Respect State Housing Laws Act This bill eliminates a provision that requires a 30-day notice period before a landlord may begin eviction proceedings against a tenant in federally assisted or federally backed housing.
SRES 612 is a non-binding Senate resolution acknowledging the fourth anniversary of Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. It reaffirms U.S. support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its 1991 borders, condemns Russia’s attacks on civilians and infrastructure, and emphasizes the need for sustained U.S. and transatlantic security guarantees. The resolution does not create new laws or funding but expresses congressional support for Ukraine’s defense and calls for continued international cooperation. It specifically highlights Russia’s targeting of Ukrainian children and U.S. companies as part of its aggression. As a symbolic gesture, it has no legal effect on policy or funding.
HRES 1076 is a House resolution recognizing the 10th anniversary of the first U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) export shipment from the lower 48 states, which occurred on February 24, 2016. The resolution celebrates this milestone as a historic achievement in American energy production, highlighting its role in supporting over 273,000 annual jobs and $400 billion in economic growth over the past decade. It honors the workers and communities involved and acknowledges LNG exports' contribution to U.S. economic growth, energy security, and global partnerships. The resolution has no binding effect or policy changes - it solely expresses recognition of a past event.
The HOME Expansion Act allows jurisdictions that don't receive other federal housing funds to use HOME program money for infrastructure like water lines, roads, and sidewalks directly tied to affordable housing projects. It raises the income eligibility limit for affordable homeownership from 95% to 110% of area median income and requires new long-term affordability measures, such as shared equity ownership models or community land trusts. The bill also creates exceptions for military members (waiving income rules during deployment) and heirs of deceased homeowners to maintain housing affordability. These changes apply to housing assisted under the HOME program and related tax credit programs.
Rotorcraft Operations Transparency and Oversight Reform Act or the ROTOR Act This bill addresses aviation safety by increasing requirements for aircraft tracking and communication using Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) technology and expanding oversight. As background, ADS-B for broadcasting (Out) and receiving (In) transmits information (e.g., location and weather information) between aircraft and air traffic control. Under the bill, aircraft must generally operate with ADS-B In equipment to provide the aircraft with location information of other aircraft and traffic advisories. Current law does not require this equipment. Current Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations allow aircraft performing a sensitive government mission to be excepted from requirements for using ADS-B Out equipment. This bill limits which flights may be considered sensitive government missions (e.g., not training flights) and requires additional reporting and notifications for the exception. The Government Accountability Office must review the use of the ADS-B Out exception and the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the Department of Transportation must annually audit FAA oversight of operations that use the exception. Further, the bill repeals a 2025 law that exempts certain military helicopters from the ADS-B Out requirements for the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. The bill also requires the OIG of the Army to audit the Army’s coordination with the FAA, the FAA to establish an office to coordinate airspace usage of military aircraft and review the safety of flight operations and routes around airports, and the FAA to enter into memoranda of understanding with military agencies for safety information sharing.
The SAVES Act of 2025 establishes a five-year pilot program at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to fund nonprofit organizations that provide service dogs to eligible veterans with specific disabilities, such as blindness, mobility issues, PTSD, or traumatic brain injury. Nonprofits must apply competitively, meet training and animal welfare standards (including ADA compliance), and provide service dogs at no cost to veterans, with the VA covering all program expenses. The VA will also provide ongoing veterinary insurance for the dogs, which continues even after the pilot ends. This program is funded with $10 million annually for five years, targeting veterans as defined by VA medical criteria.
The Military Family Diaper Partnership Act directs the Department of Defense to allocate $1 million annually (2027-2030) to the National Diaper Bank Network to establish a dedicated fund for distributing diapers and diapering supplies. The fund requires matching contributions from non-government sources equal to the federal amount, and only supports diaper banks that have served military communities within 20 miles of a base for at least five years. It provides diapers directly to military families in need and funds technical assistance, with the network required to submit annual reports to the Defense Secretary. The bill does not create new eligibility rules but channels existing resources through established community partners.
The SECURE Minerals Act of 2026 establishes a Strategic Resilience Reserve Corporation to secure U.S. supply chains for critical minerals and materials essential to defense, energy, technology, and renewable energy sectors. The Reserve will provide financing and acquisition support for domestic and partner country projects focused on producing, recycling, reusing, and repurposing critical minerals, with the goal of reducing U.S. dependence on foreign sources to no more than 75% for each mineral. It authorizes $2.5 billion in funding and establishes a Board of Governors with specific expertise requirements to oversee operations, while requiring regular risk assessments and annual reporting. This legislation directly affects mineral production and processing companies, federal agencies managing mineral resources, and partner countries working with the U.S. on supply chain security.
The RESCUE Act of 2025 amends federal permitting rules to streamline approvals for projects extracting minerals or carbon from specific waste sources. It directly affects companies and projects working with acid mine drainage, coal waste, mine tailings, or coal byproducts to recover rare earth elements, minerals under the 1872 Mining Law, or microfine carbon. The key provision adds these activities to the existing FAST Act permit process, removing barriers for processing materials from mining waste streams. This change aims to expedite development of domestic rare earth and carbon resources without altering environmental standards. The bill focuses on clarifying permit eligibility rather than creating new regulations.
HR 2969, the Finding ORE Act, authorizes the U.S. Secretary of the Interior to enter into memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with partner countries that supply critical minerals and rare earth elements. The bill requires these MOUs to include cooperative mapping of mineral reserves, give U.S. or allied foreign country companies the "right of first refusal" for development, and facilitate U.S. private-sector investment through financial institutions like the Development Finance Corporation. It also mandates data protection for mapping information against unauthorized access by non-partner or non-allied countries. This legislation directly affects partner foreign countries (mineral sources), U.S. companies, and the U.S. Geological Survey, focusing on securing supply chains through international scientific collaboration.
Law-Enforcement Innovate to De-Escalate Act This bill removes less-than-lethal projectile devices (e.g., certain TASERs) from regulation under the Gun Control Act. The term less-than-lethal projectile device means a device that (1) is not designed or intended to expel (and may not be readily converted to discharge) commonly used ammunition or projectiles exceeding a velocity of 500 feet per second; (2) is designed and intended to be used in a manner not likely to cause death or serious bodily injury; and (3) does not accept (and cannot be readily modified to accept) an ammunition feeding device. The bill also requires the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to determine whether a device satisfies the definition of a less-than-lethal projectile device within 90 days of a request.
This bill increases the annual stipend for books, supplies, and educational materials under the Post-9/11 GI Bill from $1,000 to $1,400, effective immediately. It also establishes a new automatic annual adjustment starting in fiscal year 2026, tying stipend increases to inflation using the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Specifically, the stipend will rise each year by the percentage difference between the current CPI and the previous year’s CPI. This directly affects veterans using the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Program for their education expenses.
