Maggie Goodlander

This bill requires the Secretary of the Army to create standardized procedures for reviewing applications from hydropower projects seeking permission to alter or occupy federal waterways. Specifically, the bill mandates that within one year of enactment, the Army Corps of Engineers must issue guidance that includes a standardized checklist of required materials, clear criteria for what makes an application complete, timelines for phased reviews, and procedures for escalating delayed applications to higher officials. The guidance must be developed in consultation with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, hydropower operators, and industry groups. The bill also restricts what the Army Corps can do during its review process, prohibiting detailed technical analysis of engineering calculations, requests for design modifications, and consideration of environmental standards that didn't exist before the application was submitted. The goal is to streamline and standardize the application review process for non-federal hydropower projects.

This bill prohibits the Secretary of Agriculture from closing any research and development facility operated by the Forest Service. The only way such facilities could be shut down in the future would be if Congress passes a new law specifically authorizing the closure. The bill applies to all Forest Service research and development facilities and prevents closures from occurring through reorganization plans or other administrative actions. The legislation does not specify any funding amounts or implementation timeline, as it is primarily a restriction on executive branch authority. The bill was introduced in June 2026 and referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.

The Public Service Accountability Act would ban Members of Congress, their spouses and dependents, and senior federal officials including the President and Vice President from owning or trading individual stocks, commodities, futures, and other similar investments. The prohibition would apply to a broad range of covered individuals including judicial officers, senior executives, and high-level appointees. Covered individuals would have 180 days from the law's enactment to divest existing holdings at fair market value, or 90 days if they assume a covered position after enactment. The bill includes exceptions for broadly diversified investment funds, Treasury bonds, municipal bonds, small business interests, and certain Alaska Native settlement stocks. Violations would result in penalties of 10 percent of the investment's value plus disgorgement of any profits from prohibited transactions, with penalties published on a public website and payable directly to the Treasury rather than from congressional office accounts or campaign funds.

This bill requires federal agencies to keep memorials and cemeteries open to the public during government shutdowns, even when other federal facilities are closed. The legislation specifically applies to memorials that are not federally funded but are normally accessed through federal property or facilities. To accomplish this, the bill designates federal employees responsible for providing public access to these memorials as essential personnel, allowing them to work without pay during a shutdown under existing emergency authority. The bill affects all federal agencies that oversee memorials or cemeteries and the employees who maintain public access to these sites. There is no specific funding authorization or implementation timeline mentioned in the legislation.

This resolution supports designating April 2026 as "National Native Plant Month" to recognize the importance of native plant species to American ecosystems and wildlife. The United States is home to more than 17,000 native plant species that have evolved naturally in specific regions and are essential for maintaining healthy ecosystems, cleaning air and water, stabilizing soils, and providing food and shelter for native wildlife like birds, bees, and butterflies. The resolution highlights that native plants are well-adapted to local environmental conditions and are more effective than non-native species at supporting wildlife and protecting the environment, especially as ecosystems face challenges from habitat loss, extreme weather, and invasive species. Since the early 1800s, over 200 native plant species in the United States have been lost, making conservation efforts increasingly important. This resolution carries no funding requirements and is primarily a symbolic measure to raise awareness about native plants and their environmental and economic benefits.

The Corporate Crimes Against Health Care Act creates criminal and civil penalties targeting private equity firms and corporate executives whose practices harm patients and healthcare workers. The bill establishes an "unjust enrichment clawback" mechanism allowing federal and state authorities to recover compensation—including salaries, bonuses, and equity gains—earned by executives during the 10 years before or after a triggering event such as widespread wage defaults, facility closures, or bankruptcy, with violations carrying prison sentences of 1-6 years and civil penalties up to five times the clawed-back amount. The legislation also requires healthcare entities to report ownership structures, debt levels, and executive compensation to the federal government starting January 2027, imposes new restrictions on real estate investment trust arrangements in healthcare, and establishes a three-year HHS Inspector General study on profit-driven practices and their impact on patient care and healthcare workers. Recovered funds are directed toward employee benefits or community healthcare needs, with bankruptcy-related clawbacks prioritizing unfunded pension obligations. The bill affects private equity firms, healthcare executives, hospitals, health systems, and physician practices across the country.

