This Senate resolution officially recognizes May 2026 as Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. It celebrates the significant contributions of these communities to U.S. history while acknowledging a history of discrimination and violence, including a rise in hate crimes. The measure passed unanimously with bipartisan support on the same day it was introduced by Senator Hirono. It also highlights key historical anniversaries and the growing political representation of AA and NHPI individuals.

This non-binding Senate resolution expresses support for preserving the U.S. dollar’s status as the world’s primary reserve currency. It warns that China’s economic initiatives, including the digital yuan and Belt and Road lending, pose a growing threat to dollar dominance. The resolution calls for monitoring and countering these efforts while strengthening alliances and economic alternatives. As a "sense of the Senate" measure, it carries no legal force but signals congressional intent for future policy action.

This bill removes the statutory exemption that prevents the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) from regulating firearms as consumer products. It would grant the CPSC authority to issue mandatory safety standards, investigate injuries, and order recalls for defective firearms. The legislation shifts oversight from the ATF's focus on criminal use to the CPSC's focus on product safety. The bill faces strong political opposition and likely constitutional challenges.

The FAIR Labels Act of 2026 would mandate new labeling requirements for cell-cultivated and plant-based protein products to distinguish them from traditional meat and poultry. It amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act and Poultry Products Inspection Act to require terms like "cell-cultivated" and "plant-based alternative protein product" on packaging. The bill also codifies a split regulatory framework between the USDA and FDA for overseeing these products. It was introduced by Senators Ricketts and Fetterman and referred to the Senate Agriculture Committee.

The WAGES Act of 2026 creates a new, refundable payroll tax credit for employers to cover 50% of wages and expenses for registered apprenticeship programs. The credit is capped at $2,500 per apprentice per quarter for wages and applies only to the first two years of an apprentice's participation. To prevent abuse, the bill includes a six-year statute of limitations for IRS audits and prohibits double-dipping with other federal workforce funds. It also increases tax-free limits for apprenticeship achievement awards to incentivize program completion.

This resolution expresses the Senate's symbolic support for democratic elections in Venezuela. It declares the Maduro-Rodriguez regime illegitimate and recognizes the opposition leadership of Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia. The bill urges the executive branch to use all diplomatic tools to facilitate free and fair elections, citing the national interest of countering influence from China, Iran, and Cuba. As a non-binding "Sense of the Senate" measure, it does not create law or mandate funding.

The PATH to the Foreign Service Act creates a streamlined career pathway for former USAID officers to transition into the State Department Foreign Service. It waives the Foreign Service entrance exam for eligible applicants and mandates full credit for prior USAID service toward seniority, pay, and retirement. The bill requires the State Department to implement hiring preference points for these officers within 180 days of enactment. A five-year sunset clause limits the program’s duration, potentially deterring long-term career planning.

This resolution designates the first Wednesday of May 2026 as Maternal Mental Health Day to raise awareness about conditions affecting one in five new mothers. It is a non-binding expression of Senate support that does not create new laws or mandate funding. The bill encourages research into safe treatments, provider training, and public education on maternal mental health disorders. It also highlights that 23% of pregnancy-related deaths are tied to suicide or overdose.

This bill establishes a Wildlife Health Coordination and Zoonotic Disease Program within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to improve interagency coordination on wildlife diseases. It creates six dedicated Wildlife Health Coordinator positions to facilitate information sharing and resource access among federal, state, and tribal entities. The legislation responds to the increasing frequency of zoonotic spillover events, citing the ongoing avian influenza outbreak that cost over $2.5 billion. The bill authorizes $900,000 annually starting in fiscal year 2027 for this coordination-enhancement measure.

This Senate resolution commemorates World Press Freedom Day by recognizing the critical role of a free press in democratic governance. It documents an alarming 20th consecutive year of global freedom decline, noting 2025 was the deadliest year on record for journalists. The resolution condemns actions that suppress press freedom and calls for the release of wrongfully detained journalists worldwide. While non-binding, it reaffirms U.S. leadership on press freedom and urges the executive branch to prioritize journalist safety in foreign policy.

