Sam Graves

Water Resources Development Act of 2026This bill authorizes and modifies certain water resource infrastructure projects and programs of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and makes related requirements. For example, the bill authorizes and modifies various water resources feasibility studies and projects of the Corps of Engineers, such as studies or projects tomaintain ports and harbors,make certain waterways more navigable,reduce flood and storm damage,restore aquatic ecosystems and protect fish and wildlife,protect shorelines,address harmful algal blooms,rehabilitate dams,manage recreational sites and facilities,support water supply and storage projects, andsupport other water resources infrastructure.The bill also directs the Corps of Engineers to establish an Office on Alternative Delivery Methods in order to accelerate project delivery of infrastructure. In addition, the bill directs the Corps of Engineers to issue a rule that establishes categorical permissions for certain harbor or river improvements that will cause only minimal adverse environmental effects.

Building Unrivaled Infrastructure and Long-term Development for America's 250th Act or the BUILD America 250 ActThis bill authorizes federal surface transportation (highway, public transportation, and rail) programs and activities through FY2031. The bill also establishes or modifies Department of Transportation (DOT) programs and policies that are a part of the federal-aid highway, transit, highway safety, motor carrier, research, hazardous materials, and rail programs. For example, the bill authorizes appropriations through FY2031 out of the Highway Trust Fund for the federal-aid highway program, the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) program, highway safety programs, and bridge programs. The bill also authorizes funding through FY2031 for Amtrak. Current authorization for these programs expires on September 30, 2026.Among other provisions, the billestablishes a Surface Transportation Accelerator Grant (STAG) discretionary program to fund surface transportation projects in rural, urban, local, and regional communities;requires the Federal Highway Administration to impose a new annual electric vehicle (EV) registration fee, starting at $130 for a covered EV and $35 for a covered plug-in hybrid vehicle;exempts automated driving system technology and equipment from vehicle width requirements;establishes a consolidated state block grant program that allows DOT to allocate a lump sum to participating states to fund public transportation services in rural and urbanized areas;allows state rail safety inspectors to conduct railroad bridge inspections; andestablishes a system for state, local, and tribal governments to report safety concerns about the condition of railroad bridges.

This House resolution recognizes and honors elementary and secondary school teachers for their contributions to the civic, cultural, and economic well-being of the United States. The resolution was introduced in May 2026 to coincide with National Teacher Appreciation Week, which runs from May 4 through May 8 of that year. The measure thanks teachers for their dedicated service and encourages students, parents, school administrators, and public officials to acknowledge and respect the teaching profession during this designated week. This is a symbolic resolution with no funding or binding requirements, as it simply expresses the House's appreciation for educators and calls for greater recognition of their important role in American society.

Airspace Location and Enhanced Risk Transparency Act of 2026 or the ALERT ActThis bill addresses aviation safety by increasing requirements for aircraft tracking and communication using Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) technology and expanding oversight. As background, ADS-B for broadcasting (Out) and receiving (In) transmits information (e.g., location and weather) among aircraft and air traffic control (ATC).The bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) to enter into an agreement regarding the use of collision prevention technologies on DOD aircraft. The agreement must require the use of ADS-B Out as the default practice for DOD helicopters operating in the national airspace, unless such use would affect operational security. For DOD helicopters that are carrying out special missions in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area and are exempt from ADS-B Out transmission requirements, DOD must coordinate with DOT to conduct a safety risk assessment and implement appropriate mitigations.By December 31, 2031, DOD aircraft (other than certain special mission aircraft) must be equipped with and operating integrated ADS-B In technology.With respect to civil aircraft, by December 31, 2031, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) must generally require aircraft that are currently required to be equipped with ADS-B Out to also be equipped with ADS-B In.Additionally, among other requirements, the FAA mustestablish time-on-position limits for supervisory ATC personnel;establish a process to timely notify parties involved in certain near-miss incidents; andevaluate and revise, as necessary, helicopter routes around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

The Protecting Small Businesses from Predatory Website Lawsuits Act amends the Americans with Disabilities Act to create a mandatory administrative process before individuals can sue private companies over website or mobile app accessibility violations. Under the bill, a person must first notify the business of the accessibility problem and give it 180 days to fix it, then file a complaint with the Department of Justice if it doesn't comply, and wait for the Attorney General to investigate within 360 days. Only after this administrative process is exhausted—and only if the Attorney General either finds a violation or fails to make a determination within the 360-day window—can the individual proceed with a civil lawsuit. The law applies to any website or mobile application that is publicly accessible for commercial purposes.

