The Thermal Runaway Reduction Act of 2026 aims to improve the safety of lithium-ion battery transportation by requiring the Department of Transportation to update regulations on how these batteries are shipped and handled. The bill mandates that batteries be transported at no more than 30 percent charge unless special approval is granted, and requires the development of new impact tests to prevent batteries from overheating during accidents. It also establishes a $10 million grant program to fund research on fire suppression technologies and provides additional funding for fire departments to purchase safety equipment and diagnostic tools for managing lithium-ion battery incidents.
SRES 641 is a Senate resolution recognizing the 114th anniversary of Girl Scouts of the United States of America. It celebrates the organization's mission of providing girls with inclusive spaces to explore interests, build confidence, and develop leadership skills through programs like STEM education and community service. The resolution specifically congratulates Girl Scouts who earned the Gold Award in 2025 and encourages continued support for programs that prepare girls to become future leaders. As a symbolic gesture with no legal effect, it formally acknowledges the Girl Scouts' contributions to youth development and community engagement.
This bill provides temporary funding to ensure Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees continue receiving standard pay and benefits during a potential government funding gap between February 14, 2026, and when regular fiscal year 2026 appropriations are enacted. It directly affects TSA employees who might otherwise face pay interruptions if Congress fails to pass a full-year budget by that date. The bill authorizes using Treasury funds for standard pay, allowances, and benefits during this interim period, with these costs later charged to the appropriate future appropriations. The funding expires automatically on September 30, 2026, or when regular appropriations are passed, whichever occurs first.
This bill directs the Secretary of Transportation to create regulations ensuring the safe transportation of lithium-ion batteries and cells. It specifically requires the Department of Transportation to fund programs that help suppress fires caused by thermal runaway, a dangerous condition where batteries overheat and ignite uncontrollably. The legislation also updates legal definitions to clearly identify lithium-ion batteries and include fire suppression for thermal runaway events in existing fire safety requirements. These changes aim to improve firefighter preparedness and equipment access when handling lithium-ion battery transport incidents.
This bill, titled the Failed Bank Executives Clawback Act, would give the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and federal regulators the authority to recover compensation from executives and other high-level personnel at banks that have failed. It directly affects directors, officers, controlling stockholders, and other individuals found primarily responsible for a bank's failure at institutions with over $10 billion in assets. The law would require these individuals to return bonuses, stock awards, and other compensation received in the three years before the bank's insolvency or resolution, with recovered funds going into the Deposit Insurance Fund. Additionally, the bill clarifies the Corporation's authority to take over certain financial companies regardless of how the takeover process was initiated.
Reclaim Trade Powers Act This bill repeals the statute that directs the President to take certain actions, such as imposing a tariff of up to 15% for up to 150 days on articles imported into the United States, when necessary to address large and serious U.S. balance-of-payments deficits or certain other situations that present fundamental international payments problems.
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.
This bill establishes a federal grant program to help states, tribes, and local governments deploy and maintain Next Generation 9-1-1 emergency communication systems. It requires the Assistant Secretary of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to coordinate implementation efforts, provide technical assistance, and approve grant applications that must include detailed plans for interoperability, cybersecurity, and public outreach. The legislation also creates a new cybersecurity center to share threat information and establishes an advisory board with representatives from law enforcement, fire services, emergency medical services, and 9-1-1 professionals to provide recommendations on deployment strategies. Funding is authorized through fiscal year 2031 to support these activities, with specific limits on administrative costs and requirements for sustainable funding mechanisms.
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.
HR 6062 transfers approximately 25 acres of federal land from the Department of the Interior (DOI) to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for its Advanced Training Center in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, while returning about 71.51 acres from CBP back to DOI to expand Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. The bill requires adjusting park boundaries to exclude the transferred CBP land and include the returned land, with a survey finalizing exact boundaries. It specifies no monetary reimbursement for the transfers and allows CBP to revert unused land back to DOI for park inclusion. The transfer relies on a specific 2021 National Park Service map for land descriptions.
This bill, titled the Small Business Liberation 2.0 Act, exempts small businesses from import duties imposed under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 and requires refunds of any such duties already paid by small businesses. It also prohibits companies from raising prices on affected goods by more than the cost of the duties themselves during a five-year period following duty implementation. The Federal Trade Commission would enforce these rules, with state attorneys general allowed to bring civil actions against violators, while small businesses remain exempt from the price gouging restrictions.
This bill, known as the ELEVATE Act of 2026, modifies the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to adjust registration requirements for emerging growth companies and allow draft filings for confidential review. It requires emerging growth companies to include financial data from no more than two preceding fiscal years instead of the standard three years, reducing the amount of historical financial information they must disclose when going public. Additionally, the bill permits companies to submit draft registration statements to the Securities and Exchange Commission for confidential review before public filing, with the requirement that these drafts be made public no later than 10 days before the security is listed on an exchange. The legislation also establishes legal protections ensuring that information provided during confidential review remains confidential and is not disclosed by the Commission. These changes directly affect companies seeking to list their securities on national exchanges for the first time, particularly smaller or newer businesses classified as emerging growth companies.