The Visual Protection of Strategic Assets Act amends federal espionage laws to prohibit unauthorized photography, video, and tracking of designated high-value military assets by citizens of specified foreign adversary nations. It creates a rebuttable presumption of hostile intent for covered individuals, imposes mandatory minimum sentences of up to 10 years, and mandates visa revocation for convicted foreign nationals. The bill expands prohibited acts to include AI-enhanced depictions and requires the Secretary of Defense to annually publish lists of protected assets and installations. It aims to counter modern surveillance threats but raises constitutional concerns regarding due process and First Amendment rights.

H.R. 8690, the Pregnant Women in Custody Act, establishes comprehensive federal standards for the care of pregnant individuals in federal custody, including BOP, ICE, CBP, and ORR facilities. The bill prohibits the use of restrictive housing and restraints during pregnancy, labor, and postpartum recovery, with limited exceptions for immediate safety risks. It mandates data collection on incarcerated pregnant women, requires family unity programs and minimum mother-infant bonding time, and creates a private right of action for violations. The legislation also imposes extensive training requirements for staff and directs a GAO study on state and local facility policies.

H.R. 8679 requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to transmit a veteran's opioid prescription history to community care providers through a Third Party Administrator. The bill aims to prevent overprescription and dangerous drug interactions by ensuring non-VA doctors have complete opioid records. It amends existing law to create an affirmative duty for the VA to share this data, addressing critical gaps in care coordination. The legislation is currently in the early stages, having been referred to the House Veterans' Affairs Committee.

H.R. 8691, the "Nursing is a Professional Degree Act," amends the Higher Education Act to explicitly classify master's and doctoral nursing degrees (MSN, DNP, Ph.D.) as "professional degrees" for federal student loan purposes. The bill removes reliance on a regulatory definition and codifies a permanent statutory list of qualifying degrees, including nursing. This change would allow advanced practice nursing students to access higher federal loan limits, similar to students in law or medical programs. It also prevents future administrations from redefining the term without congressional action, locking in the current degree classifications.

This bill prohibits gasoline and fuel price gouging during the ongoing military conflict with Iran, creating a federal price control benchmarked to pre-conflict levels from February 2026. It grants the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general enforcement authority, with criminal penalties up to $500 million for large suppliers. The bill establishes a Consumer Relief Trust Fund to redirect penalty revenues into low-income energy assistance and weatherization programs. The prohibition remains in effect until the President certifies that military operations have ceased and the Strait of Hormuz is fully open.

The Safe Transit for All Act of 2026 mandates that larger public transit agencies receiving federal aid establish programs to collect and report data on passenger street harassment. Agencies in urbanized areas with over 200,000 people must create accessible reporting mechanisms and publish anonymized data publicly. The bill also requires this data to be integrated into the National Transit Database to create a standardized national picture of transit-based harassment. It aims to improve passenger safety through transparency and data-driven policy, though it imposes new compliance costs on transit authorities.

The Homeownership Savings Act creates a new tax-advantaged savings account, called a Homeownership Savings Account, to help first-time homebuyers save for down payments and closing costs. The bill allows individuals to deduct annual contributions of up to $3,000 for joint filers, with a $40,000 lifetime cap, and excludes employer contributions from income. It establishes income phase-outs for the deduction, targeting middle-income households, and imposes a 20% penalty on non-qualified distributions. The bill was introduced in May 2026 and referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

H.R. 8674 directs the Secretary of the Interior to convey roughly 21,578 acres of federal land within Denali National Park and Preserve to the Alaska Native corporation Doyon, Limited. The conveyance is treated as a historic site transfer under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. The bill permanently restricts the land from being sold, mined, or developed in a way that harms its cultural significance. It also mandates a boundary adjustment for Denali National Park and Preserve to exclude the conveyed acreage.

