Steve Cohen

This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment that would eliminate the Electoral College and replace it with direct popular vote election of the President and Vice President. Under the proposed change, voters nationwide would each cast a single vote for a presidential and vice presidential ticket, and the pair receiving the most votes would win the election. Congress would have the authority to establish procedures through legislation to handle candidate deaths or disqualifications before Election Day and to resolve tied elections. The amendment would take effect one year after the first January 1st following ratification by three-fourths of the states, a requirement for all constitutional amendments. This proposal represents a fundamental change to how Americans elect their president and would require support from two-thirds of both the House and Senate before being sent to the states for ratification.

This bill creates a federal grant program to encourage states to adopt two police reform measures. First, it requires states receiving grants to implement annual fair and impartial policing training for all law enforcement officers and academy recruits, with at least eight hours of initial training covering topics like implicit bias, de-escalation tactics, and crisis intervention, followed by four hours annually thereafter. Second, it requires states to have enacted laws establishing independent investigation and prosecution of police officers' use of deadly force, with acceptable methods including civilian review boards, state attorney general oversight, special prosecutors, or inter-agency agreements. States have 240 days from enactment to comply with the training requirements, with a possible 120-day extension if making good faith efforts. Once a state achieves compliance, it must maintain it to remain eligible for grants in subsequent years, and the Department of Justice Inspector General will audit participating states to ensure compliance. The bill does not specify the amount of grant funding available.

H.Res. 1575 was introduced on September 24, 2026 by Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-9) with no cosponsors. The text for this legislation has not yet been released. A summary will be generated when there is text available.

The Fair Fees Act requires airlines and ticket agents to provide full cash refunds to passengers when flights are cancelled, significantly delayed, or substantially changed, unless passengers accept an alternative flight or compensation offer. Significant delays are defined as arrivals at least three hours late for domestic flights or six hours late for international flights. Airlines must issue refunds within seven business days for credit card purchases or within 20 days for cash purchases, and passengers can request refunds by rejecting the delayed or changed flight or by simply not responding to airline offers by the departure time. The bill also requires airlines to give passengers at least 48 hours notice to cancel tickets and receive full refunds, and mandates that any vouchers or credits offered as alternatives to refunds have no expiration dates. The rules apply to airlines with annual operating revenues exceeding $1.5 billion (adjusted annually for inflation beginning in 2028) and all foreign airlines operating flights to or from the United States, with the Department of Transportation required to issue implementing regulations within one year.

The FAIR Fees Act of 2026 would require the Department of Transportation to establish regulations prohibiting airlines from charging fees that are unreasonable or disproportionate to their actual costs. The bill covers a broad range of airline fees, including charges for changing or canceling reservations, baggage handling, seat selection, and priority boarding. The Secretary of Transportation must develop and publish these standards within 270 days of the law's enactment and update them every three years, with special consideration for allowing families with children under 13 to sit together without extra charges. The bill applies to all airlines holding federal air carrier certificates and affects millions of U.S. airline passengers who currently pay these fees. No specific funding amount is allocated in the legislation, though implementation would be handled by existing Transportation Department resources.

The Medical Bankruptcy Fairness Act of 2026 would amend federal bankruptcy law to provide special protections for people whose debt is primarily caused by medical expenses or medical-related job loss. The bill defines a "medically distressed debtor" as someone who incurred more than 10 percent of their annual income in unpaid medical debt within the past three years, or who lost income due to their own illness or caring for a sick family member. Medically distressed debtors would receive several benefits, including higher property exemptions up to $250,000 for their homes, waiver of certain bankruptcy filing requirements, exemption from mandatory credit counseling, and easier access to student loan forgiveness. Additionally, their bankruptcy records would be excluded from consumer credit reports, helping protect their future creditworthiness. The bill would take effect upon enactment and apply only to bankruptcy cases filed after that date.

The Latonya Reeves Freedom Act of 2026 creates a federal requirement that states and long-term care providers offer community-based services to people with disabilities who would otherwise face institutional placement, enforcing the Supreme Court's *Olmstead* decision and giving individuals maximum choice and control over their care. Community-based settings are defined as integrated environments—including people's own homes, apartments, or small group residences of up to four unrelated individuals—where people can maintain independence and personal choice. The Department of Justice will enforce the law while the Department of Health and Human Services will review state transition plans and coordinate federal compliance; affected entities must complete self-evaluations within 36 months and develop transition plans within 54 months with concrete annual targets to move people from institutions to community settings over a 12-year period. The Attorney General must issue implementing regulations within 2 years that specify how providers must offer daily assistance, support self-directed care, help discharge people from institutions, and establish grievance procedures. States and providers that submit inadequate transition plans will have 90 days to revise them, and all covered entities must designate compliance coordinators and submit annual progress reports.

