Raul Ruiz

This bill addresses how Medicare Advantage insurance plans are funded in Puerto Rico by adjusting the benchmark payments used to calculate what the federal government pays these plans. Currently, Puerto Rico receives different geographic adjustment factors than the U.S. Virgin Islands, which the bill's sponsors argue creates unfair funding disparities. The legislation amends the Medicare formula to ensure that starting January 1, 2027, Puerto Rico receives the same geographic adjustment factor as the U.S. Virgin Islands when determining Medicare Advantage benchmark payments. The bill affects Medicare Advantage insurers operating in Puerto Rico and the approximately 600,000 Medicare beneficiaries on the island who rely on these plans. No specific funding amount is mentioned in the legislation, as it reallocates existing Medicare Advantage payment formulas rather than appropriating new funds.

This resolution expresses congressional support for designating October 1 as "National Latino and Latina Physician Day." The measure does not create any new programs or funding but rather symbolically endorses recognition of Latino and Latina physicians and the importance of increasing their representation in medicine. The resolution is based on the finding that Latino and Latina individuals currently represent only about 6.7 percent of U.S. physicians despite making up a growing share of the overall population, and that having physicians from the same cultural and linguistic background as patients improves health outcomes. The bill aims to raise awareness about the benefits of diversity in medicine and encourage more Latino and Latina individuals to pursue medical careers, particularly as the Latino and Latina population is projected to grow to over one-quarter of all Americans by 2050.

This resolution expresses support for designating October as "National Promotoras Month" to recognize community health workers who serve as cultural and health bridges in underserved communities. Promotoras, often women-led multilingual workers, provide health education, disease prevention, and support services to historically marginalized populations including rural communities, immigrant and refugee groups, Tribal nations, and agricultural workers. The resolution acknowledges that despite their proven effectiveness in reducing emergency room visits, improving chronic disease management, and saving money on healthcare costs, promotoras remain underrecognized and undercompensated with inconsistent training and limited professional development. The House commits to supporting stronger policies for the promotora workforce, including sustainable funding and equitable compensation, and encourages collaboration between federal agencies, states, and community organizations to expand these programs. This resolution carries no direct federal funding or implementation timeline but aims to raise awareness and advance future policy support for this workforce.

# H.R. 9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026 — Summary The Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026 is a comprehensive federal health care and public health reform bill addressing racial and ethnic health disparities through data collection, workforce diversity, service accessibility, and expanded coverage for vulnerable populations. The legislation establishes mandatory demographic data collection across federal health programs disaggregated by race, ethnicity, language, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status, and socioeconomic status, requiring culturally and linguistically appropriate services in all federally funded health settings. The bill expands health insurance eligibility for immigrants, pregnant and postpartum individuals, and low-income Medicare beneficiaries; establishes federal requirements for language access services across federal agencies with $5 million annually designated for a new Center for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Health Care; and creates numerous workforce diversity initiatives including scholarships, loan repayment programs, and training grants targeting underrepresented groups in health professions, with particular focus on maternal health, mental health, and specialty care providers serving rural and underserved communities. The legislation authorizes substantial funding—including $300 million annually for school-based mental health services, $200 million for border health grants, and multiple grant programs addressing maternal mortality, preventive health initiatives, and environmental health disparities—while establishing new Medicare and Medicaid coverage for dental care, HIV prevention services, obesity treatment, and peripheral artery disease screening, and includes enforcement mechanisms allowing individuals to sue for health care discrimination with penalties up to $1 million for providers.

The Developing the Community Health Workforce Act of 2026 aims to strengthen healthcare access in rural and underserved communities by improving recruitment, training, and retention of health center workers. The bill creates several programs including loan repayment grants for health professionals at federally qualified health centers, workforce development grants to help health centers recruit and train staff, and new partnerships between colleges and health centers to train students in health professions. It also expands graduate medical education opportunities by allowing federally qualified health centers to partner with hospitals on residency training programs and increases Medicare support for such programs. Additionally, the bill expands the services that federally qualified health centers can provide by adding behavioral health specialists and case managers, effective October 1, 2025. The legislation does not specify total funding amounts but requires the Department of Labor to revise apprenticeship regulations within 180 days and the Department of Health and Human Services to issue guidance on Medicaid payments by October 1, 2025.

