Legislative Activity

The Indian Health Service Emergency Claims Parity Act updates the notification requirements for emergency care provided to enrolled Indians by non-IHS facilities. This legislation mandates that the Indian Health Service must be notified about such emergency treatment or admission within 15 days. This change aims to streamline the process for covering emergency healthcare received outside the IHS system.

The National Quantum Readiness Act of 2026 accelerates the development and deployment of domestic quantum technologies by prioritizing key defense sensor projects and strengthening critical supply chains. The bill mandates a collaborative federal strategy to foster private-sector partnerships and expand access to essential quantum foundry resources. Its primary goal is to secure U.S. leadership in quantum information science through targeted investment and streamlined administrative support.

The Homestake AI Act of 2026 establishes a federal initiative to collect, sequence, and store genomic data from extremophile organisms found in unique environments, such as deep underground mines. This project aims to drive scientific discovery and support the development of new medical treatments for conditions like cancer, diabetes, and dementia. The bill mandates the creation of a secure, resilient database and long-term storage facility while implementing strict cybersecurity measures to protect this data from foreign adversaries.

The Dismemberment Abortion Ban Act of 2026 prohibits physicians from performing dismemberment abortions, except when necessary to save the life of the mother. The bill establishes criminal penalties for violators and provides civil remedies for patients or their parents to sue for damages. It explicitly excludes the woman undergoing the procedure from criminal prosecution or monetary liability.

This Act directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a feasibility study for the Dakota Mainstem Regional Water System project. The study will assess the viability of supplying municipal, rural, and industrial water across South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, and Minnesota. The Federal government will cost-share the study equally (50/50) with the non-Federal entity, Dakota Mainstem Regional Water System, Inc.

The Stop Stealing our Chips Act establishes a whistleblower incentive and protection program to combat the illegal diversion of advanced AI chips to adversaries. This legislation rewards individuals who provide original, high-value information leading to enforcement actions against export control violations. It also strictly prohibits employers from retaliating against whistleblowers who report such threats to national security.

The Small Business Investor Capital Access Act modifies the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 to raise the assets under management threshold for certain small business investment advisers from $\$150$ million to $\$175$ million, potentially exempting more small advisers from SEC registration. Furthermore, this legislation mandates that the SEC adjust this threshold every five years to account for inflation.

The Life at Conception Act of 2026 declares that the constitutional right to life is vested in every human being from the moment of fertilization or beginning of existence. This Act grants Congress and states the authority to enforce equal legal protection for both born and preborn persons. Crucially, the bill specifies it does not require prosecuting women, prohibit IVF, or ban contraception used to prevent fertilization.

This bill amends the Financial Stability Act of 2010 to introduce a new prerequisite for the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) when considering designating a nonbank financial company for stricter supervision. Before voting, the FSOC must first determine, in consultation with the company and its regulator, that alternative actions would be insufficient to address the potential threat to financial stability. This ensures that stricter supervision is only imposed after less intrusive options have been exhausted.

The Developing and Empowering our Aspiring Leaders Act of 2025 mandates the SEC to update regulations defining "qualifying investment" for venture capital funds. This revision broadens what counts as a qualifying investment to include secondary acquisitions and investments in other venture capital funds. Additionally, the bill places new limits on how much capital a venture capital fund can hold in other venture capital funds or secondary investments immediately after an asset purchase.

This bill officially designates the Federal building located at 225 South Pierre Street in Pierre, South Dakota, as the Marcella LeBeau Federal Building. The Act ensures that all future and existing official references to this building use its new name.

The Keeping Deposits Local Act modifies federal banking regulations concerning reciprocal deposits to provide favorable treatment for certain funds held by agent institutions. It establishes a tiered structure for calculating the amount of reciprocal deposits that will not be considered funds obtained through a deposit broker. Furthermore, the Act updates the definition of an "Agent Institution" to require a specific CAMELS rating for qualification.

The Merchant Banking Modernization Act updates regulations for bank holding companies regarding their merchant banking investments. This legislation extends the minimum holding period for these investments to 15 years. This new minimum duration applies retroactively to investments already held by banks.

Kamisha's Law eliminates the statute of limitations for prosecuting certain non-capital homicide offenses under federal law, such as second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter. This means the government can bring charges for these specific killings at any time, regardless of how long has passed since the crime occurred. The bill ensures that there is no time limit for seeking justice in these cases.

This bill modifies the selection process for the State Partnership Program (SPP) to ensure the Department of Defense considers a state's existing international assignments. Specifically, it requires the National Guard Bureau to prioritize states that currently have only one active country partnership when making new selections. This aims to balance the distribution of international partnerships across participating states.

This bill amends U.S. Code to expand the Department of Defense's (DoD) authority for cyber operations. Specifically, it now explicitly includes the defense of the DoD's own critical infrastructure against cyber threats. The legislation also updates legal definitions to clarify what constitutes this essential infrastructure.

This bill overhauls Department of Defense (DOD) hiring to improve recruitment and retention for its cyber workforce. It grants the Secretary of Defense special authority to create unique cyber positions and bypass standard federal hiring and pay rules to attract top talent. The legislation establishes new pay scales, specialized executive roles, and requires detailed reporting to Congress on the implementation and effectiveness of these changes over five years.

The Honest Operations for National Cemetery Reporting Act of 2025 (HONOR Act of 2025) mandates increased public transparency regarding burial scheduling at National Cemeteries. This bill requires the National Cemetery Administration (NCA) to post current interment availability data online and update it every 30 days. Furthermore, the Act ensures the NCA continues to conduct and publicly report on customer satisfaction surveys, requiring advance notice to Congress for any significant changes.

This bill aims to improve the planning and budgeting process for the Armed Forces' cyber mission force. It grants the Commander of U.S. Cyber Command direct control over the programming and budgeting for training, equipping, and operating this force. This new authority requires Cyber Command to submit its own dedicated budget materials separate from the individual military departments. The legislation also establishes coordination requirements between Cyber Command and the military departments regarding reserve component funding.

This bill mandates the establishment of the Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) Steering Committee within the Department of Defense (DoD) by April 2026. Led by the Deputy Secretary of Defense and the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the committee will analyze AGI technology trends and adversary progress. Its primary goal is to develop a comprehensive DoD strategy for adopting AGI, including ethical guidelines and threat countermeasures, before the committee sunsets at the end of 2027.