HR 6734, the Auto Data Privacy and Autonomy Act, gives car, truck, and farm/construction vehicle owners direct control over data generated by their vehicles. It prohibits manufacturers from accessing or sharing vehicle data (including location and personal information) without the owner’s explicit, written consent, and bans selling such data to specific foreign governments like China, Russia, or North Korea. Owners gain free, real-time access to all vehicle data through standard interfaces (like the car’s port or wireless), with no fees for decryption or third-party access, and can delete data or adjust settings via an open application interface. The law requires manufacturers to provide this access without restricting how owners use the data or forcing them to pay for it.
This bill establishes a Diversity and Inclusion Administrator at the Department of Labor to increase African American participation in apprenticeships. It requires all new and renewing registered apprenticeship programs to submit plans boosting African American enrollment and creates competitive grants for programs targeting underserved communities in fields like construction, healthcare, and tech. The grants fund outreach, mentoring, and support services to help African American youth access and complete apprenticeships. The bill directly affects African American young people and apprenticeship programs nationwide, with $2 million authorized for fiscal year 2026.
HR 6718, the Professional Student Degree Act, amends the Higher Education Act to clarify the definition of a "professional degree" for federal education purposes. It replaces the previous definition with a new section listing specific degrees that meet the criteria, including Pharmacy (Pharm.D.), Law (J.D.), Medicine (M.D.), Dentistry (D.D.S.), Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.), and others like Nursing (D.N.P.) and Business Administration (M.B.A.). This definition requires degrees to signify both completion of academic requirements for professional practice (often requiring licensure) and skills beyond a bachelor's level. The bill directly affects students pursuing these designated degrees by formally recognizing them under federal education law, without creating new programs or changing funding.
This bill allows groups of small businesses or self-employed individuals to form a single health plan that treats all members as one employer for coverage purposes. It directly affects small business associations and self-employed people who can join such groups to access pooled health coverage, provided they meet specific requirements (e.g., 51+ total employees, 2+ years in existence, no health-based discrimination). Key mechanisms include permitting modified community rating for premiums (based on pooled claims) while prohibiting health status-related discrimination in enrollment, premiums, or pre-existing condition coverage. The plan remains subject to federal ERISA rules, and self-employed members must meet defined criteria to participate as both employers and employees.
HR 2571, the Self-Insurance Protection Act, clarifies that stop-loss insurance purchased by self-funded employer health plans is not considered "health insurance coverage" under federal law. It directly affects employers (both large and small) who self-fund health benefits for their employees, as these employers use stop-loss insurance to protect their company assets from unexpected, high medical claims costs. The bill amends ERISA to exempt this stop-loss coverage from state health insurance regulations and ensures federal law preempts any state laws that might block employers from using this protection. This change aims to maintain the availability of stop-loss insurance as a key risk management tool for self-funded health plans.
The DRIVER Act requires car manufacturers and fleet owners to give vehicle owners free, real-time access to their vehicle's data (like location, driving habits, and sensor information) through standard ports or wireless connections. Owners can control how this data is used or shared with third parties (except for foreign adversaries), delete stored data, and cannot be charged for access or decryption. Manufacturers and fleet owners must provide clear opt-out options before selling owner data and are banned from selling data to specific countries like China, Russia, or Iran. The Federal Trade Commission enforces these rules under existing laws, and states cannot create conflicting laws.
The Climate Justice Grants Act establishes a federal program to provide grants of up to $2 million to Tribal governments, local governments, and community nonprofits. These grants fund locally driven projects addressing climate justice in environmental justice communities - defined as communities of color, indigenous groups, or low-income areas disproportionately impacted by pollution. Projects must focus on culturally appropriate solutions like community solar, energy efficiency, weatherization, natural infrastructure, and climate resilience planning, with applicants required to demonstrate community involvement and long-term sustainability. The program requires annual reports to Congress and the public, with $1 billion authorized annually from 2026-2035, excluding administrative costs.
The Keeping All Students Safe Act prohibits the use of unlawful seclusion and restraint in schools receiving federal funding, including physical restraint that restricts breathing or blood flow, chemical restraint not prescribed for medical treatment, and mechanical restraint. The bill requires schools to use less restrictive interventions first, mandates that staff using physical restraint be trained and certified through State-approved programs, and requires immediate parent notification after any restraint incident. States must develop plans to monitor compliance, collect and report data on restraint incidents (disaggregated by race, disability status, and school type), and implement positive behavioral interventions. The bill provides $40 million annually for five years to support states in implementing these requirements and improving school climate through evidence-based approaches.
The Workforce of the Future Act of 2025 requires federal agencies to produce reports analyzing artificial intelligence's impact on the workforce, including data on affected industries, demographic impacts, and necessary skills. It authorizes $160 million in Department of Education grants to expand emerging and advanced technology education in schools, with a focus on underserved communities and students from low-income backgrounds. The bill also allocates $90 million in Department of Labor grants to support workforce training for workers most affected by AI, particularly those in high-impact industries. Both programs require detailed reporting on demographic data and will be evaluated for effectiveness. The legislation aims to prepare workers and students for an AI-driven economy through education, training, and equitable access to technology skills.
This concurrent resolution (HCONRES 65) is a symbolic congressional commendment of state and local governments that have affirmed reproductive rights as human rights. It recognizes efforts by jurisdictions like Carrboro, North Carolina; Austin, Texas; and Fulton County, Georgia, which passed resolutions or proclamations declaring abortion access a human right and condemning criminalization of pregnancy outcomes. The resolution urges states to repeal restrictive abortion laws and protect access to reproductive care, but it does not create new legal requirements or fund programs. As a procedural resolution, it has no binding effect on federal or state law.
The HONEST Act (officially titled the PELOSI Act) prohibits Members of Congress and their spouses from holding, buying, or selling most stocks, bonds, and financial derivatives (like options or futures) during their term in office to prevent conflicts of interest from insider trading. It excludes diversified mutual funds, ETFs, U.S. Treasury securities, and income from a spouse’s primary job, with a 180-day grace period for current and new members to divest existing holdings. Lawmakers must annually certify compliance to ethics committees, which can impose fines (up to 10% of non-compliant holdings’ value per 30 days) and publish violations publicly. The law also mandates a government audit within two years to assess compliance.
This bill increases federal student loan limits for graduate and professional students. Starting July 1, 2026, it sets a $50,000 annual limit and a $200,000 total aggregate limit (beyond undergraduate borrowing) for unsubsidized Federal Direct Stafford loans. These changes directly affect graduate and professional students pursuing advanced degrees who rely on federal loans for education costs. The provisions aim to provide higher borrowing capacity for these students' educational expenses under the Higher Education Act.
