This bill requires the Securities and Exchange Commission to collect detailed information about private equity firms that own and operate childcare centers. Specifically, it targets large private equity funds with over $150 million in assets under management that control childcare facilities at 25 or more locations, requiring them to report their ownership, purchases, and sales of childcare businesses to the SEC within one year of enactment. The legislation also imposes a four-year freeze on private equity firms that newly acquire childcare centers, prohibiting them from selling their stake or extracting profits through dividends and buybacks during that period, ostensibly to protect the stability and quality of childcare services. Additionally, the bill directs the Government Accountability Office to conduct a two-year study examining how private equity ownership affects childcare quality, availability, tuition costs, and worker wages, with findings reported to Congress. The SEC must also issue annual reports to Congress with anonymized data on private equity childcare ownership trends.

The FAIR Data Act prohibits investor-owned electric utilities regulated by states from passing the costs of serving large data centers on to residential and small business customers through higher electricity rates. The bill specifically targets data centers with peak electricity demand exceeding 75 megawatts, preventing utilities from recovering any costs associated with building or upgrading power generation, transmission, or distribution infrastructure to meet these facilities' demands. State regulatory authorities have six months to begin considering this new standard and one year to make a final determination on how to implement it, though states that have already addressed this issue are exempt from the requirement. Additionally, the bill conditions Department of Energy funding to states on their certification that data center costs will not be shifted to residential customers, and it requires the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to submit annual reports to Congress on how large data centers affect electricity rates and grid reliability. The legislation aims to prevent large tech companies and data center operators from passing their infrastructure costs to everyday consumers.

The No Taxes on Utility Bills Act would allow taxpayers to deduct taxes and state-mandated surcharges that appear on their gas and electric utility bills from their federal income taxes. Currently, most utility taxes and surcharges are not deductible, so this change would provide tax relief to households and businesses that pay these charges. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to add this new deduction category and would take effect for tax years beginning after the bill is enacted. There is no specific funding amount mentioned in the legislation, as it operates through the tax code rather than appropriating money. The bill was introduced in April 2026 and referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

H.R. 7949 directs the National Science Foundation to award competitive grants supporting plant and microbial biology research that could advance agriculture, food production, or biotechnology. The grants would go to universities, nonprofits, private companies, and government agencies at all levels, as well as partnerships between these entities. The bill authorizes $150 million annually from fiscal year 2026 through 2031 to fund this research initiative. This legislation amends the existing National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002 to formally establish this plant biology research program, which aims to develop fundamental scientific knowledge and new tools or technologies in the field.

The Veteran Housing Promise Act removes spending caps on several Department of Veterans Affairs programs that serve homeless veterans, making funding unlimited instead of restricted to specific dollar amounts or fiscal years. The bill affects homeless veterans and their families by ensuring these programs—including comprehensive services, job reintegration programs, housing assistance, and support for women veterans and families—can receive whatever funding Congress appropriates without artificial limits. The legislation eliminates sunset dates on certain programs and makes their authority permanent rather than time-limited, while also removing several outdated statutory provisions. Beginning in fiscal year 2026 and beyond, five major homeless veteran programs will be funded at whatever levels Congress deems necessary rather than capped at previous amounts, with the goal of removing financial barriers to serving this vulnerable population.

The RIPE Act of 2026 establishes a new demonstration program that pays farmers and ranchers to adopt environmental conservation practices in selected watersheds across the country. The program targets agricultural producers in watersheds with significant farming activity, offering direct payments for practices that improve water quality, soil health, air quality, climate resilience, and wildlife habitat while potentially increasing yields. Contracts will last between three and five years, and the bill includes a 15 percent payment bonus for limited-resource and socially disadvantaged farmers. The Department of Agriculture will select no more than 30 eligible watersheds nationwide (with no more than two per state), must reserve at least 10 percent of funding for disadvantaged farmers, and will provide technical assistance to help producers implement conservation plans. The legislation allocates $1 million for fiscal year 2026 to establish the program and $150 million annually for fiscal years 2027 through 2029.

This bill restricts executive bonuses at certain electric utility companies, effective January 1, 2025. Covered utilities—defined as state-regulated electric companies not wholly owned by U.S. persons—may only pay bonuses to top executives if the company's average customer rate increase does not exceed the annual inflation rate (Consumer Price Index). Any bonus paid must also be capped at 25 percent of the median pay of non-executive employees at that utility. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will oversee compliance, requiring utilities to report rate and compensation data within one week of their fiscal year-end and issuing compliance determinations within one month. If a utility violates these rules, the illegal bonus amount must be forfeited to the U.S. government and returned to customers as proportional payments, with the IRS administering the distribution.

This bill removes cost-sharing requirements from the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, which provides federal funding to help recruit and train science and mathematics teachers for K-12 schools. Currently, schools and universities must contribute their own matching funds to participate in the program; this legislation would eliminate that requirement, allowing institutions to receive full federal support. The change primarily affects rural schools and universities that lack the financial resources to provide matching funds, making it easier for these communities to access federal STEM teacher training grants. By removing this financial barrier, the bill aims to strengthen science and math education in underserved areas by increasing participation from rural institutions that might otherwise be unable to afford the matching contributions.

The Keep the Lights Local Act would prohibit foreign corporations and foreign governments from owning or controlling public utility holding companies in the United States. This means foreign entities would not be allowed to own stakes in companies that manage electricity, water, gas, or other essential utility services for American communities. The bill, introduced in the House in September 2025, would take effect 180 days after passage, giving foreign owners a six-month window to divest from U.S. public utilities. The legislation affects any foreign-owned utility companies currently operating in the country and would prevent future foreign investment in this sector. The bill does not specify new funding requirements or create a government agency to enforce the prohibition.