This bill amends the Controlled Substances Act to update how the federal government classifies and regulates drugs by incorporating modern medical and scientific understanding. The legislation adds detailed definitions for key terms like "accepted medical use," "dependence liability," "abuse," and "misuse" to replace outdated language and reflect current medical practices. It also clarifies that the Attorney General must defer to the Secretary of Health and Human Services' scientific evaluation when deciding whether to add, remove, or reclassify drugs, and requires that scheduling decisions consider both potential harms and benefits to society while preserving legitimate medical access. The bill affects pharmaceutical companies, medical researchers, healthcare practitioners, and regulatory agencies like the FDA and DEA. No specific funding or implementation timeline is included in the text provided.

This resolution proposes impeaching Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. on six grounds: allegedly allowing the Supreme Court to become politicized by selectively applying voting procedure rules to favor Republicans, undermining voting rights protections in ways that entrench minority rule, dismantling campaign finance restrictions that protect against wealthy influence, granting former presidents absolute immunity from criminal prosecution, expanding use of unexplained emergency orders, and failing to recuse himself despite his spouse earning over $10 million in fees from law firms with cases before the Court. The resolution does not establish any funding or implementation timeline, as impeachment resolutions are formal charges requiring a House vote to impeach and a subsequent Senate trial for conviction and removal. If passed by the House, the charges would go to the Senate, where a two-thirds majority would be required to remove the Chief Justice from office. This is a highly unusual action, as impeachment of federal judges is rare and no Supreme Court justice has ever been removed through impeachment.

H.R. 8215, the Volume II Transparency Act of 2026, directs the Attorney General to publicly release volume II of the report prepared by Special Counsel Jack Smith on the Department of Justice's website within seven days of the bill's enactment. The legislation allows the Attorney General to redact certain sensitive information, including the names and identifying details of witnesses who did not participate in criminal activity, victims of crimes, and information that could harm national security. However, the Attorney General may choose to make public any national security-related redactions if deemed to be in the public interest. This bill affects the Department of Justice and would impact public access to the special counsel's investigative report, with no specific funding requirements mentioned in the legislation.

This House resolution condemns and censures President Donald Trump for reposting a video on February 5, 2026, that contained false claims about voter fraud in the 2020 election and depicted former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama as primates—a well-documented racist trope. The resolution, introduced by Representatives Cohen, Kennedy, Watson Coleman, and Green, argues that the post violated the President's oath to uphold the Constitution and notes that the image faced bipartisan criticism, including objections from Republican Senator Tim Scott, before the White House removed it hours later. The resolution calls on President Trump to apologize for the post and states that his refusal to do so and claims that a staff member posted it without his full review do not excuse the offensive content. Unlike legislation, this resolution carries no funding requirements or implementation timeline; it is a formal statement of congressional disapproval intended to place the President's actions on record.

The Stop Underrides Act 2.0 aims to reduce deaths and injuries from underride crashes, which occur when smaller vehicles or motorcyclists slide underneath large trucks or trailers. The bill requires the Department of Transportation to finalize safety regulations within 18 months mandating side underride guards on new trailers, semitrailers, and single unit trucks, with full compliance required within two years of the rule's finalization. The legislation also reestablishes and expands an advisory committee on underride protection, requiring it to meet monthly until regulations are finalized, and directs the creation of a public website with underride research and victim stories. Additionally, the bill requires studies by the National Academies of Sciences and the Government Accountability Office on front-end truck crashes and rear guard implementation, along with improved law enforcement training to better identify and document underride crashes. Since its creation over 50 years ago, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has documented over 25,000 underride crashes resulting in approximately 31,500 fatalities, prompting this legislative action.

This bill requires federal law enforcement agencies to establish standardized procedures for investigating whenever their officers use deadly force and to share all evidence with state and local authorities. It tasks federal inspectors general with independently reviewing these investigations to ensure they are thorough and follow established protocols, and mandates that any wrongdoing be reported for disciplinary action or prosecution. The Council of Inspectors General must develop uniform guidelines across all federal agencies for investigating deadly force incidents and submit detailed quarterly reports to Congress and the Comptroller General that include data on each incident, such as the date, location, type of force used, and demographic information about both the officer and person involved—though the reports will not publicly disclose the identities of individuals involved. The bill essentially creates a centralized system for tracking and investigating deadly force by federal law enforcement while protecting the privacy of all parties involved.

