This bill directs the Food and Drug Administration to conduct a comprehensive study on reprocessing single-use medical devices, which are medical instruments typically designed for one-time use but that could potentially be safely reused after being cleaned and sterilized. The study must prioritize patient safety and infection prevention while examining FDA approval pathways, the role of third-party reprocessing companies versus hospital in-house reprocessing, operational feasibility, and financial and environmental benefits and costs. The FDA must also consult with hospitals, clinicians, infection prevention organizations, and other relevant federal agencies like the CDC and CMS to gather input for the study. Within one year of the bill's enactment, the Secretary of Health and Human Services must report findings to Congress, including which devices could potentially be reprocessed and recommendations for establishing reprocessing programs. The bill does not specify dedicated funding amounts but requires the FDA to complete and report its findings within a one-year timeline.

The Seizure Safe Schools Act of 2026 requires the Secretary of Education, working with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, to issue guidance within six months on how elementary and secondary schools can create a safe environment for students with epilepsy and other seizure disorders. The guidance will cover how schools can provide appropriate services and accommodations under Section 504 plans or individualized education programs (IEPs) to support students with seizure conditions. The bill affects all public and private elementary and secondary schools across the country, as well as students with seizure disorders and their families. The Secretary of Education may update the guidance as needed in the future to reflect new best practices or information. No specific funding amount is allocated in the bill.

This bill requires the federal Bureau of Prisons to cap commissary prices—goods inmates can purchase—at fair market value, meaning the average retail price charged to the general public in that state. The law affects all federal prison facilities and the inmates who buy supplies through prison commissaries. The Bureau of Prisons must use competitive bidding when contracting for commissary goods, cannot enter into contracts with revenue-sharing arrangements, and must review prices monthly to ensure compliance. The legislation requires annual reports to Congress listing all commissary items and prices at each facility, and mandates that the Comptroller General conduct yearly audits to verify the Bureau is following the pricing requirements. The bill takes effect upon enactment with no specific sunset date or additional funding authorization mentioned.

This resolution expresses congressional support for designating August 1 as "National Woman Astronomers Day" to recognize the achievements of women in astronomy and promote the field's future. The resolution highlights the contributions of fourteen pioneering female astronomers, including Maria Mitchell, the first American woman to discover a comet, and Dr. Andrea Ghez, the only woman to win a Nobel Prize for astronomy research. The bill notes that women currently represent only 30 percent of the astronomical workforce and argues that increasing female participation will help maintain a competitive scientific program while bringing diverse perspectives to problem-solving. This is a symbolic resolution with no direct funding or implementation required, simply urging Americans to observe the designated day with appropriate programs and affirming Congress's commitment to ensuring equal opportunity for women in astronomy.

The Slow Down Act would require states to include programs targeting repeat and severe speeders as part of their highway safety initiatives. Under the bill, individuals with records of repeatedly exceeding speed limits would be required to install and use intelligent speed assistance technology in their vehicles that automatically prevents the vehicle from exceeding the applicable speed limit. The legislation also establishes penalties for drivers who fail to comply with these installation and usage requirements. This bill amends federal highway safety law to give states a new tool for addressing dangerous speeding behavior, with a focus on drivers with established patterns of violating speed limits. The bill does not specify particular funding amounts or implementation timelines in the text provided.

This bill requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to establish a new housing assistance program for graduate and professional students within one year of enactment. The program would provide tenant-based assistance vouchers covering 80 percent of fair market rental costs for eligible graduate students. To qualify, students must be enrolled in a graduate or professional degree program and meet income limits based on their dependency status: dependent students with one parent can earn up to $40,000 annually, those with two parents up to $80,000, and independent students follow similar thresholds. The Secretary is authorized to adjust these income limits to account for cost of living changes over time. The legislation does not specify total funding amounts for the program.

H.R. 9619 was introduced on July 9, 2026 by Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-NC-4) with 1 Democratic cosponsor. The text for this legislation has not yet been released. A summary will be generated when there is text available.

