America Grows Act of 2026 This bill permanently funds several agencies that perform agriculture research. The bill provides specified funding for the following agencies within the Department of Agriculture: the Agricultural Research Service, the Economic Research Service, the National Agricultural Statistics Service, and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The bill exempts the funding from sequestration, which is a process of automatic, usually across-the-board spending reductions under which budgetary resources are permanently cancelled to enforce specific budget policy goals. It also exempts the budgetary effects of the funding from the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 (PAYGO) and the Senate PAYGO rule.
The Pets Belong with Families Act amends federal housing laws to ban restrictions on pet breeds, size, or weight in public housing. It allows landlords to charge pet deposits limited to 10% of monthly rent, which must be amortized over at least three months and fully reimbursed within 30 days if no damage occurs. The bill also permits limits on the number of animals based on unit size and prohibits pets declared dangerous by courts or banned by state and local laws.
The Momnibus Act is a comprehensive legislative bill designed to improve maternal health outcomes across the United States by addressing social determinants of health, expanding access to care, and reducing disparities among pregnant and postpartum individuals. The bill establishes a federal task force to coordinate efforts between agencies and stakeholders to eliminate preventable maternal mortality and severe morbidity, while providing sustained funding to community-based organizations to address nonclinical factors like housing, nutrition, and transportation. Key provisions include extending WIC eligibility to 24 months postpartum, creating grants to grow and diversify the perinatal workforce, implementing respectful maternity care training for all healthcare employees, and establishing compliance programs to track and address bias in maternity care settings. The legislation also includes specific measures for incarcerated mothers, veterans, and vulnerable populations affected by climate change, alongside funding for maternal mental health services and technology-enabled care models to expand access in underserved areas.
This bill amends the Title X family planning program to prohibit the use of federal funds for entities that perform or financially support abortions. It allows exceptions for cases involving rape, incest, or life-threatening medical conditions, while also permitting hospitals to receive funding as long as they do not give those funds to non-hospital abortion providers. To enforce these rules, the bill requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to submit annual reports detailing which organizations receive grants and the specific number of abortions performed under the medical and criminal exceptions.
The "Accountable Produce is Medicine Act of 2026" mandates the creation of a new pilot program within the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. This program requires selected healthcare providers to offer a comprehensive set of "Accountable Produce is Medicine services" to eligible Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP beneficiaries. These services, provided without patient cost-sharing, include healthy foods (like fruits and vegetables), nutrition counseling, care coordination, and remote monitoring for individuals with specific chronic diseases in underserved areas. Participating programs will screen patients, deliver these services for a year, and track health data to evaluate outcomes and cost savings over a period of at least five years.
The Stop Climate Shakedowns Act of 2026 prohibits state and local governments from suing energy companies for damages related to climate change or greenhouse gas emissions. This bill declares that regulating emissions is exclusively a federal responsibility and voids any state laws that hold energy businesses liable for alleged climate harms. Consequently, all pending lawsuits of this nature against energy producers must be dismissed immediately, preventing states from imposing retroactive penalties for past lawful operations. The legislation directly affects companies involved in the production, refinement, and sale of oil, gas, and coal by shielding them from civil liability in both state and federal courts.
The SSI Savings and Efficiency Act of 2026 proposes to change how income is calculated for recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI). The bill amends the Social Security Act to exclude "support or maintenance furnished in kind," such as free rent or food, from being counted as income for SSI purposes. This means that individuals receiving SSI would no longer have their benefits reduced because they receive non-cash assistance from others. The legislation directly affects low-income individuals who depend on SSI and receive such in-kind support, ensuring their benefit amounts are not decreased as a result.
HR 8295, the Protecting Families from Fertility Fraud Act of 2026, creates a new federal crime for knowingly misrepresenting the nature or source of DNA used in assisted reproductive technology or assisted insemination. This directly affects fertility clinics, practitioners, and patients undergoing such procedures. Individuals found guilty could face up to 10 years in prison, a fine, or both. The bill defines federal jurisdiction for these offenses, primarily involving interstate commerce, and extends the statute of limitations to 10 years after identification through DNA testing. It also adds this new crime to the list of "racketeering activities" under federal law.
This bill directs the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to create new rules improving how new "dispatchable power" projects (like natural gas plants or battery storage that can be turned on when needed) connect to the grid. Transmission providers (utilities, grid operators) must propose prioritizing these projects in the interconnection queue to boost grid reliability and resilience, demonstrating how this improves service and allowing public input before submitting proposals. FERC must complete this rulemaking within 180 days of the bill's enactment, with regular updates every five years. The bill directly affects transmission providers and developers of new power projects by changing interconnection procedures to speed up reliable grid upgrades.
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 bill allows family caregivers who work less than 500 paid hours but provide over 500 hours of unpaid care to contribute the maximum amount to a Roth IRA without income limits. It directly affects unpaid caregivers of children or adults with special needs who are unemployed or severely underemployed. The law defines caregiving tasks to include daily activities like bathing, medication management, and transportation, and applies to taxable years starting after December 31, 2026.
This bill allows unpaid family caregivers to make additional retirement contributions to their Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) without being subject to the usual age restrictions. To qualify, an individual must provide at least 500 hours of unpaid care for a child or an adult with special needs while working fewer than 500 hours of paid employment in the same year. The law defines caregiving tasks to include daily activities like bathing, medication management, and transportation, and permits employers to accept a caregiver's written statement as proof of their status. These changes would take effect for retirement years beginning after December 31, 2026, helping family members who dedicate significant time to caring for relatives save for retirement.
