The Defense of Environment and Property Act of 2026 significantly narrows the federal definition of "navigable waters" by excluding wetlands without continuous surface connections, intermittent streams, and groundwater from federal jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act. The bill prohibits federal agencies from using aggregation methods or the "significant nexus test" to assert authority over these excluded water bodies and invalidates existing regulations that expand the definition of covered waters. Additionally, it requires federal agencies to obtain written consent before entering private property for data collection and mandates that they pay affected landowners double the value of any economic loss caused by new federal water regulations.
The Children's Artificial Intelligence Toy Safety Act of 2026 directs the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to conduct a comprehensive study on the safety, educational impact, and marketing ethics of AI-enabled toys for children under 14. This study will specifically examine risks of physical and psychological harm, the effectiveness of parental controls, and whether a temporary sales ban is necessary. Following the study, the Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Product Safety Commission must create a joint action plan within two years that includes recommendations for new regulations, disclosure requirements, and public education initiatives. The bill defines AI-enabled toys as products capable of two-way interaction and applies these rules to developers and manufacturers of such items.
The CHATBOT Act establishes new federal rules requiring companies that provide open-ended artificial intelligence chatbots to implement strict privacy protections and parental controls for users under the age of 18. Under this legislation, platforms must create "family accounts" for children under 13 and obtain verifiable parental consent before allowing teens to create their own accounts, while also mandating the deletion of personal data if these requirements are not met. The bill further requires that default settings on these accounts prioritize child safety by limiting screen time, disabling financial transactions, and preventing the chatbot from generating unsolicited outputs. Companies are prohibited from using the personal data of children and teens for targeted advertising, and the Federal Trade Commission is authorized to enforce these provisions as unfair or deceptive practices. Additionally, the Act mandates a study by the National Science Foundation on the social impacts of AI chatbots on young people and requires a report from the Government Accountability Office to evaluate the law's effectiveness.
The Kids Online Safety Act (S 1748) requires major social media platforms, online video games, and other "covered platforms" to implement specific safety features for minors (under 17). These features include default privacy settings that limit harmful design features like infinite scrolling and auto-play, parental controls for managing minors' accounts, and restrictions on advertising illegal products to minors. The bill also mandates annual transparency reports about how platforms are used by minors and requires platforms to provide clear notices about their content algorithms. It creates a Kids Online Safety Council to advise Congress on online safety issues for children. The law applies to platforms with more than 10 million monthly users in the U.S. and takes effect 18 months after enactment.
The Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act of 2026 amends the Toxic Substances Control Act to immediately prohibit the manufacture, processing, use, and distribution of commercial asbestos and products containing it in the United States. The bill defines commercial asbestos to include eight specific mineral varieties while excluding cases where asbestos is present only as a trace impurity or in materials already installed in buildings prior to the law's enactment. A significant exception allows existing chlor-alkali facilities to continue using asbestos for manufacturing diaphragms until 2032, with a potential extension to 2036 for companies that demonstrate progress in converting to alternative technologies. Additionally, the legislation permits the President to grant temporary exemptions for national security purposes if no feasible alternatives exist and requires strict exposure controls during any authorized transitional periods.
The READ Act amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to improve reading instruction by defining specific terms like "science of reading" and "high-impact tutoring" and requiring states to exclude certain teaching models that rely on context clues. The bill directs federal literacy grants to states, with mandatory funding for low-performing states, to implement evidence-based strategies such as universal early literacy screenings, professional development for teachers, and the adoption of high-quality instructional materials. It also mandates that states report data on student progress and teacher training while prohibiting the Department of Education from issuing regulations that dictate specific instructional content or curricula. Additionally, the legislation expands research initiatives to study reading development and requires the federal government to provide states with detailed reports on academic outcomes and achievement gaps.
The Cold War Military Force Repeal Act removes an old 1958 law that authorized the President to use military force in the Middle East without a specific declaration of war. This legislation directly affects the legal framework governing U.S. military actions in the region by eliminating the authority granted under Public Law 85-7. By repealing this specific joint resolution, the bill clarifies that future military engagements in the Middle East must rely on current statutory or constitutional authorities rather than this historical mandate. The change does not create new powers or restrictions but simply deletes a provision from the United States Code that has been in place since the Cold War era.
The Protecting Our Kids from Harmful Research Act prohibits the use of federal funds to support research or publications regarding gender transition for individuals under the age of 18. This restriction specifically targets studies that aim to affirm a minor's perception or identity when it differs from their sex assigned at birth, as defined by their reproductive biology and genetics. The bill directly affects federal agencies and institutions that might otherwise receive funding to conduct such observational studies on hormonal treatments or surgical procedures for minors. By limiting financial support, the legislation seeks to prevent government resources from being used for research that challenges the biological definition of sex at birth.
This bill creates a new visa category that allows U.S. states to sponsor foreign nationals to come to the United States temporarily to work, invest capital, or contribute to local economic development. Under this program, a state must first get approval from the federal government to run its own specific rules regarding how these workers are employed and where they live, which can last for up to three years. The legislation requires these sponsored workers to pass background checks, pay bonds if their state chooses, and strictly adhere to the sponsoring state's regulations, with federal penalties including revocation of work authorization and removal for violations. Additionally, the bill includes provisions that generally exclude these workers from receiving federal means-tested benefits and establishes a system where states can adjust their future visa quotas based on how well they comply with program requirements.
The Citizenship for International Adoptees Act of 2026 grants automatic U.S. citizenship to individuals born outside the United States who were adopted by U.S. citizens before turning 18 and have lived in the country since the law takes effect. To qualify, applicants must have been legally adopted, meet specific residency requirements, and demonstrate a commitment to the U.S. by being physically present in the country on the enactment date. The bill also establishes a fee cap for these applications, setting the cost at no more than half the standard fee for a certificate of citizenship. However, the law excludes individuals with certain criminal convictions, including those involving domestic violence, sexual abuse, burglary, or membership in criminal gangs, as well as those deemed inadmissible or deportable under existing immigration rules.
The Audit the Pentagon Act requires the Department of Defense to reduce its funding by 2 percent if it fails to receive a clean financial audit for a given year. This penalty applies to all departments, agencies, and elements within the Pentagon starting after fiscal year 2024. The withheld money is distributed proportionally across various programs and projects, while the remaining funds are sent to the Treasury to help reduce the national deficit.
The MAP Roads Act creates a pilot program that provides federal grants to states to help digitize and map county roads, directly affecting state and local transportation agencies. To receive funding, states must demonstrate they can distribute money to counties and maintain a centralized, publicly accessible online database for road data. The program prioritizes states with significant gaps in digital road records and requires that the resulting data be compatible with popular mapping platforms and updated at least once a year. Authorized funding of $20 million annually from 2026 to 2031 will support these efforts, while the bill explicitly ensures it does not change existing laws regarding road ownership or jurisdiction.
