Technology

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.

HRES 211 is a procedural resolution that allows the U.S. House of Representatives to debate and vote on three specific legislative measures. It enables consideration of H.J. Res. 25 (which would disapprove an IRS rule requiring brokers to report digital asset sales), H.R. 1156 (which would extend fraud statute of limitations for unemployment programs), and H.R. 1968 (which would fund government operations through September 2025). The resolution waives standard procedural objections and sets time limits for debate on each measure. This resolution itself does not change policy but facilitates the House’s review of these three bills.

HR 1919, the "Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act," prohibits the Federal Reserve from developing, testing, or issuing any central bank digital currency (CBDC) or similar digital assets. It specifically bans the Fed from offering direct financial products to individuals, maintaining individual accounts, or issuing CBDCs directly or indirectly through intermediaries like banks. The bill also blocks the Fed from using any digital asset for monetary policy and clarifies that physical currency's privacy protections remain intact. This policy directly affects the Federal Reserve System's ability to create or manage digital monetary tools.

This bill (SJRES 28) is a congressional resolution that blocks a rule proposed by the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (CFPB). The rule aimed to define which digital payment companies (like Apple Pay or Google Pay) would be classified as "larger participants" in the market, subject to stricter regulations. By disapproving this rule, Congress ensures it has no legal effect, meaning the CFPB cannot enforce these specific oversight requirements on major digital payment platforms. This directly affects the CFPB’s regulatory authority and digital payment companies that would have been subject to the rule.

HR 881, the DHS Restrictions on Confucius Institutes and Chinese Entities of Concern Act, restricts Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding for colleges and universities that maintain relationships with China-funded Confucius Institutes or specific Chinese entities deemed "of concern." It prohibits DHS funding for institutions with ties to Confucius Institutes, the Thousand Talents Program, or Chinese universities involved in military-civil fusion, defense work, Uyghur persecution, election interference, or other activities listed in the bill. Institutions must terminate such relationships within one year of enactment to regain eligibility for DHS funds. The bill requires the DHS Secretary to report to Congress on any institutions violating this funding restriction. (3 sentences)

This joint resolution nullifies requirements for persons effectuating decentralized financial (DeFi) transactions to report certain information regarding digital asset sales to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Specifically, the joint resolution nullifies the requirements included in the rule titled Gross Proceeds Reporting by Brokers That Regularly Provide Services Effectuating Digital Asset Sales and issued by the IRS on December 30, 2024. Decentralized finance refers to the suite of financial activities and services that are facilitated by cryptocurrency and intended to be conducted without any sort of reliance on traditional financial tools or intermediaries.

HRES 294 is a procedural resolution that sets rules for the House to debate and vote on four specific legislative items. It enables consideration of two disapproval resolutions targeting Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rules (one on overdraft fees for large banks, another on digital payment app regulations), a bill limiting court injunctions (H.R. 1526), and a voting rights bill requiring citizenship proof for federal elections (H.R. 22). The resolution waives objections to these items and specifies debate time and amendment procedures. It does not change policy itself but streamlines the process for the House to act on these proposals. This is a procedural step, not a substantive policy change.

HRES 282 is a procedural resolution that sets rules for debating and voting on four specific legislative items in the House. It enables consideration of two resolutions disapproving Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rules (one on overdraft lending by large banks, another on digital payment apps), a bill limiting court injunctions (H.R. 1526), and a bill requiring U.S. citizenship proof for federal voting registration (H.R. 22). The resolution waives objections to these items and allocates one hour of debate for each, equally divided between committee chairs and ranking members. This resolution itself does not change policy but streamlines the process for the House to vote on the underlying bills and disapproval resolutions.