Track Bernie's sponsored bills, co-sponsored legislation, and voting record
This Act imposes reasonable contribution limits on Super PACs to reduce the risk and appearance of corruption in federal elections.
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
This Act aims to restore public trust in elections by imposing reasonable contribution limits on Super PACs. It finds that uncapped contributions create a significant risk and appearance of corruption between donors and candidates. By extending existing contribution limits to independent expenditure committees, the bill seeks to curb the influence of massive, unregulated political spending.
This bill gradually raises the minimum salary threshold for executive, administrative, and professional employees to qualify for overtime pay exemptions and tightens the duties test for those exemptions.
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
The Restoring Overtime Pay Act of 2026 significantly updates federal overtime exemptions for executive, administrative, and professional employees. It establishes a phased-in increase to the minimum salary threshold required for these "white-collar" roles to be exempt from overtime pay, eventually tying the threshold to national earnings data. Furthermore, the bill tightens the duties test by lowering the allowed percentage of time spent on non-exempt work from 40% to 20%.
The Universal School Meals Program Act of 2026 establishes free breakfast and lunch for all students in participating schools, eliminates school meal debt, and updates federal poverty metrics used for various education and nutrition programs.
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
The Universal School Meals Program Act of 2026 establishes free breakfast and lunch for all students in participating schools, eliminating income-based eligibility and school meal debt. It also updates federal funding metrics by replacing free/reduced lunch data with new measures of economically disadvantaged students across various education and nutrition programs. This comprehensive bill aims to ensure universal access to nutrition while streamlining administrative requirements related to poverty tracking.
The Protecting America’s Workers Act expands OSHA protections to public employees, significantly strengthens whistleblower rights, increases penalties for safety violations, and enhances federal oversight of state safety programs.
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
The **Protecting America’s Workers Act** significantly expands workplace safety protections by extending OSHA coverage to all public employees and strengthening whistleblower rights against retaliation. The bill increases penalties for safety violations, grants victims' families more rights during investigations, and improves federal oversight of state-run safety programs. Overall, it aims to create a more comprehensive, transparent, and punitive system to prevent workplace injuries and hold employers accountable.
This Act prohibits professional sports leagues from banning community ownership and grants the home community the first right to purchase a franchise before it can relocate or be eliminated.
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
The Home Team Act of 2026 aims to protect local communities from the negative impacts of professional sports franchise relocations. It prohibits leagues from banning community ownership and grants local entities the first right to purchase a franchise before it can move or be eliminated. This ensures that if a team leaves, the community that supported it has the opportunity to retain ownership at fair market value.
This bill imposes a federal moratorium on the construction and expansion of large-scale artificial intelligence data centers and restricts related hardware exports until comprehensive safety, economic, and environmental regulations are enacted.
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
The Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act imposes a federal freeze on the construction and expansion of large-scale AI data centers until Congress enacts comprehensive safety, labor, and environmental regulations. The bill also mandates strict transparency reporting for existing facilities and restricts the export of critical computing hardware to nations lacking comparable AI oversight. This legislation aims to address concerns regarding AI-driven job displacement, energy consumption, and long-term societal risks.
This joint resolution seeks to block the proposed U.S. sale of 10,000 BLU111 500-pound bombs and related support services to the Government of Israel.
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
This joint resolution seeks to block a proposed U.S. foreign military sale to the Government of Israel. Specifically, the bill prohibits the transfer of 10,000 BLU111 500-pound general-purpose bombs and associated logistics and program support as outlined in Transmittal No. 260O.
This joint resolution seeks to block the proposed licensing of specific defense articles, including Small Diameter Bomb systems, to Israel.
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
This joint resolution seeks to block the proposed licensing of specific defense articles and services to Israel. If passed, it would prohibit the export of items identified in the March 12, 2026, arms sales notification, including 5,000 Small Diameter Bomb Weapon Systems.
This joint resolution seeks to block the proposed sale of 12,000 general-purpose bomb bodies and associated technical support services to the Government of Israel.
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
This joint resolution seeks to block a proposed U.S. foreign military sale to the Government of Israel. If passed, the measure would prohibit the transfer of 12,000 BLU110AB general-purpose bomb bodies along with associated technical and logistics support services.
This comprehensive legislation aims to reduce wealth inequality, expand access to affordable health care, child care, and housing, and increase federal support for Medicare benefits and public school teacher salaries.
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
The "Make Billionaires Pay Their Fair Share Act" proposes a comprehensive legislative package funded by a new 5% annual wealth tax on individuals and trusts with assets exceeding $1 billion. This revenue supports a wide range of social investments, including direct affordability rebates for families, expanded health care and Medicare benefits, and significant funding for affordable housing and child care. Additionally, the bill establishes a national $60,000 minimum salary for public school teachers and strengthens long-term home and community-based care services.
The Healthy Families Act establishes a national standard requiring most employers to provide employees with earned paid sick time for personal or family health needs, domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
The Healthy Families Act establishes a national standard requiring most employers to provide employees with earned paid sick time, accruing at a rate of one hour for every 30 hours worked. This protected leave can be used for the employee's or a family member's illness, medical care, or for reasons related to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. The Act strictly prohibits employers from retaliating against employees for using or requesting this time and mandates clear notice requirements regarding these new rights.
