Legislative Activity

This bill, the MTS CYBER Act of 2026, directs the Comptroller General to review the budget, resources, and capabilities of the Coast Guard in its role as a Sector Risk Management Agency for the marine transportation system. The review will assess whether the Coast Guard has sufficient funding and personnel to enforce new cybersecurity regulations protecting critical maritime infrastructure. The resulting report will provide Congress with recommendations to ensure the Coast Guard can effectively mitigate cyber threats to the nation's vital maritime trade.

The Law-Enforcement Innovate to De-Escalate Act aims to promote de-escalation by exempting specific, clearly defined less-than-lethal projectile devices from federal firearm restrictions and excise taxes. This legislation provides a formal process for determining which devices qualify for these exemptions under both federal law and the National Firearms Act. The bill also modernizes tax regulations by exempting qualifying less-than-lethal devices and their ammunition from federal excise taxes.

The Safety and Accountability in Freight Enforcement (SAFE) Act aims to combat "chameleon carriers" who evade safety regulations and enforcement actions. It mandates a GAO study on the prevalence and impact of these carriers and requires the FMCSA to develop an advanced automated tool to detect them during the DOT registration process. The bill ensures human oversight remains in final registration decisions and establishes reporting requirements on the tool's effectiveness.

The Aviation Innovation and Global Competitiveness Act aims to enhance the safety and efficiency of the FAA's aircraft certification process. It mandates increased transparency, establishes standard expected timelines for key certification milestones, and updates guidance on delegating certification work to industry. Ultimately, the bill seeks to solidify U.S. global leadership in aviation innovation by streamlining regulatory procedures.

The Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025 streamlines the installation and operation of undersea fiber optic cables in national marine sanctuaries. It prevents the Secretary of Commerce from imposing duplicative permitting requirements if federal or state authorization is already secured. Additionally, the bill removes previous restrictions on the types of activities that can be covered by sanctuary special use permits.

This act establishes the "$2.50 for America's 250th Act" to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. It authorizes the Treasury to mint and issue special commemorative gold, silver, and clad $2.50 coins featuring designs from the 1926 Sesquicentennial coin. Additionally, the bill mandates a study on the feasibility of minting and issuing a $2.50 coin for wide circulation.

The Community Health Center Drug Pricing Protection Act ensures that Federally-qualified health centers (FQHCs) receive the full 340B discounted price for drugs at the point of purchase. This legislation prohibits manufacturers from requiring FQHCs to pay more than the established ceiling price upfront, regardless of any later rebates or reimbursements. The goal is to guarantee immediate, upfront savings for these vital health centers.

The Critical Mineral Dominance Act establishes a national policy to make the U.S. the world's leading producer of hardrock minerals to strengthen supply chains and national security. The bill mandates economic impact reports on mineral import reliance and directs the expedited approval of priority mining projects on federal lands. Furthermore, it requires identifying all federal lands with hardrock mineral potential and reviewing regulations that impede domestic mining development.

The Incentivize Savings Act mandates how federal agencies must handle unspent appropriations by dedicating the majority to debt reduction and allowing a portion for employee retention bonuses. This legislation also restricts future budget requests to only account for inflation unless the agency fully spends its prior allocation. Ultimately, the bill aims to encourage fiscal responsibility by linking unspent funds to debt reduction and limiting budget growth.

The Aviation Weather Safety Improvement Act focuses on enhancing aviation safety by ensuring adequate staffing at Center Weather Service Units. It mandates coordination between the Department of Transportation, the National Weather Service, the FAA, and employee unions to meet staffing needs for safe air commerce. The bill also requires annual reports to Congress detailing the implementation of these new staffing coordination requirements.

The Make Elections Great Again Act establishes new federal standards for voter identification, citizenship verification for registration, and statewide voter list maintenance for federal elections. It also standardizes election administration by mandating paper ballots, banning ranked-choice voting, and implementing strict new rules for requesting and returning mail-in ballots. The bill aims to increase election integrity through enhanced documentation and procedural uniformity across states.

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE America Act) mandates that individuals must provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. It also establishes a federal requirement for voters to present a photo ID indicating U.S. citizenship when casting a ballot in federal elections. The bill outlines specific acceptable forms of proof and requires states to implement verification programs to ensure only citizens are registered and voting.

The Protecting Motherhood Act mandates that federal agencies use specific, sex-based terminology such as "mother," "woman," or "female" instead of the term "birthing person" in all official documents. This legislation defines the required terms to ensure consistency in federal communications regarding pregnancy and parenthood.

The Financial Reporting Threshold Modernization Act increases the dollar thresholds for mandatory currency transaction and suspicious activity reports to reduce administrative burdens on financial institutions. The bill also mandates periodic inflation adjustments for these thresholds and requires the Treasury Department to review and modernize reporting forms to improve efficiency. Additionally, it extends the requirement for the FinCEN Director to provide annual testimony before Congress.

This bill allows the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to grant license holders an extension of up to six additional years to begin construction on certain hydropower projects licensed before March 13, 2020. It also authorizes FERC to reinstate licenses that expired after December 31, 2023, under specific conditions. The goal is to provide more time for approved hydropower projects to commence construction.

The Disabled Veterans Housing Support Act ensures that service-connected disability compensation received by veterans is excluded when calculating income for eligibility in certain federal housing programs. This change aims to increase access to affordable housing for disabled veterans. The bill also mandates a report to Congress reviewing how HUD currently treats this compensation across its programs.

This bill reauthorizes and expands federal research and development programs for both hydropower and marine energy. It updates research goals to focus on improving environmental impacts, modernizing grid integration, and fostering domestic manufacturing and supply chains. The legislation also increases funding authorization for these water power technologies through fiscal year 2030.

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.

The Stop Insider Trading Act restricts Members of Congress and their immediate families from purchasing new securities issued by publicly traded companies. It requires advance public disclosure for any sale of existing covered investments, with a mandatory 7-to-14-day notice period before the transaction. Violations result in significant financial penalties, including disgorgement of any net gains, payable by the Member personally.

The Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2025 targets the increasing threat posed by organized theft groups impacting retail and the national supply chain. This bill strengthens federal law by expanding money laundering statutes and lowering thresholds for property crimes related to theft. Crucially, it establishes a new federal coordination center within Homeland Security Investigations to align efforts across all levels of law enforcement and the private sector to combat these cross-jurisdictional crimes.