The Tech to Save Moms Act aims to improve maternal health outcomes for pregnant and postpartum individuals by increasing access to technology-enabled care. It allows states to adopt and use telehealth tools under Medicaid for screening, monitoring, and managing health complications during pregnancy and up to one year postpartum. The bill also establishes two grant programs: one to fund technology-enabled collaborative learning models for training maternal healthcare providers, especially in underserved areas, and another to increase access to digital tools that reduce maternal health disparities. Finally, it directs the National Academies to study the use of technology and patient monitoring devices in maternity care, focusing on racial and ethnic biases.
The Supporting VA Families Act grants unpaid parental leave to Department of Veterans Affairs employees. This provision allows employees to take four weeks of unpaid leave within a 12-month period for the birth of a child or for adoption and foster care placements. The leave is designed to supplement existing leave policies rather than replace them, ensuring employees can balance family needs with their work responsibilities. The act defines eligible employees and children according to existing federal definitions found in Title 5 of the United States Code.
The Combating Illicit Xylazine Act places xylazine - a veterinary sedative increasingly found in illicit drug mixtures - into Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act, subjecting it to federal regulation as a controlled substance. It specifically allows veterinary use without requiring registration of the ultimate user (e.g., pet owners or veterinarians) if xylazine is dispensed by a registered veterinarian or pharmacy with a vet prescription and used for animals owned by the user, under their care, or in authorized animal programs. The bill provides a one-year delay for labeling and packaging requirements and a 60-day delay for registration and recordkeeping for veterinary use to ease implementation. Additionally, it adds xylazine to the Arcos tracking system for controlled substances and mandates two congressional reports on illicit use prevalence within 18 months and 4 years of enactment.
The ALERT Act (HR 7613) requires the Federal Aviation Administration to improve aviation safety through several key measures. It mandates the evaluation and potential implementation of enhanced collision avoidance systems (ACAS-Xa) for commercial aircraft and ACAS-Xr for rotorcraft, with specific deadlines for rulemaking and installation. The bill establishes committees to develop recommendations for safety technology requirements, requires safety risk assessments for air traffic controllers, and addresses operational procedures at high-traffic airports like Ronald Reagan Washington National. These provisions affect air carriers, air traffic controllers, rotorcraft operators, and Department of Defense aircraft operations. The act aims to enhance situational awareness and reduce midair collision risks through technology upgrades and improved safety protocols.
This resolution expresses support for designating April 2026 as "Second Chance Month" to raise awareness about barriers faced by people with criminal records. The bill does not create new laws or change existing policies but serves as a symbolic gesture to highlight challenges in employment, housing, and education for formerly incarcerated individuals. It calls on communities, employers, and organizations to promote awareness of these obstacles and encourage efforts to help people reintegrate into society. The resolution honors the bipartisan First Step Act of 2018 and the Second Chance Act of 2007, which provide reentry services to incarcerated individuals.
The HBCU Research Capacity Act establishes a Federal Clearinghouse within the Department of Education, in coordination with several other federal agencies, to provide Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with comprehensive information on federal grant opportunities. This Clearinghouse will identify grants supporting research and development and institutional capacity building at HBCUs, while also sharing best practices for securing federal funding. The Department of Education will notify HBCUs and Congress about the Clearinghouse and offer quarterly updates to participating institutions. Additionally, several federal agencies, including Defense, Energy, and the National Science Foundation, are mandated to review their grant programs to align with the Clearinghouse's recommendations and report any identified funding gaps to Congress annually.
S 1885, the Stop the Scroll Act, requires major social media platforms and anonymous content-sharing apps (defined as "covered platforms") to display clear mental health warning labels each time a U.S. user accesses the service. The labels must warn users about potential mental health risks linked to social media use and provide access to resources like the 988 Suicide Lifeline. Platforms must display the label prominently upon entry, redisplay it hourly after user acknowledgment, and cannot hide it in terms of service or allow disabling. This law directly affects all covered platform providers operating in the U.S., mandating specific disclosure practices to inform users about health risks before engagement.
This resolution requires Members of Congress who must reimburse the Treasury for payments related to sexual harassment or discrimination claims to publicly disclose the details of those reimbursements in the House chamber. It mandates that the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights report these cases to the Clerk, who will then read the Member's name, the reimbursement amount, and related information aloud during a House session. Members who fail to comply within 30 days face restrictions on committee assignments and leadership duties, while former Members are barred from entering the House building until they complete reimbursement and undergo the public disclosure process. The measure also establishes that failures to comply with these requirements can be investigated separately by the House Ethics Committee.
The Multilateral Alignment of Technology Controls on Hardware (MATCH) Act seeks to prevent countries of concern, such as China, from obtaining advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment. It directs U.S. agencies to identify critical semiconductor manufacturing technology and facilities in these countries and immediately engage allied nations to adopt equivalent export controls, including denying licenses for exports and servicing to targeted facilities. The bill mandates the U.S. to implement its own countrywide controls on relevant U.S.-produced equipment and comprehensive restrictions on identified foreign facilities within 150 days. If an allied country fails to implement comparable controls after diplomatic efforts are exhausted, the U.S. will extend its jurisdiction to control the export and servicing of covered equipment originating from that allied nation. This legislation primarily affects U.S. and allied semiconductor manufacturing equipment producers, as well as specific foreign entities and facilities in countries of concern.
S 2351, the Space Exploration Research Act, allows NASA to lease government-owned land for up to 99 years to specific entities like states, universities, and nonprofit educational organizations. This enables the construction and operation of facilities focused on space research, training future space industry workers, transferring space technology between public and private sectors, and conducting scientific activities. NASA can also provide administrative and maintenance support for these leased facilities, with or without reimbursement. The bill directly affects eligible educational institutions and state entities seeking to develop space-related infrastructure through long-term partnerships with NASA.
Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act of 2025 This act permanently extends and expands judicial authority under the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act of 2016. The law allows and establishes procedures for civil claims and causes of action to recover artwork and other property lost between 1933 and 1945 because of Nazi persecution. Among the changes, the act removes the deadline for filing civil claims or causes of action. Currently, the filing deadline is December 31, 2026. (Claims must still be filed within six years of the claimant's discovery of the property in question.) The act permits courts to exercise jurisdiction over civil claims or causes of action against a foreign state without regard to the nationality or citizenship of the alleged victim. The art or property at issue must still have a connection to the foreign state's commercial activities in the United States. Additionally, the act authorizes nationwide service of process, which allows courts to exercise personal jurisdiction over defendants in any judicial district where they may be found, reside, have an agent, or transact business. Finally, the act limits the defenses that may be asserted against civil claims or causes of action, including by prohibiting defenses based on the passage of time, including equitable defenses such as laches (i.e., unreasonable delays); and discretionary bases for dismissal that are unrelated to the merits of the claim, including international comity (i.e., deference to the laws of other countries). These changes apply to pending and future civil claims or causes of action.
This resolution formally recognizes the importance of sleep health and expresses support for designating the week of March 9 through March 13, 2026, as "Sleep Awareness Week." The bill does not create new laws or regulations but instead encourages public health officials, healthcare providers, educators, and parents to promote adequate sleep practices among the public. It highlights existing research showing that many Americans do not get the recommended seven hours of sleep per night and acknowledges the health risks associated with sleep deprivation. The measure also recognizes disparities in sleep quality among different populations and supports ongoing efforts to raise awareness about sleep health benefits.
