NASA Transition Authorization Act of 2025 This bill reauthorizes through FY2025 the programs and activities of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The bill also revises certain existing NASA programs and establishes new programs related to space exploration, research, and technology. For example, the bill directs NASA to continue its efforts to support crewed lunar landings and Mars explorations, including through partnerships with the private sector (i.e., the Moon to Mars and Artemis programs). The bill also requires NASA to maintain the capability for a continuous human presence in low-Earth orbit until and beyond the retirement of the International Space Station (ISS). NASA may solicit proposals for the development of a commercial space station in low-Earth orbit. When such a station is ready, NASA must initiate an orderly transition of operations from the ISS to the commercial station. NASA must also develop a de-orbit vehicle for the eventual retirement of the ISS. ( Low-Earth orbit encompasses orbits at an altitude of 1,200 miles or less.) In addition, NASA is authorized to develop an architecture for lunar communications and navigation, and must develop a strategy to implement a standardized lunar time to support operations and infrastructure on and around the moon. NASA must also continue to conduct research relating to advanced air mobility, unmanned aircraft systems (i.e., drones), and hypersonic technologies. Finally, the bill requires the Government Accountability Office to report on fire and emergency services at NASA launch and reentry facilities.
The DISCLOSE Act of 2026 aims to increase transparency in election spending and prevent foreign influence. It expands the ban on foreign money to cover federal, state, and local elections, including ballot initiatives and judicial nominations, and criminalizes using corporations to conceal these funds. The bill mandates that organizations spending over $10,000 on campaign-related activities, such as independent expenditures or judicial nomination advocacy, disclose their beneficial owners and top donors. Additionally, it establishes new "Stand By Every Ad" disclaimers for political communications, requiring the highest-ranking official to approve the message and, for certain ads, list their top funders. These provisions directly affect non-candidate organizations, individuals involved in political and judicial nomination spending, and foreign nationals.
This bill requires the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development to create simplified application forms for rural communities seeking federal economic development grants. It defines rural communities as incorporated municipalities, Tribal areas, or territories with populations of 10,000 or fewer people or those outside metropolitan statistical areas. The legislation mandates that the Assistant Secretary gather input from rural stakeholders on reducing application length, minimizing required documentation, standardizing forms across programs, and eliminating repetitive information requests. Additionally, the bill requires the agency to publicly share sample successful applications, decision-making criteria, and standardized guidance to help rural applicants navigate the grant process.
The NSF AI Education Act of 2026 directs the National Science Foundation to award scholarships and fellowships to undergraduate and graduate students studying artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and related fields. The bill establishes new programs to support AI education at community colleges, vocational schools, and historically underserved institutions, including priority funding for rural, Tribal, and minority-serving institutions. It also authorizes grants for AI research in agriculture and advanced manufacturing, requires the development of guidance for AI use in K-12 education, and mandates the creation of workforce frameworks for AI and other emerging technologies. The legislation includes provisions to restrict funding to institutions with certain civil rights violations and establishes requirements for oversight of public-private partnerships and foreign contributions.
This bill, known as the Kelsey Smith Act, would require telecommunications service providers to share location data with law enforcement or public safety answering points during emergency situations. It directly affects phone and internet service providers, law enforcement officers, and individuals whose location information might be disclosed. The key provision allows officers to request location data without delay if the device was used to contact emergency services in the past 48 hours or if there is reasonable suspicion of an emergency involving risk of death or serious physical harm. The bill also establishes requirements for obtaining consent from subscribers or their next of kin, with a defined priority order for determining next of kin when consent is needed. Additionally, law enforcement agencies must maintain records of these requests, and the bill does not exempt providers from complying with applicable state laws regarding location information disclosure.
James T. Woods Act This bill expands the federal framework for combating the online exploitation of children. Among its provisions, the bill establishes new criminal offenses, expands reporting requirements, and facilitates the prosecution and sentencing of offenders. TITLE I—SAFE ACT Sentencing Accountability For Exploitation Act or the SAFE Act This title directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to review and amend its guidelines and policy statements applicable to federal criminal offenses involving the production, receipt, transport, shipment, or distribution of child sexual abuse material to (1) account for the actual and potential harm from the offense and changes since the last amendments with respect to the typical offense behavior and modern technologies, and (2) better reflect the spectrum of offender culpability. TITLE II—ENDING COERCION OF CHILDREN AND HARM ONLINE Ending Coercion of Children and Harm Online Act or the ECCHO Act This title establishes a federal framework to combat the online coercion of minors to commit harm. The title creates new criminal offenses, expands reporting of instances involving the online coercion of minors, facilitates the prosecution of offenders, and expands protections for minors who testify in court. TITLE III—STOP SEXTORTION Stop Sextortion Act This title criminalizes threats to distribute child sexual abuse material to intimidate, coerce, extort, or cause substantial emotional distress. This practice is commonly referred to as sextortion . The title also increases criminal penalties for related offenses that involve the use of child sexual abuse material to intimidate, coerce, extort, or cause substantial emotional distress.
This resolution designates February 21-28, 2026, as "National FFA Week" to honor the National FFA Organization’s work in agricultural education. It recognizes FFA’s role in developing leadership and career skills for students (with over 1 million members nationally) and celebrates the 50th anniversary of Alaska’s State FFA Association, which has 19 chapters and 493 members. As a symbolic resolution, it has no legal effect but formally expresses Senate support for FFA’s mission.
This resolution (SRES 617) designates February 2026 as "Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month" to symbolically recognize CTE programs nationwide. It supports CTE's role in preparing students for high-demand careers by promoting workforce readiness through academic and technical skills training. The resolution encourages educators, counselors, parents, and school administrators to advocate for CTE as a valid educational pathway. As a non-binding Senate resolution, it does not create new laws or allocate funds but affirms bipartisan support for CTE's importance in workforce development.
SRES 620 designates February 28, 2026, as "Rare Disease Day" to promote awareness, encourage early diagnosis, and support research for rare diseases. The resolution recognizes the impact of rare conditions on over 30 million Americans living with more than 10,000 known rare diseases, acknowledging challenges like limited treatment options and diagnostic difficulties. As a symbolic gesture, it does not create new laws or policies but highlights ongoing efforts to address rare disease needs.
This bill amends the Community Development Banking and Financial Institutions Act of 1994 to require the Treasury Secretary to testify annually before Congress about the Fund's operations. It also strengthens the CDFI Bond Guarantee Program by adjusting guarantee limits and extending the program's authorization period. Additionally, the bill expands capital assistance options for community development financial institutions and creates a new lending program specifically for Native community development financial institutions to support homeownership in Tribal and Native communities.
This bill expands Medicare Part B coverage for medical nutrition therapy (MNT) to include more chronic conditions beyond diabetes and kidney disease. It directly affects Medicare beneficiaries with conditions like obesity, hypertension, heart disease, cancer, eating disorders, and others listed in the bill. Key provisions broaden the definition of covered conditions and allow additional healthcare providers (like nurse practitioners and clinical psychologists for eating disorders) to deliver MNT services. The change would make MNT services covered for prevention, management, or treatment of these additional conditions, as determined by the Secretary.
HR 7736, the RELIEF Act, requires U.S. Customs and Border Protection to refund tariffs collected under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) on imports entered on or after January 1, 2025. It directly affects importers of record by mandating automatic refunds within 90 days of the bill's enactment, without requiring them to submit applications or protests. The bill directs Customs to use existing data to calculate and disburse refunds for all affected tariff collections, including entries involving goods withdrawn from warehouse for consumption. This policy change eliminates the need for importers to seek refunds through separate processes, streamlining the recovery of overpaid duties.
