The SMART Savings Act of 2026 modifies federal rules governing individual retirement accounts and certain employer-sponsored retirement plans. Specifically, the bill exempts these individual account plans from several prohibited transaction rules under the tax code while maintaining restrictions on self-dealing, which prevents account owners from using retirement funds for personal benefit. The legislation allows account holders to receive certain "relationship benefits" such as reduced-cost or enhanced services based on their account value without jeopardizing the tax-exempt status of their retirement accounts. The changes apply to transactions occurring after the bill becomes law and are intended to simplify retirement savings rules for individuals and their financial institutions. The bill received support from Republican senators and was referred to the Senate Finance Committee for review.

This Senate resolution designates July 25, 2026, as "National Day of the American Cowboy," honoring the historical and cultural role of cowboys in shaping the American West. It praises cowboys and cowgirls for embodying values such as honesty, integrity, hard work, and stewardship of the land, while highlighting their ongoing contributions to ranching, agriculture, and rodeo sports across the country. The resolution notes that the cowboy is a widely recognized cultural icon, appearing prominently in American literature, film, and music, and that the cowboy tradition spans all genders, ethnicities, and generations. It affects no specific group in a regulatory sense and carries no funding or legal requirements, but it encourages Americans to celebrate the day through community ceremonies and events. As a symbolic resolution, it does not create laws or allocate federal funds but serves to formally recognize and celebrate the cowboy's role in American heritage.

S. 4903 seeks to improve how the Department of Housing and Urban Development counts homeless individuals through its annual point-in-time count program. The bill requires all recipients of HUD homeless assistance funding to conduct standardized counts during the last ten days of April each year using a consistent data collection system called HMIS (Homeless Management Information System). Organizations will also need to collect supplemental data at the midpoint between annual counts to track seasonal trends and inform program planning, with HUD providing technical assistance and guidance especially to rural and under-resourced areas. The bill requires HUD to submit annual reports to Congress on compliance and data quality improvements, and directs the Government Accountability Office to complete a study within one year assessing the current counting methodology and recommending ways to modernize and standardize the process across all regions. The legislation allows some flexibility in how homeless assistance funding can be used to support HMIS training so that data collection efforts do not disrupt services to shelters.

The Let America Build Act of 2026 streamlines federal permitting for oil, gas, and mineral development on public lands while significantly limiting legal challenges to these projects. The bill expedites onshore and offshore oil and gas leasing by imposing strict 60-day deadlines for protests and lawsuits, preventing lease cancellations even when courts find environmental violations, and allowing states to assume federal permitting authority over drilling on certain federal lands with minimal oversight. For mining development, the bill compresses environmental review timelines to one to two years, allows limited mineral exploration to proceed within 15 days, and restricts mining permit challenges to 60 days with narrow grounds for blocking permits. The legislation also restructures permitting for natural gas infrastructure by designating the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission as the sole lead agency for environmental review, requiring coordinated reviews from other agencies within 90 days, and raising the evidentiary standard for permit approval. Additionally, the bill redefines "critical minerals" to include more fuel sources and establishes new criteria for mineral assessments based on national energy and defense needs, effectively prioritizing resource extraction over environmental protections and limiting opportunities for public input and judicial review throughout the development process.

The CLOSE THE GAP Act requires federal land management agencies to streamline broadband permitting on federal lands by establishing standardized procedures to track applications and their processing times. Within one year of enactment, agencies must begin collecting data on permit timelines, approval rates, and delays, with a particular focus on applications approved after statutory deadlines. Within two years, these agencies must submit a joint report to Congress analyzing the data, identifying causes of delays, and recommending solutions to speed up approvals. The bill also establishes a Federal Land Management Agency Working Group composed of representatives from agencies like the National Park Service, Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management to coordinate and accelerate permit reviews. This working group will coordinate with the Federal Communications Commission to identify underserved areas that may need federal right-of-way access for communications infrastructure.

This Senate resolution supports National Hospital Week, scheduled for May 10-16, 2026, which honors hospitals and their workers while recognizing their vital role in American healthcare. The resolution acknowledges that approximately 6,100 hospitals nationwide serve patients daily, including critical access hospitals in rural areas, teaching hospitals, psychiatric facilities, and Veterans Affairs medical centers. It highlights that hospitals employed over 5.7 million people as of March 2026, treated more than 35.6 million admitted patients in 2025, and delivered over 3.6 million babies that same year. The resolution encourages Americans to observe the week with appropriate recognition and activities that demonstrate hospitals' importance to patients and communities. This is a ceremonial resolution that requires no funding and establishes no new programs, serving only to formally recognize and support the observance of National Hospital Week.

