Legislative Activity

The Family Poverty is Not Child Neglect Act prohibits the removal of children from their homes solely due to family poverty and requires states to provide better support services to keep families together. Additionally, the bill mandates a federal report to analyze the impact of poverty on child welfare interventions and to recommend legislative solutions to prevent poverty-based family separation.

The Rise Up for Child Care Act of 2026 transforms federal child care funding into an open-ended entitlement, removing spending caps to guarantee access for eligible families. The bill further strengthens the child care workforce by providing a 75 percent federal match for state-funded wage supplements for home-based providers. Additionally, it mandates ongoing research and reporting to evaluate the impact of these investments on the child care sector.

The Veterans Surviving Spouse Parity Act of 2026 expands homeownership opportunities by granting certain spouses and surviving spouses of veterans the same exemption from the three-year homeownership "look-back" rule currently enjoyed by veterans. This change allows these individuals to qualify for qualified mortgage bonds and mortgage credit certificates even if they have owned a home within the previous three years. The Act directs the Treasury and Veterans Affairs departments to provide clear guidance for program administrators to implement these eligibility updates starting in 2027.

The Child Marriage Prevention Act of 2026 aims to eliminate child marriage across the United States by establishing a national commission, incentivizing states to set the minimum marriage age at 18, and implementing stricter federal and immigration standards. The bill addresses the severe health, safety, and economic risks associated with child marriage by providing resources for state task forces and creating a model statute for uniform legal protections. Additionally, it mandates comprehensive reporting and public education campaigns to protect minors from forced or coerced unions.

The Mamas First Act aims to improve maternal health outcomes and reduce mortality rates by mandating Medicaid coverage for doula, midwife, and lactation support services. This legislation ensures that these essential prenatal, labor, and postpartum care services are provided without out-of-pocket costs to patients. By expanding access to these culturally congruent care providers, the bill seeks to address significant disparities in maternal health across the United States.

The Keep Public Funds in Public Schools Act of 2026 aims to redirect funding by eliminating federal tax incentives for private school scholarships. Specifically, it repeals the tax credit for contributions to scholarship-granting organizations and removes the income exclusion for certain scholarship amounts received. These changes are set to take effect starting in 2027.

This bill proposes a temporary change to the House of Representatives' dress code. Specifically, it would allow members to wear denim clothing on the House floor on the last Wednesday of April each year.

This resolution supports designating April 29, 2026, as "Denim Day" to honor survivors of sexual assault. It recognizes Denim Day as a national day of solidarity against victim-blaming, where wearing denim protests harmful myths. The bill reaffirms commitment to supporting survivors, ensuring access to comprehensive services, and working to prevent sexual violence.

The CONNECT Act updates the purposes of the Chafee Foster Care Program to focus on helping older youth in foster care develop and maintain supportive relationships and connections. It also strengthens the rights of these youth to participate in their permanency planning process. The bill mandates new guidance for state and tribal agencies on best practices for mentoring, peer support, and documenting relationship-building activities.

This bill establishes a grant program to enhance screening, intervention, and services for pregnant and postpartum individuals affected by domestic violence, sexual violence, and human trafficking. It also mandates a study on how various forms of violence and trauma impact maternal health risks. Finally, the legislation supports grants for innovative approaches to improve maternal and child health outcomes for victims of violence and trauma.

The Perinatal Workforce Act aims to improve maternal health outcomes by expanding and diversifying the perinatal health workforce. The bill establishes grant programs to support training for midwives, nurses, and other perinatal health workers, with a focus on recruiting individuals from underserved and minority communities. Additionally, it mandates national campaigns, federal coordination, and research to promote culturally congruent care and address systemic barriers to maternal health access.

This resolution recognizes March 14, 2026, as "Black Midwives Day" to honor the invaluable contributions of Black midwives to maternal and infant health. It calls for systemic policy changes to address racial disparities in maternal outcomes, increase support for midwifery education and practice, and ensure equitable access to care.

This resolution expresses support for designating the week of March 2, 2026, as "School Social Work Week." It recognizes the critical role school social workers play in addressing student barriers to success, including mental health challenges. The bill encourages public observance to promote awareness of their vital contributions to student well-being and educational outcomes.

The School Social Workers Improving Student Success Act establishes a grant program to help high-need school districts hire and retain more social workers, aiming for a recommended ratio of one social worker for every 250 students. Additionally, the bill creates a National Technical Assistance Center to provide training, resources, and workforce development strategies to support school-based mental health services nationwide.

The Tribal Tax and Investment Reform Act of 2026 aims to achieve tax parity for Tribal governments by aligning federal tax treatment with that of state and local governments. The bill facilitates economic development by expanding access to tax-exempt bond financing, creating new tax credits for tribal area investments, and extending the Indian employment tax credit. Additionally, it clarifies the tax status of tribal pension plans, charitable foundations, and specific health-related scholarship and loan repayment programs to support tribal self-governance and community well-being.

This resolution expresses support for designating February 2026 as "National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month." It recognizes the significant public health impact of teen dating violence and calls on communities nationwide to observe the month with awareness and prevention activities. The goal is to empower teens to build healthy relationships.

This bill establishes strict procedures, including public notification and hearings, that the Social Security Administration must follow before closing or reducing access to any field office. It mandates that field offices maintain adequate staffing and operating hours to ensure comprehensive and convenient public services. Furthermore, the legislation requires the Inspector General to review and approve any proposed office closure actions.

The Mental Health and MAMA Act of 2026 aims to improve access to care for new and expecting mothers. This legislation prohibits certain health plans from charging out-of-pocket costs for in-network mental health and substance use disorder services for pregnant and postpartum individuals. Furthermore, it updates continuity of care protections to explicitly cover postpartum individuals receiving ongoing mental health or substance use disorder treatment. These provisions will also apply to the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.

The COLAs Don’t Count Act of 2026 aims to protect SNAP benefits by excluding certain cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) from Social Security and other federal benefits when calculating eligibility. This ensures that automatic annual income increases do not cause households to lose their food assistance. The legislation also excludes specific supplementary payments from the income calculation.

This resolution expresses support for designating November 8, 2025, as "National First-Generation College Celebration Day." It commemorates the anniversary of the landmark Higher Education Act of 1965, which created vital support programs like the Pell Grant. The bill recognizes the unique challenges faced by first-generation students and urges the nation to celebrate their contributions to the future workforce.