The READ Act aims to improve student literacy by directing federal funding toward evidence-based reading instruction known as the science of reading, which explicitly teaches phonics and decoding while prohibiting the use of the three-cueing model. Under this bill, the U.S. Department of Education would distribute grants to states, with a specific focus on those performing in the lowest tier of reading assessments, to implement statewide policies, update teacher training standards, and provide universal early literacy screenings for all students before third grade. The legislation also requires schools to notify parents when a student is identified as at risk for reading difficulties and mandates that these notifications be provided in the family's primary language. Additionally, the act allocates funds to support high-quality instructional materials, literacy coaching for teachers, and interventions like tutoring for struggling readers, while ensuring that federal money supplements rather than replaces local education spending.
This bill establishes a pilot program within U.S. Customs and Border Protection to adopt dogs from local animal shelters and train them as support dogs for the agency's existing canine program. The program would be managed by the Secretary of Homeland Security and must begin within 60 days of the bill's enactment. The pilot program is designed to run for three years before it ends. This legislation focuses on creating a structured process for integrating shelter dogs into federal service roles rather than changing broader immigration or border enforcement policies.
This bill requests the Office of Management and Budget to add a new occupational code for "direct support professionals" within the federal Standard Occupational Classification system. It directly affects how the government tracks and analyzes data on this workforce, which supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in daily living, community inclusion, and independence. The key provision requires revising the classification system to recognize these workers as a distinct category - different from home health aides - addressing high turnover rates (39% nationally) that disrupt care. The bill does not create new programs or funding, solely aiming to improve data collection for workforce planning.
The Bring Our Heroes Home Act requires all government agencies to identify, preserve, and transmit records related to missing military personnel and civilian personnel who supported the military (from December 7, 1941, through the bill's enactment date) to a new Missing Armed Forces and Civilian Personnel Records Collection at the National Archives. It establishes a Review Board to oversee the process, ensure timely public disclosure of these records, and periodically review any records withheld for national security reasons. The bill aims to make these records more accessible to families of missing personnel, researchers, and the public, while allowing limited exceptions to protect national security. This would improve transparency about the fate of missing military personnel and civilians who went missing while serving the country.
HR 7008, the Stop Insider Trading Act, restricts Members of Congress, their spouses, and dependent children from purchasing certain investments like stocks in publicly traded companies. It requires 7-14 days' advance public notice before selling any such investment, including the sale date, description, and number of shares. Exceptions apply for work-related transactions (e.g., employer compensation) and reinvesting dividends. Violations trigger a fee of $2,000 or 10% of the investment’s value (whichever is greater), plus any net gain, paid from personal funds - not congressional allowances or campaign donations. The bill aims to prevent conflicts of interest by increasing transparency around congressional financial dealings.
This bill designates the U.S. Postal Service facility at 13355 North Lon Adams Road in Marana, Arizona, as the "Mayor Ed Honea Memorial Post Office." It changes all official federal references to this location to reflect the new name, honoring Mayor Ed Honea through a commemorative designation. The bill has no policy or funding provisions - it is purely a naming change for the post office.
HR 3393 designates the U.S. Postal Service facility at 12208 North 19th Avenue in Phoenix, Arizona, as the "Officer Zane T. Coolidge Post Office." The bill updates all official references to this location to reflect the new name. This is a commemorative act honoring Officer Zane T. Coolidge, with no substantive policy changes or direct impact on citizens or regulations. The designation applies only to the specific postal facility and its official records.
The Double the Wage for Overtime Act of 2026 amends the Fair Labor Standards Act to increase the mandatory overtime pay rate from one and a half times an employee's regular wage to two times their regular wage. This change directly affects non-exempt workers who are currently entitled to premium pay for hours worked beyond their standard schedule. The bill updates multiple sections of the existing labor law to reflect this new multiplier, ensuring consistent application across various employment categories covered by the act. These provisions would take effect 180 days after the date of enactment.
The MORE American Fuel Act of 2026 amends the Atomic Energy Act to allow companies to begin constructing uranium enrichment facilities before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission issues an operating license, provided the application has been officially accepted and all federal laws are followed. This change shifts the licensing process from requiring approval before construction starts to a model where construction can proceed at the applicant's own financial risk while the regulatory review is still pending. To ensure local awareness, the bill mandates that applicants notify state governors, local government officials, and nearby tribal leaders at least 15 days before starting construction. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is required to update its regulations within 180 days of the act's passage to reflect these new procedures, while retaining full authority to deny licenses if safety or operational standards are not met.
The RISE Act amends the Higher Education Act to improve support for college students with disabilities. It requires institutions to accept multiple forms of documentation (like high school IEPs or 504 plans) to verify disability status and mandates transparent, accessible processes for determining accommodation eligibility. Colleges must also report specific disability-related data to federal databases, including the number of students receiving accommodations and degree completions. Additionally, the bill authorizes $10 million annually (2027-2031) for a national center providing technical support to students with disabilities, without altering existing ADA definitions or rights.
The Kids Online Safety Act (S 1748) requires major social media platforms, online video games, and other "covered platforms" to implement specific safety features for minors (under 17). These features include default privacy settings that limit harmful design features like infinite scrolling and auto-play, parental controls for managing minors' accounts, and restrictions on advertising illegal products to minors. The bill also mandates annual transparency reports about how platforms are used by minors and requires platforms to provide clear notices about their content algorithms. It creates a Kids Online Safety Council to advise Congress on online safety issues for children. The law applies to platforms with more than 10 million monthly users in the U.S. and takes effect 18 months after enactment.
This bill requires social media companies to obtain verifiable parental consent before allowing anyone under 16 to create or maintain an account. If consent is provided, the platform must set up the account as a parent-supervised profile, giving parents tools to manage privacy settings, limit screen time, control communications, and monitor activity. The Federal Trade Commission will establish rules for verifying age and consent, while state attorneys general are authorized to enforce the law through civil actions. The legislation defines "child" as anyone under 16 and excludes services like email, text messaging, and educational platforms from its requirements.
