The Gateway Arch National Park Boundary Revision Act of 2026 updates the official legal description of the park's size and location. It changes the name from Jefferson National Expansion Memorial to Gateway Arch National Park and increases the designated acreage from 100 to 102.18 acres. The bill also replaces an outdated map with a new one dated August 2023 to reflect the revised boundary lines. These changes affect the National Park Service by formally adjusting the park's legal footprint and official title.
The Institute for Telecommunication Sciences Codification Act formally establishes the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) as a test center within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. This new entity will serve as a laboratory for the executive branch to study radio frequency emissions, analyze spectrum sharing between federal and non-federal users, and test technologies that enhance electromagnetic spectrum access. Additionally, the bill requires the ITS to launch an initiative focused on developing emergency communication and tracking technologies for locating individuals in confined or shielded environments where standard radio signals fail. To support this goal, the institute will collaborate with private sector partners and other federal agencies to assess needs and create technical standards, with a requirement to submit a progress report to Congress within 18 months of the law's enactment.
The Fit Future Act establishes the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, a group of up to 30 appointed members who serve without pay to advise the President and the Department of Health and Human Services. This council is tasked with developing strategies to revive the Presidential Fitness Test, promoting school-based physical education programs, and setting new fitness goals for American youth. Additionally, the council will recommend campaigns to address childhood obesity and national security concerns related to sedentary lifestyles, while receiving administrative support and funding from the Department of Health and Human Services.
The Reshoring American Manufacturing Act of 2026 directs the Small Business Administration to create a dedicated website helping small businesses bring their manufacturing operations back to the United States. This online resource will provide contact details for relevant government offices and partner organizations, along with other useful information determined by the agency. The law requires the website to be launched within 60 days of enactment and mandates annual reviews to ensure the content remains current and helpful.
The CHARM Act directs the Environmental Protection Agency to create a National Critical Mineral Recovery Strategy aimed at coordinating federal efforts to extract essential minerals from discarded materials and mining waste. This strategy requires the agency to identify existing programs, overcome legal and technological barriers, and ensure that recovery methods protect human health and the environment. The bill mandates that the EPA report its findings and actions to Congress every two years, including recommendations for future legislation to support these recovery efforts. Ultimately, the law seeks to strengthen domestic supply chains by systematically evaluating opportunities to reuse critical minerals found in waste streams.
The EMRTAI Authorization Act of 2026 directs the Environmental Protection Agency to create a program that investigates methods for finding and recovering critical materials from contaminated sites. This initiative allows the EPA to provide funding to states, local governments, tribes, nonprofits, and private entities to support these recovery efforts and monitor environmental cleanup. The program is limited to a total of $10 million per year, with no single recipient receiving more than $3 million, and grants are evaluated based on their potential to strengthen domestic supply chains and protect human health. The authority to run this program will end ten years after the bill is enacted.
The BRACE Act updates federal regulations to improve how lithium-ion batteries are managed and recycled in the United States. It requires facilities that store these batteries before recycling them to follow stricter safety and record-keeping rules similar to those for large industrial waste handlers. Additionally, the bill modernizes existing laws by replacing outdated references with current environmental protection standards. These changes directly impact businesses and organizations involved in the collection, storage, and recycling of lithium-ion batteries.
This bill establishes the Bycatch Reduction Act to lower the accidental catch of marine species and protect seafloor habitats in the Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands, and Gulf of Alaska. It requires fishing vessels using trawl nets to install specific technologies, such as seafloor contact detection systems and salmon excluders, to minimize damage to the ocean bottom and reduce the capture of salmon and other important species. The legislation also creates new research task forces and funding programs to study marine ecosystems and develop innovative gear, while mandating greater transparency in how fishery management councils make decisions. Additionally, the bill prohibits the import of seafood from foreign vessels that do not meet U.S. conservation standards and sets up a new fund to help fishermen purchase or modify equipment that reduces environmental impact.
The Earth MRI Reauthorization Act of 2026 extends funding for the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative through 2031. This program will continue to map critical minerals, geothermal energy, and natural hydrogen resources using advanced technologies like digital geochemistry and real-time data systems. The bill also updates the initiative to include data from the 3D Hydrography Program, ensuring a broader range of subsurface information is collected and analyzed.
This bill officially changes the title of the U.S. Secret Service's uniformed officers from "Uniformed Division" to "Police" across multiple federal laws. The legislation directly affects the personnel and legal references within the U.S. Code by updating specific sections in Titles 2, 5, 10, 18, 28, and 31. By making these text replacements, the bill ensures that the agency's officers are consistently referred to as police in official statutes and regulations.
The Tax Relief for Fraud Victims Act helps individuals who suffer financial losses due to theft involving fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation by changing how they can claim tax deductions. It allows taxpayers to treat these theft losses as occurring when they discover them rather than when the theft happens, giving them more time to file for refunds. The bill also extends the deadline for filing refund claims related to these losses and provides special rules for withdrawing retirement funds to cover such losses without immediate tax penalties. Additionally, the legislation includes specific provisions for victims of pyrrhotite-related home damage, allowing them to claim deductions and file refunds based on discovery dates rather than the standard future effective date.
The Protecting Taxpayers from Ghost Preparers Act aims to stop tax preparers from fraudulently changing filed tax returns without the taxpayer's knowledge. It does this by broadening the legal definition of a "return" to include various administrative documents and by preventing the statute of limitations from being extended when a preparer commits fraud. These changes ensure that the time limit for the government to collect unpaid taxes remains fixed even if a dishonest preparer tries to alter a return after it has been submitted. The bill also includes a minor technical adjustment to another tax deadline provision.