H.R. 5055, the Increasing Nutrition Access for Seniors Act of 2025, simplifies access to food assistance for elderly and disabled Americans by making it easier to maintain eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The bill extends the certification period for households with no earned income from 24 months to 36 months, reducing how often seniors and disabled individuals must reapply. It also allows states to offer a simplified "standard medical deduction" option of $155 annually (adjusted yearly for inflation) for elderly and disabled people with medical expenses over $35 per month, eliminating the need to document each expense. Additionally, the bill permits states to use data matching instead of requesting income verification for those qualifying for the longer certification period. The changes take effect 180 days after the bill is signed into law and only apply to certification periods beginning after that effective date.

This bill amends the Defense Production Act of 1950 to strengthen federal rules against price gouging during supply shortages and crises. The legislation expands the definition of prohibited price gouging to cover any price increase that "grossly exceeds" prevailing market prices for essential goods, with a presumption that a 10 percent price increase during an acute shortage qualifies as price gouging unless the seller can justify it due to legitimate business needs or uncontrollable cost increases. The bill defines critical goods broadly to include food, essential medical supplies, energy resources, and other items vital to public health and safety, as well as acute shortages caused by disease, natural disasters, military conflict, supply-chain disruptions, and similar emergencies. Violators face significantly increased penalties—a fine of the greater of $20,000 or 300 percent of the revenue generated through the illegal price increases, a substantial increase from current law. The bill was introduced in July 2025 and referred to the House Committee on Financial Services but contains no specific funding allocations or implementation timeline.

The Social Security Access Act requires the Social Security Administration to provide people with multiple ways to access services and apply for benefits: through a toll-free telephone line with live representatives, an online portal, and in-person visits at local offices. The telephone service must be available in English, Spanish, and other languages as needed, cover all geographic areas, and allow people to complete full benefit applications and update direct deposit information by phone. The bill requires the Comptroller General to submit a report to Congress within one year evaluating how well these services work and identifying any barriers people face, followed by annual reports from the Social Security Commissioner on usage numbers, wait times, security measures, and service improvements. No specific funding amount is mentioned in the legislation, and the requirements take effect upon enactment.

H.R. 3078 directs the Department of Energy to lead a research program developing new technologies to detect fentanyl vapor and particles in various high-security settings. The Secretary of Energy will coordinate with the Attorney General, Secretary of Homeland Security, and Postmaster General to test and evaluate these detection technologies for use at mail facilities, prisons, U.S. borders, and similar locations. The bill affects federal agencies involved in law enforcement, border security, and mail operations, as well as technology developers working on detection methods. While the legislation establishes the research program and its purpose, the text provided does not specify funding amounts or implementation timelines. This amendment to the Department of Energy Research and Innovation Act represents a coordinated federal effort to combat fentanyl trafficking through improved detection capabilities at critical chokepoints.

Lowering Egg Prices Act of 2025This bill permits unrefrigerated surplus eggs originally intended for hatching to be repurposed for use in pasteurized liquid egg products intended for consumption.Under current regulations, most eggs intended for consumption must be refrigerated within 36 hours of being laid. The bill would exempt from this requirement surplus broiler hatching eggs (eggs originally intended to be hatched and raised for meat) that are repurposed for sale to an egg breaker (a facility that sells liquid egg to food manufacturers).(Broiler hatching eggs are generally held at a warmer temperature than other eggs in order to facilitate incubation. Because these eggs are not refrigerated, current regulations prohibit the sale of any surplus broiler hatching eggs to egg breakers for use in liquid egg products. Liquid egg products distributed for consumption are separately required under current law to be pasteurized, or treated to destroy bacteria.)The bill also requires the Food and Drug Administration to revise the refrigeration requirement to permit surplus broiler hatching eggs held at temperatures suitable for hatching chicks to be sold to egg breakers for processing as liquid egg products.

Strengthening Rural Cooperatives and Communities ActThis bill reauthorizes through FY2029 and modifies the Rural Cooperative Development Grant (RCDG) Program. This Department of Agriculture (USDA) program provides grants to nonprofit institutions to help individuals and businesses start, expand, or improve rural cooperatives and other mutually-owned businesses through Rural Cooperative Development Centers.USDA must give preference to grants that commit to providing technical assistance and other services to socially vulnerable, underserved, or distressed communities. Under current law, USDA must give preference to underserved and economically distressed areas in rural areas.In addition, USDA may give an additional preference to applications that commit to providing a 25% matching contribution for the center with private funds and in-kind contributions. Specifically, USDA may award the maximum points in application scoring criteria to applicants that satisfy this requirement.Under the bill, cooperative development includes activities (e.g., outreach, education, training, and technical assistance) to support the startup, expansion, or ongoing sustainability of new and existing cooperatives. Current law does not define cooperative development.The bill directs the RCDG interagency working group to submit an annual report to Congress on its activities.Finally, the program currently includes cooperative research program requirements to collect data on the effects of all types of cooperatives on the national economy. Under the bill, USDA must analyze the data resulting from the research and include the data and analysis in the annual report to Congress.

Future Funding for Agricultural Research, Mentorship, and Education Reauthorization Act or the Future FARMER ActThis bill reauthorizes through FY2029 National Institute of Food and Agriculture grants and fellowships for food and agriculture science education. This includes programs such as the (1) Higher Education Challenge Grants Program, (2) Agriculture in the Classroom Program, and (3) National Awards Program for Excellence in College and University Teaching in the Food and Agricultural Sciences.