The SERVE Act prohibits naming federal property after a sitting President and mandates the reversion of any existing property named for the current President to its original federal designation.
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
The SERVE Act, or Stop Executive Renaming for Vanity and Ego Act, prohibits naming any federal property after a sitting President. This legislation prevents the use of federal funds for such naming or renaming. Any existing federal property named after the sitting President upon enactment must revert to its original federally designated name.
The Health Care Workforce Expansion Act of 2025 establishes grant programs to fund student tuition and expand enrollment in medical, dental, and nursing schools, increases Medicare funding for graduate medical education, adds over 50,000 new residency slots prioritizing psychiatry and primary care, and creates grants to incentivize practitioners to relocate to rural areas.
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
The Health Care Workforce Expansion Act of 2025 aims to significantly increase the number of healthcare professionals by establishing tuition-free grant programs for medical, dental, and nursing students who commit to service. The bill also provides substantial funding for schools to expand enrollment and increases Medicare funding for residency programs, particularly prioritizing psychiatry and primary care slots. Finally, it creates a new grant program to incentivize doctors, dentists, and nurses to relocate and practice in underserved rural areas for at least three years.
The Head Start for America's Children Act updates program purpose to explicitly include infants and toddlers and mental health, significantly increases funding authorizations, revises definitions, mandates full-year operations for most centers, and establishes new grants for workforce support and childcare partnerships.
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
The Head Start for America's Children Act aims to strengthen early childhood education by explicitly including infants and toddlers in growth goals and emphasizing mental health support. The bill significantly increases funding authorizations, updates numerous definitions to promote inclusivity (especially for Native American and Native Hawaiian communities), and establishes new requirements for staff compensation and professional development. Furthermore, it creates several new pilot programs focused on extending operating hours, fostering partnerships with higher education, and enabling community-wide eligibility in high-poverty areas.
This bill imposes an increased corporate tax rate on companies whose CEO-to-average-worker pay ratio exceeds 50 to 1, calculated using a five-year average.
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
The Tax Excessive CEO Pay Act of 2025 imposes a new surtax on corporations whose ratio of top executive pay to average worker pay exceeds 50 to 1. This penalty tax is calculated based on a five-year average of the compensation ratio and applies to tax years beginning after December 31, 2025. The legislation mandates that large private companies must also calculate and report this ratio to avoid the penalty. The Treasury Department is tasked with issuing regulations to prevent companies from exploiting loopholes to avoid this tax.
The Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act aims to protect Social Security from external government agencies, restrict political access to sensitive data, stabilize office operations, reestablish key oversight offices, and increase funding for customer service and disability applicant assistance.
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
The Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act aims to protect Social Security from external government interference, specifically exempting it from the jurisdiction of the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The bill also tightens restrictions on political appointees accessing beneficiary data, mandates that only verified deceased individuals are added to the Death Master File, and locks in current SSA office levels. Finally, it allocates significant new funding for improving customer service, modernizing technology, and establishing state and community grants to assist disability applicants.
The Pay Teachers Act guarantees substantial, growing federal funding for public education programs while establishing a national minimum teacher salary, mandating pay floors for support staff, and investing in localized educator preparation and development.
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
The Pay Teachers Act is a comprehensive bill designed to significantly boost federal investment in public education across three main areas. Title I guarantees substantial, growing funding for disadvantaged students, rural schools, Impact Aid, and the Bureau of Indian Education. Title II mandates a national minimum teacher salary of $60,000, raises pay floors for support staff, and requires states to address pay inequities. Finally, Title III establishes mandatory, increasing appropriations for programs that recruit, train, and support new educators, especially through paid residencies and specialized disability services.
This joint resolution disapproves and blocks the proposed export of 5,000 M5 Commando rifles to Israel.
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
This joint resolution expresses congressional disapproval to halt a specific proposed defense export to Israel. The measure blocks the shipment of certain firearms, including 5,000 M5 Commando rifles, valued at $1,000,000 or more. This action effectively prohibits the export of these defense articles to the Israel National Police.
The End Polluter Welfare Act of 2025 comprehensively eliminates federal subsidies, tax breaks, and financial support for the fossil fuel industry while increasing royalties on federal resource extraction.
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
The **End Polluter Welfare Act of 2025** is a comprehensive bill designed to eliminate financial support for the fossil fuel industry across federal subsidies, tax incentives, and international lending. It achieves this by increasing government royalties on federal resource extraction, terminating numerous tax breaks for oil, gas, and coal, and restricting federal funding for fossil fuel infrastructure. Ultimately, the Act shifts financial burdens onto large corporations while accelerating the sunset of certain methane reduction programs and adjusting incentives for clean hydrogen production.
This Act establishes the Office of Employee Ownership, creates a federal loan program to finance majority employee buyouts, and grants employees a right of first refusal before a plant closing.
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
Bernard Sanders
Senator
VT
The Employee Ownership Financing Act establishes a new Office of Employee Ownership within the Department of Labor to oversee initiatives supporting worker ownership. This bill creates a dedicated Employee Ownership Loan Program to help entities like ESOPs and worker cooperatives acquire or expand majority employee ownership. Furthermore, it grants employees a right of first refusal to purchase a facility facing closure under specific conditions. The Act also establishes an advisory council to guide the Secretary of Labor on implementing these employee ownership provisions.