The Read for Reentry Act of 2026 requires the Government Accountability Office to study prison libraries across the United States within one year of the bill's enactment. The study will examine what library services are available in state and federal prisons, how they are funded, and who uses them by collecting demographic data on incarcerated individuals including age, race, education level, and length of sentence. The research will also analyze whether prison libraries help reduce recidivism rates, improve parole compliance, support workforce placement after release, and reduce disciplinary problems among inmates. The bill directly affects incarcerated individuals in state and federal prisons that offer library services, as well as correctional institutions themselves. This legislation aims to gather evidence about whether prison libraries contribute to successful reentry into society and rehabilitation.

The EXCLAVE Act of 2026 requires federal agencies to consult with residents of pene-exclaves, which are regions of U.S. states or territories that can only be reached by land through foreign countries, when writing new rules that would create unique hardships for those residents. A unique burden is defined as anything that hinders residents' ability to cross the U.S. border, access emergency services, veterinary care, food, health care, or conduct business. When an agency proposes a rule that would impose such a burden, it must hold a public meeting exclusively for pene-exclave residents within 30 days, provide advance notice to state and local officials, and publish all comments and meeting minutes in the Federal Register within 60 days. The final rule must include the agency's response to each comment received from pene-exclave residents. Within 90 days of the law's enactment, the Office of Management and Budget must create and maintain a list of all pene-exclaves in the country and contact information for relevant government officials.

This bill establishes a federal grant program to help law enforcement agencies combat opioid trafficking, particularly fentanyl distribution. The grants, administered by the Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, would be available to states, local governments, Indian tribes, and multi-jurisdictional task forces to hire officers, establish or expand task forces, purchase equipment and technology, and conduct related enforcement activities. At least 20 percent of grant funding must be reserved specifically for Indian tribal law enforcement and multi-jurisdictional task forces, with priority given to applicants establishing or expanding task forces across jurisdictions. The bill authorizes $70 million annually for fiscal years 2027 through 2031, and requires the COPS Director to provide technical assistance and submit annual reports to Congress beginning two years after the program's implementation.

H.R. 8447, the Protecting America from Seasonal and Pandemic Influenza Act of 2026, strengthens the nation's flu and pandemic preparedness through vaccine development, supply chain improvements, and expanded public access to treatments. The bill sets ambitious timelines to deliver pandemic influenza vaccines within 12 weeks of a strain emerging and to develop a universal influenza vaccine within 10 years, while directing the Department of Health and Human Services to establish public-private partnerships strengthening domestic vaccine manufacturing. To increase vaccination rates and treatment access, the bill requires federal initiatives to combat vaccine misinformation, expand test-to-treat programs in vulnerable communities, and ensure adequate stockpiling and distribution of antivirals and diagnostics for high-risk populations and healthcare workers. The legislation authorizes $335 million annually through fiscal year 2031 for pandemic preparedness activities, plus approximately $3.45 billion annually beginning in fiscal year 2027 for related federal health agency programs including vaccine research, disease surveillance, and hospital preparedness. The bill also creates a streamlined budget process allowing the CDC, NIH, and other health agencies to submit pandemic preparedness requests directly to the President for congressional designation outside normal budget constraints.

This bill requires the Department of Defense to update its mandatory annual cybersecurity training for all military members and civilian employees to include instruction on artificial intelligence-related cybersecurity threats. The Defense Department's Chief Information Officer must incorporate content addressing the unique security challenges posed by AI use within one year of the bill's enactment. The legislation affects hundreds of thousands of military personnel and civilian defense workers who undergo regular cybersecurity training. No specific funding amount is mentioned in the bill text, though implementation would occur through existing Department of Defense training infrastructure and budgets.

The VA Transit Act directs the Department of Transportation to create a five-year pilot program awarding grants to improve public transportation specifically for veterans. The program will fund projects in rural areas and smaller cities (under 200,000 people) that connect veterans to VA facilities and veteran-serving organizations, with the Secretary of Transportation required to establish it within one year and ensure grants are distributed fairly across geographic regions, including rural and tribal communities. Eligible recipients include state and local governments as well as tribal entities, which can apply by describing their proposed services, frequency of operations, veteran outreach plans, and capacity to execute the project. The program requires grant recipients to publicize services to veterans and submit detailed reports after five years measuring ridership changes, accessibility improvements, and whether more veterans are accessing services. Finally, the Transportation Secretary must submit a comprehensive report to Congress within six months of receiving these evaluations to assess the pilot program's overall results.