H.R. 8710, the National Defense Data Resilience Act, mandates the Secretary of Defense to classify all DoD data as critical, important, or necessary and establish strict recovery time objectives. It requires the fielding of immutable backups, continuous monitoring, and annual cyberattack simulation exercises to protect against data loss from state actors like China. The bill imposes tight deadlines for compliance, with critical data capabilities needed within 180 days of enactment. It also mandates annual auditable certification reports to Congress to ensure accountability and oversight of data resilience efforts.

This bill would cap out-of-pocket prescription drug costs for TRICARE and VA beneficiaries by aligning them with lower Medicare Part D negotiated prices. It also establishes a federal procurement price ceiling for certain drugs, preventing manufacturers from charging the government more than the Medicare-negotiated maximum fair price. The legislation extends key drug pricing reforms from the Inflation Reduction Act to military and veteran health systems. A termination clause ensures pricing reverts to existing law if the Medicare negotiation program is dissolved.

H.R. 8696 mandates the official designation of Russia as a State Sponsor of Terrorism, bypassing standard State Department discretion. The bill triggers automatic sanctions, including bans on arms exports and foreign assistance, while protecting frozen Russian assets from seizure by private litigants. It includes a sunset clause that would terminate the designation if Russia and Ukraine enter conflict-ending negotiations or after five years. The legislation represents a significant congressional effort to codify accountability for Russia's actions in Ukraine and beyond.

H.R. 8693, the Deter PRC Aggression Against Taiwan Act, establishes a new interagency PRC Sanctions Task Force to pre-plan economic warfare responses to a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan. The bill mandates coordination with allies and requires annual classified reports to Congress on sanctions targets and economic impacts. Crucially, the sanctions identified by the task force are not self-executing and require explicit authorization under existing law or a new act of Congress. The legislation reaffirms the U.S. "One China" policy while preparing a rapid economic deterrence framework.

H.R. 8677, the "Make the American Dream Real Again Act," creates a refundable tax credit for homeowners who sell their principal residence to a first-time homebuyer and cover the buyer's acquisition costs like down payments and closing fees. The credit is capped at the seller's tax benefit from excluding capital gains on the sale. Introduced by Representative Burlison, the bill has been referred to the House Ways and Means Committee and would apply to tax years beginning after 2026. If enacted, it aims to incentivize seller-financed down payment assistance to boost first-time homeownership.

H.R. 8668 seeks to reduce the administrative burden on the Department of State by repealing or modifying dozens of statutorily mandated recurring reports to Congress. The bill eliminates 22 specific reporting requirements and alters the frequency or adds sunset clauses to 34 others, primarily shifting reports from semi-annual to annual. Its goal is to streamline State Department operations by removing outdated obligations and setting hard expiration dates for remaining reports. Critics note this could reduce congressional oversight and public transparency on foreign policy, sanctions, and human rights issues.

The Transportation Security Administration Transfer Act of 2026 proposes moving the TSA from the Department of Homeland Security to the Department of Transportation. This would shift the agency’s focus from a security-first paradigm to one centered on transportation safety and efficiency. The bill includes provisions for transferring all functions, assets, and personnel, while maintaining existing legal and contractual obligations. It represents a significant reversal of the post-9/11 consolidation of security functions under DHS.

The Preventing Foreign Interference in American Elections Act expands the ban on foreign nationals donating to U.S. elections to explicitly cover voter registration, ballot collection, and get-out-the-vote activities. It creates new criminal penalties for knowingly aiding such violations and establishes an "indirect contributions" rule to prevent foreign money from being funneled through intermediaries. Separately, the bill broadly prohibits federal agencies from collecting or publicly disclosing donor information for tax-exempt organizations, with severe felony penalties for unauthorized leaks. The legislation also imposes new perjury-backed certification requirements on political committees to verify their spending is free of foreign influence.