Aviation Funding Solvency ActThis bill provides continuing appropriations to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) if (1) an appropriations bill for the FAA has not been enacted before a fiscal year begins, or (2) a law making continuing appropriations for the FAA is not in effect.Specifically, the bill provides appropriations from the Aviation Insurance Revolving Fund at the rate of operations that was provided for the prior fiscal year to continue programs, projects, and activities that were funded in the preceding fiscal year. The FAA may use the balance of the fund, minus $1 billion. If the FAA determines that the amounts from the fund are insufficient to continue all programs, projects, or activities, then the FAA must prioritize compensation payments for employees of the Air Traffic Organization (e.g., air traffic controllers).The bill provides the appropriations until the date on which either (1) specified appropriations legislation for the fiscal year becomes law, or (2) a bill making continuing appropriations becomes law.Finally, the bill permanently extends the FAA Non-premium War Risk Insurance Program. This program provides aviation insurance without a premium to eligible air carriers at the request of the Department of Defense or another federal agency, provided that the agency agrees to indemnify the FAA from all losses covered under the insurance. Eligible air carriers include those whose operations are under a federal contract and are necessary for national security or to carry out U.S. foreign policy.

The Promoting Innovation in Pipeline Efficiency and Safety Act of 2025 is a comprehensive pipeline safety bill that authorizes $181–$207 million annually through 2029 for federal pipeline safety programs, plus additional funding from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund and new grant programs targeting aging natural gas infrastructure in rural and economically distressed communities. The bill extends federal safety regulations to carbon dioxide pipelines for the first time, establishes a voluntary information-sharing system to allow pipeline operators to confidentially report safety data without legal consequences, and requires improved industry standards reviews, excavation damage prevention practices, and coordination among federal agencies overseeing liquefied natural gas facilities. Additional provisions expand federal research funding for small academic institutions, establish a working group on natural gas pipeline pressure standards, and commission a comprehensive study of pipeline failure costs. These changes aim to modernize aging pipeline systems, improve safety coordination across federal agencies, and encourage industry-wide safety improvements while protecting both public safety and pipeline operators' legal interests.

The Rails to Trails Landowner Rights Act modifies how states, local governments, and private organizations can convert abandoned railroad corridors into recreational trails. The bill requires trail sponsors to obtain written approval from affected property owners before using the right-of-way, disclose the legal status of the occupancy, and compensate landowners at fair market value for any costs related to the interim trail use, including infrastructure relocation and lost development opportunities. The Surface Transportation Board must conduct a comprehensive 90-day public review and cost-benefit analysis examining impacts on safety, health, privacy, and local economies before approving any trails-to-trails project, with costs of the analysis borne by the trail sponsor rather than the federal government. The bill establishes an 11-member advisory committee—composed of six affected landowners, three rail carrier representatives, and two trail sponsors—to develop maintenance standards and report recommendations to Congress within two years. No new federal funding is created; instead, trail sponsors must demonstrate they have the financial resources to cover all associated costs and perpetual maintenance obligations.

Fixing Emergency Management for Americans Act of 2025 or the FEMA Act of 2025This bill reestablishes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) (currently within the Department of Homeland Security) as an independent, cabinet-level agency. It also makes broad changes to FEMA’s disaster and hazard mitigation assistance programs.The bill generally transfers FEMA’s current functions and authorities to the independent FEMA, except for certain security-related programs. The bill makes various changes to the Public Assistance program, including byestablishing new grants for expedited funding to repair or replace disaster-damaged facilities,establishing block grants that recipients may choose instead of Public Assistance for smaller disasters,expediting and expanding uses of funding for emergency response and debris removal, andallowing use of excess administrative funds for increasing recipients’ disaster management capacity. The bill makes various changes to the Individual Assistance program, including byexpanding eligibility for housing assistance,expanding mitigation and direct (non-financial) assistance for residences,reducing certain restrictions on funds duplicating program benefits, and establishing a unified disaster application system.The bill makes various changes to FEMA’s mitigation programs, including byestablishing mitigation plans with preapproved projects,authorizing an entire Hazard Mitigation Grant Program grant to be provided before costs are incurred,changing pre-disaster mitigation assistance to noncompetitive formula grants, and allowing recipients to combine mitigation project funds from multiple federal programs.Additionally, federal entities must publish various information relating to disaster assistance and conduct various studies on related topics (e.g., preliminary damage assessments, fast-moving disasters, and government emergency alerting systems).

