The CHIERS Act of 2026 authorizes federal grants to help individuals with substance use disorders reach treatment and supportive services by covering transportation costs. Eligible recipients include nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and health centers that will use the funds to provide rides, purchase vehicles, or pay for taxi services for these individuals. The program specifically targets people experiencing homelessness or living in low-income areas where travel barriers limit access to care, while explicitly excluding involuntary treatment transport and law enforcement use. To ensure effectiveness, grant recipients must submit detailed plans and performance reports focused on reducing missed appointments, and the funding is designed to supplement rather than replace existing local resources.
The Expatriate Terrorists Act of 2026 expands immigration and citizenship laws to target individuals who support terrorism or join designated foreign terrorist organizations. It mandates that people convicted of terrorism-related crimes be held in mandatory detention and gives courts priority in processing their removal cases. The bill also creates new grounds for revoking U.S. citizenship and stripping nationality from those who provide material support to terrorist groups or serve in their ranks. Additionally, it shifts some deportation authority from the Attorney General to the Secretary of Homeland Security and allows removal proceedings to begin alongside citizenship revocation cases.
The Right to Trial Act modifies federal sentencing guidelines to ensure that defendants are not penalized for exercising their constitutional right to a trial rather than accepting a plea deal. It requires judges to consider whether a mandatory minimum sentence would effectively punish a defendant for going to trial, particularly when compared to the sentences of similarly situated individuals who pleaded guilty. Additionally, the law grants courts the authority to impose sentences below statutory minimums specifically to protect this right. These changes directly affect federal criminal defendants and the judges who determine their punishments.
The Preventing Trafficking of Minors Act of 2026 strengthens federal laws against exploiting individuals under 18 by expanding the definition of prohibited conduct to include engaging in or soliciting commercial sex acts with minors. It removes the legal requirement to prove force, fraud, or coercion when the victim is a minor and establishes that a defendant's lack of knowledge about the victim's age is not a valid defense if they had a reasonable opportunity to observe them. The bill also clarifies that law enforcement officers posing as minors cannot use this as a defense against prosecution and increases the minimum prison sentence to 15 years for offenses involving victims under 14. These changes apply to actions taken 180 days after the law is enacted.
The Department of Justice Integrity Act of 2026 expands rules on when former government lawyers can work for private clients. It specifically targets attorneys who previously led federal prosecutions against businesses or negotiated settlements with them. Under this new provision, such lawyers are prohibited from representing those same businesses in related federal cases within one year of leaving their government job. If they violate this restriction, they face criminal penalties outlined in existing federal law.
The EPSTEIN Act creates a new bipartisan commission within the legislative branch to investigate Jeffrey Epstein's criminal activities and oversee the review of related government documents. This eight-member body, appointed by congressional leaders, is tasked with examining all relevant materials held by the Department of Justice, including the FBI and U.S. Attorneys' Offices, while consulting with experts on human trafficking. The commission has the authority to issue subpoenas, hold public hearings, and refer potential criminal cases to prosecutors, with the requirement that agencies provide unclassified records in a searchable format. Additionally, the group must submit quarterly updates to Congress and produce a final public report within 18 months detailing its findings and recommendations for improving the enforcement of human trafficking laws.
The LEASH Act of 2026 requires law enforcement agencies seeking federal Byrne Justice Assistance Grants to report data on felony animal cruelty convictions, including the names of those convicted. To qualify for these grants, local governments must submit information on such crimes to the Attorney General and join a specific category of jurisdictions that provide this data. The bill also mandates the creation of a publicly accessible database by the Attorney General to store and periodically update these animal cruelty records. These changes directly affect law enforcement agencies and local governments that apply for federal crime prevention funding.
The OPEN Act establishes stricter rules for immigration enforcement by granting Members of Congress unrestricted access to detention facilities and requiring the Department of Homeland Security to publicly report incidents involving excessive force or misconduct. It mandates that detained individuals receive timely access to legal counsel, family members, and medical care, while also setting new standards for transporting detainees safely and ensuring they are informed of facility transfers. Additionally, the bill prohibits the use of administrative warrants to enter private homes without consent and requires judicial warrants for arrests, while also imposing penalties on facilities that fail to meet safety standards.
The Jewish American Security Act aims to combat antisemitism by strengthening protections for Jewish students, securing Jewish communities, and increasing transparency regarding online hate speech. To support Jewish students, the bill requires schools receiving federal funds to designate coordinators for civil rights complaints, issue annual reminders about anti-discrimination policies, and publish detailed data on bias-related incidents. For community safety, the legislation increases funding for security grants for religious institutions and mandates joint annual threat assessments from federal agencies to track domestic and transnational antisemitic violence. Additionally, the act requires major online platforms to submit regular transparency reports detailing how they detect, remove, and moderate antisemitic content on their sites.
This bill establishes a $30 million grant program over five years to fund community-based organizations working to prevent and address hate crimes. The funds can be used for various initiatives, including conflict resolution strategies, non-carceral sentencing programs, public education campaigns, and support services for victims and defendants. Eligible recipients must be nonprofits embedded within communities targeted by hate crimes that provide educational, health, and social services. Additionally, the legislation removes a specific spending limit on grants for criminal investigations and prosecutions related to these crimes.