S. Res. 690 authorizes the Senate to consider 49 federal nominations en bloc, bypassing individual votes to streamline the confirmation process. The resolution covers a wide range of positions, including U.S. Attorneys, U.S. Marshals, ambassadors, and assistant secretaries across multiple agencies. It passed as a simple resolution on May 11, 2026, after being introduced by Senator John Thune. The move significantly reduces Senate floor time and limits opportunities for extended debate or holds on individual nominees.

This bill mandates that the Secretary of Agriculture formalize data-sharing agreements with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) regarding foreign ownership of U.S. agricultural land. It also requires the Secretary to update the AFIDA handbook within two years and every ten years thereafter, incorporating recommendations from a Government Accountability Office report. The legislation aims to close national security intelligence gaps by ensuring CFIUS has direct access to granular data on foreign land acquisitions near sensitive sites. This codifies a shift from informal data sharing to a mandatory, recurring oversight process.

The Shared Micromobility Investment Act amends federal surface transportation law to explicitly allow funding for bikesharing and shared-scooter systems under three major programs: the Surface Transportation Block Grant, the Carbon Reduction Program, and RAISE/INFRA grants. It does not create new funding but adds shared micromobility as an eligible project category, enabling local governments to use existing federal dollars for docking stations, charging hubs, and related infrastructure. The bill aims to reduce vehicle miles traveled and transportation emissions while improving first-mile/last-mile connectivity in underserved areas. Currently referred to the House Transportation Committee, it would require full congressional approval and DOT guidance to take effect.

This resolution honors mothers on Mother's Day by affirming that a mother is, by definition, a woman. It condemns the use of gender-neutral terms like "birthing person" as an attack on motherhood. The bill seeks to codify a binary definition of motherhood in the House record and encourages policies that recognize mothers as mothers. While non-binding, it signals a rejection of inclusive language in federal policies and could influence future legislation on parental rights and family recognition.

The Methane Monitoring Science Act of 2026 directs NASA to develop a federal science strategy for detecting methane emissions, including from super-emitters. The strategy must be completed within 18 months and involve consultation with agencies like the DOE, EPA, and NOAA. It aims to improve energy security by enabling industry and governments to quickly mitigate methane leaks. The bill explicitly prohibits any new enforcement authority, limiting its scope to monitoring science and data integration.

H.R. 7445, the Evergreen Community Safety Act of 2026, mandates that large technology companies with over one million users disclose electronic communications and records to law enforcement within 72 hours of a warrant or court order. The bill allows courts to grant limited seven-day extensions for complex cases and gives providers only 48 hours to file motions to quash or modify such orders. It also establishes a new private right of action, allowing individuals harmed by a provider's non-compliance to sue for damages, overriding existing liability protections. The legislation targets major platforms like social media and cloud services, raising significant concerns about operational burdens and the reduced time for legal challenges to warrants.

This bill mandates the designation of the Wagner Group and its Russian Ministry of Defense-affiliated successor entities as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. It requires the Secretary of State to identify and report on these groups, followed by a Government Accountability Office audit and a mandatory determination on sanctions. The legislation imposes strict deadlines for applying penalties like property blocking and visa bans against identified individuals and entities. It also establishes a five-year annual reporting requirement on Russian paramilitary activities, with a specific focus on the Western Hemisphere.

H.R. 7447, the Community Risk Training and Response Act of 2026, establishes a new federal grant program within the Department of Justice to provide technical assistance to states for developing Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) programs. The bill authorizes grants between $200,000 and $500,000 per state to create standardized training for law enforcement, prosecutors, judges, healthcare providers, and educators. It does not amend existing law but creates a standalone program to promote consistent, evidence-based crisis intervention processes nationwide. The bill is in its earliest legislative stage, having been referred to the House Judiciary Committee.

This bill requires the Department of Defense to designate a senior official within 90 days to oversee all military-to-civilian transition programs. The designated official will serve as the chief transition officer, coordinating with the VA, Labor, and Education departments. It mandates a comprehensive review of programs like TAP and Skillbridge to improve their effectiveness. The goal is to centralize oversight and ensure service members are better prepared for civilian or reserve life.