This bill directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the congressional watchdog agency, to study how artificial intelligence has affected American workers. The study must be completed within one year and will examine job losses and job creation resulting from AI technology, as well as how AI is being used to monitor and alter existing jobs, covering the period from November 2022 through the bill's enactment. The GAO will break down its findings by geographic location, industry, occupation, and worker demographics including race and sex to show how AI's workforce impact varies across different groups. The bill also requires the GAO to assess whether the federal government currently collects enough data and uses adequate methods to measure AI's effects on employment. This legislation does not specify direct funding amounts but tasks an existing government agency with producing a comprehensive report to help Congress understand the scope and distribution of AI's workplace impacts.

This bill directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to require public colleges and universities that receive federal grants under the Medical Student Education program to include menopause training in their medical school curricula. The requirement would apply to all public institutions receiving these grants and is intended to ensure that physicians across different medical specialties are better prepared to treat and manage menopause-related health issues in their patients. The bill does not specify new funding amounts or implementation timelines, instead making the menopause training curriculum requirement a condition of existing grant funding. This change would primarily affect medical schools and their students by expanding educational requirements, ultimately benefiting the general public through improved physician knowledge about menopause care.

This bill directs the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to create a publicly accessible online database of research on gun violence in the United States within one year of the law's enactment. The database will compile peer-reviewed studies and government-issued research that meet specific standards for data quality, methodology, and transparency, including disclosure of funding sources and authorship. The database will incorporate existing government health data sources such as mortality statistics, emergency department visits, and youth risk behavior surveys, and must be updated every six months. The bill also clarifies that federal health agencies can use their existing funding to conduct gun violence research. The legislation authorizes $5 million per year from 2026 through 2030 to establish and maintain the database and support related research efforts.

This bill establishes a federal grant program to help state and local governments modernize their technology systems and improve public services. The Commerce Department's Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information would administer the program, distributing $500 million annually from 2027 through 2030 to states based on population and assessed technology modernization needs. States would receive the grants through their technology departments, with at least 70 percent required to flow directly to local governments and political subdivisions for uses such as purchasing new technology, upgrading cybersecurity, hiring IT staff, implementing artificial intelligence systems, and transitioning to post-quantum cryptography. The Assistant Secretary would survey states within one year to assess their technology needs and whether they meet certain requirements including having a Chief Data Officer, implementing data privacy systems, and complying with national cybersecurity standards. The program includes technical assistance to grantees on data security and privacy, requires notification when government AI systems interact with the public, and mandates a congressional briefing four years after enactment on the program's impact and effectiveness.

This bill directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology to establish task forces that will develop technical standards and guidelines for identifying content created by artificial intelligence. The task forces, which must be formed within 90 days of the bill's enactment, will work on methods to detect and label AI-generated images, videos, audio, and text through techniques like watermarking, digital fingerprinting, and content tracking metadata. The task forces will include representatives from federal agencies, AI developers, social media companies, news organizations, privacy advocates, labor groups, and academic institutions. Each task force must submit recommendations to NIST within 270 days and provide annual progress reports to Congress for five years. The bill aims to help consumers distinguish between authentic and AI-generated content while considering privacy protections when online platforms display content origin information.

This concurrent resolution directs the President to remove U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities against Iran or any part of its government or military unless a declaration of war or authorization to use military force for such purpose has been enacted.The resolution specifies that it shall not be construed to prevent the United States from defending itself, its Armed Forces, its diplomatic facilities, or allied states from imminent attack.

This bill would put the Optional Practical Training program into federal law for the first time. Currently, the program operates under regulatory authority rather than as a statutory requirement. The legislation allows foreign students on F-1 visas to work in the United States for up to 24 months after completing their studies if the job relates to their field of study. Students who graduate with degrees in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics fields would be eligible for an extended 24-month period, allowing up to 48 months of total practical training. The bill also directs the Department of Homeland Security to classify nursing as a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics field, making nursing graduates eligible for the longer training period. By codifying this program in statute, Congress would lock in these work authorization provisions and make them more difficult to change through administrative action alone.

