Legislative Activity

The Collaboration on Adversarial Threats and Security Risks Act creates a limited antitrust exemption to allow non-federal entities to collaborate on critical artificial intelligence security matters. This legislation enables companies to share information and coordinate efforts to mitigate national security risks, such as the weaponization or unauthorized access of AI systems. While facilitating these security partnerships, the Act maintains strict safeguards to prevent anti-competitive behavior and grants the Attorney General authority to intervene if collaborations threaten market integrity or fail to improve security.

The Stop Insider Trading Act restricts Members of Congress and their immediate families from purchasing individual stocks and requires public notice before selling existing holdings to prevent conflicts of interest. Additionally, the bill establishes a national photo identification requirement for voting in federal elections, including specific provisions for in-person and mail-in ballots.

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 "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.

Tyler's Law mandates a comprehensive study by the Secretary of Health and Human Services on the frequency, cost, and impact of fentanyl testing in hospital emergency departments during overdose cases. Following the study, the Secretary must issue guidance on whether routine fentanyl testing should become standard practice for overdose patients. This guidance will also address staff training regarding existing drug test panels and the long-term health implications of such testing.

The EARLY Act Reauthorization of 2025 extends critical breast health education initiatives through 2031 and bolsters the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program. By streamlining grant requirements and increasing funding through 2030, this legislation aims to reduce health disparities, improve access to life-saving screenings, and enhance patient support services. Additionally, it mandates a GAO study to identify and address barriers to equitable cancer care.

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 Patients First Act of 2026 is comprehensive legislation designed to stabilize Medicare physician payments, improve patient access to primary care, and transition the current quality reporting system to a more clinician-led framework. By modernizing reimbursement formulas, reducing financial volatility for providers, and increasing transparency in value-based care models, the bill aims to ensure a more sustainable and predictable healthcare environment. These reforms seek to lower out-of-pocket costs for patients while supporting the long-term viability of medical practices.

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.

The Medicaid RAC Improvement Act of 2026 aims to strengthen oversight and transparency of the Medicaid Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) program. It expands RAC review to include claims from managed care plans and requires annual reporting to Congress on program effectiveness. The bill also mandates studies and a demonstration project to address barriers states face in implementing robust payment integrity reviews.

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 bill, the Hydropower Licensing Affordability Act, modernizes the hydropower licensing process under the Federal Power Act. It expands the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's authority to impose conditions on licenses to ensure hydropower projects reasonably mitigate direct adverse effects on federal reservations and local fish populations.

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.

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 Department of Energy Nuclear Transparency Act mandates that the Department of Energy publicly announce significant actions related to high-hazard nuclear facilities within 24 hours. This includes posting changes to safety directives, documented safety analyses, and facility authorization agreements. Additionally, the Secretary must submit an annual report to Congress detailing all facility authorizations from the previous year.

The Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act of 2026 significantly enhances benefits for veterans and service members. It increases disability compensation with a new monthly allowance for certain veterans and ties future Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) adjustments to Social Security cost-of-living increases plus an extra percentage. The bill also expands VA home loan eligibility to include National Guard and Reserve members with at least 14 days of qualifying service, though these borrowers will pay a higher loan fee. Finally, it extends the current VA home loan fee structure and modifies definitions of active duty for Guard and Reserve components.

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.

This resolution expresses support for designating May 2026 as "Renewable Fuels Month." It recognizes the critical role of renewable fuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel, in strengthening the U.S. economy and supporting rural communities. The bill highlights how these fuels reduce carbon emissions, lower consumer fuel prices, and decrease reliance on foreign energy sources.

This bill, the "Rural Community Hospital Demonstration Program Reauthorization," extends the existing rural community hospital demonstration program for an additional five years, making it a 20-year program. It also updates the criteria for an additional extension period to cover certain hospitals that join the program between late 2024 and early 2027.