Legislative Activity

The Consumer Financial Protection Accountability and Reform Act of 2026 seeks to restructure the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) by bringing it under congressional appropriations and establishing more rigorous oversight and transparency requirements. The bill introduces stricter standards for enforcement actions, clarifies definitions of abusive practices, and provides new regulatory frameworks for emerging financial products like earned wage access. Additionally, it adjusts supervisory thresholds and limits the Bureau’s ability to use market-monitoring data for enforcement, aiming to increase procedural fairness for both financial institutions and consumers.

The Main Street Act is comprehensive legislation designed to foster a more competitive and accessible banking environment by reducing regulatory burdens on community banks and credit unions. The bill streamlines application processes, modernizes supervision standards, and enhances transparency across federal financial agencies to encourage local lending and economic growth. Additionally, it promotes innovation and financial stability by facilitating bank-fintech partnerships and improving the tools available for managing liquidity and bank resolutions.

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.

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 FEC Administrative Improvements Act modernizes campaign finance operations by requiring electronic filing for all electioneering communications, ensuring consistent disclosure standards. Additionally, the bill updates payment regulations to allow political committees to make disbursements using modern payment methods beyond traditional paper checks.

The **21st Century ROAD to Housing Act** is a comprehensive bill designed to significantly increase housing supply, improve affordability, and modernize federal housing programs. It tackles issues from streamlining construction regulations and incentivizing local zoning reform to restricting large corporate home purchases and enhancing financing for manufactured homes. Ultimately, the Act aims to create more pathways to homeownership and ensure safer, more stable rental conditions across the country.

The Hmong Congressional Gold Medal Act honors the Hmong people for their courageous service and sacrifice alongside the United States during the Vietnam War. This legislation authorizes the presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal to recognize their critical contributions in the fight against communism and their subsequent resettlement in America. The medal will be housed at the Smithsonian Institution to preserve the history of their service for future generations.

The Financial Exploitation Prevention Act of 2025 empowers mutual funds and transfer agents to protect vulnerable investors by delaying suspicious redemption requests. The bill requires participating firms to maintain trusted contact information and establishes formal internal procedures to identify and report potential financial exploitation. Additionally, it mandates that the SEC report to Congress with recommendations for further regulatory improvements to safeguard older and impaired adults.

The SHARE Act of 2025 establishes new federal requirements for the FBI to share criminal history record information with states participating in professional licensing interstate compacts. This information sharing is strictly for the purpose of conducting background checks on applicants seeking to practice a profession in another compact state. States receiving this data are severely restricted on how they can use or further disseminate the detailed criminal history, generally only being permitted to report a binary "satisfactory" or "unsatisfactory" determination back to the compact's Commission.

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 REAL Butter Act, aims to ensure consumer choice by requiring clear and truthful labeling for butter alternatives created through non-agricultural synthesis. It mandates that products marketed as butter but made with synthesized milkfat must be labeled as "lab-created butter." This prevents misbranding by distinguishing these products from traditional butter defined under existing law.

The Medal of Sacrifice Act establishes a new national medal to honor law enforcement officers and first responders killed in the line of duty. This legislation creates a Commission to advise on the medal's design, presentation, and final eligibility decisions, particularly when there are findings of wrongdoing. The medal itself will feature specific symbolic elements and will be awarded to eligible fallen heroes.

The Restoration of Employment Choice for Adults with Disabilities Act amends the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 regarding subminimum wage employment for individuals with disabilities. This bill changes the applicable age for subminimum wage employment from 24 and under to 18 and older. It also modifies employer requirements for providing counseling and documentation related to this employment status.

The Keeping Violent Offenders Off Our Streets Act of 2025 targets fraud in the bail process. This legislation amends federal law to specifically disqualify individuals who commit fraud related to posting bail from participating in certain bail-related activities.

This Act establishes "AI Innovation Labs" within major financial regulatory agencies to allow regulated entities to test innovative financial products using artificial intelligence. Companies can apply for temporary waivers or modifications to existing regulations in exchange for following an approved alternative compliance strategy. The goal is to foster AI innovation in finance while ensuring consumer protection, market stability, and managing associated risks. Agencies must review applications within 120 days and submit annual reports on project outcomes.

The Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2025 aims to combat sophisticated, cross-jurisdictional organized retail and supply chain theft. It achieves this by strengthening federal laws regarding money laundering and stolen property offenses, including lowering monetary thresholds for prosecution. Furthermore, the bill establishes a dedicated Center within the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate federal, state, and local enforcement efforts against these criminal organizations.

The DAIRY PRIDE Act aims to protect the integrity of dairy labeling by establishing a strict definition for what can be called a "dairy product." This bill prohibits foods that do not meet this new standard—derived from the milk of hooved mammals—from being sold across state lines under standardized dairy names. Enforcement will be managed by the FDA, which is required to issue guidance and report on compliance actions to Congress.

This bill significantly strengthens consumer control over personal financial data by limiting what financial institutions can collect and share, and granting customers the right to opt-out, view, or delete their information at any time. It also establishes federal law as the primary authority for financial data privacy, overriding most state-level protections. Furthermore, the legislation requires regulators to consider the unique compliance challenges faced by smaller financial institutions when creating new rules.

This bill officially renames the United States Postal Service facility located at 306 South Main Street in Waupaca, Wisconsin. The post office will now be known as the Master Sergeant Melvin O. Handrich Post Office Building. This designation will be reflected in all official records and documents referencing the facility.

The Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Modernization Act of 2026 streamlines federal housing programs to better support tribal communities. The bill simplifies environmental review processes, expands homeownership and rental assistance opportunities, and reauthorizes critical funding through 2032. Additionally, it enhances tribal authority over housing management, improves access to loan guarantees, and establishes new support programs for homeless or at-risk Native American veterans.