Paul Tonko

The TIME Act of 2026 directs the Secretary of Agriculture to create new regulations that streamline the temporary entry of high-health, high-performance horses into the United States for international competitions and races. The bill aims to replace current restrictive import protocols with standards that align with international best practices established by the World Organization for Animal Health, which would include expedited entry procedures and modified quarantine requirements while maintaining biosecurity safeguards. The regulations would recognize certifications from recognized equestrian organizations, breed registries, and discipline organizations rather than requiring separate federal approval processes. According to the bill's findings, current procedures discourage international horse owners and trainers from bringing their animals to U.S.-based events, which negatively impacts the domestic equestrian industry and local economies. The Secretary of Agriculture must begin the rulemaking process within 180 days of the bill's enactment and must periodically review and update the regulations as international health standards, diagnostic capabilities, or disease patterns change.

The Regional Energy Hubs Act of 2026 would create a new federal program providing grants to states and Indian tribes to establish and operate regional energy hubs that help residents access energy assistance and efficiency programs. These hubs would serve as local coordination centers run by community-based organizations that work with multiple partners including nonprofits, local governments, utilities, and workforce development groups to increase public awareness of available energy programs, tax credits, rebates, and financing options, with special focus on disadvantaged and rural communities. Each hub would be required to conduct outreach, provide education about energy affordability programs, connect residents with local contractors and energy professionals, support workforce development, and help coordinate funding from various federal and state sources. The bill authorizes fifty million dollars annually from 2027 through 2031, with at least five percent of those funds reserved for Indian tribes, while the remaining funds would be distributed to states using the existing Energy Policy and Conservation Act formula. States and tribes receiving funding would designate the hubs and ensure they are geographically distributed to reach underserved areas, with each hub required to submit annual reports on its activities and outcomes.

The Data Center Fairness Fee Act of 2026 would require the Environmental Protection Agency to impose annual electricity consumption fees on large data centers and cryptocurrency mining operations starting in 2027. Facilities with more than 50 megawatts of computing capacity would pay a base charge of one cent per kilowatt-hour of electricity used. Beginning in 2028, facilities drawing power from high-carbon electricity sources would face an additional charge of five cents per kilogram of carbon dioxide emissions associated with their electricity consumption. Revenue collected from these fees would be distributed to states and tribal governments for use in low-income energy assistance programs, clean energy initiatives, and other programs that reduce electricity demand and lower utility bills. The EPA would have one year to establish regulations requiring data centers to monitor and report their electricity consumption and emissions data.

The State Energy Oversight Act of 2026 directs the Department of Energy to establish a grant program providing financial and technical assistance to state utility commissions to strengthen their capacity to regulate electric and natural gas utilities. States can use funding to hire specialized staff, improve data analysis capabilities, enhance public participation in rate cases, support independent advocates for residential and small business customers, develop affordable rate programs, and coordinate assistance for low-income energy customers. The bill authorizes $50 million annually from fiscal year 2027 through 2031, with each state guaranteed at least one percent of available funds, while requiring states to supplement rather than replace existing funding sources. States receiving grants must submit annual reports on utility rates, rate case outcomes, and energy affordability programs, with all information compiled into a national database maintained by the Energy Information Administration, and states failing to report will lose future funding.

The End Energy Hardship Act directs the Secretary of Energy to provide $25 billion to electric and natural gas utility companies to eliminate unpaid customer bills and support affordable payment programs for low-income households. Utilities receiving Phase 1 funding must wipe out customer debt arrears within 12 months and implement income-based payment programs where low-income households pay no more than 3-6 percent of their gross income for energy service over a five-year period, with automatic enrollment for eligible customers. The bill prioritizes debt forgiveness for households with incomes at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty line or 60 percent of their state's median income, as well as elderly residents, disabled individuals, families with young children, and those with medical conditions requiring utility service. An additional $1 billion per year from 2027 through 2031 supports technical assistance, program implementation costs, and data collection on utility arrears and disconnections. Utilities that receive funding must stop late fees and service disconnections for the affected debt and cannot pass these costs to other ratepayers, though they can use up to 10 percent of funds for administrative expenses.