The Homegrown Defense Act of 2026 requires the Department of Defense Inspector General to conduct regular audits of the Pentagon's compliance with federal requirements for sourcing food domestically. Starting within 90 days of the bill's enactment, the Inspector General must perform these audits on a quarterly basis going forward, examining the Defense Department's procurement practices for items covered under existing federal law regarding domestic food supply chains. Within 60 days of completing each audit, the Inspector General must report the findings to the Armed Services Committees in both the House and Senate. This legislation aims to increase transparency and accountability regarding whether the Defense Department is meeting its obligations to prioritize American-sourced food products in its supply chain operations. The bill does not authorize new spending, as it primarily creates oversight and reporting requirements using existing inspectors general authority.

This bill creates a new federal program to compensate farmers who grow perishable crops such as fresh vegetables and fruits when imports drive down domestic prices. Starting in 2027, the Department of Agriculture will make annual payments to eligible producers in regions with seasonal crops if the national market price falls below a reference price that is based on the average price from the previous three years, but only when imports are determined to be the cause of the price decline. Payments are calculated by multiplying the difference between the reference price and actual market price by the producer's average production over the previous three years. To qualify, farmers must have an average adjusted gross income below five million dollars over the prior three years or derive at least seventy-five percent of their income from farming activities. The program applies to fresh specialty crops including vegetables, melons, berries, and tree fruits that are normally sold within eight weeks of harvest.

The Earn it First Act of 2026 prohibits a sitting President or anyone acting on the President's behalf from naming or designating public buildings after that President while in office. The law applies to any federal building administered by a government agency as well as any building or facility operated by organizations that receive federal funding. This restriction remains in effect for the duration of the President's term. The bill effectively requires that a President wait until after leaving office before public facilities can be named in their honor. No funding or implementation timeline is specified in the legislation.

This bill establishes a uniform definition of "rural area" across all U.S. Department of Agriculture rural development programs to replace the current patchwork of different definitions. The legislation simplifies the existing definition by changing references from "urbanized" to "urban" areas and streamlines several complicated eligibility categories. The bill also expands the Secretary of Agriculture's authority to designate certain communities as rural areas despite their location within urban regions if they demonstrate persistent poverty (at least 20 percent of residents below the poverty line across three decennial censuses), high concentrations of farmworker households, or significant infrastructure gaps in water, wastewater, or electricity services. Additionally, small settlements surrounded by urban areas but lacking urban services and having poverty rates of at least 20 percent, including tribal lands and farmworker communities, can be designated as rural areas. The changes take effect 180 days after enactment, and any rural designations made before that date are protected from change until 2030 census data becomes available, ensuring communities don't lose eligibility for rural development programs.

The National Food as Medicine Program Act of 2026 establishes federal programs to help states create or expand initiatives that provide nutritious food as medical treatment for chronic diseases and food insecurity. The bill creates a grant program through which the Department of Health and Human Services awards funding to states to develop these programs using Medicaid waivers, with priority given to states that partner with healthcare providers and local or regional farms using sustainable farming methods such as organic or regenerative agriculture. States receiving grants must report results within three years, tracking health outcomes like hospital admissions, emergency room visits, and medication use among participants. The Department of Agriculture will also provide technical assistance to farmers, particularly beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers, to help them connect with healthcare providers participating in these programs. Within one year of the law's enactment, the Department of Health and Human Services must issue guidance to states on implementing these programs, including recommendations on patient eligibility, food procurement standards, and healthcare provider training.

This bill would require Medicare and Medicaid to cover food and nutrition services as a new benefit for beneficiaries. For Medicare, the government would pay 80 percent of the cost of these services, with beneficiaries responsible for the remaining 20 percent, similar to other covered medical services. For Medicaid, food and nutrition services would become a mandatory benefit that all state Medicaid programs must offer. The specific requirements and standards for what qualifies as covered food and nutrition services would be determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Both changes would take effect 180 days after the bill is enacted into law.

