Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
The SIMPLE Act requires the Department of Education to automatically enroll borrowers who are at least 75 days delinquent on federal student loans into the income-driven repayment plan that offers them the lowest monthly payment. To facilitate this, the bill authorizes the use of IRS tax return data to determine a borrower's income and family size without requiring additional action from the borrower, provided they have approved such disclosure or are applying for loan rehabilitation. The legislation also establishes specific notification procedures at 31 days of delinquency and mandates that borrowers rehabilitating defaulted loans be placed in the most favorable repayment plan after making their ninth required payment. These automatic enrollment provisions take effect on July 1, 2028, while changes allowing borrowers to switch between repayment plans become effective immediately upon enactment.
HRES 179 is a non-binding House resolution expressing congressional support for strengthening U.S.-Africa partnerships in critical minerals development. It directly affects U.S. federal agencies (like State, Commerce, and USAID) and African nations with critical mineral reserves, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia. The resolution urges the administration to create a 5-year strategy focused on diversifying U.S. mineral supply chains away from foreign entities of concern, providing financing and technical assistance to support responsible mining projects in Africa, and expanding value-added processing to boost both U.S. security and African economic development. It emphasizes mobilizing public-private investment to increase U.S. access to critical minerals like cobalt and lithium while promoting environmentally and socially responsible practices.
The AIDA bill aims to support African and Caribbean diaspora communities in the U.S. who send remittances to their countries of origin. It would create tax deductions for remittances used for housing, education, healthcare, or small business support (up to $3,000 annually) and exclude income from certified diaspora investments from taxable income (up to $12,000 annually). The bill also establishes programs through the International Development Finance Corporation to support diaspora-led investments and reduce remittance costs by removing regulatory barriers for diaspora-owned remittance providers. It repeals a remittance excise tax and requires annual reports to measure the impact on development in Africa and the Caribbean.
The L'Ouverture Economic Development Plan for Haiti Act of 2025 creates a Haitian American Enterprise Fund to support economic development in Haiti through private sector investments. The fund will finance projects in agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, and infrastructure, with special focus on empowering women and youth, and aims to create jobs to reduce migration from Haiti. It authorizes $1 billion annually from 2026-2031 to support these initiatives, managed by a private nonprofit organization with oversight from a diverse board. The legislation emphasizes building sustainable economic opportunities within Haiti to meet the country's development needs while strengthening ties with the Haitian-American diaspora.
The Public Transit Mental Health Awareness Act requires public transit agencies that receive federal assistance to display information about the national suicide prevention hotline in areas visible to passengers. This information must state that the service is free, confidential, and available around the clock. Agencies can meet this requirement by placing the notice on all their vehicles or in all their transit facilities, provided it does not block existing revenue-generating advertising space. The law includes a provision allowing agencies to remain compliant if they make reasonable efforts to restore displays that are damaged or removed, with the mandate taking effect one year after enactment.
The Recycled Materials Attribution Act of 2026 allows companies to use mass balance accounting to support claims about recycled content in their products, provided they follow independent third-party certification rules. This method lets manufacturers mix recycled materials with conventional ones in the same supply chain while still crediting the final product with a specific amount of recycled content based on documented inputs. The Federal Trade Commission will update its existing environmental marketing guidelines to reflect these new standards and will enforce the rules against misleading recycled content claims. Additionally, the law prevents states from passing their own conflicting regulations on how recycled content claims are made or enforced.
The Chip EQUIP Act restricts federal funding for semiconductor manufacturing equipment made by foreign entities designated as security concerns (or their subsidiaries). It prohibits the use of such "ineligible" equipment - defined as completed, fully assembled tools like etching, lithography, or inspection machines - in projects receiving federal financial assistance for 10 years. The bill requires federal agreements to include this ban, with limited waivers allowed only if the equipment is unavailable from U.S. or allied sources, was refurbished by a foreign entity of concern but originally made by a non-concern entity, or meets export rules and national security criteria. This directly affects companies receiving federal funds for semiconductor manufacturing facilities.
HR 6152, the Foreign Robocall Elimination Act, establishes an interagency task force to address foreign robocalls entering the United States. The task force, composed of the FCC, FTC, DOJ, and private sector representatives, will study the origins, impacts, and potential solutions to foreign robocalls and must submit a report to Congress within 360 days. The bill also modifies existing law to require FCC notices about robocall mitigation every three years instead of annually, and introduces a bond requirement for providers using the Robocall Mitigation Database. This legislation affects telecommunications providers, federal agencies, and all U.S. telephone users who receive unwanted calls. The bill aims to improve coordination between U.S. agencies and foreign countries in combating illegal robocalls through concrete policy changes.
HR 5967 establishes a federal task force led by the FTC and DOJ to combat scams. The task force, including agencies like the FBI, SEC, and Social Security Administration, will develop a national strategy using existing tools such as the Consumer Sentinel Network and Internet Crime Complaint Center. Key actions include public education, coordination with industry (like banks and social media platforms), and enforcement using current laws against fraud and money laundering. The task force must report to Congress within one year and dissolve after 10 years.
The Data BRIDGE Act requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to update its national broadband map within 180 days of enactment by adding agricultural areas as a dedicated layer. This change will directly affect the FCC, USDA, state governments, and broadband providers by incorporating agricultural land data into the map used to identify broadband coverage gaps. The bill mandates the FCC to consult with the USDA, Commerce Department, states, and other stakeholders to integrate existing agricultural data into the map. The goal is to improve accuracy in identifying broadband needs in rural farming communities, though it does not directly fund infrastructure.
The Hands Off Our Great Lakes Act prohibits the President and federal officials from changing the official names of Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, or Lake Ontario. The bill specifically nullifies Executive Order 14422, which had renamed Lake Ontario to Lake America, and bans any further attempts to alter these geographic names through similar executive actions. Additionally, it forbids the use of federal funds to implement or enforce the revoked order or any comparable measures.