The RECON Act would allow Social Security claimants to skip the mandatory reconsideration review step and go directly to a hearing if they disagree with an initial benefits decision. Currently, people denied Social Security benefits or Supplemental Security Income must request reconsideration before they can request a hearing before a judge, which adds time and complexity to the appeals process. This bill would make reconsideration optional rather than required for both Social Security retirement and disability claims and for supplemental security income cases. The changes would take effect one year after the bill becomes law and would apply to any initial benefit decisions made after that date. No new funding is specified in the legislation.

# Summary of H.R. 8479: Protecting Consumers from Deceptive AI Act This bill requires the National Institute of Standards and Technology to establish task forces within 90 days to develop technical standards and guidelines for identifying AI-generated audio, video, and text content. These standards should focus on methods like watermarking, digital fingerprinting, and content metadata that can help consumers and platforms detect deepfakes and other artificially created media. The bill mandates that companies offering generative AI applications must embed machine-readable disclosures in AI-created or substantially modified audio and visual content to acknowledge its artificial origin and prevent removal of these disclosures. Social media platforms and other major online services must clearly display this information to users. The Federal Trade Commission will enforce these requirements through regulations to be issued within two years, treating violations as unfair or deceptive practices under existing consumer protection law. Companies can comply through either meeting the direct requirements or following FTC-approved self-regulatory guidelines. The rules apply to platforms generating at least $50 million annually or with 25 million monthly active users. The legislation addresses growing concerns about deepfakes being used in product scams, political misinformation, and national security threats, with the goal of ensuring consumers and voters can distinguish real content from AI-generated material.

H.Res. 1136 is a symbolic resolution supporting Long COVID Awareness Month in March, expressing the House's commitment to raising awareness about the condition and promoting medical research. The resolution acknowledges that long COVID—a serious multi-organ illness that can persist for months or years after initial COVID-19 infection—affects over 400 million people worldwide and disproportionately impacts women, Hispanic/Latine, Black, transgender, and disabled individuals. The bill highlights the substantial economic burden, projecting that long COVID could cost the U.S. economy $3.7 trillion over five years through lost work productivity, reduced quality of life, and increased medical expenses. The resolution calls for increased medical research into long COVID's causes and treatments, noting that no specific treatment currently exists and that repeated COVID infections increase the risk of developing the condition even among vaccinated individuals. Since this is a resolution rather than legislation, it carries no binding requirements or funding allocations—it is primarily a symbolic statement of congressional support for awareness and research efforts.

The HBCU AI Research Leadership Act amends existing federal law to require that at least 10 percent of funding awarded for artificial intelligence research institutes goes to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The bill affects HBCUs and their potential partners by guaranteeing them a meaningful share of federal AI research funding that was previously discretionary. This requirement applies to financial assistance distributed through the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative, which the Department of Energy and other agencies administer. The legislation does not specify new funding amounts but rather redirects a minimum portion of existing appropriated funds toward eligible HBCUs, which can apply independently or as part of consortia with other institutions. The bill was introduced in March 2026 and referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology for consideration.

This bill requires the Bureau of Prisons to employ at least one full-time obstetrician-gynecologist at every federal prison facility that houses female inmates. Female prisoners must receive an initial gynecological exam within 14 days of incarceration, and the employed doctors must provide comprehensive services including menstrual health care, contraceptive counseling, cancer screenings, prenatal and postpartum care, and mental health screening for postpartum depression. The bill guarantees prisoners rights such as informed consent for exams, the ability to refuse non-emergency care, communication in their preferred language, and trauma-informed care standards. Any vacant OB-GYN position must be filled within 42 days, and medical specialists cannot be denied based on cost or staffing shortages. Starting one year after passage and annually thereafter, the Bureau of Prisons must report to Congress on which facilities have OB-GYNs, any vacant positions, and detailed statistics on prisoner visits, pregnancies, and pregnancy-related deaths.

