Technology

in committee · United States · House May 14, 2026

HR 7418: STEADFAST Act

HR 7418 (the STEADFAST Act) converts the federal presidential campaign funding program into a state grant program to improve election security. It provides funds to states for updating voting systems, enhancing cybersecurity, securing physical storage of equipment, and implementing paper ballots with verification features. States must certify they prohibit noncitizen voting, require specific photo ID at polls, and report how funds are spent. Funding comes from taxpayer-designated contributions to a new Election Security Fund, with 5% allowed for administrative costs.

Topics ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyBill explicitly funds cybersecurity enhancements for election systems, directly advancing tech security measures in voting infrastructure.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Cybersecurity Tags Elections

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in committee · United States · House Feb 10, 2025

HR 1165: Port Crane Security and Inspection Act of 2025

HR 1165, the Port Crane Security and Inspection Act of 2025, requires the Department of Homeland Security to inspect high-risk foreign cranes connected to port cyber infrastructure before they are used at U.S. ports. It mandates a 180-day assessment of security risks from existing and new cranes and orders the removal of any crane posing a threat until certified safe. The bill prohibits operating new foreign cranes (from countries identified as security threats) after enactment and bans foreign software on port cranes after a 5-year phaseout period. This directly affects U.S. ports using cranes with technology from designated "covered foreign countries," such as those identified in national threat assessments.

Topics ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyBill enhances cybersecurity for port infrastructure by requiring security assessments and removal of threat-posing cranes from cyber-connected systems.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Cybersecurity

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in committee · United States · House Jan 28, 2026

HR 7239: Next-Gen Collision Avoidance Act

The Next-Gen Collision Avoidance Act requires the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to develop and publish an action plan within 180 days for advancing the deployment of a next-generation collision avoidance system (ACAS-X) across the national airspace. The plan must include a roadmap for adoption by aircraft operators, steps for research and development, engagement with stakeholders like manufacturers and pilot groups, and coordination with international authorities to harmonize safety standards. It also mandates an assessment of safety benefits for operators adopting the technology and requires the FAA to brief Congress within 30 days of submitting the plan. This bill directly affects the FAA's planning process and the aviation industry's efforts to implement this new safety technology.

Topics ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyMandates FAA to develop action plan for deploying ACAS-X collision avoidance technology, advancing aviation safety system adoption and R&D.95% confidence ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationBill mandates FAA action plan for next-gen aviation collision avoidance system, enhancing air traffic safety standards within transportation infrastructure.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Airports

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in committee · United States · House May 20, 2026

HR 7129: Water Power Research and Development Reauthorization Act

This bill reauthorizes federal funding for water power research and development (including hydropower and marine energy) through 2030, increasing annual funding to $300 million - $200 million for marine energy and $100 million for hydropower - up from prior levels. It adds new requirements such as advancing U.S. manufacturing of marine energy components through university-industry partnerships, improving hydropower licensing by compiling environmental data, and integrating cybersecurity into research. The bill also mandates workforce development programs to train future professionals and requires annual congressional briefings on program progress. These changes directly affect the Department of Energy, research institutions, and industries working on water power technologies.

Topics ✓ EnergySupports EnergyBill reauthorizes $300M for water power R&D (hydropower/marine), increasing funding and advancing renewable energy infrastructure per summary.90% confidence ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentFunds $300M for renewable water power R&D (hydropower/marine energy), promoting clean energy development and environmental protection through research expansion.95% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyBill explicitly integrates cybersecurity into water power R&D funding requirements, directly supporting tech security measures per topic definition.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Hydroelectric Cybersecurity

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in committee · United States · House Jun 26, 2025

HR 4211: Brownfields Broadband Deployment Act

HR 4211, the Brownfields Broadband Deployment Act, removes environmental and historic preservation review requirements for broadband infrastructure projects on brownfield sites. It exempts covered projects - broadband deployments or modifications entirely within a brownfield site (a contaminated property) that require Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval - from needing standard environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and historic preservation reviews under the National Historic Preservation Act. This allows broadband providers to deploy or upgrade infrastructure on brownfields more quickly without waiting for those specific federal reviews. The bill directly affects broadband companies seeking to build on brownfield sites that require FCC permits.