The PATH to Education Act creates a new federal grant program to help public transportation providers improve bus and rail connections to colleges, career schools, and Head Start early education programs. Public transit agencies partnering with community colleges, minority-serving institutions, career and technical schools, rural colleges, and Head Start programs can apply for grants to add new bus or rail routes, increase service frequency, adjust schedules to match class times, and cover operating costs for these education-focused services. The bill prioritizes funding for partnerships serving low-income students, specifically those institutions where more than 25 percent of enrollees receive federal Pell Grants. The legislation provides $1 million in funding for fiscal year 2027, increasing to $5 million by 2031, split between urban and rural transit systems to support transportation access for students and Head Start families.

The Public Shipyard Workforce Protection Act of 2025 prohibits the Department of Defense from using its fiscal year 2026 budget to freeze hiring, lay off workers, or unnecessarily delay filling open jobs at public shipyards. The bill protects the federal civilian workforce at these facilities by preventing workforce cutbacks or hiring slowdowns without valid justification. The measure was introduced by a bipartisan group of House members and referred to the Armed Services Committee and Oversight and Government Reform Committee for consideration. No specific funding amount or implementation timeline is detailed in the legislation beyond the fiscal year 2026 budget restriction.

The TRANSFER Act allows National Guard officers to move between active and inactive status more flexibly to fill vacancies in federally recognized Army and Air Force National Guard units. Currently, such transfers are more restricted, but this bill requires the Secretary of the Army and Secretary of the Air Force to create new regulations enabling officers to transition from active to inactive status (or vice versa) when needed to staff units. The legislation affects Army National Guard and Air Force National Guard officers nationwide and aims to improve military readiness by making it easier to deploy personnel where they're needed most. No specific funding amounts or implementation deadlines are specified in the bill text, leaving those details to the regulatory process that would follow passage.

Pay Our Public Shipyard Workers ActThis bill provides continuing appropriations to pay public shipyard workers during any period in which interim or full-year appropriations for FY2026 or FY2027 are not in effect (i.e., a government shutdown).Specifically, the bill provides continuing appropriations to provide pay and allowances to civilian and military public shipyard workers who work during the government shutdown.If a government shutdown occurs, the bill provides the continuing appropriations until the earlier of (1) the enactment into law of specified appropriations legislation, or (2) January 1, 2027.

The Military Learning for Credit Act of 2025 allows veterans and eligible military-connected individuals to use their educational benefits to pay for exams and assessments that earn college credit, such as CLEP and DSST tests, as well as portfolio assessments demonstrating prior military training. The bill caps the amount that can be spent on any single exam or assessment at $500 or the actual cost, whichever is less, and requires veterans to "charge" a proportional amount of their monthly educational benefit entitlement based on the exam cost. The legislation affects veterans using benefits under various chapters of the GI Bill and similar programs, as well as military service members who may use Department of Defense Tuition Assistance. No specific federal funding appropriation is mentioned in the bill, as it redirects existing veterans' educational benefits already authorized by law. The measure aims to help veterans earn degrees more efficiently by converting military training and learning into college credits without creating new budget authority.

Office of Rural Affairs Enhancement ActThis bill requires the Small Business Administration (SBA) to use a competitive hiring process to select an assistant administrator for the Office of Rural Affairs. The assistant administrator must have experience (1) with rural affairs and issues relating to small businesses, and (2) providing development assistance to rural small businesses.Additionally, the bill requires the office to host webinars and regional outreach events for rural small businesses.The SBA must report annually about the office's activities.

The Investing in Digital Skills Act amends the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to formally recognize digital literacy and digital skills as essential components of adult education and workforce programs. The legislation updates the law's definitions and purposes to explicitly include digital skills training alongside traditional literacy education, ensuring that adults can develop the technological competencies needed for employment and economic stability. The bill also adds digital literacy activities for parents and families, recognizing that these skills support not just individual employment but also children's learning and broader participation in society. The bill affects workforce development programs and adult education providers funded under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, though the text does not specify new appropriations or implementation timelines. By integrating digital skills into existing adult education frameworks, the bill aims to help a wider range of Americans gain the technical proficiency increasingly required in the modern economy.