This resolution designates September 20, 2026, as "Pharmacy Workforce Suicide Awareness Day" to focus national attention on mental health challenges facing pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. The bill highlights significant workplace pressures affecting this profession, citing data showing that 70 percent of pharmacy workers experience moderate to high burnout, 33 percent face serious distress including depression and anxiety, and pharmacists report elevated suicide risk compared to the general population. The resolution calls for increased research into the causes of suicide among pharmacy workers and barriers to mental health treatment, while recognizing structural obstacles that prevent workers from seeking help. The House supports using this designated day to honor those who have died by suicide in the profession and encourages the President to issue a proclamation promoting awareness and educational activities. This is a symbolic measure with no direct funding or enforcement mechanisms, intended to raise awareness and reduce stigma around mental health issues in the pharmacy profession.

The Good Energy Jobs Act of 2026 establishes new labor and community benefit requirements for Department of Energy funding to energy projects. Projects receiving DOE financial assistance must pay prevailing wages to construction workers, use registered apprentices for at least 15% of labor hours, remain neutral on unionization, and negotiate project labor agreements for projects exceeding $1 million. Recipients must also submit community benefits plans that include local stakeholder engagement, workforce development commitments, and other benefits for disadvantaged workers and communities, with the DOE publicly tracking compliance and enforcing penalties for non-compliance. At least 40% of DOE financial assistance across climate, energy, transportation, housing, workforce training, and environmental cleanup programs must go to entities committed to providing these specified benefits to small or disadvantaged communities through enforceable agreements. The Department must submit annual reports to Congress on job creation, job quality, apprenticeship usage, and community benefits, with aggregate data made publicly available.

The Carbon Dioxide Removal Leadership Act of 2026 requires the Department of Energy to purchase and remove carbon dioxide directly from the air and seawater in escalating amounts, starting with 50,000 metric tons annually in 2026-2027, increasing to 10 million metric tons per year by 2036 and beyond. The Secretary must accomplish this through contracts with private companies at declining cost targets, ranging from a maximum of $750 per metric ton initially down to $150 per metric ton by 2037, with all removal verified by independent third parties. At least 20 percent of removed carbon dioxide must come from small projects, and the law prioritizes projects that support job creation, serve communities affected by fossil fuel industries, minimize environmental impacts, and use domestic supply chains. The legislation authorizes whatever funding is necessary to meet these removal targets and requires the Energy Department to submit progress reports to Congress every two years starting in 2029, along with a separate study on scaling the program to remove a billion metric tons annually by 2050.

The Disability Community Act of 2026 increases federal funding for Medicaid programs that serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in intermediate care facilities and home and community-based settings. For the years 2027 through 2029, the bill raises the federal government's share of costs related to compliance with specific federal labor and healthcare regulations from the standard rate to 90 percent, temporarily easing the financial burden on states. The legislation also modernizes outdated terminology throughout Medicaid law by replacing "mentally retarded" with "intellectual or developmental disabilities" throughout the Social Security Act. The bill affects states, facilities, and disability service providers who will receive enhanced federal reimbursement for covered compliance costs during the three-year period. This funding boost is intended to help states and providers meet federal regulatory requirements for disability services without proportionally increasing state budgets.

This resolution recognizes that an estimated 25 to 30 million Americans with rare diseases, including more than half who are children, experience significant behavioral health challenges such as anxiety, depression, and caregiver burnout that often go unaddressed. The resolution notes that access to mental health care for these patients and their families is limited due to shortages of trained clinicians, geographic barriers, low reimbursement rates, and fragmented care systems that rarely integrate behavioral health services. The resolution calls on federal agencies including the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to prioritize behavioral health access in their rare disease initiatives and funding. It also encourages the expansion of peer support programs, investment in the behavioral health workforce, improvements to insurance reimbursement policies, and increased training for clinicians on rare diseases and their mental health impacts. This is a symbolic resolution expressing congressional support for addressing mental health needs in the rare disease community rather than legislation that directly creates new programs or allocates funding.

