The Urban Canal Modernization Act establishes a new category called "urban canal of concern" for canals that, if failed, could endanger more than 100 people in populated areas. It requires the Secretary of the Interior to fund necessary emergency repairs and maintenance on these canals, with 35% of costs covered as a non-repayable grant and the remaining 65% provided as a repayable advance to the canal's operating entity. The bill modifies existing federal law to clarify funding mechanisms and ensures these advances count as non-Federal funds for cost-sharing requirements. This policy directly affects federal agencies and the entities operating urban canals, prioritizing infrastructure safety in densely populated areas.
The Alaska Native Landless Equity Act (S 2554) provides land rights to Alaska Native communities in Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell that were excluded from the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. The bill authorizes these communities to form Urban Corporations that will receive approximately 23,040 acres of federal land each, with specific parcels detailed in maps. It establishes shareholder eligibility, allowing enrolled Natives to receive shares in the Urban Corporations, and ensures continued public access for subsistence and recreational uses on the conveyed lands. The bill includes provisions for phased land conveyance, mutual use agreements for roads and transportation facilities, and requirements for the Secretary to respect existing rights during the land transfer process.
The National Prescribed Fire Act of 2025 aims to increase the use of prescribed fire (deliberately set fires to manage wildland fuels) on federal lands. It requires the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to increase prescribed fire acreage by 10% annually on federal lands, and establishes a Collaborative Prescribed Fire Program to fund projects meeting specific ecological and collaborative criteria. The bill also addresses liability for prescribed fire managers, streamlines environmental reviews, and creates a national education program to improve public understanding of prescribed fire. It requires annual reporting on prescribed fire activities and landscape-scale prescribed fire plans for national forests and Bureau of Land Management districts.
This bill authorizes a land exchange between Chugach Alaska Corporation (a Native Regional Corporation) and the U.S. government to resolve a conflict created by the Exxon Valdez oil spill cleanup efforts. It would exchange approximately 231,000 acres of subsurface rights held by Chugach Alaska for 65,374 acres of surface land owned by the federal government in the Chugach Region. The exchange aims to consolidate ownership of both surface and subsurface rights on these lands, addressing a split ownership issue that has prevented Chugach Alaska from developing its subsurface resources as required by the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. The bill also includes provisions to protect certain Native Village Corporation development rights and shareholder homesites from the exchange.
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 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.
