The Rise Up for Child Care Act of 2026 expands access to child care by guaranteeing services to recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and former recipients for up to 24 months after leaving the program. The bill eliminates state funding caps on child care assistance, converts the program from a capped appropriation to an open-ended entitlement that will receive whatever funding is necessary each year, and increases the federal matching rate to 75 percent for state spending on home-based child care provider wages and benefits. The legislation directs the Department of Health and Human Services to study the effects of these changes and report findings to Congress annually, with $20 million appropriated each fiscal year for this research. This bill primarily affects low-income families receiving cash assistance, former welfare recipients, and home-based child care providers across all states.

This bill prohibits child protective services from separating children from their parents solely because of poverty and requires states to develop services that help keep low-income families together, such as assistance with housing or employment. The legislation amends the Social Security Act's requirements for state child welfare plans, making it explicit that poverty alone cannot be grounds for removing a child from parental care. Within two years of enactment, the Department of Health and Human Services must report to Congress on how poverty affects child welfare investigations, removals, and foster care placements, along with recommendations for preventing family separations due to economic hardship. The bill affects state child protective services systems and families living in poverty, ensuring they receive support services rather than face automatic separation.

This bill expands mortgage benefits for spouses and surviving spouses of military veterans by treating them as veterans under federal tax law. Currently, certain mortgage programs offer special financing advantages to veterans, but these benefits don't automatically extend to their spouses and surviving spouses. The legislation amends tax rules governing qualified mortgage bonds and mortgage credit certificates to include spouses and surviving spouses who meet specific criteria under Veterans Affairs law. The Treasury Department and Veterans Affairs will work together to issue guidance explaining who qualifies and how remarriage affects a surviving spouse's eligibility. The changes take effect for any new mortgage bonds and certificates issued after December 31, 2026.

This legislation establishes comprehensive federal measures to prevent child marriage in the United States. The bill creates a 10-member National Commission to Combat Child Marriage within the Department of Health and Human Services, funded at $1.5 million annually for fiscal years 2027 and 2028, to study child marriage laws across states and submit recommendations within two years. It prohibits child marriages on all federal property, requires the Attorney General to develop a model state law banning marriage before age 18 within 180 days of the Commission's final report, and strengthens immigration rules by requiring both parties to marriage-based visas to be at least 18 years old with limited exceptions for ages 16-17 only in cases of compelling humanitarian need. The bill also mandates extensive public education efforts by the State Department, Department of Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, and Department of Justice through multilingual materials at embassies, websites, videos, and community partnerships to inform the public about child marriage risks and available support services for survivors.

Mamas First ActThis bill requires state Medicaid programs to cover services furnished by doulas, midwives, and lactation support providers, including prenatal, delivery, and postpartum services, in a variety of settings.

This bill would eliminate two federal tax provisions that currently benefit private school scholarships. Specifically, it would repeal a tax credit that allows individuals to deduct charitable contributions made to scholarship granting organizations from their federal taxes, and it would eliminate an exclusion that allowed scholarship recipients to avoid reporting certain scholarship amounts as taxable income. The legislation targets what supporters view as an indirect subsidy of private education at the expense of public school funding. The changes would take effect starting January 1, 2027, affecting both taxpayers who donate to these scholarship organizations and students who receive scholarships through them. By eliminating these tax breaks, the bill aims to redirect funds toward public schools and prevent public tax dollars from supporting private school attendance.

This resolution supports the designation of April 29, 2026, as "Denim Day," a national day of awareness and solidarity with survivors of sexual assault. The resolution honors the origins of Denim Day, which began in 1999 as a response to an Italian court decision that blamed a rape victim's clothing, and recognizes how wearing denim has become a symbol of protest against victim-blaming and misconceptions about sexual violence. The resolution documents the scope of sexual assault in America, noting that over half of women and nearly one in three men experience sexual violence in their lifetimes, with particular impacts on marginalized communities including women of color, Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ individuals. Congress expresses solidarity with survivors and calls on federal, state, and local governments to strengthen prevention policies and support services while improving how sexual assault cases are reported, investigated, and prosecuted. The resolution also requests that House Rules allow Members of Congress to wear denim on the House floor to recognize Denim Day.

This resolution modifies House rules to create a one-day exception to the dress code that normally applies on the House floor. Specifically, it allows members, staff, and other individuals on the House floor to wear denim clothing on the last Wednesday of April each year. The change is permanent and applies annually, making it a recurring exception to the standard formal dress requirements. There is no funding associated with this resolution, as it simply amends internal House procedural rules. The resolution was introduced by Representative Moore of Wisconsin on April 29, 2026, and was referred to the House Rules Committee.

This bill directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to commission a comprehensive study through the National Academy of Medicine on how domestic violence and related forms of abuse impact maternal health and death rates, with particular attention to disparities affecting Black, Hispanic, Native American, Pacific Islander, LGBTQIA2S+, and adolescent mothers. The legislation also establishes a $15 million grant program over three fiscal years (2027-2029) for states, tribes, nonprofits, health centers, and other eligible organizations to develop and test innovative approaches to improve maternal and child health outcomes for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and related trauma. Additionally, the bill requires the federal government to publish guidance within two years on best practices for healthcare providers and community organizations to screen for intimate partner violence, provide trauma-informed care, and establish partnerships to address violence prevention. The study must examine whether and how various forms of violence increase risks of suicide, homicide, substance use, overdose, and poor birth outcomes among pregnant and postpartum people, and the Secretary must report to Congress every three years on grant program best practices.