This resolution designates August 24 through August 28, 2026, as the fourth annual National Community Health Worker Awareness Week. Community health workers are frontline public health professionals who serve as trusted liaisons between their communities and health and social services, helping improve access to care and building community capacity for better health outcomes. The resolution recognizes these workers, who are known by various titles including community health representatives and promotores de salud, for their documented effectiveness in addressing maternal and child health, chronic disease, immunization, and other health areas across the United States. The House resolution encourages collaboration at local, state, and federal levels to raise awareness of community health workers' contributions and supports sustainable funding to ensure fair wages and workforce stability. No federal funding or implementation timeline is required since this is a ceremonial resolution expressing congressional support for recognizing this workforce.

H.R. 8152 makes a technical amendment to the Agricultural Adjustment Act regarding how dates intended for processing are treated under federal marketing orders. The bill, introduced by Mr. Ruiz on March 27, 2026, modifies Section 8e(a) of the act to explicitly include dates for processing within the scope of marketing order regulations, rather than excluding them as the law currently does. This change affects date producers and processors who operate under USDA marketing orders, which set standards and requirements for how certain agricultural products are marketed. The bill contains no specified funding or implementation timeline beyond its introduction date. The legislation was referred to both the House Agriculture Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee for consideration.

Helping Educators Respond to Overdoses Act or the HERO ActThis bill establishes a grant program to provide schools with opioid overdose reversal drugs and requires reporting related to the distribution of such drugs.First, the bill requires the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to award competitive grants to eligible entities for (1) purchasing approved opioid overdose reversal drugs; and (2) developing and implementing educational programming or resources to promote student and community knowledge of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, drug-use prevention and intervention, and emergency responses to drug overdoses. Eligible entities include private elementary and secondary schools, local educational agencies (LEAs), charter schools that are LEAs, and consortia of LEAs.Second, the bill requires a covered educational institution (i.e., a private school, LEA, or charter school that is an LEA) that receives federal funds to submit a description of any distribution of an opioid overdose reversal drug by such institution to the National Emergency Medical Services Information System and the Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program of the Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.

Vote Without Fear Act This bill establishes new federal criminal offenses for possessing a firearm or causing a firearm to be present in or within 100 yards of a federal election site.

H.R. 7473 modifies federal tax credits to encourage domestic production of battery components and critical minerals used in electric vehicle and energy storage batteries. The bill increases the advanced manufacturing tax credit for electrode active materials from 10 percent to 25 percent, expands the definition of qualifying battery materials to include precursor materials and solid-state electrolytes, and adds silicon to the list of critical minerals eligible for the credit. The legislation also restricts credits for components containing critical minerals sourced from prohibited foreign entities after 2026 and extends the phaseout schedule for critical minerals credits, delaying reductions until 2041-2044 instead of 2030-2033. These changes take effect for battery components produced and sold after December 31, 2026, and are intended to boost domestic battery manufacturing and reduce dependence on foreign supply chains for critical mineral processing.

This bill requires the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to establish comprehensive health and humanitarian standards for all individuals in their custody, beginning with medical screenings by licensed professionals within 6 to 12 hours of arrival that assess for acute illness, mental health issues, and age-specific vulnerabilities. The legislation mandates basic living conditions including at least one gallon of daily drinking water, adequate sanitation and bathing facilities, three meals meeting calorie requirements, proper temperature control, and outdoor access for those held over 48 hours, along with gender-separated detention and video monitoring. To ensure compliance, the Department of Homeland Security's Inspector General must conduct unannounced facility inspections and report findings to Congress, while the Government Accountability Office must study implementation and submit findings within one year of enactment. The bill also requires DHS to publicly release quarterly data on sexual abuse complaints within 90 days, maintaining victim privacy. These requirements do not override existing 72-hour detention limits, sexual abuse prevention standards, or staff background check requirements already in place.

H.R. 7047 expands and makes permanent federal healthcare programs for homeless veterans by broadening eligibility requirements and removing sunset provisions that would otherwise expire these programs. The bill specifically amends Veterans Affairs law to include additional veteran populations in the Health Care for Homeless Veterans program and eliminates time limits on related support services. The legislation affects homeless and at-risk veterans nationwide who seek VA healthcare and assistance with housing and other services. No specific funding amounts or implementation timelines are specified in the bill text, as it primarily focuses on making existing programs permanent and expanding who qualifies for them rather than appropriating new money.

