The Federal Fraud Prevention Workforce Training Act establishes a government-wide training program for federal employees to prevent fraud and improper payments in federal programs. This program mandates that federal employees in key oversight roles, such as program administrators, financial managers, and grants managers, complete the training within 180 days of their appointment and every two years thereafter. The curriculum will cover identifying fraud risks, using various antifraud resources and systems, and implementing internal controls to safeguard federal funds. Additionally, the training will be made available to State, local, and Tribal government employees who manage federally funded programs, with agencies having the option to require completion as a grant condition.
This Senate resolution expresses support for designating June 5, 2026, as National Gun Violence Awareness Day and June 2026 as National Gun Violence Awareness Month. The bill calls on people across the United States to promote awareness of gun violence and safety, wear orange on the designated day to honor victims, and encourage community leaders to discuss ways to make neighborhoods safer. While the resolution highlights statistics on gun-related deaths and injuries, it does not create new laws or change existing policies. Instead, it serves as a symbolic gesture to raise public attention about the issue during a specific time period.
The Freedom to Travel for Health Care Act of 2026 prohibits any person or government entity from restricting, sanctioning, or discriminating against individuals who travel to another state to receive reproductive health care that is legal there. It also protects those who assist travelers and reproductive health care providers from facing penalties for offering services to out-of-state patients, effectively overriding any conflicting state laws. The bill establishes a private right of action allowing affected individuals, organizations, and providers to sue in federal or state court for violations, with provisions for damages and attorney's fees. Additionally, it removes state sovereign immunity defenses for officials enforcing laws that interfere with this travel right, ensuring federal courts can hear such cases directly.
This bill, known as the Right to Try for Individualized Treatments Act, allows patients with life-threatening diseases or severe illnesses to access certain experimental drugs tailored to their specific genetic makeup without going through the standard FDA approval process. To qualify, a patient must have exhausted approved treatment options and receive a written recommendation from a doctor who is not paid by the drug manufacturer. The law permits manufacturers and eligible healthcare facilities to offer these personalized treatments if the patient provides informed consent and the facility operates under existing federal safety regulations. Importantly, the bill does not require manufacturers to provide these treatments, leaving the decision to share them entirely up to the companies involved.
This bill, known as the Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act, amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to improve special education services for children who are deaf, hard of hearing, deafdisabled, blind, visually impaired, or deafblind. It requires states to identify these students regardless of how they are currently classified, ensuring they receive specialized instruction in their primary language and access to qualified professionals. Key provisions mandate that state plans include specific strategies for language development, Braille instruction, and the use of assistive technologies, while also establishing a new national center to support research and training for educators of students with visual disabilities. Additionally, the legislation clarifies definitions for deafblindness and interveners, updates data reporting requirements to track these populations more accurately, and ensures early intervention services are delivered in natural environments to support language and communication milestones.
The Fostering TRUST Act of 2026 requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to notify Congress and local representatives whenever a veteran commits or attempts suicide within a VA facility or an associated care provider. This notification must occur within seven days of the incident and include the facility location, along with detailed personal data such as the veteran's demographics, service history, medical insurance status, and housing situation within 60 days. The bill also mandates that these reports include guidance on suicide warning signs, available support resources, and best practices for securing lethal means while ensuring the privacy and dignity of the veteran and their family.
The Veterans Hearing Aid Improvement Act of 2026 directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to run a two-year demonstration project evaluating the cost and effectiveness of covering FDA-cleared, over-the-counter hearing aids for eligible veterans with mild-to-moderate hearing loss. To participate, veterans must be enrolled in the VA system, receive a clinical clearance from an audiologist, and have access to a smartphone or Wi-Fi to operate the devices. The project will compare these over-the-counter options against traditional prescription hearing aids at selected VA facilities and require the Secretary to submit interim and final reports on the fiscal impact and health outcomes. Additionally, the bill mandates a separate study by the Comptroller General to analyze the current coverage of hearing aids for veterans and provide recommendations for potential program changes.
The Never Fight Alone Act expands the Veterans Community Care Program to allow veterans who cannot access VA mental health or substance-use residential treatment programs to receive these services from qualified community providers. This expansion includes specific requirements for community facilities to be state-licensed and accredited by recognized behavioral health standards, with provisions for waivers if no suitable options exist. The bill also mandates that veterans be permitted to choose their preferred care option when multiple providers are available and prohibits denying care solely because a provider cannot meet standard wait times. Additionally, the legislation requires the VA to collect detailed data on care requests and approvals, specifically highlighting mental health cases, and restricts the VA from changing community care access rules without congressional approval.
This bill designates a specific section of International Place Northwest in Washington, D.C., as Tiananmen Square Memorial Boulevard and officially changes the address of 3505 International Place Northwest to 1 Tiananmen Square Memorial Boulevard. It requires the Administrator of General Services to install street signs with this new name at designated locations, including the nearest federal property and specific street corners. The legislation updates all federal records, maps, and documents to reflect these new names and addresses, ensuring consistent official usage.
The Abraham Accords Expansion Act of 2026 updates the legal framework for the Special Envoy to include Central Asia and the Caucasus in normalization efforts alongside existing regions. This change formally recognizes Kazakhstan as the first Central Asian nation to join the Abraham Accords and defines specific countries within the Caucasus and Central Asia regions. The bill requires the Special Envoy to coordinate with other federal agencies like Defense and Commerce while implementing these goals using existing authorities without requesting new funding. Additionally, the act allows the Special Envoy to appoint a Deputy Special Envoy with relevant regional expertise to assist in these expanded diplomatic activities.
The Foreign Adversary Patent Disclosure Act requires inventors to reveal specific ties to five designated foreign nations, including China, Russia, Iran, Cuba, and North Korea, when filing patent applications. Under this law, applicants must disclose if anyone with an ownership interest in the invention was employed by an entity controlled by these countries, received funding from state-affiliated programs, or obtained financial incentives related to the patent within the five years prior to submission. The bill also allows patent officials to request supporting documents for these disclosures while keeping them confidential, but it exempts small businesses that already report foreign ownership under existing Small Business Act rules.
This bill prohibits the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office from issuing or enforcing patents for inventions created by individuals or companies identified as threats to national security. Specifically, it bars patents for entities listed on the Chinese Military-Industrial Complex Companies List, designated Chinese military companies, or those providing equipment on the FCC's untrusted networks list. While the law prevents these entities from receiving or enforcing patents, it does not stop them from submitting patent applications, and it includes a provision allowing the President to grant temporary waivers if national security interests do not require the prohibition.
