Legislative Activity

The PROTECT Act of 2026 significantly revises H-1B visa requirements by mandating higher minimum wages, limiting visa validity for third-party worksites, and prioritizing petitions offering greater compensation. Additionally, the bill exempts qualifying healthcare workers from H-1B visa fees, provided employers demonstrate good-faith efforts to hire U.S. workers first. These changes apply to all petitions filed on or after the date of enactment.

The TECH Act aims to expand educational equity by granting qualified technical schools the same access to federal grants as 2-year and 4-year colleges. By modernizing eligibility requirements, this legislation ensures that essential career and job training programs receive the support necessary to strengthen the national workforce.

This bill directs the United States Postal Service (USPS) to assign a single, unique ZIP Code specifically for Highland City, Utah. The USPS is required to establish this new code within 270 days of the law's enactment. This designation will apply exclusively to the area covered by Highland City.

The License to Drill Act extends the Bureau of Land Management’s authority to collect oil and gas permit processing fees through fiscal year 2037. This legislation ensures continued funding for the BLM Permit Processing Improvement Fund to support efficient permit management.

The Star-Spangled Summit Act of 2026 mandates the issuance of a 10-year special use permit for the installation and maintenance of a U.S. flagpole at Kyhv Peak Lookout Point in the Uinta National Forest. The legislation establishes a priority system for permit applicants and exempts the project from certain land use fees and environmental review requirements.

The Geothermal Royalty Reform Act amends the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to clarify how royalties are calculated for electricity generated from geothermal resources. This legislation refines existing language to ensure that minimum royalty payments and royalty rates are explicitly tied to each individual electric generating facility utilizing the steam. The goal is to provide clearer statutory language regarding financial obligations for geothermal power production.

The Stop Child Care Funding Fraud Act of 2026 mandates that states report and actively reduce improper payments within the Child Care and Development Block Grant program. To ensure accountability, the bill establishes a system of financial penalties for states with high error rates and requires the implementation of corrective action plans to improve program integrity.

The Targeted Operations to Remove Catastrophic Hazards Act aims to significantly reduce wildfire risks across federal lands by streamlining hazardous fuel removal and accelerating forest management activities. It expands tools for emergency response, encourages the use of livestock grazing for vegetation control, and reforms environmental review processes for restoration projects. Furthermore, the bill modifies utility regulations to mandate wider vegetation clearing around power lines, potentially limiting environmental oversight in favor of faster hazard mitigation.

This act establishes the **Utah Wildfire Research Institute Act of 2025**. It amends existing law to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a Southwest Forest Health and Wildfire Prevention Institute specifically within the State of Utah. This new institute will focus on research related to forest health and wildfire prevention in the region.

The Streamline Transit Projects Act reforms the environmental review process under NEPA for large transit agencies. It allows eligible agencies in urban areas over 200,000 people to assume the federal government's authority to determine categorical exclusions for certain transit projects. This transfer of responsibility, formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding, aims to expedite project delivery while maintaining federal oversight and accountability.

The Combatting Chinas Pilfering of Intellectual Property Act (CCP IP Act) imposes sanctions on Chinese individuals and entities significantly involved in the theft of U.S. intellectual property. It mandates asset blocking and immigration bans for sanctioned parties. Additionally, the bill restricts U.S. visa issuance for senior Chinese Communist Party officials and military personnel, with a potential waiver based on presidential certification regarding China's IP practices.

The GENESIS Act formally establishes the Growth, Energy, and National Excellence through Science, Innovation, and Security Act. This legislation grants the full force and effect of law to Executive Order 14363, titled "Launching the Genesis Mission." This legal standing applies irrespective of any conflicting existing laws or executive orders.

The Algorithm Accountability Act amends Section 230 to impose a duty of care on social media platforms regarding their recommendation algorithms, requiring them to prevent foreseeable bodily injury or death caused by these systems. Failure to meet this standard results in the loss of existing liability protections under Section 230. The Act also establishes a private right of action, allowing victims to sue platforms for damages resulting from algorithmic harm. This new duty specifically excludes simple chronological sorting or initial search result curation, while upholding First Amendment protections.

This bill officially designates the United States Postal Service facility in Moab, Utah, as the "2nd Lieutenant Mitchell Williams Post Office." It ensures that all official records and documents will now use this new name for the location at 50 East 100 North.

This resolution officially supports designating the week beginning October 19, 2025, as "Coal Week." It recognizes the vital contributions of the coal industry and its workers to the nation's economy and national security. The measure also commends the progress made in reducing coal-related emissions through advanced technologies.

The Upper Price River Watershed Project Act of 2025 authorizes the transfer of approximately 124.23 acres of specified Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land in Utah to the City of Price, Utah, upon request. This conveyance is made for the City's use for public purposes, overriding standard federal land disposal restrictions. The transfer must respect any existing legal rights on the property, and the official map detailing the land is to be kept on file for public review.

The Co-Location Energy Act aims to streamline the development of solar and wind energy projects by allowing them to be built on federal land already covered by existing energy leases. This process requires the explicit permission of the current leaseholder for both site evaluation and project permitting. Furthermore, the Act directs the Secretary of the Interior to expedite environmental reviews for certain renewable energy activities on these sites.

The No Work, No Pay Act of 2025 mandates that Members of Congress will have their pay docked for each day a government shutdown occurs. This deduction is calculated based on one day's salary multiplied by the total number of shutdown days within a pay period. This provision applies to the One Hundred Twentieth Congress and all subsequent Congresses.

The Protect Consumers from Reallocation Costs Act of 2025 prohibits the EPA from reallocating the renewable fuel volume obligations of small refineries that receive exemption extensions. This ensures that the volume remains tied to the exempt refinery rather than being shifted to other obligated parties. Furthermore, the bill requires the EPA to count the fuel produced by an exempt small refinery when calculating the overall production obligations for its parent company.

The Equal Detention Standards Act of 2025 mandates that all federally contracted immigration detention facilities must adhere to the U.S. Marshal Service's Federal Performance Based Detention Standards. This ensures that private and local entities operating these centers comply with the same federal standards used for government-run facilities. This requirement applies to all new and renewed detention contracts signed after the bill's enactment.