The Power for the People Act of 2026 addresses how the nation's electrical grid manages the growing electricity demands of data centers, which are facilities requiring over 50 megawatts of power to operate. The bill requires the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to ensure that data centers pay the full cost of any local transmission upgrades they trigger, rather than spreading those costs to other utility customers, while still paying standard rates for overall grid access. Within 180 days of the law taking effect, the Department of Energy must establish a technical assistance program to help grid operators better forecast data center electricity needs, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission must create new transparency requirements for data center connection requests to eliminate duplicate or speculative applications. The legislation also incorporates workforce protections, including requirements for project labor agreements and registered apprenticeship programs, suggesting it aims to ensure job standards alongside infrastructure development. Within 120 days of enactment, utilities must file new cost allocation rules to implement the transmission upgrade provisions.

This bill reauthorizes through FY2031 grants from the Health Resources and Services Administration for school-based health centers. School-based health centers are health clinics that are located in or near school facilities, provide primary health care services to children and adolescents during school hours, and are administered by a hospital or certain public or nonprofit entities.

This resolution supports the designation of Barth Syndrome Awareness Day. Barth Syndrome is a rare, life-threatening genetic disorder of lipid metabolism that primarily affects males.

The Climate Pollution Standard and Community Investment Act of 2025 amends the Clean Air Act to establish a comprehensive national program requiring major pollution sources—including power plants, fuel producers, industrial facilities, and natural gas distributors—to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with a goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. The bill creates a cap-and-trade system where covered entities must reduce emissions by 5 percent starting in 2027, followed by mandatory 2 percent annual reductions, with penalties of three times the auction price for non-compliance; the EPA will conduct quarterly allowance auctions beginning in March 2027 at a minimum price of $15 per ton of carbon dioxide equivalent. Revenue from allowance auctions and sales funds multiple programs including rebates and direct assistance for low-income households (50 percent of certain revenues), worker assistance for displaced employees, community adjustment payments to affected local governments, and grants for clean energy innovation and disadvantaged community projects, with the bill also establishing an Office of Energy and Economic Transition to coordinate federal support and an advisory committee to represent workers, communities, and industry throughout the transition process. Implementation requires the EPA to complete detailed regulations within 24 months and establish the trading framework by 2027, affecting millions of American workers and households while reshaping energy and industrial sectors across the economy.

This bill makes it illegal to use software or other technology to bypass security measures that online retailers put in place to limit purchases and manage inventory—commonly known as "bot attacks." The law also prohibits knowingly buying and reselling products obtained through such circumvention. The bill applies to anyone engaged in this conduct in interstate commerce. The Federal Trade Commission will enforce the law as an unfair and deceptive trade practice, and state attorneys general can also bring civil lawsuits on behalf of consumers to stop violations and recover damages. The legislation includes exceptions for legitimate security research and investigations into potential violations. No specific funding or implementation timeline is included in the bill.

The State Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2025 creates a federal grant program to help states and Indian tribes develop energy efficiency initiatives for manufacturers. States and tribes that receive funding would use it to provide technical assistance and financial support to manufacturing facilities for energy audits, water efficiency improvements, emissions reductions, renewable energy installation, and adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies like artificial intelligence. The bill limits how states can spend the money—no more than 50 percent on studies or implementation costs, no more than 10 percent on administrative expenses, and no more than $100,000 or 5 percent per individual facility—while ensuring at least 5 percent of funds go to tribal programs. The legislation authorizes $100 million annually from 2026 through 2030 for the program and requires states to supplement rather than replace existing federal or state funding.

This resolution expresses House support for designating November as "Complex Regional Pain Syndrome and Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome Awareness Month." Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is a rare, poorly understood chronic pain disorder that typically affects limbs following trauma or surgery and disproportionately impacts women, particularly those over 50 years old. The condition has no FDA-approved treatment and poses significant diagnostic and access challenges for patients seeking specialized care. The resolution recognizes the need for increased awareness, improved early diagnosis, and accelerated research and drug development efforts—highlighting regulatory pathways like the FDA's Accelerated Approval Process that could help bring new treatments to patients with rare diseases like CRPS. This is a symbolic measure with no direct funding or enforcement mechanism, intended to raise public awareness and support ongoing efforts by organizations like the Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome Association to advance treatments and a potential cure.

