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 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.

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 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.

The Safer Choice Program Authorization Act of 2026 formally establishes and authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency's Safer Choice Program, which identifies and promotes consumer products made with safer chemical ingredients. The program is voluntary and market-based, helping manufacturers, retailers, and consumers identify products that meet rigorous safety standards for human health and the environment while maintaining product performance. The bill authorizes $6 million per year from 2028 through 2034 for the EPA to administer the program, including establishing certification procedures, maintaining a public database of approved products, publishing annual reports to Congress, and providing technical assistance to manufacturers seeking certification. The EPA may work with qualified third-party evaluators to assess products and can enforce rules against unauthorized use of the Safer Choice label, and the agency must coordinate with other federal agencies like the FDA and Consumer Product Safety Commission to ensure consistency across product categories.

This resolution designates May 2026 as "ALS Awareness Month" to raise public understanding of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disease with no known cure. It highlights key facts about the disease, including its typical life expectancy of two to five years after diagnosis, its unknown cause in most cases, and the roughly 5,000 new diagnoses each year in the United States, noting that military veterans face a higher risk than the general population. The resolution affirms the Senate's commitment to improving access to treatment and support services for ALS patients, advancing research into its causes and risk factors, and helping patients maintain independence while easing the physical and emotional toll of the disease. It also formally commends caregivers, family members, researchers, and volunteers who support individuals living with ALS. As a simple resolution, it carries symbolic weight and does not include funding, mandates, or enforceable timelines beyond the one-month designation itself.

Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe Act of 2026 or the NO FAKES Act of 2026This bill creates a federal intellectual property right to protect individuals from unauthorized digital replicas (e.g., digital content made using generative artificial intelligence) of their voice and visual likeness.Specifically, the bill gives each individual or right holder the right to authorize (1) the use of a digital replica embodying the individual's voice or visual likeness, or (2) the use of the individual's voice or visual likeness for a product or service requiring authorization to avoid liability under the bill. This property right is not assignable during the individual’s lifetime but is licensable and does not expire upon the death of the individual.Generally, any individual or entity that engages in specified prohibited activities (e.g., distributing a digital replica without authorization) shall be liable in a civil action and subject to related penalties. The bill exempts specified uses from liability, such as categories of conduct likely to involve protected speech under the First Amendment (e.g., news reporting, sports broadcasts, and satire).The bill establishes (1) a notice-and-takedown process for unauthorized digital replicas; and (2) a counter-notification process, which allows an individual to contest the removal of a digital replica. The bill establishes penalties related to false or deceptive notice or counter-notice.The bill expressly preempts state laws related to digital replicas except for causes of action under state statutes or common law in existence as of January 2, 2025.

This joint resolution directs the President to remove U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Iran 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 against an attack on the United States or its personnel or facilities in other nations.