The Transportation Assistance for Olympic and World Cup Cities Act of 2025 provides federal funding to help cities prepare transportation infrastructure for hosting major international sporting events, including the Olympics, Paralympics, and FIFA World Cups. The bill creates a grant program that allocates up to $10 million per host city annually, with a total authorized appropriation of $50 million per fiscal year, to support transportation projects within 100 miles of event venues. Eligible recipients include state and local governments, tribal nations, metropolitan planning organizations, and airport and rail operators that either host the event or support host cities. The funding covers transportation improvements aimed at moving people and goods during the events and mitigating adverse transportation effects, but excludes temporary infrastructure and bid-preparation costs. Technical and planning assistance will also be provided by the Department of Transportation, and support is available for five years before and 30 days after each covered event.

The Patients Over Paperwork Act of 2025 would repeal a provision from a previous law that changed how states handle Medicaid eligibility reviews. Specifically, the bill would reverse Section 71107 of Public Law 119–21, restoring Medicaid eligibility redetermination rules to their prior status. The legislation affects millions of Medicaid beneficiaries and state health programs that administer Medicaid benefits. The bill contains no specified funding or implementation timeline beyond the repeal itself. By reversing the earlier change, the bill aims to reduce administrative burdens on Medicaid recipients during the process of verifying their continued eligibility for coverage.

The Veteran Families Health Services Act of 2025 expands military and veterans' healthcare to include comprehensive fertility and adoption assistance services. The bill requires the Department of Defense to provide active-duty service members with fertility treatments, counseling, and reproductive material preservation, while the Department of Veterans Affairs must cover these same services for eligible veterans and their spouses, partners, and surrogates—including up to three in vitro fertilization cycles with unlimited embryo transfers, artificial insemination, genetic testing, and adoption assistance. These benefits apply regardless of marital status, gender identity, or sexual orientation, and the two departments must coordinate to ensure service members transitioning from active duty to veteran status experience no gaps in fertility care. The VA and DoD must issue implementing regulations within two years and conduct research into reproductive health care for veterans, though no specific funding amount is provided in the bill summaries.

Protection for Reservation Occupants against Trafficking and Evasive Communications Today Act of 2025 or the PROTECT Act of 2025This bill expands special tribal criminal jurisdiction (STCJ) to include certain controlled substance-related offenses and firearms offenses. It also allows tribal courts to execute warrants for electronic material.STCJ allows participating tribes to investigate, prosecute, convict, and sentence both Indian and non-Indian offenders who commit covered crimes in Indian country against Indian victims. Covered crimes currently include assault of tribal justice personnel, child violence, dating violence, domestic violence, obstruction of justice, sexual violence, sex trafficking, stalking, and a violation of a protection order.The bill expands STCJ to allow participating tribes to prosecute individuals for controlled substance-related offenses (i.e., drug trafficking, unlawful drug possession, or unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia) and firearms offenses (i.e., use or possession of a firearm in furtherance of a covered crime or by a person who has been convicted of domestic violence).Additionally, the bill allows participating tribes to exercise STCJ over a controlled substance-related offense or a firearms offense if neither the defendant nor the alleged victim is an Indian. (Currently, this exception only applies in cases of obstruction of justice or assault of tribal justice personnel.)The bill allows offenders convicted pursuant to STCJ to be incarcerated through the Bureau of Prisons Tribal Prisoner Program.The bill gives tribal courts the same authority as state courts to compel service providers to disclose stored electronic communication information through court-issued warrants, court orders, or administrative subpoenas.

H.R. 3477 requires major U.S. airlines to develop and regularly update operational resiliency plans designed to prevent or minimize flight delays and cancellations caused by severe weather, technology failures, staffing shortages, and cybersecurity threats. Within one year of the bill's enactment, the Secretary of Transportation must mandate that covered airlines submit these strategies, which must address how the carriers will protect passenger service during disruptions and ensure their crew scheduling systems and IT infrastructure can withstand emergencies. The bill protects airlines' trade secrets while allowing the Department of Transportation to provide guidance, and it directs the Government Accountability Office to audit the effectiveness of these plans three years after enactment and report findings to Congress within four years total. No new funding amounts are specified in the legislation, and the requirements apply to carriers already regulated under existing federal aviation rules.

Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2025This bill revises and reauthorizes for seven years the Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative and its Northwest Straits Advisory Commission. The initiative and the commission work to protect and restore marine waters, habitats, and species of the Northwest Straits region (i.e., the waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and of Puget Sound from the Canadian border to the south end of Snohomish County in Washington state).Among other duties, the commission must provide resources and technical support for marine resources committees, develop scientifically sound restoration and protection recommendations, and serve as a public forum for informal policy discussions about the marine ecosystem of the Northwest Straits region.