishes a State Department-led program to strengthen national security and economic competitiveness by partnering with trusted allies to develop secure, diversified critical mineral supply chains. The legislation fosters innovation through international research centers, streamlined technology adoption, and a digital platform for American businesses, while strictly prohibiting participation from adversarial nations. To ensure ongoing oversight, the Act includes a ten-year sunset provision that requires Congress to review and reauthorize these initiatives in the future.

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.

This act, the Heat Workforce Standards Act of 2025, prohibits the Secretary of Labor from finalizing, implementing, or enforcing the proposed rule regarding heat injury and illness prevention published in August 2024. This restriction extends to any future standard substantially similar to the one proposed.

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 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 2026 protects students and single-sex social organizations from adverse actions by colleges and universities that receive federal funding. The bill ensures that students can freely join or lead these organizations without facing institutional bias or discrimination based on their membership. It establishes clear standards to prevent schools from penalizing students or organizations solely for maintaining single-sex membership policies.

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.