Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, Oversight and Government Reform, Science, Space, and Technology, Armed Services, and Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
The Housing Tariff Exclusion Act directs the Secretary of Commerce to create a process allowing U.S. companies to request exemptions from tariffs on building materials that are not produced in sufficient quantities domestically. The bill specifically targets products used in residential construction, such as lumber, cement, and fixtures, while excluding rare earth elements and antidumping duties. Requests for "critical homebuilding products" must be decided within 15 days, while other covered articles have a 60-day review period, with all decisions published online for transparency. The legislation includes retroactive provisions to refund overpaid tariffs on goods imported before an exemption is granted and sets a sunset date of October 1, 2029, after which no new exclusions can be issued.
The Food for Thought Act of 2026 establishes a competitive grant program administered by the Department of Agriculture to provide free meals and snacks to low-income college students at eligible institutions, including community colleges, historically Black colleges and universities, and other minority-serving schools. To qualify, an institution must have at least 20 percent of its undergraduate students eligible for Federal Pell Grants, and grants are awarded for a maximum duration of two years with funds restricted to meal preparation, outreach, and limited equipment purchases. Recipients are required to prioritize students who receive Pell Grants or report food insecurity, while also evaluating institutional policies that may create barriers to enrollment and referring students to other federal benefit programs like SNAP. The bill authorizes appropriations for fiscal years 2027 through 2032 and mandates that the Secretary of Agriculture submit reports to Congress on the program's impact on student retention and completion rates.
The Community Health Worker Access Act would add community health services to Medicare Part B starting in 2027, allowing beneficiaries to receive these services without paying a deductible and with costs covered at 100 percent of the lesser of the actual charge or a government-set fee schedule. The bill defines eligible services as preventive care and support for social determinants of health, such as transportation assistance, case management, and culturally specific outreach, provided by qualified community health agencies under the supervision of licensed medical providers. Additionally, it gives states an optional pathway to cover similar services through Medicaid, offering a 6 percentage point increase in federal matching funds to help offset state costs for these workforce-supported programs.
The Lethal Means Safety Training Act requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to update its suicide prevention and lethal means safety training within 180 days of enactment, ensuring the content is culturally appropriate and based on current best practices. The bill mandates that specific VA employees, including those in health and benefits administration, compensation examiners, and staff at vocational rehabilitation facilities, complete this training within 90 days of hiring and annually thereafter. Additionally, the legislation extends these requirements to non-VA community care providers and family caregivers who receive federal support, making completion of the course a condition for their participation in VA programs. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs must also publish annual reports on training completion rates and make the course materials publicly available online.
The 504 Modernization and Small Manufacturer Enhancement Act of 2026 amends the Small Business Investment Act to expand eligibility for federal financing programs, specifically allowing loans to support workforce training, disaster recovery areas, and small businesses with ten or fewer employees. The bill streamlines loan closing procedures by permitting certified development companies to make minor adjustments to project costs and borrower details without restarting the approval process, while also authorizing approved attorneys to handle closings for priority lenders. Additionally, it relaxes occupancy requirements for new facilities and existing buildings, allowing small manufacturers to lease up to 50 percent of a new facility and other businesses to lease up to 66 percent of an existing building under specific conditions. Finally, the legislation requires the Small Business Administration to implement a marketing plan to improve loan awareness and exempts certain development company loans from standard credit availability rules.
The 504 Program Level Flexibility Act allows the Small Business Administration to exceed its annual loan guarantee limit by up to 15 percent if demand for financing from qualified state or local development companies is high. This provision applies starting in fiscal year 2027 and requires the agency administrator to notify specific congressional committees at least 30 days before using this extra authority. The bill also restricts the SBA to using this flexibility measure no more than once per fiscal year.
The EFIN Verification Act of 2026 requires tax preparers to validate their Electronic Filing Identification Numbers (EFINs) before electronically submitting federal tax returns or other documents on behalf of taxpayers. The bill mandates that the Treasury Secretary establish a real-time validation system capable of processing high-volume requests from large-scale tax preparation software and financial institutions. This system will confirm whether an EFIN is active, authorized, or compromised at the moment a filing attempt is made. Additionally, the legislation permits the disclosure of specific information to approved third-party validators to facilitate this verification process, with these requirements taking effect for taxable years beginning two years after enactment.
The Combating Foreign Threats to Main Street Act of 2026 directs the Small Business Administration to create and distribute educational materials that help small businesses identify and protect against harmful activities by foreign adversaries. These materials must cover topics such as intellectual property theft, cybersecurity risks, forced labor in supply chains, and the dangers of specific commercial relationships with foreign-controlled entities. The bill requires the agency to review and update these resources annually starting in 2027 to ensure they reflect current threats and best practices. Additionally, if the agency determines that a specific activity poses a significant risk to national or economic security, it must notify the relevant congressional committees about the finding and its justification.
This bill increases the mandatory financial contributions from Federal Home Loan Banks to the Affordable Housing Program by extending a 15 percent net income requirement through 2025 and establishing it as the permanent rate for 2026 and beyond. The legislation directly affects the Federal Home Loan Banks, which are government-sponsored enterprises that provide funding to member banks and credit unions. A key provision ensures that these annual contributions will not fall below $100 million in any given year, regardless of the banks' net income fluctuations.
The 9-8-8 Implementation Act of 2026 expands federal funding and mandates insurance coverage for behavioral health crisis services, directly affecting individuals experiencing mental health or substance use emergencies as well as the providers who serve them. The bill authorizes grants to upgrade local lifeline call centers, build new crisis stabilization facilities, and train a larger workforce of behavioral health professionals. It requires Medicare, Medicaid, private group health plans, TRICARE, and other federal insurance programs to cover crisis response services with financial terms no more restrictive than standard medical care. Additionally, the legislation establishes a federal panel to develop training protocols for 9-1-1 dispatchers to better connect callers to appropriate crisis care rather than law enforcement responses.
The Consumer Financial Protection Accountability and Reform Act of 2026 significantly restructures the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection by subjecting it to the regular federal appropriations process and establishing an independent Inspector General appointed by the President. The bill restricts the Bureau's supervisory authority over banks and credit unions with assets under $30 billion, allowing these institutions to elect to remain under their existing prudential regulators instead. It also introduces a safe harbor for small-dollar loans of $3,500 or less that meet specific structural requirements, shielding compliant lenders from civil money penalties and private damages. Additionally, the legislation creates federal standards for earned wage access services, requiring providers to offer a no-cost option for early wage access and prohibiting them from treating these services as credit or debt under federal law.