Topics ✗ EnvironmentOpposes EnvironmentRemoves NEPA environmental reviews for broadband projects on contaminated sites, weakening regulatory oversight of environmental impacts.90% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyRemoves regulatory barriers for broadband deployment on brownfield sites, directly advancing internet access infrastructure expansion.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Conservation Hazardous Materials Broadband Access Telecommunications

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in committee · United States · Senate Jan 20, 2025

S 152: Student Empowerment Act

The Student Empowerment Act (S 152) expands the use of 529 education savings accounts to cover more K-12 school expenses for students in public, private, religious, or homeschool settings. It allows funds to pay for tuition, curriculum materials, books, online resources, licensed tutoring (with teacher credentials), standardized tests, dual enrollment fees, and licensed educational therapies for students with disabilities. The bill directly affects families using 529 accounts who educate children in elementary or secondary school, including homeschoolers. It changes existing tax rules to include these specific K-12 expenses under 529 account distributions, effective after the bill's enactment. The policy change aims to provide greater flexibility for families managing educational costs at the K-12 level.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationExpands 529 account usage for diverse K-12 expenses (tuition, materials, therapies), increasing educational access across public/private/religious/homeschool settings.95% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyAllows 529 funds for online resources, expanding digital access to educational tools per bill's explicit allowance.85% confidence

Sub-Topics K-12 Education School Choice Student Financial Aid

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in committee · United States · House Dec 12, 2025

HR 6686: No Cost Educational Resources Act of 2025

This bill creates grants to help colleges adopt free digital textbooks (open educational resources) in science, technology, engineering, and math courses. It directly affects institutions of higher education, requiring them to collaborate with librarians and STEM faculty to implement these courses. Key provisions include prioritizing schools with many low-income or minority students, mandating plans for faculty collaboration, and requiring annual reports on cost savings for students compared to traditional textbooks. The law defines "open educational reading materials" as free, downloadable digital texts and tracks how many STEM courses transition to using them.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill creates grants for free digital textbooks in STEM, prioritizing low-income/minority institutions, reducing student costs and improving access. Directly funds educational resources for higher education.90% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyFunds free digital textbooks in STEM courses, promoting digital equity and reducing costs for students, especially low-income/ minority groups, advancing educational technology access.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum Higher Education Libraries

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in committee · United States · Senate May 20, 2025

S 539: PROTECT Our Children Reauthorization Act of 2025

This bill reauthorizes the PROTECT Our Children Act of 2008 with updated requirements. It mandates a National Strategy for child exploitation prevention to be reviewed every four years (instead of every two), requiring detailed analyses of trends, resource needs, and ICAC task force performance. The bill modifies ICAC task force operations to include prioritizing victim identification, expands coordination with tribal/military agencies, and adds limited liability protections for task forces regarding investigative decisions. It increases annual funding for the program from $70 million (2026) to $90 million (2028), directly affecting federal agencies (DOJ, FBI, ICE), state/local law enforcement, and ICAC task forces nationwide.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill reauthorizes child exploitation prevention program with enhanced victim prioritization, detailed strategy reviews, and expanded law enforcement coordination, strengthening criminal justice efforts in victim protection.90% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyBill strengthens ICAC task forces to combat online child exploitation, enhancing cybersecurity measures and victim identification in digital spaces.92% confidence

Sub-Topics Courts Law Enforcement

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in committee · United States · House Nov 19, 2025

HR 6161: SEC Data Protection Act

HR 6161, the SEC Data Protection Act, requires the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to establish policies protecting sensitive nonpublic data provided by investment advisers. The bill mandates that within one year of enactment, the SEC create rules addressing when it requests such data, safeguarding it based on sensitivity, restricting access to authorized staff, and preventing unauthorized use or disclosure. These policies must be developed through a notice-and-comment rulemaking process. The law directly affects investment advisers who share proprietary information with the SEC, ensuring their data is handled securely under new federal standards.

Topics ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyMandates SEC to establish data protection policies for sensitive nonpublic information, directly advancing data privacy protections.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Consumer Data Protection Data Privacy

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in committee · United States · House Dec 11, 2025

HR 6646: Empowering App-Based Workers Act

The Empowering App-Based Workers Act requires digital labor platforms (like ride-hail and delivery services) to disclose how they use algorithms and electronic monitoring tools to determine worker pay and assignments. It caps the percentage of consumer payments that platforms can keep (take rate) at 25% for ride-hail services and mandates detailed weekly pay statements showing compensation, take rate, and other work metrics. The bill prohibits platforms from using algorithms to set different pay rates for similar work based on protected characteristics like race or gender. These provisions directly affect app-based workers, platform companies, and consumers, aiming to create more transparent and fair working conditions in the gig economy. The bill does not override existing state or local laws that provide greater protections for workers.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentRequires transparency in pay algorithms, caps platform take rates at 25%, mandates detailed pay statements - directly protects gig workers' compensation rights and workplace fairness.95% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyMandates algorithmic transparency and caps platform take rates for digital labor platforms, regulating tech company practices to protect worker pay data and fairness.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Gig Economy Labor Standards

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