Chris Coons

The STRATA Act of 2026 establishes a new international science and technology partnership program that requires detailed partnership agreements between the United States and other countries, with each agreement including specific objectives, measurable benchmarks, multiyear implementation plans, dispute resolution procedures, and processes for managing proposals through a potential digital platform. The bill creates coordination mechanisms between the program's Director and national science councils to identify cooperation priorities and ensure that technologies developed under the program are reviewed by the National Defense Technology and Industrial Base Council for faster transition from research to operational and commercial use. The legislation authorizes the program for ten years, with a provision allowing funds committed during that period to continue being spent after the authorization expires to complete ongoing projects and fulfill existing commitments.

The Strengthening Civics Education Act authorizes the Secretary of Education to award grants to schools and school districts to support civics and history education programs that help students understand American government and democratic participation. The bill also requires the National Assessment of Educational Progress to conduct biennial assessments of student achievement in civics and history for grades 4, 8, and 12, with results disaggregated by state to measure proficiency levels. Additionally, the legislation expands an existing higher education program to support civics and history teacher training, curriculum development, and partnerships between colleges and nonprofits, while establishing a federal website to catalog civics-related scholarships and fellowships. The bill includes a clear rule stating that nothing in it overrides state and local control over educational content and curriculum decisions. The legislation takes effect one year after enactment for the new clearinghouse website and reauthorizes federal funding through 2027.

The AI Systems Transparency Act directs the Federal Trade Commission, in coordination with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, to establish guidelines within 150 days for identifying when AI model updates constitute new versions versus updates to existing models, and to create regulations designating AI systems as "covered" if they pose significant safety risks to minors, vulnerable populations, or the public. The bill requires AI developers to publicly disclose comprehensive information about their models in consumer-friendly and researcher-focused formats within 150 days, including details on safety protections, privacy measures, model capabilities, security protocols, and potential risks ranging from chemical and biological threats to cybersecurity vulnerabilities, while allowing exceptions for trade secrets and national security information. Developers must also provide ongoing disclosures about major model changes and usage data, including information about policy violations and system misuse. The FTC can designate a model as covered immediately if imminent danger exists, though it must otherwise give developers at least 30 days to respond before a designation takes effect. The bill includes a standard severability clause ensuring that if any provision is ruled unconstitutional, the remainder of the law continues in force.

This bill would impose economic sanctions on foreign individuals and companies that facilitate Israeli settlement construction in the E1 area of the West Bank. The sanctions would target those involved in building settlements or related infrastructure, financing these activities, or helping transfer Israeli civilians to the area, and would take effect 30 days after the bill becomes law. The sanctions are mandatory for those directly engaged in such activities and discretionary for those providing support to sanctioned parties, and would include blocking their U.S. assets and prohibiting transactions with them. Humanitarian aid, medicine, food, and authorized U.S. intelligence activities are exempted from the sanctions. The bill would expire automatically after seven years unless Congress extends it.

The Quantum-GUARD Act requires the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to consider cybersecurity threats from quantum computers when reviewing reliability standards for the nation's electrical grid, and to evaluate whether post-quantum cryptography can protect against those risks. The bill also directs the Department of Energy to establish a "post-quantum cryptography sandbox" within one year of enactment, which will bring together electric grid operators, technology vendors, federal agencies, and utilities to develop and test new quantum-resistant security tools for power systems. The Department of Energy must also complete a study within one year examining how quantum computers could threaten the grid's critical computer systems and what obstacles exist to upgrading those systems with quantum-resistant technology, and publish a public report with findings and recommendations. Additionally, the Department must release a progress report within three years describing what the sandbox program has accomplished and offering recommendations to encourage grid operators to adopt quantum-resistant security measures. This legislation affects electric utilities, grid operators, technology companies, and federal energy regulators who work to protect the nation's power infrastructure.

The Artificial Intelligence and Innovation Talent Act requires the Secretary of Homeland Security, working with the Office of Science and Technology Policy and the State Department, to develop a comprehensive strategy within 180 days to align immigration policies with the goal of attracting and retaining foreign talent in artificial intelligence and other critical technologies while protecting national security. The strategy must assess how current immigration rules affect the country's ability to compete internationally, evaluate ways to keep foreign nationals trained in the United States, identify high-priority occupations needed over the next five years, and recommend changes to visa programs like the H-1B lottery system. The bill also calls for establishing national security vetting procedures to prevent foreign adversaries from exploiting immigration and education systems, and requires coordination between federal agencies and private industry to improve talent recruitment. Two years after the strategy is published, the Secretary of Homeland Security must report to Congress on implementation progress, including metrics on processing times, retention outcomes, and competitiveness compared to foreign countries.