H.J.Res. 138 is a symbolic resolution expressing Congress's support for designating the second Saturday of January as "National Desert Day." The bill asks the President to issue a proclamation encouraging Americans to observe the day through programs, ceremonies, and educational activities. The resolution highlights the ecological importance of the nation's four major deserts—the Mojave, Sonoran, Chihuahuan, and Great Basin—and their unique biodiversity, particularly as critical habitats for migrating birds and home to species found nowhere else. Congress commits through this resolution to advocate for desert conservation by reducing invasive plant species and supporting efforts to educate the public about desert ecosystems. This is a ceremonial measure with no direct funding or implementation requirements; it simply expresses the will of Congress to raise awareness about desert protection and environmental conservation.

Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers ActThis bill modifies certain adjustments to payment amounts under the Medicare physician fee schedule.Payment amounts under the Medicare physician fee schedule are based on a service's relative value, a conversion factor, and a geographic adjustment factor. Current law provides for separate conversion factors for physicians that are qualifying participants in advanced alternative payment models (also known as qualifying APM participants) and for other physicians beginning in 2026, with an annual update of 0.75% and 0.25%, respectively.The bill replaces the separate conversion factors for qualifying APM participants and other physicians with a single conversion factor and provides for an update that is equal to the annual percentage increase in the Medicare Economic Index, beginning in 2026. (The Medicare Economic Index is a specialized index that is generally used to determine allowed charges for physician services based on annual price changes.)

Tribal Internet Expansion Act of 2025This bill extends to Indian country (i.e., all lands within a tribal reservation, dependent Indian communities, and tribal allotments) and areas with high populations of Indians the universal service principle that telecommunications and information services in rural, insular, and high-cost areas should be available at rates that are reasonably comparable to urban areas.

The Children's Act for Responsible Employment and Farm Safety (CARE Act) strengthens federal child labor protections, primarily targeting agricultural work where hundreds of thousands of children under 18 currently work under hazardous conditions. The bill eliminates special exemptions that have historically allowed children to work in agriculture at younger ages and under more dangerous conditions than permitted in other industries, raising the minimum age for non-family farm agricultural work and prohibiting children under 18 from handling pesticides. It significantly increases civil penalties for child labor violations—ranging from $500-$15,000 per employee and $15,000-$60,115 for violations causing serious injury, illness, or death—and creates new criminal penalties of up to five years imprisonment for repeated or willful violations resulting in death or serious harm to young workers. The bill also establishes new employer reporting requirements, mandating that agricultural employers report work-related serious injuries, illnesses, or deaths of workers under 18 within five days, and requires the Secretary of Labor to submit annual reports to Congress on child labor incidents and safety hazards in agriculture. Implementation rules must be finalized within six months of the bill's enactment, with employer reporting requirements taking effect either when those rules are issued or six months after passage, whichever comes first.

Home Energy Assistance in Times of Shutdown Act or the HEATS ActThis bill provides appropriations for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) during any period in which there is a lapse in discretionary appropriations for any fiscal year (i.e., a government shutdown). Under LIHEAP, the federal government makes annual grants to states, tribes, and territories to operate home energy assistance programs for low-income households. The bill provides appropriations for LIHEAP payments to continue during a government shutdown.

The Tribal Housing Continuity Act provides $1.6 billion in emergency funding to keep tribal housing programs running during federal budget lapses when discretionary appropriations expire. The bill specifically protects housing assistance for Native Americans and Alaska Natives by ensuring the Department of Housing and Urban Development can continue processing funding requests, issuing notices of opportunities, processing loan guarantees, and administering housing programs authorized under the 1996 Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act. This funding affects tribal governments and Native communities that depend on federal housing support, since these communities cannot access housing assistance from state or local governments like other Americans can. The bill recognizes the federal government's trust responsibility to tribal nations and requires the Housing Secretary to report to Congress within 90 days after any budget lapse begins on how the emergency funds were used.

The Special Diabetes Program for Indians Reauthorization Act of 2025 extends federal funding for a diabetes prevention and treatment program serving Native American communities. The bill allocates $160 million annually for fiscal years 2026 through 2030, with funds remaining available until spent, to continue health services that address the disproportionately high rates of diabetes among American Indian and Alaska Native populations. This reauthorization ensures that tribal health programs and Indian health organizations can continue providing diabetes screening, education, and clinical care without a lapse in federal support. The legislation was introduced by Representatives Ruiz, Obernolte, and DeGette and was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce for consideration.