Legislative Activity

This resolution expresses the support of the House of Representatives for Charleston, South Carolina, to host the 2027 annual session of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly. It highlights the city’s world-class infrastructure and honors the legacy of the late Senator Lindsey Olin Graham by advocating for the event to proceed as originally planned.

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 National Law Enforcement Officers Remembrance, Support and Community Outreach Act authorizes $6 million in annual federal grants over seven years to support the National Law Enforcement Museum. This funding will enhance public education, community outreach, and critical officer safety and wellness programs. By fostering greater understanding between law enforcement and the public, the bill aims to support the profession and improve safety for officers nationwide.

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 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 Protecting Privacy in Purchases Act prohibits payment card networks and processors from assigning specific merchant category codes to firearms retailers. This legislation aims to protect consumer privacy by preventing the tracking of firearm and ammunition purchases through specialized financial classification. The Attorney General is tasked with enforcing these provisions and reporting annually on compliance.

The Securing Agriculture's Workforce Act of 2026 modernizes the H-2A visa program to better support the agricultural industry by streamlining application processes and establishing a centralized online portal for employers. The bill updates labor certification, housing, and wage requirements while expanding the definition of eligible agricultural work to include a broader range of activities. Additionally, it enhances worker protections—including new heat illness prevention standards—and provides greater administrative efficiency for federal agencies managing the program.

This bill, the "Broadband Infrastructure Extension Act," extends the deadlines for spending federal recovery funds specifically allocated for broadband infrastructure projects. It allows states and local governments to use funds from the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds until September 30, 2027. Additionally, it extends the deadline for using Capital Projects Fund money for broadband projects until January 1, 2028.

This bill, the Great American Outdoors Act 250, significantly reforms and renames the existing public lands restoration fund to the America’s Legacy Restoration Fund. It secures dedicated funding streams, primarily from energy revenues and new fees on foreign visitors, to address critical deferred maintenance across the National Park Service, Forest Service, and other public land agencies. The legislation establishes strict spending priorities for infrastructure repair while also creating pilot programs for enhancing outdoor recreation and sportsmen's access. Finally, it mandates increased transparency and accountability through standardized metrics and public reporting on all funded projects.

This resolution congratulates the Carolina Hurricanes on winning the 2026 Stanley Cup Final, their second championship, twenty years after their first. It recognizes the team's dominant playoff performance, highlights key players like Captain Jordan Staal and Coach Rod Brind'Amour, and acknowledges the organization's community contributions.

The Disaster Loan Accountability and Reform Act (DLARA) aims to increase transparency and oversight of Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loan programs. It mandates expanded monthly reporting on loan funding levels, requires detailed breakdowns in future Presidential budget requests, and imposes new notification requirements when disaster loan funds become critically low. Additionally, the bill directs the GAO to report on loan disbursement rates and the financial impact of recent program changes.

This resolution condemns actors defrauding the U.S. Government and emphasizes that robust, government-wide fraud prevention reforms are essential for national financial prosperity. It asserts that federal agencies must verify eligibility and claims *before* issuing payments to curb massive improper spending. The House views this shift to proactive verification as the primary solution to the ongoing fiscal emergency caused by fraud.

The **Take Care of America’s Veterans Act** is a comprehensive bill designed to strengthen benefits and modernize services across compensation, education, health care, and VA operations. It eliminates benefit offsets for disabled retirees, expands educational flexibility, sets new standards for timely health care access, and invests in VA technology and infrastructure. Overall, the legislation aims to provide faster, fairer, and more comprehensive support for veterans and their families.

The Build American Efficiency Act streamlines the process for HUD funding recipients to certify compliance with domestic content requirements under the Build America, Buy America Act. It directs HUD to recognize documentation from the Make It American Process Standard as sufficient evidence for this certification. This change offers flexibility, as recipients are not required to use this specific documentation.

The Deport Alien Gang Members Act amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish new grounds for inadmissibility and deportability for noncitizens associated with criminal gangs. The bill authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to formally designate criminal organizations, mandates the detention of identified gang members, and restricts their eligibility for various forms of immigration relief.

This bill directs the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct a feasibility study on designating the 287-mile Benton MacKaye Trail, which runs through Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina, as a National Scenic Trail. The study must be completed and submitted to Congress within two years. This action follows the existing framework of the National Trails System Act.

The Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act prohibits the VA from reporting veterans to the NICS background check system solely because a fiduciary was appointed to manage their benefits. This legislation ensures that a VA finding of mental incompetence or the appointment of a fiduciary alone is not used to treat a veteran as a "mental defective" for gun control purposes. Furthermore, the VA must notify the Attorney General about past transmissions of this information that lacked a proper legal basis.

This act officially establishes the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum and designates its location on the National Mall, requiring the transfer of land jurisdiction to the Smithsonian Institution. The museum is mandated to preserve and present the history and achievements of biological women in the United States. Furthermore, the legislation requires that exhibits and programs reflect diverse political viewpoints and authentic experiences of women, as guided by a broad array of knowledgeable sources.

The Provider Reimbursement Stability Act of 2026 aims to improve the accuracy and predictability of Medicare physician payments. The bill reforms budget neutrality calculations, mandates periodic updates to practice expense cost data, and establishes a 2.5% cap on annual conversion factor fluctuations. These measures are designed to ensure more stable reimbursement rates for healthcare providers.