New York-New Jersey Watershed Protection Act of 2025This bill establishes programs to restore and protect the New York-New Jersey Watershed. The watershed is composed of all land area the surface water of which drains into the New York-New Jersey Harbor, the waters contained within that land area, and associated estuaries.Specifically, the bill requires the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to establish the New York-New Jersey Watershed Restoration Program, a nonregulatory program, to coordinate restoration and protection activities among government entities and conservation partners throughout the watershed.The bill also establishes the New York-New Jersey Watershed Restoration Grant Program, a voluntary grant and technical assistance program, to provide competitive matching grants to certain entities to implement restoration and protection activities for the watershed. The federal government may not maintain ownership of any land acquired under the bill except for the purpose of promptly transferring ownership to grant recipients.The bill ceases to have force or effect on October 1, 2031.

The Indoor Air Quality and Healthy Schools Act of 2025 directs the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a comprehensive national program addressing indoor air quality in schools and childcare facilities. The bill requires the EPA to identify priority indoor air contaminants (such as particulate matter, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and radon), develop science-based voluntary guidelines with recommended concentration limits within five years, and create model building code standards for ventilation and filtration that states and localities can adopt. Building owners must develop air quality management plans following EPA best practices, and the EPA will administer or recognize certification programs rewarding facilities that improve air quality. The bill authorizes $100 million annually through 2030 to support these efforts, including a comprehensive national assessment of schools and childcare facilities to be completed within three years, with updates every five years and regular reports to Congress on air quality improvements and recommendations.

The Community Mental Wellness and Resilience Act of 2025 establishes a federal grant program to help communities build mental health and emotional resilience through prevention and public health approaches rather than just treating individual cases. The bill authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services to award planning grants up to $250,000 and program grants up to $500,000 per year for up to four years to community organizations that form local "resilience networks" composed of schools, nonprofits, faith groups, mental health professionals, businesses, and residents. These networks must use evidence-based practices to identify what protects or harms community mental health, build awareness and skills, and implement comprehensive plans addressing factors like social connections, economic conditions, trauma, and nonclinical recovery programs. The legislation sets aside 20 percent of funds for rural areas and authorizes $36 million total over fiscal years 2025 through 2029, with a congressional report on results due by the end of 2030.

Medicaid Bump Act This bill increases the Medicaid federal matching rate, also known as the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP), for behavioral health expenses that exceed prior levels (i.e., as of March 31, 2019). The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must specify which services are eligible for the increased FMAP. States must use funds to supplement state funding for programs in effect as of April 1, 2021, and to increase the capacity, efficiency, and quality of services.

Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act of 2025This bill removes the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services under Medicare.

The Offshore Energy Modernization Act of 2025 aims to accelerate offshore renewable energy development by setting national production targets of 30 gigawatts by 2030 and 50 gigawatts by 2035 for offshore wind, solar, wave, and tidal projects. The bill streamlines federal permitting timelines while requiring project labor agreements, domestic content standards for manufactured components, and meaningful consultation with Indian Tribes to protect their lands and cultural resources. To support this expansion, the legislation appropriates $95 million in fiscal 2026 to the Interior and Commerce Departments for staffing and environmental reviews, creates a new Offshore Power Administration with up to $10 billion in borrowing authority to build transmission infrastructure, and establishes a $100 million shipyard grant program to construct vessels for offshore wind operations. The bill also requires annual reporting beginning in 2027 and directs $10 million for transmission studies and $5 million for grid standards development. Throughout, the legislation emphasizes preserving fishing, boating, and Tribal cultural access to offshore areas outside of active construction periods.

Reentry Act of 2025This bill allows for Medicaid payment of medical services furnished to an incarcerated individual during the 30-day period preceding the individual's release. The Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Payment and Access Commission must report on specified information relating to the accessibility and quality of health care for incarcerated individuals, including the impact of the bill's changes.

This resolution supports the designation of Prader-Willi Syndrome Awareness Day. This is a rare genetic disorder that causes a variety of symptoms, including developmental delays and extreme appetite.