Legislative Activity

This resolution officially recognizes January 2026 as National Mentoring Month to raise awareness and encourage the expansion of quality mentoring programs nationwide. It highlights the significant benefits mentoring provides for youth development, academic success, and community strength. The bill also acknowledges the vital role of volunteer mentors and supports efforts to close the gap for the millions of young people currently without one.

This joint resolution seeks to disapprove the Environmental Protection Agency's rule that grants deadline extensions for effluent limitations guidelines for the steam electric power generating industry. If enacted, this resolution would nullify the EPA's extension rule, meaning the existing standards would remain in full effect without the granted delays.

The Prior Authorization Relief Act aims to streamline and standardize prior authorization requirements within Medicare Advantage plans. It mandates an audit to identify high-cost items, services, and drugs with excessive authorization steps. Based on the findings, the bill requires the standardization of these prior authorization processes across all Medicare Advantage plans, with certain exemptions for providers in two-sided financial risk models.

This act establishes that the maximum annual percentage rate (APR) for consumer credit transactions will be determined by the laws of the consumer's state of residence. It amends the Truth in Lending Act to ensure state consumer protection laws regarding interest rates take precedence. This effectively caps interest rates based on the strongest applicable state standard.

The Affordable CHOICE Act establishes a new, federally-run public health insurance option available through the Health Insurance Marketplace starting in 2027. This plan aims to provide affordable coverage by having the Secretary of Health and Human Services negotiate provider payment rates, using Medicare rates as a fallback. The public option will offer bronze, silver, and gold coverage levels and must adhere to the same rules as existing Marketplace plans.

This act prohibits the use of any federal funds to pay legal settlements to individuals convicted of assaulting a law enforcement officer during the January 6, 2021, Capitol breach. This ban specifically applies to settlements covering alleged harm suffered by the individual during the events or during their subsequent prosecution.

This resolution formally recognizes that unaddressed climate change poses a severe threat to national and global financial stability through increased extreme weather events and resulting insurance market collapse. It acknowledges expert warnings that these impacts could lead to massive economic losses and systemic financial risk. The Senate declares that an early, orderly transition to a low-carbon economy is necessary to avoid catastrophic financial shocks.

This resolution recognizes the severe health risks associated with mercury pollution, such as permanent brain damage and birth defects, primarily stemming from burning fossil fuels. It highlights that power plants are the largest source of these emissions, leading to widespread contamination through the food chain. The Senate formally asserts that existing pollution controls on power plants should not be weakened.

This resolution formally recognizes that exposure to particulate matter pollution is a significant public health threat, causing serious conditions like heart attacks, asthma, and strokes. The bill highlights that fossil fuel combustion is a major source of this pollution, disproportionately affecting millions, including many children. Ultimately, the Senate affirms the need for the EPA to maintain and enforce strong national standards to protect public health from these airborne particles.

This resolution formally recognizes the direct link between climate change and the dramatic, ongoing increase in U.S. property insurance premiums. It highlights that soaring annual insured losses from natural disasters are driving up costs for homeowners nationwide. The resolution asserts that failing to address climate change will further exacerbate housing affordability issues.

The Clean Competition Act establishes a "carbon intensity charge" on high-emission industrial goods, both domestically produced and imported, starting in 2026. This legislation aims to level the playing field by incentivizing decarbonization through calculated charges, offering rebates for U.S. exports, and authorizing international "carbon club" agreements. Revenue generated will fund significant domestic industrial competitiveness grants and international climate assistance programs.

This resolution recognizes the serious health risks associated with ozone pollution, including lung disease and cardiovascular problems. It expresses the Senate's support for the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) 2024 methane pollution standards. Furthermore, the resolution urges the EPA to continue taking action to reduce smog pollution.

This resolution recognizes that climate change poses a significant and measurable threat to the U.S. mortgage market and overall home values. It details the substantial financial losses already incurred and projected due to sea-level rise and increased natural disasters. The bill further declares that these climate-related risks could trigger broader economic instability, similar to past housing crises.

This resolution formally acknowledges the accelerated rise in sea levels driven by human-caused climate change. It further declares that the United States must achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 at the latest.

This resolution formally recognizes that climate change is significantly increasing the frequency, intensity, and destructiveness of wildfires across the nation. It highlights the documented evidence linking rising global temperatures and drought to longer, more severe fire seasons. The resolution further acknowledges the immense economic costs and human toll of these events, such as the 2025 Los Angeles fires. Ultimately, it calls for fully funding and staffing federal efforts to prevent and respond to this growing wildfire risk.

This resolution formally recognizes that human-caused climate change is rapidly warming the world's oceans. It details the severe economic, ecological, and public health risks associated with this warming, including harm to marine life, increased storm intensity, and the spread of harmful bacteria. The Senate acknowledges the significant damage ocean warming is causing to global marine ecosystems and coastal communities.

This resolution recognizes the increasing threat of climate change-driven extreme weather events while simultaneously noting significant staffing and budget cuts to critical weather monitoring systems like the National Weather Service. It formally acknowledges the link between climate change and severe weather, mourns recent losses of life, and stresses the urgent need to fully fund and staff essential weather safety infrastructure.

This resolution affirms that the Federal Government should actively support school districts in investing in clean school buses. It highlights the significant health risks posed by diesel exhaust to children and the positive impact clean alternatives, like electric buses, would have on air quality and educational outcomes. The bill encourages continued federal support for this transition, building on past bipartisan efforts.

This resolution highlights the severe stress on Florida's insurance market due to climate risks, noting the departure of major insurers and the insolvency risk of smaller ones. It calls on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to examine the rating practices of Demotech, which significantly impacts mortgage eligibility. Furthermore, the Senate requests a study on the likelihood of state-backed insurers, like Florida's Citizens Property Insurance, requiring a federal financial bailout.

This resolution formally recognizes that climate change is a reality supported by sound science, not a hoax. It details the historical scientific understanding and current overwhelming consensus that human activity, primarily burning fossil fuels, is causing global warming. The bill further finds that climate change is already causing severe impacts and calls for Congress to protect legally mandated climate research programs.