Legislative Activity

The ACERO Act establishes a NASA project to enhance the use of aircraft in fighting wildfires through advanced research and development. This initiative focuses on developing new aircraft technologies, improving real-time data sharing, and creating interoperable tracking systems for aerial assets. The bill also mandates coordination with various agencies and places restrictions on purchasing drones from certain foreign entities.

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 Securing America’s Critical Minerals Supply Act aims to bolster U.S. energy security by focusing on critical energy resources. This legislation tasks the Department of Energy with assessing vulnerabilities in supply chains and developing strategies to increase domestic production and recycling. The bill mandates ongoing evaluations of resource importance, supply chain risks, and the influence of adversarial nations. Ultimately, it seeks to ensure a reliable and secure supply of essential energy materials for the nation.

The AI Grand Challenges Act of 2026 establishes a new prize competition program, managed by the National Science Foundation (NSF), to spur AI research solving critical national challenges. This program will award substantial cash prizes for breakthroughs, including a dedicated, high-value competition focused on advancing AI for the most lethal forms of cancer. Additionally, the bill mandates coordination across federal agencies to publish relevant scientific datasets to support these AI initiatives.

The BASICS Act (Bridges And Safety Infrastructure for Community Success Act) reforms federal transportation funding to prioritize local decision-making and infrastructure maintenance. The bill establishes a new $5.5 billion annual program for bridge repairs and replacements, while increasing support for regional and metropolitan transportation planning. Additionally, it mandates greater local consultation for project selection and streamlines the process for regional organizations to receive and manage federal transportation funds directly.

This bill, the "Passports for Purple Hearts and Medals of Honor Act," exempts recipients of the Purple Heart and Medal of Honor from paying standard U.S. passport fees. It directs the State Department to coordinate with the Department of Defense to establish verification procedures for these eligible applicants.

This bill establishes new administrative requirements that individuals must follow before filing a private lawsuit over alleged ADA violations on a business's public-facing website or mobile app. It mandates that complainants first notify the business owner and allow 180 days for compliance before escalating the issue to the Department of Justice. Lawsuits can only proceed after the Attorney General investigates or after a set period of administrative review has concluded.

The **Clean Air and Economic Advancement Reform Act (CLEAR Act)** adjusts EPA timelines for reviewing air quality standards, shifting them to a 10-year cycle and allowing states more flexibility in developing compliance plans. The bill updates the definition of "exceptional events" to better account for wildfire mitigation activities and limits penalties when pollution spikes are demonstrably beyond a state's control. Finally, it modifies the makeup of the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee to increase state representation and requires new impact assessments before setting air quality standards.

The AI OVERWATCH Act establishes strict new licensing requirements for exporting advanced integrated circuits to designated countries of concern, including China and Russia. This legislation mandates detailed national security certifications to Congress before any license can be approved for these high-performance technologies. Furthermore, the bill creates an exemption process for trusted U.S. companies while terminating existing licenses for these sensitive exports.

The Clean Air and Building Infrastructure Improvement Act aims to streamline the implementation of new air quality standards by requiring the EPA to publish necessary preconstruction permit guidance simultaneously with any new or updated standard. It also provides a temporary exemption for certain preconstruction permit applications from the 2024 Primary Annual Particulate Matter2.5 Standard until area designations are finalized. This ensures that permitting processes can proceed efficiently while maintaining requirements for installing best available control technology.

This bill establishes the Artificial Intelligence Public Awareness and Education Campaign Act, requiring the Secretary of Commerce to launch a five-year public campaign about AI. The campaign's goal is to increase public understanding of AI's role in daily life and improve consumer literacy regarding its capabilities and limitations. It mandates the development of multi-lingual resources, outreach to vulnerable populations, and annual reporting on performance metrics.

This bill, the Keeping Public Lands Out of Adversarial Hands Act, expands the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to include the Secretary of the Interior for certain land and resource transactions. It mandates CFIUS review of land or resource deals involving foreign persons from specified adversarial nations. This ensures greater scrutiny over foreign acquisitions near sensitive U.S. public lands and resources.

The Yes in God's Backyard Act aims to increase the supply of affordable rental housing by providing technical assistance and competitive grants. This funding is specifically targeted at faith-based organizations, institutions of higher education, and local governments. The bill focuses on removing regulatory barriers and supporting the development or preservation of housing for low-income, homeless, disabled, and other special needs populations.

This bill officially designates the United States Postal Service facility located at 2121 Meridian Park Boulevard in Concord, California, as the "Carl Jefferson Post Office Building." All future official references to this location will bear this name.

The Roadway Safety Modernization Act of 2025 aims to significantly enhance road safety by integrating modern data technologies into federal highway and freight safety programs. This legislation encourages states to adopt predictive analytics and telematics for risk modeling and proactive safety planning. Furthermore, it directs the Department of Transportation to establish guidance on data security and the responsible use of these advanced safety tools.

The Power Plant Reliability Act of 2025 grants the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) new authority to order utilities to maintain adequate interstate electric service, including requiring the continued operation of specific generating units if service is deemed insufficient. This legislation also mandates that owners must provide FERC and relevant state bodies with at least five years' advance notice before retiring any qualifying electric generating unit. Compliance with a FERC order to maintain service is protected from potential violations of environmental laws.

The Essential Caregivers Act of 2025 protects the rights of residents in long-term care facilities to designate an essential caregiver who can provide support and companionship. This legislation ensures that these caregivers maintain in-person access to residents even during public health emergencies when general visitation is restricted. By establishing clear protocols and an appeals process, the bill aims to prevent the harmful effects of isolation and ensure residents continue to receive vital care and advocacy.

The Quantum Leaders Education and Advancement Program Act (QLEAP) reauthorizes and extends the National Science Foundation's Next Generation Quantum Leaders Pilot Program. This extension continues support for developing the next generation of quantum science and technology leaders.

The Office of Fusion Act of 2025 reestablishes a dedicated Office of Fusion within the Department of Energy to accelerate the research, development, and commercial deployment of fusion energy. This office will coordinate federal efforts, foster public-private partnerships aimed at starting construction on private fusion power plants by 2028, and ensure U.S. leadership in the sector. The Act mandates the creation of a commercial deployment roadmap to identify and overcome key barriers to bringing fusion power online.

The ADAS Functionality and Integrity Act mandates that vehicle manufacturers provide owners and independent repair shops with necessary tools, documentation, and software to service advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). It directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish standardized testing protocols to validate ADAS performance after any repair or modification. Furthermore, the bill requires the development of guidelines to ensure ADAS functionality is maintained following vehicle customizations, such as changes to ride height or tires.