This bill amends the Passport Act of 1920 to exempt Purple Heart and Medal of Honor recipients from standard U.S. passport application and renewal fees. It directly affects veterans who have received these specific military decorations. The key provision adds a new fee exemption category (subparagraph D) for these individuals in the passport fee structure. The bill also requires the State Department to create a verification process with the Defense Department to confirm eligibility using military service records. This is a straightforward administrative change to reduce costs for honored veterans.
This bill requires the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to establish new safety standards for side underride guards on trucks and trailers within 18 months, with full compliance required within two years. The standards mandate that these guards prevent passenger vehicles from sliding under trucks during collisions, improve safety for vulnerable road users like motorcyclists, and include aerodynamic features to aid fuel efficiency. The bill also creates an advisory committee to monitor underride safety and mandates studies to better understand and prevent these crashes. It aims to reduce the thousands of deaths and injuries from underride crashes that have occurred over the past 50 years, as documented by the National Transportation Safety Board.
HRES 1035 is a non-binding House resolution condemning recent and proposed workforce reductions at FEMA, which the resolution states endanger the agency's ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. It specifically cites a 35% staffing shortage at FEMA (per GAO) and notes that over 2,000 permanent staff left FEMA in 2025, weakening disaster response during events like Hurricanes Helene and California wildfires. The resolution expresses concern that staffing cuts would delay aid, reduce assistance to vulnerable communities (including rural, coastal, and wildfire-prone areas), and undermine counterterrorism programs supporting first responders. It calls for a stable, adequately resourced FEMA workforce to ensure effective disaster management, without proposing new legislation or policy changes.
This bill creates new funding eligibility for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs) that offer approved master's degree programs. It amends existing law to add specific categories (subsections S for HBCUs and F for PBIs) allowing these institutions to access federal funds previously restricted to certain program types. The key mechanism expands funding access by adjusting how remaining funds are allocated after initial disbursements. Directly affects qualifying HBCUs and PBIs meeting both the institution type and master's program criteria.
The TSP Fiduciary Security Act of 2026 requires the Thrift Savings Fund (TSP), which manages retirement savings for federal employees and uniformed service members, to avoid investments harming national security. It adds a new duty for the TSP's managing board to prevent investments from threatening U.S. national security, directing the Secretary of Labor to create regulations within one year to establish standards for TSP investments and voting rights. These regulations will presume investments in China-based entities, or those breaching government contracts involving critical defense technology, as non-compliant. The bill also explicitly prohibits TSP mutual funds from including investments in China-based companies or their subsidiaries. Additionally, it mandates annual congressional reports on TSP investment reviews and enforcement outcomes.
HR 7375, the End Prison Gerrymandering Act, changes how incarcerated individuals are counted in the U.S. Census starting with the 2030 census. It requires the Census Bureau to count people in prison at their last known residence before incarceration, rather than at the prison location. This directly affects incarcerated individuals and their home communities, ensuring these communities are accurately represented in congressional redistricting. States must then use this home address data when drawing congressional districts, preventing prison populations from artificially inflating representation in rural areas where prisons are often located.
HR 7356, the "No Federal Funds for Ballot Harvesting Act," amends the Help America Vote Act to block federal funding for election administration in states that permit third parties (non-voters) to collect and transmit mailed ballots for federal elections. It requires states to prohibit such collection by non-authorized individuals, with exceptions for election officials, USPS employees, and family/caregivers living with or assisting the voter. States failing to adopt this prohibition would lose federal funds for administering federal elections. The bill cites concerns about ballot chain-of-custody vulnerabilities and references the Supreme Court’s Brnovich ruling upholding state restrictions on ballot harvesting.
The Rebuild America's Schools Act of 2026 authorizes $20 billion annually from 2027 to 2031 to improve public school facilities nationwide. The bill provides grants to states to fund school construction, renovation, and modernization projects that focus on safety, energy efficiency, and accessibility, with priority given to schools serving high percentages of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Funds cannot be used for routine maintenance, athletic facilities, or vehicles, and must meet specific environmental, safety, and energy efficiency standards. The bill also includes specific provisions for repairing school foundations affected by pyrrhotite, a mineral that causes concrete deterioration, and requires use of American-made materials for construction projects.
The PASTEUR Act of 2026 creates a new government contracting program to incentivize development of new antimicrobial drugs for treating drug-resistant infections. The Health and Human Services Secretary would award contracts to pharmaceutical sponsors meeting specific criteria on clinical benefits, innovation, and public health impact, with annual payments ranging from $75 million to $300 million (adjusted for inflation). Contract requirements include ensuring drug availability, tracking resistance data, promoting appropriate use, and maintaining supply chains. The bill also establishes antimicrobial stewardship programs for hospitals and outpatient facilities and improves surveillance of antimicrobial use and resistance. This legislation aims to address antibiotic resistance by creating financial incentives for new treatments and improving how antimicrobials are used and monitored.
HR 7335 establishes comprehensive humanitarian standards for individuals held in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) custody. The bill requires facilities to provide immediate health screenings within 12 hours (6 hours for high-risk individuals like children, pregnant people, or those with medical conditions), ensure access to adequate water, sanitation, food (with 2,000+ calories daily for adults), and age-appropriate shelter. It mandates specific facility standards including separate housing for males and females, accessible accommodations for people with disabilities, daily outdoor access for those detained over 48 hours, and proper medical equipment and personnel on-site. The bill also requires regular inspections, staff training on humanitarian protocols, and public reporting of sexual abuse complaints. These standards directly affect all individuals detained by ICE or CBP, with special protections for vulnerable groups like children, pregnant people, and those with medical needs.
HR 7273, the NASA Reauthorization Act of 2026, authorizes $24.4 billion in funding for NASA's fiscal year 2026 operations, with specific allocations across exploration, science, aeronautics, and technology programs. The bill directs NASA to continue the Artemis program for lunar exploration, maintain International Space Station operations through 2031, and develop commercial low-Earth orbit capabilities through public-private partnerships. It requires NASA to report on key topics including human-rated lunar landing capabilities, ISS deorbit plans, and maintaining a balanced science portfolio, directly affecting NASA's mission planning, contractor relationships, and international partnerships.
This bill modifies federal budget rules for unspent agency funds. It requires federal agencies to allocate 49% of unused funds to the next fiscal year, 49% toward paying the national debt, and 2% for retention bonuses (capped at 10% of an employee's base pay). Agencies must also limit future budget requests to the previous year's amount adjusted for inflation. The bill directly affects all executive branch agencies (excluding the Red Cross), altering how they manage leftover budget authority. It does not create new savings programs for individuals but changes government fiscal management procedures.
