The Right to Record Act of 2026 establishes a federal legal right for individuals to record, observe, or peacefully protest federal law enforcement activities in public view. It creates a new civil cause of action that allows individuals to sue federal officers and the United States government for specific retaliatory actions, such as arresting someone for recording or threatening them with database inclusion. Under this bill, violators could face civil penalties of up to $100,000 in punitive damages if the misconduct was done with malice or reckless disregard for rights. The law also mandates annual training for federal officers on respecting these rights while enforcing the law and clarifies that the right does not extend to physically restraining an officer.
The Guaranteeing Universal Access to Cybersecurity Act directs the Department of Homeland Security to provide $50 million annually starting in fiscal year 2027 to fund free cybersecurity services for state, local, tribal, and territorial governments. Under this bill, the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center must offer no-cost membership and access to threat intelligence and incident response support to all eligible entities that apply, with a specific focus on those lacking dedicated staff or operating on limited budgets. The legislation also requires the creation of a plan to identify and reach out to previously excluded or at-risk organizations to encourage their participation in the center's network. Additionally, the operator of the center must submit annual reports to Congress detailing membership levels, threat intelligence activities, and the effectiveness of outreach efforts to under-resourced entities.
This bill, titled the Less Tax Paperwork for Digital Asset Owners Act, aims to simplify how individuals calculate taxes on digital assets by introducing three main changes. First, it allows taxpayers to ignore small network fees under $10 when paying for transactions, meaning they do not have to report the digital assets used to pay these fees as taxable events. Second, it creates an optional simplified accounting method for widely traded digital assets, enabling users to report gains and losses based on the total value of their holdings at the end of the year rather than tracking every single transaction. Third, it establishes specific tax rules for U.S. dollar stablecoins, treating them similarly to cash for basis and gain calculations if their value stays close to their redemption value. Additionally, the legislation updates broker reporting requirements to align with these new simplified methods and clarifies definitions for various types of digital assets to ensure consistent application of the rules.
The AI Flaw Reporting and Security Enhancement Act directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology to create a voluntary program for reporting artificial intelligence flaws to improve system safety and security. This initiative involves collaborating with industry, academia, and other groups to establish clear definitions for AI errors, develop technical standards for managing these issues, and build a national database to track reported flaws. The bill also sets guidelines for how organizations should disclose vulnerabilities and requires NIST to submit a progress report to Congress within three years of the law's enactment.
The Southeastern Rail Technologies Mapping Act of 2026 directs the Federal Railroad Administration to study how to improve rail performance and integrate new power technologies in the southeastern United States. This study will examine rail segments between Florida and Washington, DC to identify areas suitable for electrification or battery and fuel cell systems while noting any implementation challenges. If certain segments are found unsuitable for these technologies, the report must explain the reasoning and suggest specific infrastructure updates with estimated costs to make them viable. The Administrator is required to submit the findings of this study to Congress within 18 months of the bill's enactment.
The Advanced Transmission Technology to Reduce Rates Act directs the Department of Energy to create a public clearinghouse that lists projects, funding options, and analyses regarding advanced transmission technologies. This resource is designed to assist electric utilities, transmission organizations, and state regulators in planning deployments and understanding the potential impacts on grid efficiency and costs. Additionally, the bill allows certain funding actions for these technologies to be exempt from standard environmental review requirements and requires the Department to establish best practices for reducing wildfire risks from power lines. Crucially, the legislation explicitly states that these measures are informational and do not grant the government authority to force utilities to adopt specific technologies or follow the new wildfire safety guidelines.
This bill, known as the Closing the Digital Divide for Students Act of 2026, allows public housing utility allowances to cover high-speed internet service, equipment, and installation fees for families with children who qualify for free or reduced-price school lunches. The legislation sets the covered internet cost at the lowest monthly rate available in the area while explicitly permitting families to choose more expensive plans or bundled services if they prefer. Additionally, the bill requires internet service providers to offer a specific filtering technology that blocks visual content harmful to minors, ensuring a level of protection comparable to existing certified standards. These changes directly affect households living in public housing by expanding the types of living expenses that can be subsidized through their utility benefits.
This bill directs the Secretary of the Army to develop a system that automatically detects and neutralizes small drones threatening ground military units. The proposed system must use sensors to track threats and employ autonomous weapons to intercept them with little human input, while connecting various vehicles through a shared network to share data instantly. It also requires that these capabilities work together seamlessly across different parts of a combat brigade and mandates a report to Congress detailing the necessary technology and a timeline for implementation between 2028 and 2032.
The NEW HORIZON Act directs the Department of Defense to run a five-year pilot program testing commercial orbital data centers for national security missions. This initiative aims to evaluate how space-based computing can reduce delays and improve resilience by processing data in orbit rather than on the ground. The program requires strict security measures, such as zero-trust architecture and encryption, while ensuring these new systems work with existing military networks. Officials must report their findings to Congress by December 2028 to determine if these capabilities should be adopted for regular use.
The AI-Ready Federal Data Guidelines Act directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology to create voluntary guidelines helping federal agencies prepare data for training artificial intelligence models. These guidelines will cover data formatting, labeling, quality checks, documentation, and maintenance to ensure datasets are usable by AI systems. The bill also allows for short-term pilot programs in specific sectors like biotechnology to test these guidelines and assess their effectiveness. Additionally, the NIST Director must provide regular briefings to Congress on the progress of implementing these standards.
