This bill designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 9995 Southeast Federal Highway in Hobe Sound, Florida, as the "Special Operations Chief Petty Officer Aaron Carson Vaughn Post Office Building".
The REAL Sugar Act would prohibit high fructose corn syrup in foods intended for human consumption by amending the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. This change directly affects food manufacturers and distributors who currently use this sweetener in their products. The prohibition is delayed, applying only to items introduced into interstate commerce two years after the law's enactment. Additionally, the Secretary of Health and Human Services must submit a report to Congress three years later detailing industry reformulation efforts and any necessary regulatory changes.
The Access to School Supplies Act of 2026 establishes a five-year pilot program that provides competitive grants to up to ten local school districts serving high-poverty schools. These funds are intended to help districts purchase books, supplies, and other materials for students and instructional staff at no cost. The legislation authorizes $100 million annually from fiscal years 2027 through 2031 and requires recipients to submit annual reports detailing how the money was spent and which schools benefited. A small portion of the total funding is reserved for outlying areas and Bureau of Indian Education schools, while the program sunsets on September 30, 2031.
The Ballots by Election Day Act would amend federal election laws to require that all ballots for Federal office, including absentee and mail-in votes, be received by election officials no later than the time polls close on Election Day. This change directly affects voters in states that currently allow ballots postmarked before the deadline but received afterward to be counted. The bill creates a specific exception for uniformed service members and overseas citizens, whose ballots would not be subject to this strict receipt deadline. These new rules would apply to Federal elections held in 2027 and any subsequent years.
The Puerto Rico Energy Opportunity and Geothermal Assessment Act of 2026 directs the U.S. Geological Survey, in coordination with the Department of Energy and local officials, to conduct geothermal resource assessments for Puerto Rico. These studies must include high-resolution mapping, evaluations of groundwater vulnerability in sensitive terrain, and analyses of seismic risks associated with enhanced geothermal systems. The Secretary of the Interior is required to submit progress reports to Congress annually for the first year and biennially thereafter until the assessment is complete.
The Partnerships for Better Health Act directs the Secretaries of Health and Human Services and Agriculture to establish a grant program that funds local coalitions to integrate chronic disease prevention, management, and social support services. Eligible lead entities, such as community health centers, nonprofit hospitals, and food banks, must partner with clinical, nutritional, and public health organizations to deliver coordinated care, nutrition education, and "Food is Medicine" programs. Grant priority is given to communities facing high chronic disease prevalence, food insecurity, or persistent poverty, while recipients are required to serve populations with incomes at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty line. The bill authorizes $15 million annually for fiscal years 2027 through 2031 and mandates that grantees use evidence-based models and report on specific health, social, and utilization outcomes.
The Fairness for Farm Workers Act amends the Fair Labor Standards Act to end the long-standing exemption that allows agricultural workers to be denied overtime pay. The bill introduces a phased schedule requiring employers to pay farm workers time-and-a-half for hours worked beyond a set threshold, which gradually decreases from 55 hours in 2027 to the standard 40 hours by 2030. Small farms with 25 or fewer employees are given a three-year delay, reaching full compliance by 2033. Additionally, the legislation removes several other exemptions that currently allow agricultural employers to bypass federal wage and hour protections.
The End Gas Station Heroin Act amends the Controlled Substances Act to place 7-hydroxymitragynine and mitragynine pseudoindoxyl in Schedule I, while exempting naturally occurring kratom products that meet specific low-concentration limits. The bill also creates a new enforcement mechanism for emerging synthetic opioids by treating them as Schedule I controlled substances when they are manufactured or distributed commercially. This provision applies to synthetic opioids that are more potent than morphine and not approved for medical use, but it explicitly prohibits criminal or civil penalties for simple possession or personal use.
The Mobile Workforce State Income Tax Simplification Act of 2026 restricts state income tax collection on employees who work in multiple states, limiting taxation to only the employee's home state and any other state where they perform duties for more than 30 days in a calendar year. This change directly affects multi-state workers and their employers by eliminating withholding and reporting requirements for wages earned in states where the employee does not meet the 30-day threshold. Employers are permitted to rely on employees' annual estimates of work location for tax purposes, unless the employer maintains a daily time and attendance tracking system or has actual knowledge of fraud. The bill excludes specific groups, such as professional athletes, entertainers, film production staff, and public figures, from these simplified rules, and it takes effect on January 1 of the second calendar year following its enactment.
The Supporting 9-8-8 Crisis Stabilization Act amends Medicaid rules to allow federal funding for specific community-based mental health facilities that were previously excluded from coverage. It defines two new types of eligible sites: crisis receiving and stabilization facilities, which must operate 24/7 with an average stay under 150 hours, and mental health and substance use urgent care centers where individuals can walk in without an appointment. These facilities are required to accept referrals from law enforcement and emergency personnel while prohibiting service denials based on factors like ability to pay or criminal justice history. The bill also directs the Department of Health and Human Services to issue implementation guidance within 180 days and submit a report to Congress one year later analyzing how these changes affect hospital admissions, incarceration rates, and overall crisis response utilization.
The Stop Auto Fraud Act of 2026 creates a new federal crime for individuals who knowingly stage or fabricate motor vehicle accidents to submit false insurance claims. The bill directly affects people involved in these schemes by imposing penalties that include fines and up to 10 years in prison, with sentences increasing to 20 years if serious bodily injury occurs and potentially life imprisonment if the fraud results in death. Additionally, any criminal fines collected under this new law must be deposited into the Highway Trust Fund rather than general government revenue.
The Ending Restaurant Purchases with SNAP Act of 2026 would prohibit the use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to buy meals at restaurants and other private food service establishments. The bill achieves this by removing specific legal provisions from the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 that currently allow states to run optional restaurant programs for eligible groups such as the elderly, disabled, and homeless individuals. If enacted, these changes would take effect 180 days after the date of enactment, directly affecting SNAP recipients who rely on these state-level options for dining out.
