This bill (S 1413) increases federal funding for the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Act. It raises the authorized appropriation for implementing the settlement from $250 million to $750 million and increases funding for Friant Division water infrastructure improvements from $50 million to $75 million. The bill directly affects the San Joaquin River Restoration program and related water management projects in California. These changes authorize additional federal spending to support river restoration efforts and infrastructure upgrades under existing law.
This bill transfers the Moab uranium mill tailings site in Utah to Grand County, Utah, after the U.S. Department of Energy completes cleanup to a level approved by regulators. The transfer occurs at no cost, but the federal government retains necessary water rights to maintain ongoing groundwater remediation efforts. Grand County cannot sell or transfer any portion of the land to private entities or nonprofits. The transfer requires the Secretary of Energy’s determination that the site meets cleanup standards for land conveyance under federal law.
This bill designates the Finger Lakes region in 14 New York counties (Cayuga, Chemung, Cortland, Livingston, Monroe, Onondaga, Ontario, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins, Wayne, and Yates) as a National Heritage Area. It names the Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance as the local coordinating entity responsible for managing the area and requires them to submit a management plan to the Interior Secretary within 3 years. Federal assistance for the area will end 15 years after the bill's enactment, per standard National Heritage Area provisions. The bill creates no new taxes or regulations but formalizes a framework for preserving the region's cultural and natural resources.
This bill amends the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to allow the use of specific federal funds for rehabilitating, reconstructing, or replacing dams built under the 1894 Carey Act. It directly affects dams developed under the Carey Act (which governs irrigation projects in arid western states) and the federal budget allocated for infrastructure projects. The key provision authorizes the Secretary to use funds from section 40901(2)(B) for these dams after confirming they meet eligibility criteria and funding remains available. The change adjusts existing funding rules to expand coverage to additional Carey Act dams without creating new programs.
Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program Amendment Act of 2025 This bill establishes an interest-bearing account for the nonfederal contributions for the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program, a cooperative effort between federal and nonfederal entities in Arizona, California, and Nevada. The program works to recover multiple species listed under the Endangered Species Act.
The Western Wildfire Support Act of 2025 aims to improve wildfire management across western U.S. landscapes by focusing on preparation, detection, suppression, and post-fire recovery. The bill requires federal land managers to create strategic fire management plans for high-risk areas, establish transparent reporting on firefighting costs, and reimburse states for wildfire suppression caused by military training. It promotes new technology through provisions for wildfire detection equipment, slip-on tanker units, and research on unmanned aircraft systems, while also creating a dedicated Long-Term Burned Area Rehabilitation account for ecosystem restoration. These provisions primarily affect federal agencies (Interior and Agriculture Departments), state and local fire departments, and communities in wildfire-prone regions. The bill includes specific reporting requirements and funding mechanisms to support these new approaches to wildfire management.
The Science of Reading Act of 2026 amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to require states receiving federal literacy development grants to align their reading instruction with "science of reading" principles. It explicitly prohibits the use of the "three-cueing model" (a method teaching word recognition through pictures, context, or guessing) and defines science of reading as evidence-based instruction in phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, and comprehension. States must describe this alignment in grant applications, and federal funds for literacy programs will only support initiatives meeting these standards. This directly affects states and school districts administering ESEA-funded literacy programs starting in 2026.
This bill, known as the License to Drill Act, extends the deadline for collecting fees on new oil and gas drilling permit applications from 2026 to 2037 under the Mineral Leasing Act. It requires the Secretary of the Interior to continue collecting these fees for each new permit application throughout the extended period. The bill also directs that all fees collected between fiscal years 2027 and 2037 be transferred to the BLM Permit Processing Improvement Fund instead of being distributed as previously required. These changes affect the Bureau of Land Management's administrative process for managing oil and gas leasing on federal lands.
This bill, known as the Safe Cloud Storage Act, would provide legal protection for private companies that store child sexual abuse material on behalf of law enforcement agencies. It directly affects technology firms and cloud storage providers that contract with police departments and prosecutors to keep digital evidence of child exploitation. The legislation limits liability for these approved vendors by shielding them from civil lawsuits and criminal charges when performing their contractual duties, except in cases of intentional misconduct, negligence, or acting with reckless disregard. To qualify for this protection, vendors must meet strict cybersecurity requirements including end-to-end encryption, regular independent audits, keeping data within the United States, and maintaining detailed records of who accesses the sensitive material. The bill also establishes procedures for notifying the Department of Justice about contracts and ensures evidence is preserved if a law enforcement agency fails to pay or breaches the agreement.
This bill, known as the Bankruptcy Threshold Adjustment Act of 2026, raises the maximum debt amounts individuals and small businesses can owe while still being eligible to file for Chapter 13 bankruptcy. For small businesses, it increases the debt limit from $2,750,000 to $7,500,000, while for individual consumers, it raises the limit from $483,000 to $2,750,000. The changes apply to cases filed on or after the bill becomes law and affect people who meet the income requirements for Chapter 13 repayment plans. The bill excludes large corporations and certain affiliated business groups from the new higher limits.
This bill designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1225 Kempsville Road in Virginia Beach, Virginia, as the "Colonel Edward Shames Post Office Building".
Wintergreen Emergency Egress Act This bill directs the Department of the Interior to issue a right-of-way through the Blue Ridge Parkway for an additional emergency exit from Wintergreen in Nelson County, Virginia, once certain requirements have been met. Specifically, Interior must grant the right-of-way if it reports to specified congressional committees that the following have been completed: (1) an evaluation of alternatives to the right-of-way for exiting Wintergreen that do not cross federal land, including an evaluation of whether existing trails can be converted to roads; (2) an analysis of expected fire ecology behavior in the event of a fire emergency with respect to the right-of-way; and (3) any required reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and the National Historic Preservation Act.
