This bill, titled the Small Business Liberation 2.0 Act, exempts small businesses from import duties imposed under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 and requires refunds of any such duties already paid by small businesses. It also prohibits companies from raising prices on affected goods by more than the cost of the duties themselves during a five-year period following duty implementation. The Federal Trade Commission would enforce these rules, with state attorneys general allowed to bring civil actions against violators, while small businesses remain exempt from the price gouging restrictions.
This bill, known as the Professional Degree Access Restoration Act, aims to restore federal student loan limits that were previously reduced for graduate and professional students. It directly affects students pursuing advanced degrees such as law, medicine, and education by increasing the amount of federal loans they can access. The legislation reverses specific loan cap reductions established by Public Law 119-21, allowing students to borrow more money during their period of instruction. By amending the Higher Education Act of 1965, the bill removes certain restrictions on annual and aggregate loan amounts for these student categories.
This bill, titled the Addressing Teacher Shortages Act of 2026, creates a federal grant program to help schools and school districts recruit and keep high-quality teachers, with a focus on rural areas, high-need subjects like STEM and special education, and underrepresented communities. The program provides competitive grants to eligible entities such as local school districts for at least five years to fund activities like teaching residencies, mentor programs, Grow Your Own initiatives that train local community members as teachers, and 2+2 partnerships between community colleges and universities. Grant recipients must match federal funds with non-federal contributions unless waived due to economic hardship, and the program prioritizes applications that include partnerships with minority-serving institutions and prepare paraprofessionals or substitute teachers for licensure.
This bill establishes the Addressing Teacher Shortages Act of 2026, which creates a federal grant program to help schools and districts prepare and retain educators in under-resourced and underserved communities. The program provides competitive grants to eligible entities for activities such as teaching residency programs, mentor teacher initiatives, Grow Your Own programs that recruit local community members, and 2+2 partnerships between community colleges and universities. Grant funds are specifically reserved to address shortages in rural areas, high-need subject areas like STEM and special education, and to diversify the teaching workforce. Recipients must provide matching funds and submit detailed reports on retention rates, licensure pass rates, and the percentage of teachers from underrepresented groups. The program authorizes funding from fiscal years 2027 through 2032 and includes provisions for planning grants for entities that have not previously received support.
This bill would require infant formula manufacturers to conduct standardized testing for specific pathogens and microorganisms in both their facilities and finished products. It mandates that companies report positive test results to the FDA within one business day and retain records of these findings for inspections. The legislation also requires the FDA to notify congressional committees within one business day of receiving positive test results or issuing certain inspection classifications. Additionally, the bill establishes clear inspection standards that apply to all infant formula products regardless of where they are made.
HRES 1107 is a House resolution urging the President to issue a proclamation flying the U.S. flag at half-staff to honor Rev. Jesse Jackson. The resolution recognizes his civil rights leadership, including founding the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and his presidential campaigns in 1984 and 1988, which advanced racial equality and economic justice. This symbolic gesture directly affects the President (as the one who would issue the proclamation) and the public, who would observe the flag at half-staff.
This bill, known as the Housing Supply and Affordability Act, creates a federal grant program to help states, cities, counties, and regional planning agencies develop and implement plans to increase housing supply and affordability. The program provides competitive grants that can be used for activities such as updating zoning codes, improving housing strategies, reducing development barriers, and coordinating with transportation agencies, but cannot be used for construction or repairs. Local governments receiving funds must limit administrative costs to no more than 10 percent of the grant amount and must coordinate with federal transit authorities where possible. The authority to award these grants is limited to a five-year period, after which the program will end.
The Supplemental Security Income Restoration Act of 2026 updates eligibility rules and benefit amounts for the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, which provides financial assistance to low-income individuals with limited resources. The bill increases income and resource limits for SSI recipients, exempts certain retirement accounts and tribal welfare payments from counting toward eligibility limits, and extends the SSI program to U.S. territories including Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa. Additionally, the legislation repeals a marriage penalty that previously reduced benefits for married couples and clarifies how various state tax credits and in-kind support are treated when determining eligibility.
This bill, titled the End Prediction Market Corruption Act, would prohibit certain U.S. government officials from trading event contracts, which are financial agreements based on specific occurrences or outcomes. The law directly affects the President, Vice President, Members of Congress, and senior executive branch officials, banning them from buying, selling, or exchanging these contracts entirely or restricting senior officials from trading contracts related to matters they personally handle in their official capacity. To enforce these rules, the bill establishes civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation plus any profits gained from prohibited trades, requires foreign trading platforms to report violations, and mandates annual financial disclosure reports from covered officials detailing any event contract transactions. Additionally, the bill directs the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to create rules preventing the misuse of nonpublic information for profit through event contract trading.
This bill extends whistleblower protections to employees, contractors, and agents working for state or local governments and non-profit organizations that administer or receive federal funds. It prohibits covered officials from retaliating against individuals who report misuse, waste, fraud, or gross mismanagement of federal funds, or violations of federal law in federally funded programs. The law establishes criminal penalties for retaliation, including fines up to $250,000 and up to 5 years in prison for intentional retaliation to conceal fraud or gain personal benefit. As a condition for receiving federal funds, states and localities must certify compliance, with non-compliance risking funding suspension or termination.
This bill directs the Treasury Department to create a program that refunds tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to importers who prove they lowered consumer prices as a result. The legislation specifically targets companies that paid over $5 million in these tariffs while excluding small businesses with less than $10 million in revenue. Importers must demonstrate how they will pass refunds directly to consumers through price cuts on essential goods like infant formula, diapers, and basic food items, or provide rebates to customers. The bill also prevents companies from conducting stock buybacks or paying dividends unless they certify they have taken steps to reduce consumer prices. All refunds must be processed within 180 days of the bill's enactment, with priority given to importers showing immediate price reductions for essential consumer products.
This bill, the PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026, requires most health insurance plans to cover HIV prevention medication without charging patients any out-of-pocket costs. It directly affects people with private insurance, government health programs like Medicare and Medicaid, military health care, and the Indian Health Service. The law mandates that insurance companies cannot require pre-approval for these medications, cannot charge deductibles or copayments for them, and cannot deny or charge higher premiums for life, disability, or long-term care insurance based on someone taking HIV prevention medication. The bill also creates a new public education campaign to increase awareness about HIV prevention options and provides federal funding to states and community organizations to expand access to these services.
