This bill, known as the Fair Wages for Home Care Workers Act, would change federal labor rules to require overtime pay and minimum wage protections for certain babysitters. It specifically targets casual babysitting work that is irregular or intermittent, while excluding trained medical professionals like nurses and home health aides from these changes. The law would also allow babysitters to perform up to 20% of their work time on unrelated household tasks without losing their protected status. These amendments would apply to workers covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 who provide custodial care for infants or children in private homes.
This bill, known as the Diabetes Foot Health Access and Modernization Act of 2026, makes two main changes to federal healthcare programs. First, it allows Medicaid to cover foot and ankle care services provided by podiatric physicians, ensuring patients have access to this specialized care. Second, it updates Medicare rules to clarify documentation requirements for diabetic shoes, specifying conditions under which patients can receive extra-depth or custom-molded footwear. The changes take effect on January 1, 2026, for Medicaid services and January 1, 2028, for Medicare shoe coverage.
This bill requires the Secretary of State to investigate a January 2024 attack in Gaza City that killed 5-year-old Hind Rajab and two paramedics, and to report findings to Congress within 45 days. The report must determine whether U.S.-provided weapons were used, if any perpetrators were U.S. citizens, and whether U.S.-trained soldiers were involved. If credible evidence suggests war crimes occurred, the Secretary must refer the matter to the Attorney General for potential prosecution under U.S. law. The legislation also expresses congressional support for compensation to the victims' families and establishes a policy of collecting evidence for future war crimes prosecutions.
HR 7932, the HONOR Gold Star Families Act, increases the death gratuity paid to families of service members who died in the line of duty. It raises the current $100,000 payment to $200,000 for deaths occurring on or after January 1, 2026. The bill also adds an annual cost-of-living adjustment to this amount, increasing it each January 1 based on the previous year’s inflation rate as measured by the Consumer Price Index. This directly affects Gold Star Families - those who have lost a service member in military service - by providing a larger initial payment and ensuring future payments keep pace with inflation.
This bill would restrict the Department of Energy from providing financial assistance to regulated investor-owned electric utilities that raise residential electricity rates above the level set on January 1, 2026. For the first year after enactment, the Secretary of Energy cannot give aid to any utility that increases rates for home customers. During the following two years, financial assistance is only allowed if the utility keeps compensation for its five highest-paid employees at or below 2026 levels and reduces their pay twice as much as the rate increase. The bill also requires utilities to submit reports to the Department of Energy detailing employee compensation changes if they receive funding.
This bill, titled the Take Back Our Hospitals Act of 2026, would prohibit Medicare from paying hospitals or skilled nursing facilities owned or controlled by private equity funds, real estate investment trusts, or corporations owned by those funds. The law defines control as owning 10 percent or more of voting securities or having the power to direct management and policies through contracts or other means. Facilities currently owned by these firms would have a three-year transition period before the prohibition takes full effect. The bill also establishes joint and several liability, meaning the owning firm would be responsible for any penalties if the facility violates the rule, and provides for notice, hearings, and judicial review for affected facilities.
This bill directs the Joint Committee of Congress on the Library to commission and place a statue of Clarence Mitchell, Jr. in a permanent public location within the United States Capitol. The legislation authorizes the committee to enter into agreements with an artist or organization to create the statue and permits the Architect of the Capitol to handle related contracts on the committee's behalf. Funding is authorized to cover the costs of obtaining and installing the statue, with no specific time limit for spending the allocated funds. The bill honors Mitchell, Jr., a civil rights leader and former NAACP Washington Bureau director, by recognizing his contributions to civil rights legislation through a physical memorial in the Capitol.
This bill would require the U.S. Treasury to produce and sell three types of commemorative coins honoring firefighters and the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial. The legislation authorizes the minting of up to 50,000 $5 gold coins, 400,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar coins, all featuring designs that recognize firefighter service and sacrifice. All coins would be legal tender, but they would be sold at a price that covers production costs plus a surcharge, with the surcharge funds going to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. The coins would only be available for purchase during a one-year window starting in 2029, and the Treasury must ensure the program does not result in a net cost to the federal government.
Living Donor Protection Act of 2025 This bill prohibits life insurance, disability insurance, and long-term insurance carriers from denying or otherwise restricting coverage for living organ donors. Specifically, carriers may not deny, cancel, vary premiums, or otherwise impose conditions on policies based on an individual's status as a living organ donor. The bill also expressly specifies that recovery from organ-donation surgery constitutes a serious health condition that entitles eligible employees to job-protected medical leave. In addition, the Department of Health and Human Services must update educational materials on living organ donation to include information about the benefits and risks of living organ donation and the impact of donation on insurance access, particularly with respect to the bill's changes.
This concurrent resolution formally recognizes March 10, 2026, as "Abortion Provider Appreciation Day" to honor abortion providers and staff for their work in delivering essential reproductive care. It highlights their courage amid challenges including clinic closures, safety threats, and increased harassment following the Dobbs decision. The resolution symbolically affirms Congress's support for providers' safety and patients' access to abortion care, without creating new legal requirements or affecting any individuals directly. (1 sentence; procedural resolution)
This bill aims to prevent fraudulent enrollments in health insurance exchanges by requiring the government to check for duplicate social security numbers before issuing premium tax credits. It also mandates that agents and brokers must obtain direct consent from individuals or employers before completing enrollments, rather than accepting third-party attestations of consent. These measures directly affect insurance brokers, agents, and individuals seeking health coverage through federal exchanges. The changes would take effect for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2027.
This bill establishes the Addressing Teacher Shortages Act of 2026, which creates a federal grant program to help schools and districts prepare and retain educators in under-resourced and underserved communities. The program provides competitive grants to eligible entities for activities such as teaching residency programs, mentor teacher initiatives, Grow Your Own programs that recruit local community members, and 2+2 partnerships between community colleges and universities. Grant funds are specifically reserved to address shortages in rural areas, high-need subject areas like STEM and special education, and to diversify the teaching workforce. Recipients must provide matching funds and submit detailed reports on retention rates, licensure pass rates, and the percentage of teachers from underrepresented groups. The program authorizes funding from fiscal years 2027 through 2032 and includes provisions for planning grants for entities that have not previously received support.