The Home Lead Safety Tax Credit Act creates a federal tax credit to help homeowners pay for removing lead hazards from homes built before 1978. Under the bill, taxpayers can claim a credit equal to 50 percent of their lead removal costs, with a maximum credit of $3,000 per year for full abatement measures (like removing lead paint or pipes) or $1,000 per year for less intensive interim control measures, capped at a cumulative $4,000 per home. Eligible costs include professional lead assessments, abatement work by certified contractors, interim control measures, cleanup and testing, and relocation expenses for occupants during the work. The legislation is aimed at addressing lead exposure in the approximately 22 million U.S. homes with lead hazards, particularly to protect children from the serious health effects of lead poisoning. The tax credit is temporary and expires on December 31, 2028, with the credit amounts adjusted annually for inflation starting in 2026.

The Community Development Block Grant Equity Act of 2025 changes how the federal government distributes community development funding to cities, counties, and states. Currently, these grants are allocated based on a complex formula, but this bill revises that formula to emphasize four key factors: poverty rates, female-headed households with children, older housing in poor condition, and overcrowded housing. The bill weighs poverty rates and older housing as more important factors in determining funding allocations. The legislation authorizes $3.425 billion for fiscal year 2026 and continues funding through 2029, with automatic annual adjustments for inflation. This change primarily affects metropolitan cities, urban counties, and state governments that receive Community Development Block Grants to fund affordable housing, infrastructure, and neighborhood revitalization projects.

This bill requires the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to significantly increase public participation in its planning processes by establishing a new Office of Public Participation and implementing more transparent integrated resource planning procedures. The TVA would need to create a formal public engagement process within one year of the bill's enactment, including opportunities for public comments, testimony, and evidentiary hearings, with the comment period beginning at least 100 days before a draft plan is released. The bill also requires the TVA Board to oversee these planning processes directly, share modeling assumptions publicly before releasing draft plans, and explain how public input shaped final decisions. Additionally, the legislation expands the TVA's planning requirements to consider resilience, extreme weather risk, and public health impacts alongside traditional cost factors. The changes affect anyone served by the TVA or interested in its energy decisions, though no new federal funding is specified in the legislation.

Clean Cloud Act of 2025This bill establishes an emissions standard and fee system regarding the electricity used by data centers or cryptomining facilities that exceed a specified size. Additionally, the bill appropriates collected fees for various purposes, including to fund zero-carbon electricity generation, long-duration energy storage, and grants to lower residential electricity consumer costs.The bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Energy Information Administration to annually determine the greenhouse gas emission intensity of the total annual electricity consumed by (1) covered facilities from the electric grid, and (2) covered facilities from electricity generation assets located behind the power meter of the facilities.The EPA must determine and publish the greenhouse gas emissions intensities of the electric grid of each region to establish a baseline for the assessment of fees. Each calendar year from 2027 through 2034, the baseline for each region is reduced by 11% of the original baseline. For 2035 and after, the baseline is set to zero emissions.The EPA must assess a fee on (1) owners of any electric utility providing power to a covered facility that exceeds the baseline emissions in that region for that year, and (2) covered facilities with respect to the greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation assets located behind the power meter of the facility above the baseline of the region for that year. The electric utilities may not recoup the cost of the fee by raising rates or assessing fees on customers that are not covered facilities.

H.Res. 843 is a symbolic resolution expressing the House of Representatives' support for designating October 30 as the International Day of Political Prisoners. The date marks the anniversary of when Ukrainian and Russian prisoners of conscience in the Soviet Gulag began an annual tradition in 1974 to draw attention to those imprisoned for their political or religious beliefs. The resolution condemns political imprisonment worldwide, highlights the estimated one million political prisoners globally held by authoritarian regimes in countries including China, Russia, Iran, Venezuela, and Belarus, and acknowledges recent U.S. diplomatic successes in securing the release of political prisoners from several nations. The measure calls on the U.S. government to continue condemning political imprisonment, holding accountable repressive regimes, and working through negotiations to secure prisoner releases. This resolution does not require funding or implement any binding policy—it is a nonbinding statement of congressional support for raising international awareness about political prisoners.

