Bob Latta

The BEDROCK Act directs the Secretary of Commerce to strengthen U.S. biomanufacturing competitiveness by identifying vulnerabilities in domestic production capacity and supply chains for critical biomanufacturing inputs while increasing transparency in federal regulatory processes. The legislation establishes a new senior Commerce Department official to lead these efforts, requiring biennial assessments of U.S. biomanufacturing capacity, foreign adversaries' influence, and commercialization obstacles, along with a prioritized action plan and public web portal of federal resources. Within 180 days of enactment, the FDA and EPA must each designate points of contact to help private companies navigate regulations for biomanufactured products and critical inputs. The Commerce Secretary must submit biennial reports to Congress on biomanufacturing assessments, action plans, and regulatory compliance practices, with all reporting requirements set to expire after five years. The bill protects confidential business information and supply-chain vulnerability data from public disclosure while allowing companies to identify sensitive submissions.

This bill creates a limited antitrust exemption allowing artificial intelligence companies to share information and coordinate actions to address serious security risks without violating antitrust laws. The exemption applies when two or more companies work together in good faith to protect against threats like AI being stolen by foreign adversaries, being weaponized, disrupting critical infrastructure, or becoming difficult to control. Companies that want to delay or limit AI release to address these risks must notify the Department of Justice's Antitrust Division in advance. The exemption includes important safeguards: it does not permit price-fixing or market allocation, companies must implement internal controls to prevent misuse of shared information, and the Attorney General can still seek court injunctions if companies fail to prove their actions were solely for security purposes or if the actions would actually increase security risks overall. Submitted notices to the Justice Department are kept confidential and exempt from public disclosure.

This bill creates a new expedited approval process for over-the-counter medications by allowing the FDA to designate certain nonprescription drugs as "priority" and streamline their review. To qualify, drugs must be new molecules, address novel nonprescription uses with meaningful public health benefits, or contain active ingredients never before available without a prescription, though drugs requiring risk management strategies or controlled substances are excluded. The FDA has 60 days to decide whether to grant priority status and must take supportive actions like holding development meetings, providing guidance, assigning dedicated review staff, and allowing reliance on real-world evidence to speed the approval process. The bill requires the FDA to publish a list of medical conditions for which over-the-counter drugs could provide significant public health value within 18 months and submit a report to Congress within four years documenting how many drugs received priority designation and were ultimately approved. The new authority expires on September 30, 2032, and the bill clarifies that expedited review does not lower the safety and effectiveness standards drugs must meet for approval.

The Advancing American Wi-Fi Against Foreign Adversaries Act requires the Secretary of Commerce to develop a comprehensive plan within 180 days on how the United States will promote Wi-Fi and other unlicensed wireless technologies globally, particularly ahead of the International Telecommunication Union's World Radiocommunication Conference scheduled for Shanghai in October-November 2027. The bill reflects congressional concern that countries like China are pushing policies at international forums to undermine Wi-Fi technology and force reliance on foreign-controlled telecommunications infrastructure, and it aims to ensure the United States maintains its technological leadership in this sector, which contributes over $1 trillion annually to the economy. The plan must include strategies to counter efforts by adversaries to undermine unlicensed technologies and should promote global harmonization of specific Wi-Fi spectrum bands, with coordination among the Commerce Department, Federal Communications Commission, State Department, and other relevant federal agencies. The legislation also requires a follow-up report within 90 days after the 2027 conference concludes, detailing how well the implementation plan succeeded. The bill does not specify new funding or create new budget authority.

This bill requires states to report annually to the federal government on fraud prevention efforts in their Medicaid home and community-based services programs, starting in 2026. States must document any waste, fraud, or abuse they detect in these services, which help elderly and disabled individuals live in their homes and communities rather than in institutions. The legislation amends the Medicaid statute to add this reporting requirement to existing state waiver obligations. No new funding is specified in the bill, though states will need to track and report this information as part of their regular Medicaid compliance. The reporting requirement begins in 2026 and continues indefinitely each year after that.

H.Amdt.195 amendment — An amendment numbered 26 printed in Part B of House Report 119-628 to require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to review and recommend changes to its satellite rules to promote precision agriculture.. The text for this legislation has not yet been released. A summary will be generated when there is text available.

The STOP Nitazenes Act permanently schedules nitazenes (a class of synthetic opioids chemically known as 2-benzylbenzimidazole opioids) as Schedule I controlled substances under federal law, making them illegal to manufacture, possess, or distribute. The bill targets specific nitazene drugs like etonitazene and metonitazene, which have emerged as dangerous street drugs, as well as any chemically similar compounds that activate opioid receptors in the brain. Any nitazenes that were previously placed on a temporary schedule automatically become permanently scheduled upon the bill's enactment. The Attorney General must issue implementation rules within one year of the law taking effect, which can initially be issued as interim rules that take effect immediately while the public provides feedback before final rules are finalized. This legislation affects drug manufacturers, distributors, law enforcement, and public health officials working to combat the opioid crisis.

