The Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor Congressional Gold Medal Act authorizes Congress to award a gold medal to individuals who fought for or with the United States in the Pacific theater during World War II and were taken as prisoners of war. This recognition specifically honors those who participated in the defense of Bataan and Corregidor, including Filipino soldiers and civilians who served alongside American forces, as well as nurses and other personnel who endured the Bataan Death March and subsequent imprisonment. The bill directs the Secretary of the Treasury to design and strike the medal, which will be presented to the Smithsonian Institution for display, while also permitting the sale of bronze duplicates to cover production costs.
The Stop the Sexualization of Children Act prohibits the use of federal education funds to create or promote programs containing sexually oriented material for children under 18. This ban specifically targets content depicting sexually explicit conduct or involving gender dysphoria and transgenderism, while explicitly exempting standard science courses, major world religions, and specific lists of classic literature and art. By amending the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the bill restricts how schools can utilize federal money for extracurricular activities or educational materials that fall under these prohibited categories.
This bill, known as the Dismemberment Abortion Ban Act of 2026, prohibits physicians from performing abortions that involve dismembering an unborn child piece by piece or crushing it with instruments, with the specific intent of causing the child's death. The law defines an "unborn child" as a human organism from fertilization until birth and allows for exceptions only when the procedure is necessary to save the life of the mother due to a physical disorder, illness, or injury. While it bans this specific method, the bill explicitly states that other abortion methods remain legal for reasons such as rape or incest, and it removes the previous federal ban on partial-birth abortions from the legal code. Violators face criminal penalties including fines and up to two years in prison, while women undergoing these procedures are immune from prosecution. Additionally, the bill creates a civil remedy allowing women or parents of minors to sue physicians for money damages, psychological injury, and punitive damages if the ban is violated.
This bill, the Budgeting for a Better America Act, fundamentally changes how the federal government plans its spending by shifting the congressional budget process from an annual cycle to a biennial one, covering two consecutive fiscal years. It establishes a new National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform composed of 18 members from both political parties to propose specific policies that would reduce the federal deficit to 3% of the gross domestic product within a decade. The legislation also mandates that any joint resolution implementing the commission's recommendations be given expedited floor consideration in both the House and Senate without the possibility of amendment. Additionally, the bill requires the President to submit supplemental budget estimates annually, mandates a hearing on the nation's fiscal state, and ensures new members of Congress receive budgetary training before taking their seats.
The Saving FACE Act of 2026 amends federal criminal law to remove penalties for obstructing access to abortion services. It achieves this by changing the name of the relevant statute from "Freedom of Access to Clinics" to "Freedom of Access to Church" and removing the specific definition of abortion from the list of protected activities. Additionally, the bill updates the legal definition of abortion to exclude the intentional termination of a pregnancy, thereby narrowing the scope of the obstruction statute. These changes directly affect individuals who might otherwise face criminal charges for blocking entry to facilities providing abortion care.
This bill, titled the Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act, halts the construction and upgrading of large-scale artificial intelligence data centers until specific federal laws are passed. It defines these facilities as sites with high power capacity or advanced cooling systems used for developing AI models. The moratorium remains in effect until new legislation ensures federal safety reviews for AI products, mandates that economic benefits reach workers rather than just wealthy owners, prevents increases in utility bills, avoids environmental harm, requires community approval, bans government subsidies, and guarantees union jobs with strong labor standards. Additionally, the bill restricts the export of computing hardware, such as semiconductors and networking equipment, to countries that do not adopt these same protective laws for AI development.
The Right to Vote Act establishes legal protections against government actions that make it more difficult for citizens to vote in federal elections. It prohibits any rule or practice that diminishes voting ability unless the government proves it is the least restrictive way to achieve an important interest, and it similarly blocks substantial impairments unless they significantly further a specific government goal. The bill creates a new legal pathway for voters to challenge these restrictions in federal court, requiring judges to expedite these cases and shifting the burden of proof to the government to justify any voting barriers. These protections apply to all U.S. states, territories, and the District of Columbia for elections occurring on or after September 1, 2026.
This bill authorizes the presentation of Congressional Gold Medals to the four crew members of the Artemis II mission to recognize their historic achievement in advancing human space exploration. The legislation directs the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the medals, which will feature the faces of the astronauts and be struck by the Secretary of the Treasury. In addition to the gold medals, the bill permits the minting and sale of duplicate bronze versions to help cover production costs, with any proceeds returned to the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
This bill redesignates the existing National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund as the America's Legacy Restoration Fund to address deferred maintenance on federal lands. It directs revenue from recreation fees and a portion of energy development income into the fund, which must be used primarily for repairing critical infrastructure like roads, trails, and buildings managed by agencies such as the National Park Service and the Forest Service. The legislation establishes strict rules requiring that most funds go toward non-transportation projects, mandates transparency through public dashboards tracking project status, and sets aside a small percentage for matching private donations. Additionally, the bill increases entrance fees for foreign visitors to ensure they contribute to the fund, while prohibiting the use of these specific funds for land acquisition or employee bonuses.
The PASTEUR Act of 2026 establishes a government program to financially support the development and commercial availability of new antibiotics needed to fight drug-resistant infections. Under this bill, the Secretary of Health and Human Services can enter into contracts with pharmaceutical sponsors to provide annual payments ranging from $75 million to $300 million for drugs that treat specific resistant pathogens and address unmet medical needs. To receive these funds, companies must agree to manufacture the drugs in the United States, report resistance data, educate healthcare professionals on proper usage, and adhere to environmental best practices. The legislation also creates a new advisory group to evaluate drug applications and authorizes grant programs to help hospitals and outpatient clinics improve their antibiotic stewardship and resistance monitoring.
This bill restricts how nonmilitary foreign assistance funds can be used by prohibiting organizations from supporting abortion, gender ideology, or discriminatory equity ideology outside the United States. It requires recipients of these funds to agree not to provide or promote these specific activities, mandates that U.S. organizations keep their foreign aid programs physically and financially separate from such work, and allows the Secretary of State to require foreign governments to place funds in segregated accounts to prevent misuse. The legislation defines prohibited concepts narrowly, such as defining sex strictly by biological classification and limiting exceptions for abortion to cases where a woman's life is in immediate danger. While the rules apply to foreign and international organizations receiving U.S. aid, U.S.-based nonprofits are exempt from the ban on providing these services domestically but must still ensure their foreign-funded projects do not engage in them.
The Pell Grant Preservation and Expansion Act of 2026 aims to increase financial aid for college students by raising the maximum Pell Grant amount to $15,000 by the 2031-2032 award year and ensuring the program is fully funded through mandatory spending rather than annual appropriations. The bill also expands eligibility for students who receive means-tested government benefits by automatically assigning them a lower financial need score, while simultaneously allowing Dreamer students - undocumented immigrants who meet specific criteria such as graduating high school or serving in the military - to qualify for federal aid. Additional provisions restore the total number of semesters a student can receive Pell Grants from 12 to 18 and adjust the rules for satisfactory academic progress to reduce penalties for students who struggle to meet grade requirements. Finally, the legislation restores Pell Grant eligibility for some students who previously received outside scholarships and sets the law's effective date for July 1, 2026.