This bill mandates the expansion of federal civil rights data collection to include detailed metrics on the teacher and principal workforce. It requires schools to report on educator experience, certification status in high-need subjects, and demographic breakdowns. The data must be publicly reported and disaggregated by race, ethnicity, and sex. The goal is to identify inequities in the distribution of qualified and experienced educators.

The Supporting Urban and Innovative Farming Act of 2026 would permanently establish the USDA's urban agriculture program, removing its pilot status and significantly expanding funding. The bill authorizes $50 million annually through 2030 and provides $15 million in mandatory funding each year for technical assistance, grants, and research. It explicitly includes controlled-environment agriculture like hydroponics and aeroponics in federal research priorities and expands data collection on urban farming. The legislation also creates new subgrant opportunities for individual producers and prioritizes projects improving food access in underserved communities.

The FAIR Labels Act of 2026 would mandate new labeling requirements for cell-cultivated and plant-based protein products to distinguish them from traditional meat and poultry. It amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act and Poultry Products Inspection Act to require terms like "cell-cultivated" and "plant-based alternative protein product" on packaging. The bill also codifies a split regulatory framework between the USDA and FDA for overseeing these products. It was introduced by Senators Ricketts and Fetterman and referred to the Senate Agriculture Committee.

This resolution expresses the Senate's symbolic support for democratic elections in Venezuela. It declares the Maduro-Rodriguez regime illegitimate and recognizes the opposition leadership of Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia. The bill urges the executive branch to use all diplomatic tools to facilitate free and fair elections, citing the national interest of countering influence from China, Iran, and Cuba. As a non-binding "Sense of the Senate" measure, it does not create law or mandate funding.

The PATH to the Foreign Service Act creates a streamlined career pathway for former USAID officers to transition into the State Department Foreign Service. It waives the Foreign Service entrance exam for eligible applicants and mandates full credit for prior USAID service toward seniority, pay, and retirement. The bill requires the State Department to implement hiring preference points for these officers within 180 days of enactment. A five-year sunset clause limits the program’s duration, potentially deterring long-term career planning.

This bill, the "ENDS Chinese Vapes Act of 2026," amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to create steep, escalating civil penalties for importing unauthorized electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) into the U.S. Penalties range from $500 to $5,000 per unit depending on the level of fault, with multipliers for transshipment and repeat offenses. The legislation aims to curb the influx of unapproved vaping products, particularly from China, by providing U.S. Customs and Border Protection with a dedicated enforcement tool. It preserves existing FDA and DOJ authorities while adding a significant financial deterrent for importers.

H.R. 8691, the "Nursing is a Professional Degree Act," amends the Higher Education Act to explicitly classify master's and doctoral nursing degrees (MSN, DNP, Ph.D.) as "professional degrees" for federal student loan purposes. The bill removes reliance on a regulatory definition and codifies a permanent statutory list of qualifying degrees, including nursing. This change would allow advanced practice nursing students to access higher federal loan limits, similar to students in law or medical programs. It also prevents future administrations from redefining the term without congressional action, locking in the current degree classifications.

H.R. 8674 directs the Secretary of the Interior to convey roughly 21,578 acres of federal land within Denali National Park and Preserve to the Alaska Native corporation Doyon, Limited. The conveyance is treated as a historic site transfer under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. The bill permanently restricts the land from being sold, mined, or developed in a way that harms its cultural significance. It also mandates a boundary adjustment for Denali National Park and Preserve to exclude the conveyed acreage.

H.R. 8668 seeks to reduce the administrative burden on the Department of State by repealing or modifying dozens of statutorily mandated recurring reports to Congress. The bill eliminates 22 specific reporting requirements and alters the frequency or adds sunset clauses to 34 others, primarily shifting reports from semi-annual to annual. Its goal is to streamline State Department operations by removing outdated obligations and setting hard expiration dates for remaining reports. Critics note this could reduce congressional oversight and public transparency on foreign policy, sanctions, and human rights issues.