The SELF DRIVE Act of 2026 establishes federal oversight of self-driving vehicles by giving the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration authority to set safety standards for autonomous driving systems, with the goal of advancing U.S. competitiveness in this technology while improving road safety and job creation. Manufacturers must submit detailed "safety cases" proving their self-driving systems are safe, implement cybersecurity protections, and report crash data to a new National Automated Vehicle Safety Data Repository by September 30, 2026, with specific crashes involving fatalities, injuries, or vulnerable road users reported within 30 days. The bill sets a September 30, 2027 deadline for the Transportation Department to finalize regulations and allows limited commercial testing of autonomous vehicles under federal oversight. Federal law will preempt state rules on autonomous vehicle manufacturing and deployment, though states retain control over traffic laws, vehicle registration, insurance, and consumer protection. This legislation aims to create a uniform national framework that encourages autonomous vehicle development while maintaining safety standards and public transparency through data sharing.

Securing Community Upgrades for a Resilient Grid Act or the SECURE Grid ActThis bill extends through FY2031 and modifies requirements for state energy security plans. Under current law, states are required to submit to the Department of Energy (DOE) state energy security plans that meet certain requirements in order to be eligible to receive federal financial assistance for state energy conservation programs. The bill specifies that DOE is not required to approve the plans. The bill requires DOE to provide information, technical assistance, and other assistance in the development, implementation, or revision of a state energy security plan upon the request of a state.The bill also requires states to address additional factors in their energy security plans, such as (1) weather-related threats and vulnerabilities; (2) supply chain risks for equipment for the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity; and (3) the security of local distribution systems and the bulk-power system. A local distribution system is energy infrastructure owned and operated by an electric utility at a voltage of 100 kilovolts or less.In addition, the bill directs the Government Accountability Office to report to Congress on the efficacy of state energy security plans.

The Stop Penalizing Working Seniors Act would change federal tax law to allow people age 65 and older who are enrolled only in Medicare Part A (hospital insurance) to contribute to Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). Currently, people covered by any form of Medicare are generally prohibited from making HSA contributions. This bill would create an exception for seniors who have only Part A coverage, typically those who continue working and maintain private health insurance through their employer while delaying enrollment in Medicare Part B (medical insurance). The change would take effect for tax years beginning after December 31, 2024, enabling working seniors to save pre-tax dollars for healthcare expenses without losing their HSA eligibility. The bill carries no direct federal spending, as it only modifies tax treatment of existing savings accounts.

Winning the International Race for Economic Leadership and Expanding Service to Support Leadership Act or the WIRELESS Leadership ActThis bill imposes limits on state and local review and regulation of requests to construct wireless telecommunication facilities.Specifically, states and localities must grant or deny requests to place, modify, or construct personal wireless service (PWS) facilities by a specified deadline. This deadline varies based on the nature of the request and the proposed facility. If a state or locality fails to act on a request within that timeframe, the request is deemed granted. On the day a decision to deny a request is made, the state or locality must publish the decision and provide it to the requesting party.Further, the bill expands an existing prohibition on unreasonable discrimination in the regulation of such requests. Under the bill, any discrimination among PWS facilities or communications service providers is prohibited. For example, a state or locality may not grant preferential or exclusive use of facilities to a particular provider or class of providers. However, states and localities may establish objective, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory engineering standards, safety requirements, or aesthetic requirements.Finally, the bill establishes requirements for fees imposed by states and localities for consideration of a request. For example, such fees must be (1) competitively neutral, technology neutral, and nondiscriminatory; (2) established in advance and publicly disclosed; and (3) based on actual and direct costs to the state or locality.

Over-the-Counter Monograph Drug User Fee AmendmentsThis bill reauthorizes the Over-the-Counter (OTC) Monograph Drug User Fee Program (OMUFA) through FY2030 and revises certain aspects of the program, including total fees to be collected and fee due dates.Under current law, many OTC drugs are marketed through compliance with an OTC monograph issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), rather than through an approved new drug application. Monographs establish the conditions under which OTC drugs are generally recognized as safe and effective, and include ingredients, dosages, and other requirements. OMUFA permits the FDA to collect fees from OTC drug facilities and entities requesting changes to a monograph.The bill makes certain changes to OMUFA, including byrevising the total facility fee revenue amount to be collected for FY2026-FY2030,revising due dates for facility fees,permitting the FDA to implement a one-time adjustment to facility fees if certain conditions exist, andrequiring the FDA to publish facility and order request fee amounts at least 60 days before the start of each fiscal year.Finally, the bill adds as a Tier 2 OTC monograph order request a request for the addition or modification of a testing procedure applicable to a monograph drug, provided the testing procedure reflects a voluntary consensus standard with respect to pharmaceutical quality. (Requestors seeking certain kinds of changes to a monograph are awarded a period of market exclusivity if the FDA makes the requested changes; tier 2 requests are not eligible for market exclusivity.)