The Military Family Diaper Partnership Act directs the Department of Defense to provide $1 million annually from 2027 through 2030 to the National Diaper Bank Network to establish a fund that distributes diapers and diapering supplies to military families in need. The program will benefit military families struggling with the cost of basic childcare supplies, working through local diaper banks already operating near military installations. The legislation requires the National Diaper Bank Network to match the federal funding with equal contributions from private sources and only work with established partner organizations that have been serving areas within 20 miles of military bases for at least five years. The funds can be used both to provide actual diapers and supplies to eligible military families and to cover administrative costs for technical assistance and program evaluation. The National Diaper Bank Network must submit annual reports to the Defense Secretary documenting how the money was spent and the impact of the program.

The Second Chance Mental Health Access Act of 2026 requires state Medicaid programs to cover 12 mental health telehealth visits per calendar year for individuals who were recently incarcerated and are currently under home confinement as part of their judicial sentence. This bill targets formerly incarcerated people during their transition back into the community, recognizing that mental health support is critical during this vulnerable period. The coverage applies to individuals released from public institutions on or after the bill's enactment date, and the visits would be conducted remotely via telehealth technology. The legislation does not specify new federal funding appropriations, instead requiring states to incorporate these telehealth visits as a Medicaid benefit. This represents a modest expansion of mental health coverage aimed at reducing recidivism and supporting reentry for this population.

The Empowering Young Readers Act of 2026 directs the Secretary of Education to establish a pilot grant program that funds nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations to improve children's access to books and promote early literacy. Eligible organizations can use grants of up to $200,000 over two years for activities such as purchasing and distributing books to children, donating books to public libraries, and hosting literacy programs like book fairs and reading events. The bill authorizes $10 million in funding for fiscal years 2026 and 2027, with the Secretary required to establish the program within 180 days of the bill's enactment and to evaluate its effectiveness based on the number of books distributed and changes in child literacy rates. The legislation ensures grants are awarded based on viewpoint-neutral criteria and requires a progress report to Congress within six months after the final grant period ends.

The Expanding AI Voices Act directs the National Science Foundation to award competitive grants to colleges and universities that have historically received less federal research funding, as well as to historically Black colleges, minority-serving institutions, Tribal colleges, and nonprofit organizations, to expand artificial intelligence research and education. These institutions can use the funding to develop AI research programs, recruit faculty, create bridge programs for graduate students, provide computing and research resources, and build partnerships with industry and federal agencies, with a particular focus on reaching students from underrepresented backgrounds and underserved communities. The bill aims to broaden participation in AI research and workforce development across the country by strengthening AI capacity at institutions that have been historically excluded from major federal research investments. No specific funding amount or timeline is specified in the legislation; implementation details would be determined through the grant-making process overseen by the NSF Director in consultation with other federal agencies.

The Federal Prisons Naloxone Access Act requires the Bureau of Prisons to stock naloxone (an opioid-reversing medication) at all federal correctional facilities and make it accessible to both staff and incarcerated people in common areas including medical units, housing areas, dining halls, and recreation spaces. The bill mandates that facility personnel and incarcerated individuals receive annual training from medical staff on how to recognize and respond to opioid overdoses, with the medication properly maintained at room temperature and regularly checked for expiration. The law protects incarcerated people from legal liability when they administer naloxone in good faith to help someone experiencing an overdose, and requires detailed record-keeping whenever the medication is used. The Bureau of Prisons must submit annual reports to Congress documenting compliance, overdose incidents, and training completion at each facility. The legislation authorizes $6 million in funding for fiscal year 2026 to cover training, medication purchase, and initial reporting, followed by $2 million annually for fiscal years 2027 and 2028 to maintain supplies and continue the program.

The Quantum Leaders Education and Advancement Program Act (Q-LEAP) extends the National Science Foundation's existing Next Generation Quantum Leaders Pilot Program by two years, moving its authorization deadline from 2026 to 2028. The program funds education and training initiatives designed to teach students and teachers the fundamentals of quantum mechanics, preparing the next generation of quantum science professionals. This reauthorization allows the NSF to continue supporting quantum education efforts without requiring a new approval process. The bill does not specify additional funding amounts but ensures the program can maintain its current operations through 2028. The legislation was introduced in December 2025 and referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.