This legislation establishes a new Commission on Americans Living Abroad within the executive branch to study the impact of federal laws on U.S. citizens residing overseas. The ten-member commission will be appointed by the President and tasked with examining issues such as tax compliance, access to federal benefits, and voting rights for Americans living abroad. Within one year of enactment, the commission must submit a report to Congress and the President containing findings and recommendations to reduce regulatory burdens on Americans living abroad. The commission is authorized to operate for two years with a funding allocation of $2 million before it terminates.
The Living Wage For All Act raises the federal minimum wage in a tiered schedule, requiring large corporations to reach $25 per hour by 2031 while giving smaller businesses a longer timeline to catch up. Once the standard is met, the law automatically indexes the minimum wage to two-thirds of the national median hourly wage to ensure it keeps pace with economic changes. The bill also eliminates the lower minimum wage for tipped employees and youth workers, phasing them out until they match the general standard, and extends similar protections to incarcerated workers. Additionally, the legislation restricts the issuance of special minimum wage certificates for workers with disabilities and mandates that employers provide technical assistance during the transition period.
The Second Look Act of 2026 allows federal courts to reduce prison sentences for individuals who have served at least 10 years in custody for offenses carrying a term of more than 10 years. To qualify, a defendant must demonstrate that they are no longer a danger to the community and are ready to reenter society, with special consideration given to those aged 50 or older who face a legal presumption in their favor for release. The process requires a formal application, a hearing where evidence regarding rehabilitation and age-related decline in criminality is presented, and the appointment of a lawyer for those who cannot afford one. If approved, the court may shorten the prison term while maintaining the original period of supervised release, and the United States Sentencing Commission will publish annual reports on the number of people granted or denied these reductions.
This bill authorizes the Attorney General to create a grant program that funds community-based organizations to establish "One Stop Shop" centers for formerly incarcerated individuals. These centers would provide a single location for comprehensive services, including job training, housing assistance, legal aid, and mental health support, while requiring applicants to develop needs assessments and plans for transportation and stakeholder collaboration. Additionally, the legislation authorizes funding for toll-free, 24/7 hotlines that connect people in need with local reentry resources and offer guidance on navigating the system. The program includes strict requirements for data collection and reporting to Congress to track outcomes such as recidivism rates and employment success, with a preference for hiring formerly incarcerated individuals to run these initiatives.
This bill, known as the Directly Impacted Child Rehab and Safety Act, modifies federal laws to adjust how children are processed within the juvenile justice system. It raises the minimum age for federal juvenile delinquency proceedings from 12 to 13 and increases the age threshold for transferring older juveniles to adult criminal court from 15 to 16, with specific exceptions for serious violent crimes. The legislation also requires courts to consider factors such as a child's exposure to trauma and their role in an offense before deciding on transfers or sentencing. Additionally, the bill mandates the collection of detailed statistics on children in federal custody and authorizes grants to help state agencies better coordinate between child welfare and juvenile justice systems to support vulnerable youth.
The Long-Term Care Workforce Support Act aims to address the severe shortage and low wages of direct care professionals who support older adults and people with disabilities by increasing Medicaid funding, expanding training grants, and establishing new federal labor protections. To improve compensation and retention, the bill allows states to receive additional Medicaid funds if they implement specific workforce improvements, such as raising wages, providing paid leave, and ensuring stable scheduling, while also creating a national strategy to calculate fair labor costs. The legislation introduces comprehensive worker rights, including a requirement for written employment agreements, fair scheduling with advance notice, paid sick time, and a federal standard to prevent workplace violence. Furthermore, the bill establishes multiple grant programs to fund training, career advancement, and diversity initiatives, alongside a new commission to develop national training standards and a technical assistance center to address inequities within the workforce.
The HCBS Access Act requires Medicaid to cover a broad range of home and community-based services for people with disabilities and older adults, aiming to eliminate waiting lists and ensure these individuals can live in their communities rather than institutions. To achieve this, the bill mandates that states create detailed implementation plans, establishes a new advisory panel to recommend additional services, and sets a 100 percent federal funding match for these services to encourage state participation. The legislation also strengthens protections for family caregivers, requires states to remove financial liens on the estates of deceased beneficiaries, and creates a national technical assistance center to support the recruitment and training of direct care workers. Additionally, the bill directs the government to establish a separate occupational category for direct support professionals to better track workforce shortages and improve data collection on this critical labor force.
This joint resolution (SJRES 124) directs the President to remove U.S. military forces from Cuba unless Congress has declared war or specifically authorized military action against Cuba. It applies to all current operations in Cuba, including Coast Guard enforcement activities, which the resolution defines as "hostilities" under the War Powers Resolution. The bill asserts Congress holds the sole constitutional authority to authorize military force under Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution. It does not prevent defensive actions against imminent attacks or lawful counternarcotics operations.
Barcode Automation for Revenue Collection to Organize Disbursement and Enhance Efficiency Act or the BARCODE Efficiency Act This bill requires the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to use barcodes, barcode scanning technology, and optical character recognition (or similar) technology to digitize certain federal tax return information and correspondence, unless the technology is slower or less reliable than other IRS processes (subject to conditions). Specifically, the bill requires a scannable barcode on electronically-prepared federal tax returns that are printed and filed in paper format with the IRS. The bill also requires the IRS to use barcode scanning technology to convert data included on such returns into an electronic format. Further, the bill requires the IRS to use optical character recognition (or similar) technology to transcribe federal tax returns and correspondence received by the IRS that are not prepared electronically and are received in paper format. However, under the bill, the use of barcodes, barcode scanning technology, and optical character recognition (or similar) technology is not required if (1) such technology is slower or less reliable than manual transcription or any other IRS process, and (2) the IRS provides a report to Congress regarding the determination to not use such technology.
This bill amends rules for sharing information about suspected intellectual property violations in trade. It requires U.S. Customs and Border Protection to have a reasonable suspicion before sharing data, and permits sharing nonpublic details with online marketplaces, shipping companies, freight forwarders, and other entities involved in U.S. merchandise imports. It also allows CBP to share such information with additional parties (e.g., importers or rights holders) as determined appropriate by the Commissioner. The changes aim to improve coordination between enforcement and industry for intellectual property protection.
New Source Review Permitting Improvement Act This bill modifies terminology for purposes of the New Source Review (NSR) permitting program of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In order for a change to a stationary source to be a modification (a change to a stationary source that increases the air pollutant emissions or results in new pollutants) for purposes of the NSR permitting program, the maximum hourly emission rate achievable by such source must be higher than the maximum hourly rate achievable by such source during any hour in the 10-year period preceding the change. A change at a stationary source is not considered to be a modification under the bill if it is designed to (1) reduce the amount of any air pollutant emitted; or (2) restore, maintain, or improve the reliability of operations at, or safety of, the source. However, such changes are not excepted if the EPA determines the increase in the maximum achievable hourly emission rate from such change would cause an adverse effect on human health or the environment. Construction , in connection with a major emitting facility (a type of stationary source), does not include a change at such a facility that does not result in a significant emissions increase or a significant net emissions increase. In relation to major emitting facilities in nonattainment areas, the terms modifications and modified do not include changes at such facilities that do not result in a significant emissions increase or a significant net emissions increase.
This bill proposes a new amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would establish voting as a fundamental right for all citizens of legal voting age. It requires any government denial of this right to be narrowly tailored to serve a compelling interest, while also repealing specific language from the 14th Amendment related to voting rights. The amendment would grant Congress the authority to pass laws enforcing these protections against any denial or abridgment of the right to vote.