The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025 comprehensively reforms and expands Coast Guard operations, leadership structure, and oversight requirements. The bill creates a new civilian "Secretary of the Coast Guard" position subject to Senate confirmation who would oversee all Coast Guard operations, while establishing new senior positions including a Chief Prosecutor and Inspector General, and requires extensive congressional reporting on everything from Arctic infrastructure projects to sexual assault prevention programs. The legislation significantly reduces required sea service time for merchant mariner credentials, expands Coast Guard presence in the Pacific region, and mandates numerous studies on topics ranging from unmanned aircraft systems to housing allowances for personnel in Alaska. Key provisions include strengthened "Buy American" requirements for new vessels, enhanced evidence retention policies for misconduct cases, and requirements for the Government Accountability Office to review Coast Guard reforms addressing sexual assault and harassment, with most reporting requirements and studies to be completed within 180 days to two years of enactment.

H.R. 3684, introduced June 3, 2025, aims to strengthen rural hospital finances and operations through increased Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements and greater operational flexibility. The bill eliminates Medicare budget cuts for rural hospitals, restores bad debt reimbursements to critical access hospitals, and permanently extends higher payment levels for low-volume and Medicare-dependent rural hospitals, while also adjusting wage-based payment formulas and enhancing payments for rural ambulance services and telehealth. Key operational changes include allowing states to waive the 35-mile distance rule for critical access hospital designations and eliminating the 96-hour length-of-stay requirement to help struggling rural facilities adapt. The bill also establishes two grant programs—new five-year Rural Health Transformation Grants and expanded FLEX grants through State Offices of Rural Health—to support rural providers in transitioning to new care models such as rural emergency hospitals, telehealth services, and integrated behavioral health care, with funds distributed equally among eligible rural hospitals and requiring local community and state payer support. This legislation directly affects rural healthcare providers and communities across the country that depend on these hospitals for essential medical services.

H.Res. 379 is a resolution recognizing the important contributions that elementary and secondary school teachers make to American civic, cultural, and economic well-being. The resolution thanks teachers for their dedication and service to students and communities, and encourages students, parents, school administrators, and public officials to acknowledge and support the teaching profession during National Teacher Appreciation Week (May 5-9, 2025). This is a symbolic measure with no direct funding or enforceable requirements—it simply expresses the House's recognition of teachers' value and aims to promote greater public respect for the teaching profession. The resolution was introduced by bipartisan sponsors and referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce.

The USPS SERVES US Act modernizes U.S. Postal Service regulations to improve service quality and long-term financial stability. The bill ties future postal rate increases to inflation minus 0.5% and limits rate changes to once per year, while imposing rate increase caps as penalties when the Postal Service fails to meet service performance targets. It also establishes a new Office of the Customer Advocate within the Postal Regulatory Commission to represent the public in postal proceedings and streamlines complaint procedures, including 25-day deadlines for filing motions and automatic dismissal authority. Additionally, the bill requires the Postal Service to forgo future rate increases when unlawful rates are found and mandates that the Commission develop an independent mail volume demand model and establish an investment committee to professionally manage USPS retiree health benefits funds, with annual audits and congressional reporting.

H.R. 2432 establishes a dedicated fund in the U.S. Treasury for the Southwestern Power Administration, consolidating various existing accounts into a single financial mechanism. The fund will collect all revenues from the agency's operations, including receipts from power sales and existing unexpended balances from prior appropriations, and make these amounts continuously available for spending on power transmission operations, maintenance, construction, marketing, and administrative expenses. This reorganization affects the Department of Energy and the Southwestern Power Administration, which markets electricity from federal hydroelectric facilities in the Southwest region. The bill does not specify new funding amounts but instead consolidates existing financial authorities, allowing the agency to spend accumulated revenues without needing annual Congressional appropriations, while requiring any excess funds to be returned to the Treasury annually. The legislation is intended to streamline the agency's financial management under authorities originally established in the 1944 Flood Control Act and the 2005 Energy Policy Act.

This resolution provides amounts for the expenses of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure for the 119th Congress.

Pony Up ActThis bill requires the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to pay a citizen for late payment fees or penalties incurred due to late delivery of mail by USPS.Late delivery of mail means that (1) USPS received a bill or notice of bill at least 12 days prior to the payment due date and delivered such bill or notice of bill less than 6 days prior to the payment due date; or (2) USPS received a payment at least 5 days prior to the payment due date and delivered such payment after the due date. USPS is not required to pay a citizen for late payment fees or penalties when a bill, notice of bill, or payment is delayed for reasons outside of USPS control (for example, if a major disaster or emergency declared by the President caused the delay).