This bill designates Afghanistan for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), allowing Afghan nationals currently in the United States to apply for a special immigration status that provides protection from deportation and work authorization. The designation would be effective from the date the bill becomes law through July 1, 2029, and Afghan nationals must have been continuously physically present in the U.S. since the bill's enactment to qualify. The Department of Homeland Security is required to process and decide on applications within 90 days, though this timeline can be extended by up to 150 days if additional national security vetting is needed. The bill also allows the Secretary of Homeland Security to waive application fees for eligible Afghan applicants and permits them to travel abroad temporarily in emergency situations while maintaining their protected status. This legislation was introduced by a bipartisan group of senators in August 2026.

The ASSET Act removes or significantly raises asset limits in four major federal assistance programs. The bill prohibits states from using asset limits to deny benefits under Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, eliminates asset limits entirely in the food stamp program (SNAP), removes asset restrictions from the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, and increases the asset limit for Supplemental Security Income from $2,250 to $20,000 for individuals with automatic annual adjustments for inflation. The bill affects low-income families and individuals who currently avoid saving money or using bank accounts because accumulating modest savings would make them ineligible for government assistance. Congress finds that these asset limits discourage financial security and that states eliminating them have saved administrative costs while seeing minimal fraud risk. Most provisions take effect thirty days after enactment, though states requiring new legislation to comply have until the first calendar quarter following their next legislative session.

The Carbon Dioxide Removal Leadership Act of 2026 requires the Secretary of Energy to directly remove carbon dioxide from the air and seawater in increasing amounts over time, starting with 50,000 metric tons annually in 2026-2027 and scaling up to 10 million metric tons annually by 2036 and beyond. The Secretary must accomplish this removal through contracts with private companies and projects using eligible technologies, but only if the cost per metric ton falls within specified price limits that gradually decrease from $750 per ton in 2026-2027 down to $150 per ton by 2037. The legislation affects carbon removal companies, energy firms, and communities where removal projects operate, with particular attention to fossil fuel-dependent regions that could benefit economically. The law sets aside at least 20 percent of removal requirements for small projects and prioritizes those creating domestic jobs, supporting minority-owned businesses, and providing community benefits. The Secretary must report to Congress every two years starting in 2029 on progress, costs, technologies used, and environmental impacts, and must also conduct a study on designing a larger federal carbon removal program that could operate at gigaton scale by 2050.

This bill establishes a coordinated federal framework for building national resilience against natural hazards like extreme weather, sea level rise, drought, and wildfires. It creates a new Chief Resilience Officer position within the National Security Council who will coordinate across federal agencies through interagency working groups and develop a comprehensive National Resilience Strategy due within two years of enactment. The legislation affects federal agencies, state and local governments, tribal nations, territorial governments, nonprofit organizations, and private sector entities involved in resilience and adaptation efforts. The bill also establishes a Partners Council on Resilience with up to 24 members primarily representing non-federal entities to advise on how the federal government can better support communities, particularly rural and underresourced ones, in building resilience. The bill requires the Chief Resilience Officer to create a clearinghouse for adaptation and resilience information within one year and directs the Government Accountability Office to assess implementation progress every two years. The legislation's requirements sunset after ten years or when the third assessment report is completed, whichever comes first.

The NO BOSS Act modifies how states administer self-employment assistance programs, which help unemployed workers start their own businesses while receiving benefits. Currently, states can only enroll people in these programs if they are likely to exhaust their regular unemployment benefits; this bill removes that restriction, allowing more people to participate. The legislation also expands what counts as qualifying self-employment assistance to include either formal entrepreneurial training and business counseling or completion of a business plan with a market feasibility study. States will have two years after the bill becomes law to implement these changes, though they can choose to do so earlier. The Department of Labor will issue regulations and provide guidance to state workforce agencies, including model activities and best practices for verifying that participants complete the required assistance.

# Summary The Responsible Artificial Intelligence Defense Act of 2026 establishes new rules for how the Department of Defense develops and deploys autonomous weapons and artificial intelligence systems. The bill requires that all AI and autonomous weapons maintain meaningful human control and oversight, with military personnel retaining the ability to monitor, intervene, and shut down these systems if they malfunction or behave unexpectedly. Before any autonomous weapon or AI system can be used, the Defense Department's top research official must verify that the system incorporates proper human judgment safeguards, complies with laws of war, includes robust cybersecurity protections, and undergoes rigorous testing in realistic conditions. The legislation also prohibits autonomous systems from making decisions about nuclear weapons launches and from targeting individuals in the United States without proper legal warrants, and it requires comprehensive annual reports to Congress through 2037. Certain military systems, such as those designed to intercept incoming attacks or defend unmanned vehicles, are exempt from these strict requirements.

To prohibit the Department of Justice from using taxpayer funds to make settlement payments to individuals convicted of assaulting law enforcement officers on January 6, 2021.