The Nuclear REFUEL Act modifies federal nuclear regulations to streamline the licensing process for recycling spent nuclear fuel. Specifically, it changes how the Nuclear Regulatory Commission defines "production facilities" under the Atomic Energy Act by excluding equipment that reprocesses spent fuel in a way that keeps plutonium mixed with other radioactive elements rather than separating it out. This change would allow nuclear fuel recycling facilities to potentially avoid the lengthy licensing requirements currently applied to traditional uranium enrichment plants, making it faster and easier to get approval for new recycling technologies. The legislation primarily affects nuclear energy companies and recycling facilities seeking to reduce nuclear waste and recover reusable fuel materials. The bill does not specify direct federal funding or implementation timelines in the text provided.

Electric Supply Chain ActThis bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to periodically assess the supply chain that supports the generation and transmission of electricity and report on the assessment to the appropriate congressional committees.Specifically, DOE must periodically assess and report oninformation including trends and vulnerabilities in the supply of components needed for generating or transmitting electricity, barriers to expanding U.S. capacity to process critical materials, and domestic policies that deter greater investment into the supply chain;emerging issues in the supply chain; andrecommendations to address these emerging issues and to secure and expand the supply chain.The initial report must be submitted no later than one year after the date of enactment of this bill.

Researching Efficient Federal Improvements for Necessary Energy Refining Act or the REFINER ActThis bill requires the Department of Energy to direct the National Petroleum Council to publish a report on petrochemical refineries located in the United States. The report must include information concerning (1) the contributions of such refineries to U.S. energy security, (2) analyses and projections with respect to opportunities for expanding the capacities of the refineries and the risks to such refineries, (3) any federal or state executive actions that have contributed to a decline in their capacities, and (4) any recommendations to increase such capacities.

National Telecommunications and Information Administration Reauthorization Act of 2025 or the NTIA Reauthorization Act of 2025This bill reauthorizes the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) through FY2026 and makes certain changes to its leadership structure.Specifically, the bill promotes the head of the NTIA, currently the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, to the role of Under Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information. The bill also promotes the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information. Further, the bill provides statutory authority for two existing offices within NTIA—the Office of Spectrum Management and the Office of International Affairs. The bill also repeals certain outdated or expired NTIA reporting requirements and consolidates certain remaining reporting requirements into one annual report to Congress. Finally, the bill extends the obligation of the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Commerce to audit the Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program through FY2024.

Precision Agriculture Satellite Connectivity ActThis bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to review and recommend changes to its satellite rules to promote precision agriculture. Precision agriculture is a general term describing various crop management tools and practices that leverage technology like Global Positioning System (GPS) equipment and uncrewed aircraft systems (commonly known as drones) to optimize production and sustainability.In conducting its review, the FCC must consult with the Task Force for Reviewing the Connectivity and Technology Needs of Precision Agriculture, which advises the FCC on methods to assess and advance broadband internet on unserved agricultural land and promote precision agriculture.

Removing Our Unsecure Technologies to Ensure Reliability and Security Act or the ROUTERS ActThis bill requires the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to conduct a study on the national security risks posed by consumer routers and modems (including devices that combine a modem and router) and provide the results of the study to Congress. The study must address devices developed, manufactured, or supplied by persons (i.e., individuals and entities) owned by, controlled by, or subject to the influence of China, Iran, North Korea, or Russia.

Protecting the Dignity of Unborn Children Act of 2025 This bill establishes a new federal criminal offense for recklessly disposing of or abandoning fetal remains in a landfill or in any navigable waters of the United States.The term fetal remains means any part (except a cremated part) of a deceased human fetus following an abortion.A violator is subject to a fine, up to three years in prison, or both.

Support And Value Expectant Moms and Babies Act of 2025 or the SAVE Moms and Babies Act of 2025This bill prohibits the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from approving any new drug (either as a brand-name drug or a generic) intended to terminate a pregnancy and imposes additional restrictions on such drugs that are already approved.Under the bill, an already-approved drug intended to terminate a pregnancy may be dispensed to a patient only with a prescription. Furthermore, the FDA may not approve any labeling change that would authorize (1) using the drug after 70 days of gestation, or (2) dispensing the drug by any means other than in-person administration by the prescribing health care practitioner.The FDA must also impose additional restrictions on such already-approved drugs, including by (1) requiring the prescribing health care practitioner to receive a special certification, (2) prohibiting the practitioner from also acting as the dispensing pharmacist, and (3) requiring the practitioner to have the ability to provide surgical intervention to the patient.The bill also rescinds any investigational use exemption already granted to such a drug if the bill would have prohibited the FDA from granting the exemption. (Currently, the FDA may grant an exemption to certain market approval requirements if a drug is intended solely for use in safety and effectiveness investigations.)