This resolution designates August 7, 2026, as National Lighthouse Day to honor the 237th anniversary of the 1789 Lighthouse Act and the 250th anniversary of the United States. The bill encourages lighthouse grounds to open to the public and calls on Americans to celebrate maritime heritage through ceremonies, site visits, and support for preservation efforts. It serves as a commemorative measure to recognize the historical significance of lighthouses and the keepers who maintained them, without altering any laws or funding.
The INSULIN Act of 2026 requires health insurance plans to limit insulin copayments to $35 per 30-day supply starting in 2027, with plans choosing to cap costs at 25% of the negotiated price after 2028. The bill also mandates that pharmacy benefit managers pass all rebates and discounts related to insulin directly to health plans rather than retaining them. Additional provisions include measures to speed up the approval process for generic and biosimilar insulin products, establish a pilot program to provide affordable insulin to uninsured individuals in 10 states, and create a resource center and hotline to help uninsured people access assistance programs.
This Senate resolution commemorates the 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence from the Soviet Union and recognizes the resilience of the Ukrainian people in pursuing sovereignty and democracy. The text affirms U.S. support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity, specifically rejecting the annexation of Crimea, while condemning Russia’s 2022 military invasion. It encourages the U.S. government to provide strong security guarantees to facilitate a lasting peace agreement and to integrate lessons from Ukraine’s defense innovations into American military readiness. Additionally, the resolution urges Ukraine to continue implementing reforms related to anti-corruption measures, free markets, and the rule of law.
This resolution designates the week of August 22 through August 30, 2026, as "National Park Week." It directly affects the public by encouraging responsible visits and support for the National Park System, which includes parks, battlefields, and historical sites located across the United States and its territories. The measure serves as a formal declaration to highlight the parks' role in recreation, education, and economic activity without altering any laws or funding.
This resolution designates August 16, 2026, as National Airborne Day to honor the history and contributions of U.S. airborne military forces. The bill calls on the American people to observe the day with programs and ceremonies celebrating the bravery and achievements of paratroopers and air assault units. It highlights the legacy of these forces, which began with the first official Army parachute jump on that date in 1940 and have since served in numerous conflicts worldwide. The measure serves as a commemorative recognition rather than a change to federal law or military operations.
The Strengthening Coast Guard Communities Act of 2026 transfers specific intergovernmental support agreement authorities from the Secretary of Defense to the Commandant of the Coast Guard. This change allows the Commandant to directly manage agreements that provide services and infrastructure support to Coast Guard communities, rather than requiring approval through the Department of Defense. To ensure transparency, the bill requires the Commandant to notify the relevant Senate and House committees in writing within 60 days of exercising this new authority.
The Fisheries Science Modernization Act of 2026 directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to integrate environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling into federal fishery stock assessments through a multi-year pilot study and subsequent implementation plan. To support this transition, the bill establishes the National Aquatic Biomolecular Coordination Network, a multi-agency body tasked with developing national standards for eDNA collection, analysis, and data sharing across various aquatic environments. Additionally, the legislation authorizes funding to expand NOAA’s workforce and laboratory capabilities, encourages partnerships with private-sector technology developers, and amends the Magnuson-Stevens Act to formally incorporate eDNA methods into fisheries management.
This bill expands access to workers' compensation for injured federal employees by adding nurse practitioners and physician assistants to the list of healthcare providers eligible to treat them under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act. It amends the law to define "other eligible provider" as these professionals practicing within their state-authorized scope, replacing outdated references to "physician" with "physician or other eligible provider" throughout the relevant sections. The changes ensure injured federal workers can receive care from these providers without requiring a physician referral, streamlining access to treatment. The Secretary of Labor must finalize implementing regulations within six months of the bill's enactment.
This bill requests the Office of Management and Budget to add a new occupational code for "direct support professionals" within the federal Standard Occupational Classification system. It directly affects how the government tracks and analyzes data on this workforce, which supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in daily living, community inclusion, and independence. The key provision requires revising the classification system to recognize these workers as a distinct category - different from home health aides - addressing high turnover rates (39% nationally) that disrupt care. The bill does not create new programs or funding, solely aiming to improve data collection for workforce planning.
The Bring Our Heroes Home Act requires all government agencies to identify, preserve, and transmit records related to missing military personnel and civilian personnel who supported the military (from December 7, 1941, through the bill's enactment date) to a new Missing Armed Forces and Civilian Personnel Records Collection at the National Archives. It establishes a Review Board to oversee the process, ensure timely public disclosure of these records, and periodically review any records withheld for national security reasons. The bill aims to make these records more accessible to families of missing personnel, researchers, and the public, while allowing limited exceptions to protect national security. This would improve transparency about the fate of missing military personnel and civilians who went missing while serving the country.
The Medicare Home Health Payment Integrity and Protection Act of 2026 aims to combat fraud within the Medicare home health program by implementing stricter enrollment screening, more frequent site surveys, and enhanced oversight of accreditation bodies. The bill resets the standard payment rate for home health services starting in 2027 at $2,382.87 per unit and suspends specific financial adjustments related to the Patient-Driven Groupings Model to stabilize provider payments. It also requires that data from suspected fraudulent claims be excluded when calculating quality benchmarks and value-based payment adjustments to protect legitimate agencies. To support these changes, the legislation appropriates $550 million over five years for program integrity enforcement, legal investigations, and state survey activities.
The RISE Act amends the Higher Education Act to improve support for college students with disabilities. It requires institutions to accept multiple forms of documentation (like high school IEPs or 504 plans) to verify disability status and mandates transparent, accessible processes for determining accommodation eligibility. Colleges must also report specific disability-related data to federal databases, including the number of students receiving accommodations and degree completions. Additionally, the bill authorizes $10 million annually (2027-2031) for a national center providing technical support to students with disabilities, without altering existing ADA definitions or rights.