The Perinatal Workforce Act aims to address maternal health disparities by growing and diversifying the healthcare providers who care for pregnant and postpartum individuals. The bill authorizes $15 million annually from 2027 through 2031 for two competitive grant programs: one supporting schools and programs that train physician assistants, midwives, and perinatal health workers, and another supporting nursing schools that train maternal and perinatal health nurses. Both grant programs prioritize schools recruiting and training providers from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds and those planning to work in underserved areas, and require curriculum on implicit bias and racism. The legislation also directs the Department of Health and Human Services to issue guidance to states on diverse maternity care teams, conduct a study on respectful and culturally appropriate maternal care, and requires the Government Accountability Office to report biennially on barriers to maternal health education and care access. The bill emphasizes expanding multidisciplinary care teams that include midwives, lactation consultants, mental health providers, and community health workers alongside traditional medical providers.

The CONNECT Act updates the John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood to emphasize the importance of building and maintaining long-term relationships for youth aging out of foster care. The bill adds new purposes to help children who experienced foster care at age 14 or older develop sustained connections with adults, mentors, and peers, while also supporting youth still in care to participate in their permanency planning and access peer support services. The legislation affects foster youth aged 14 and older, state and tribal child welfare agencies, and requires the Department of Health and Human Services to issue guidance within one year of enactment based on input from youth with foster care experience. The bill's provisions take effect one year after passage, and the guidance must include examples of federally fundable services, best practices for peer support and mentoring, outreach standards, and documentation protocols. This represents a shift toward relationship-focused support rather than purely service-based assistance for transitioning foster youth.

This resolution recognizes March 14, 2026, as "Black Midwives Day" to highlight the contributions of Black midwives to maternal and infant health in the United States. The resolution addresses a critical public health issue: Black women in America face maternal mortality rates of 44.8 deaths per 100,000 live births—more than three times higher than White women—while over 2.3 million women live in maternity care deserts with no access to obstetric services. Research shows that midwife-led care reduces medical interventions, lowers cesarean rates, and improves outcomes for mothers and infants. The resolution calls on the federal and state governments to increase funding for Black midwife training and education, remove legal and regulatory barriers to midwifery practice, expand insurance coverage for midwife services through Medicaid and TRICARE, and work to destigmatize and decriminalize midwifery across all care settings including homes and birth centers. This is a symbolic resolution with no direct funding, but it expresses congressional support for policies that would increase access to culturally competent maternal care and address systemic racial disparities in maternal health.

This resolution expresses support for designating the week beginning March 2, 2026, as "School Social Work Week" to recognize the contributions of school social workers. School social workers are licensed mental health professionals who work in schools to support students facing challenges such as mental health disorders, poverty, disability, homelessness, and abuse. The resolution highlights that nearly one in five children have been diagnosed with mental, emotional, or behavioral health conditions, and that one in five children report unmet mental healthcare needs, making school social workers increasingly important. The resolution encourages schools and communities to observe this week with ceremonies and activities that raise awareness of how school social workers help students succeed academically and prepare for the future. There is no funding or implementation timeline associated with this resolution, as it is a symbolic measure expressing congressional support for the designation.

School Social Workers Improving Student Success Act This bill provides certain resources to increase the number of social workers in elementary and secondary schools. Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Education to award grants to high-need local educational agencies to retain or hire school social workers. The bill also establishes a national technical assistance center for school social work to, among other duties, develop strategies for improving the effectiveness of the school social work workforce.

The Tribal Tax and Investment Reform Act of 2026 provides Indian tribal governments with tax treatment comparable to state governments to strengthen economic development and employee benefits in Native communities. The bill authorizes $400 million annually in tax-exempt bonds for tribal infrastructure and economic development (plus $45 million for Alaska Native Consortiums), expands tribal access to governmental pension and retirement plans with uniform standards, and creates a $175 million annual New Markets Tribal Area Tax Credit for investments in Native communities. Additional provisions exclude tribal welfare benefits and certain Indian Health Service loan repayment and scholarship assistance from taxable income, designate tribal areas as eligible for affordable housing tax credits, and increase the Work Opportunity Tax Credit cap from $20,000 to $30,000 per employer (effective after December 31, 2026). Tribal and federal courts gain authority to enforce pension plan protections with potential attorney's fee awards. These changes take effect upon enactment or on specified future dates to enhance tribal economic self-determination and workforce development.

This resolution supports the designation of National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month.

