The Mandatory E-Verify Act of 2026 makes the E-Verify employment eligibility verification system permanent and mandatory for all employers in the United States, including those who hire, recruit, or refer individuals for jobs. The bill requires employers to use the system within a phased timeline based on company size, ranging from six months for large businesses with 10,000 or more employees to 18 months for smaller businesses with fewer than 20 employees, while exempting agricultural labor verification until 18 months after enactment. Key provisions include increased civil and criminal penalties for non-compliance, the ability for the government to debar repeat violators from federal contracts, and a requirement that states sharing driver's license data with the system remain eligible for certain federal funding. Additionally, the act establishes a self-check feature for individuals to verify their own status, expands data sharing between federal and state agencies to prevent fraud, and creates a good-faith defense for employers who rely on the system's results.
This bill, known as the Let Experienced Pilots Fly Act, raises the mandatory retirement age for commercial airline pilots from 65 to 67 years old. It allows airlines to voluntarily choose to keep a stricter limit of 70 years, but once they make that choice, they cannot lower it later. The law also ensures that pilots aged 60 and older must hold a specific type of medical certificate and prevents them from facing stricter medical checks solely because of their age, unless the Federal Aviation Administration determines it is necessary for safety. Additionally, the bill requires that any changes to pilot contracts or benefit plans needed to comply with these new age rules must be agreed upon by both the airline and the pilots' union representatives.
The Davis-Bacon Repeal Act would eliminate federal wage requirements that currently mandate contractors on government-funded construction projects pay workers at least the prevailing local wage rate. By repealing the relevant section of the U.S. Code, the bill removes the legal basis for these minimum wage standards on future contracts. The law includes a transition period that protects existing contracts and those with outstanding bids for 30 days after enactment, ensuring no immediate disruption to ongoing projects. This change would directly affect construction firms and workers involved in federally funded building work by removing the obligation to adhere to specific local wage floors.
This bill requires the Treasury Department to publish an annual public report listing federal employees (including military personnel and retirees) with unpaid tax debt or unfiled returns, broken down by agency. It makes individuals with "seriously delinquent tax debt" ineligible for federal employment or continued service, unless they certify they have no such debt or provide authorization for tax verification. The law includes due process protections, allowing 180 days to resolve debt issues and exemptions for financial hardship cases. It applies to all federal civilian and military roles, including new hires and current employees, with enforcement beginning 270 days after enactment.
HR 357, the Back to Work Act, sets a 40% telework limit for federal employees, restricting remote work to no more than 40% of workdays per pay period. It requires agency heads to annually approve telework policies, monitor remote workers, and consider specific exceptions (e.g., for military spouses, specialized roles, or severe weather). Agencies must also submit annual reports to Congress on telework metrics, enforcement barriers, and impacts like productivity or security. The bill takes effect 180 days after enactment, aiming to standardize and regulate federal telework practices.
This bill requires federal employees who telework at least one day weekly (or 20% of their time under alternative schedules) to be paid at the "Rest of U.S." locality pay rate without future adjustments. It excludes employees who telework daily, those with disabilities receiving accommodations, Foreign Service members, law enforcement officers, and military personnel on active duty. Covered employees will no longer receive annual pay adjustments under standard federal pay schedules. The policy takes effect at the start of the first full fiscal year after the bill becomes law. It directly affects federal workers meeting the telework threshold, altering their pay structure based on location.
This bill modifies tax reporting rules for gig economy platforms (like Uber or DoorDash) by reinstating a pre-American Rescue Plan threshold. It requires third-party payment platforms to report income to the IRS only if a gig worker earns over $20,000 in a year or completes more than 200 transactions. This directly affects low-earning gig workers who would no longer receive tax forms for smaller earnings. The change simplifies reporting for platforms and reduces administrative burden on workers with minimal income from these platforms.
HR 2819, the DRIVE Act, prohibits the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration from requiring speed limiting devices on trucks weighing over 26,000 pounds operating in interstate commerce. This directly affects commercial truck drivers and carriers that operate large vehicles across state lines. The bill blocks the agency from implementing any rule mandating speed limiters that would cap these trucks' maximum speed. It prevents a potential new federal requirement for trucking companies without altering existing safety standards.
HR 5596, the FARMS Act, freezes the current wage rate for H-2B visa workers for two years after enactment. It directly affects H-2B nonimmigrant workers and their employers by preventing increases to the required wage rate during this period. The bill allows the Secretary of Labor to retain the existing wage rate if they determine a valid calculation method for the new rate is unavailable. This provides temporary stability to employers hiring H-2B workers without requiring immediate changes to wage payments.
HJRES 27 is a procedural resolution seeking to block an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule regulating Trichloroethylene (TCE), a chemical used in industrial cleaning. It asks Congress to disapprove the EPA's final rule (published December 17, 2024, in Federal Register 89 Fed. Reg. 102568) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), which would have restricted TCE use. If passed, this resolution would prevent the EPA rule from taking effect, directly affecting industries and facilities that use TCE. The bill does not create new rules but aims to halt an existing EPA regulation through congressional disapproval.
