This resolution, introduced by Senator Lankford along with Senator Hassan, designates September 2026 as "National Child Awareness Month." It is a symbolic Senate resolution that does not create programs, allocate funding, or establish any legal requirements. Its purpose is to raise public awareness of charities and youth-serving organizations across the country that support children and teens through health care, education, social services, the arts, and sports. The resolution specifically highlights vulnerable groups, including children experiencing homelessness, those in foster care, victims or at-risk victims of child sex trafficking, and youth affected by violence, trauma, or serious health needs. Since it was already agreed to by the Senate on August 7, 2026, it stands as an official recognition without further legislative action or timeline attached.

The Ballots by Election Day Act would require all absentee and mail-in ballots in federal elections to be received by election officials by the time polls close on Election Day in order to be counted. Currently, many states allow mail-in ballots to arrive and be counted for several days after the election, but this bill would establish a uniform national deadline. The legislation includes an exception for military members and U.S. citizens living overseas, who would continue to have additional time to submit their ballots under existing federal law. The bill would take effect for all federal elections beginning in 2027. The legislation was introduced by Senators Lankford and Lee and was referred to the Senate Rules and Administration Committee.

This bill establishes a task force to recover pandemic-era unemployment benefits that were fraudulently obtained or improperly issued and are currently held by banks or state unclaimed property administrators. The task force, led by a National Recovery Coordinator designated by the Secretary of Labor, will coordinate across federal agencies and state governments to develop standardized processes for identifying improper payments on prepaid debit cards and returning those funds. The bill requires the task force to issue guidance to financial institutions and state agencies on legal pathways for recovering fraudulent funds, establish best practices for determining what constitutes cost-effective recovery, and provide information to fraud victims about available resources. Additionally, the bill extends the statute of limitations for criminal and civil fraud cases related to pandemic unemployment programs from the standard timeframe to ten years after the violation occurs, allowing prosecutors more time to pursue fraud cases. The federal government will reimburse states for administrative costs associated with participating in the recovery coordination efforts.

The Military Chaplains Modernization Act of 2026 updates military chaplaincy regulations across the Army, Navy, and Air Force by establishing clear duties, protections, and leadership structures for chaplains. The legislation defines chaplains' primary role as advising commanders on religious practices, spiritual readiness, and accommodating free exercise of religion for service members, their families, and authorized personnel, including in combat environments. Chaplains gain explicit protections allowing them to conduct religious duties according to their sincerely held beliefs and their religious organization's practices without censorship, retaliation, or adverse personnel actions such as denial of promotion or disciplinary letters. The bill makes violations of these protections prosecutable under military law and requires the President to establish formal regulations within one year, including updates to the Manual for Courts-Martial. The legislation also elevates chaplain corps leadership by establishing deputy chief positions in the Army, Navy, and Air Force, with these deputies serving as principal advisors to reserve components and the Space Force. The bill contains no new funding mechanisms or authorization amounts, instead amending existing military law to strengthen chaplains' roles in supporting religious liberty and accommodation in the armed forces.

The Training Rural Law Enforcement Officers Act of 2026 directs the Department of Justice to award grants to accredited nonprofit organizations to provide free training to small and rural police departments and sheriff's offices. The bill targets law enforcement agencies with fewer than 50 sworn officers, which account for the vast majority of the nation's over 18,000 local police departments. Eligible training includes de-escalation, officer wellness, leadership development, victim-centered response to domestic violence, critical incident management, and specialized training for handling calls involving mental health crises, substance abuse, veterans, and other vulnerable populations. The legislation also allows multiple small jurisdictions to pool their existing federal grants together to contract with nonprofit training providers. No specific funding amounts or timelines are specified in the bill; it simply authorizes the use of existing Department of Justice grant programs to support this new training access model for understaffed agencies that currently lack resources to pursue federal funding opportunities.

Prevent Government Shutdowns Act of 2026This bill provides continuing appropriations to prevent a government shutdown if the appropriations bills for a fiscal year have not been enacted before the fiscal year begins and continuing appropriations are not in effect.Specifically, the bill provides appropriations 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 also limits official travel, congressional recesses or adjournments, and the consideration of legislation that is unrelated to appropriations after the beginning of a fiscal year if the appropriations process has not been completed.

This Senate resolution formally recognizes and honors public servants during Public Service Recognition Week, which was designated as May 3-9, 2026. The resolution commends federal, state, and local government employees, as well as members of the uniformed services, for their dedication and contributions to the United States. It affects millions of public servants across all levels of government who provide essential services to communities nationwide. The resolution calls on Americans to observe the recognition week with appropriate programs and ceremonies to acknowledge public servants' work. This is a non-binding sense of the Senate resolution that requires no funding and simply expresses the chamber's formal appreciation for public service.

This Senate resolution congratulates the University of Oklahoma women's gymnastics team for winning the 2026 NCAA Championship, their eighth national title in program history. The Sooners defeated Louisiana State University, the University of Florida, and the University of Minnesota with a final score of 198.1625 under head coach K.J. Kindler. The team posted an impressive 35-1-1 record for the season, won the Southeastern Conference regular season title for the second consecutive year, and secured their 16th straight NCAA Regional Championship. Individual standouts included Faith Torrez, who won the all-around national championship, and Keira Wells, who won the vault title, contributing to the program's 24 all-time individual national championships. As a ceremonial resolution, this measure requires no funding and simply recognizes the team's athletic achievements.