The Mental Health and Making Access More Affordable Act of 2026 requires health insurance plans—including employer-sponsored plans and individual policies—to cover mental health services and substance use disorder treatment without any out-of-pocket costs for pregnant women and new mothers. Specifically, pregnant individuals and those in the first year after pregnancy would receive these services at no cost if covered by their plan, including telehealth options. The bill affects millions of Americans with employer health insurance, individual insurance plans, and federal employees covered under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. The new requirement takes effect two years after the bill becomes law, and the legislation also includes provisions ensuring that pregnant and postpartum women can continue seeing the same mental health providers without interruption during this coverage period.

This bill restricts the Social Security Administration's ability to close or significantly reduce services at field offices without following strict procedures and advance notice. The legislation requires the Social Security Administration to maintain staffing levels at field offices at least at January 2025 levels and to provide comprehensive, accessible services that meet current and projected workloads. Before closing, consolidating, or substantially reducing access at any field office, the agency must notify Congress, local governments, and the public at least 180 days in advance; hold at least two public hearings to discuss the reasons for the action and consider alternatives; accept and respond to written public comments; and obtain approval from the Social Security Administration's Inspector General. The bill includes a 30-day moratorium on field office closures until the Inspector General certifies the new procedures are fully implemented, and it requires the Social Security Administration to submit a report to Congress within 180 days detailing all field office closures from the previous five years and plans to ensure adequate staffing and services over the next decade. The bill does not include specific funding amounts, as it primarily establishes procedural requirements and minimum staffing standards.

COLAs Don't Count Act of 2026 This bill revises requirements for determining eligibility and benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to exclude income received from certain (1) cost-of-living adjustments under the Social Security Act and to railroad retirement and veterans' benefits, and (2) supplementary payments under the Social Security Act.

H.Res. 850 expresses congressional support for designating November 8, 2025, as "National First-Generation College Celebration Day," commemorating the anniversary of the 1965 Higher Education Act signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The resolution recognizes first-generation college students—those whose parents did not earn a bachelor's degree—who make up 45 percent of current college students and two-thirds of community college students, often while balancing work and family responsibilities. The bill highlights that these students face additional academic, financial, and social barriers compared to their peers and emphasizes the importance of federal support programs like Pell Grants and the Federal TRIO programs in enabling their success. This is a symbolic resolution with no direct funding or implementation requirements; it simply urges Americans to celebrate first-generation students and acknowledge their contributions to the future workforce and the role of higher education access programs.

The SNAP Back Act of 2025 would reinstate exemptions from work requirements for three vulnerable populations receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits: homeless individuals, veterans, and young adults who aged out of foster care. Under current law, most SNAP recipients must meet work requirements to maintain their benefits, but this bill would exempt these three groups from those mandates, recognizing the particular barriers they face in employment. The legislation amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to add these exemptions to existing exceptions in SNAP work rules. The bill does not specify new funding allocations or implementation timelines. It directly affects low-income individuals in these three categories who currently struggle to meet work requirements due to homelessness, military service-related challenges, or lack of family support systems.

Personal Needs Allowance Modernization Act or the PNA Modernization Act This bill increases the minimum monthly personal needs allowance under Medicaid for an institutionalized individual and couple from $30 to $60 and from $60 to $120, respectively. (The personal needs allowance is deducted from an individual's total income when determining the individual's contribution to the cost of institutionalized care under Medicaid.)

This bill establishes a new grant program to fund demonstration projects that train low-income individuals for careers as doulas and midwives in states that recognize and reimburse these professions. The bill allocates $10 million for fiscal year 2026 and requires demonstration projects to run for at least three years, with eligible organizations including workforce boards, hospitals, universities, health centers, and nonprofits with healthcare training experience. Grants will support education, training, and career pathway development for individuals earning up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, with an emphasis on accessible entry points, professional development, and competitive wages with benefits. The program also requires rigorous evaluations to identify successful strategies for building a sustainable pregnancy and postpartum workforce, particularly for low-income workers, and takes effect on October 1, 2025.

This bill designates the women’s health clinic of the Clement J. Zablocki Veterans' Administration Medical Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Anna Mae Robertson VA Well Woman Clinic.

Social Security Enhancement and Protection Act of 2025This bill increases certain Social Security benefits, expands Social Security payroll taxes, and makes other changes to the Social Security program.Under current law, Social Security has a taxable maximum, which refers to the maximum amount of a worker's earnings that are subject to Social Security payroll taxes (set at $176,100 in 2025). Additionally, the taxable maximum serves as the maximum amount of earnings used to calculate a worker's Social Security benefits.This bill phases out the taxable maximum so as to apply payroll taxes to all earnings by 2035, and it revises the method used to calculate a worker’s Social Security benefits to account for earnings in excess of the taxable maximum. The bill also gradually increases the Social Security payroll tax applicable to workers and employers from 6.2% to 6.5% over six years.Other changes to benefits include establishing a new method to calculate benefits for lifetime low earners and increasing benefits for certain beneficiaries on account of long-term eligibility. In addition, an eligible child of a retired, disabled, or deceased worker may continue to receive benefits through age 26, provided the child is a full-time student in postsecondary school.An increase in Social Security benefits under these provisions may not be treated as income for purposes of determining eligibility for benefits, or the amount of any benefits, under a federal program or a state or local program financed with federal funds.