End Racial and Religious Profiling Act of 2025 or ERRPAThis bill establishes a framework to eliminate racial profiling by law enforcement agencies at the federal, state, and local levels.Specifically, it requires federal law enforcement agencies to maintain policies and procedures to eliminate racial profiling, including training, data collection, and complaint procedures. State, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies must maintain similar policies and procedures as a condition of receiving funds under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program and the Community Oriented Policing Services program.To enforce violations, the bill authorizes civil suits by the Department of Justice and affected individuals.

Aviation Funding Stability Act of 2025This 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 joint resolution making continuing appropriations for the FAA is not in effect.Specifically, the bill provides appropriations from the Airport and Airway Trust 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 bill provides the appropriations until the earlier of (1) the date on which the applicable regular appropriations bill for the fiscal year or a joint resolution making continuing appropriations becomes law, or (2) the date that is 30 days after the first day of a lapse in appropriations.

H.R. 5452 reauthorizes and modifies the Safe Streets and Roads for All program, which was established under the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The bill increases the minimum percentage of program funding dedicated to planning grants from an unspecified level to at least 20 percent, ensuring more resources go toward community planning projects that identify traffic safety improvements. Additionally, the legislation adds $5 billion in new funding for the program covering fiscal years 2027 through 2031, extending the program's reach beyond its initial funding period. This measure affects states, cities, and local governments that use federal grants to reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries on roadways. The bill was introduced with bipartisan support and referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

John Tanner and Jim Cooper Fairness and Independence in Redistricting ActThis bill establishes requirements regarding congressional redistricting, including that redistricting plans must be developed by an independent redistricting commission.A state that has been redistricted after an apportionment of Representatives may not be redistricted again until after the next apportionment, unless the state is ordered by a court to conduct a subsequent redistricting in order to comply with the Constitution or enforce the Voting Rights Act of 1965.Each state must establish an independent redistricting commission to develop redistricting plans that meet specified criteria. If such a plan is not enacted into law, a state's highest court may select a plan developed by the state's commission. If the state court does not select a plan, a U.S. district court must develop a plan.The Election Assistance Commission must make payments to states to carry out redistricting.

H.R. 5427, introduced in September 2025, imposes an annual "mark-to-market" tax on billionaires and high-net-worth individuals (those with over $100 million in annual income or $1 billion in covered assets) to prevent indefinite tax deferral through asset appreciation and borrowing strategies. The bill closes over 30 tax loopholes affecting like-kind exchanges, small business stock exclusions, and opportunity zone investments, and requires detailed annual reporting of asset valuations, pass-through entity gains, and deferred compensation for affected individuals. Key provisions take effect in 2026, with initial taxpayers allowed to spread their tax liability over five years, while the bill eliminates several longstanding tax benefits for billionaires, including favorable treatment of life insurance, capital gains on small business stock, and qualified opportunity fund investments. The legislation also imposes a 3.8 percent net investment tax on all investment income for applicable taxpayers regardless of total earnings and applies special tax rules to wealthy individuals who leave the country or engage in complex ownership structures.

The Equal Employment for All Act of 2025 prohibits employers from using credit checks or credit-related information from consumer reports when making employment decisions, with limited exceptions. The bill amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to ban credit checks for hiring, firing, promotion, or other adverse employment actions for virtually all jobs. The law does carve out narrow exceptions: employers may still use credit reports for positions requiring national security clearances or when otherwise required by law. The bill applies to both prospective and current employees and does not allow employers to deny employment simply because a job candidate refuses to authorize a credit check. The legislation contains no specific funding or implementation timeline beyond the standard congressional processes.

The Reducing Obesity in Youth Act of 2025 creates a federal grant program to combat childhood obesity and food insecurity among children under age 5 in early childcare and education settings. The legislation authorizes $5 million annually from 2026 through 2030 for competitive grants to nonprofit organizations, universities, and research centers that will train childcare providers on healthy eating and physical activity, help states integrate nutrition programs into early care systems, and test new approaches to promoting healthy habits in these settings. The bill also allocates an additional $1.7 million in 2026 to track state progress and measure improvements in food security. Grants will prioritize serving diverse and underserved populations in both rural and urban areas, with an independent evaluator contracted to ensure compliance and measure outcomes, and Congress will receive a comprehensive report on program results one year after completion.