The Time for Completion Act requires colleges and universities to publicly disclose detailed graduation rate information broken down by student type and program length. Specifically, schools must report what percentage of students complete their degrees within the standard timeframe, at 150 percent of normal time, at 200 percent of normal time, and at 300 percent of normal time, with separate data for first-time versus non-first-time students and full-time versus part-time students. This information applies to both four-year and shorter programs and must be displayed consistently and with equal visibility so prospective students can easily compare completion rates across institutions. The bill amends existing higher education law to require this expanded transparency without establishing new funding or specific implementation timelines. The legislation aims to help students make more informed decisions about college choice by providing clearer data on how long it typically takes students to graduate.

This bill modifies the Mineral Leasing Act to change how coal lease bonus payments are structured. Currently, companies bidding on federal coal leases must pay bonus payments upfront or under other arrangements. Under this legislation, bonus payments for coal leases could instead be spread out over ten equal annual installments, with the first payment due when the company submits its bid. This change would primarily affect coal mining companies leasing federal lands, reducing their immediate upfront costs when acquiring new coal extraction rights. The bill does not specify new funding amounts or include a detailed timeline beyond the ten-year payment structure for bonus payments.

The No Licenses for Illegal Drivers or Truckers Act of 2026 would require all states to verify that applicants for driver's licenses, commercial driver's licenses, and personal identification cards are in the country legally before issuing these documents. States would need to verify lawful presence through approved methods that include electronic validation of identity documents, background checks including fingerprinting by the FBI, and confirmation of social security numbers with federal agencies like the Social Security Administration or U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Beginning October 1, 2026, the federal government would withhold 10 percent of highway funding from any state that fails to enforce such a law, though states could regain withheld funds if they come into compliance during the fiscal year. The withheld funds would be redistributed among compliant states based on their share of total highway apportionments. This legislation does not change existing requirements under the REAL ID Act of 2005.

This bill allows terminally ill individuals to receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) payments more quickly while they wait for formal approval of their disability claims. Specifically, people who submit diagnoses of terminal illness certified by at least two unrelated physicians can begin receiving partial SSDI benefits immediately: 50 percent of their full benefit amount in the first month and 75 percent in the second month. After 12 months of receiving these benefits, the payment amount gradually increases, reaching 95 percent of the full benefit after 24 months, at which point beneficiaries receive the remainder as a catch-up payment. The bill affects terminally ill individuals and their families who need financial assistance while their SSDI applications are being processed. The Social Security Administration must report annually to Congress on how many terminally ill individuals use this benefit, total costs, and any fraud concerns, while the Government Accountability Office must provide a broader evaluation within two years. The changes take effect for benefits paid starting January 1, 2027.

The Mental Health Access and Provider Support Act of 2026 increases Medicare reimbursement rates for mental health services provided by psychologists, raising their payment from 75 percent to 85 percent of the standard fee schedule amount. This change is designed to improve access to mental health care for Medicare beneficiaries—primarily seniors aged 65 and older—by making it more financially viable for psychologists to accept Medicare patients. The bill affects mental health providers, particularly psychologists who treat Medicare patients, and aims to address potential shortages in mental health services. The increased reimbursement rates take effect on January 1, 2027, and the bill does not specify dedicated new funding, instead adjusting existing Medicare payment mechanisms. The legislation is sponsored by a bipartisan group of senators and has been referred to the Senate Committee on Finance for consideration.

Dollar-for-Dollar Deficit Reduction ActThe bill establishes a framework to require legislation that increases or suspends the public debt limit to include spending reductions that are equal to or greater than the projected increase in debt that will occur under the legislation. The bill allows the spending reductions to be phased in over the period that includes the current and next 10 fiscal years.Specifically, the bill requires the Department of the Treasury to notify the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee when it determines that the federal government will reach the debt limit within 60 days without the implementation of extraordinary measures. The notification must also indicate when extraordinary measures may be necessary to prolong the funding of the federal government in the absence of a debt limit increase.In addition, the bill requires any formal presidential request to increase the debt limit to include (1) the amount of the proposed increase, and (2) proposed legislation to reduce spending by an amount that is equal to or greater than the amount of the requested increase.Finally, the bill establishes budget points of order that may be raised in the House of Representatives and the Senate against legislation that increases or suspends the debt limit and does not contain net spending reductions that are equal to or greater than the increase in the debt that will occur under the legislation.

The amendment introduces provisions that enhance existing regulations by expanding eligibility criteria for certain benefits and increasing funding allocations for related programs. Additionally, it modifies reporting requirements to improve transparency and accountability in the implementation of these initiatives.

This bill requires the Commerce Department's Economic Development Administration (EDA) to create simplified application forms for rural communities seeking federal economic development grants. A rural community is defined as an incorporated municipality, tribal area, or territory with a population of 10,000 or fewer, or one located outside a metropolitan statistical area. The bill directs the EDA to gather input from rural stakeholders on ways to streamline applications, including reducing length, standardizing forms and budget templates across programs, and eliminating duplicate information requests. The EDA must also make publicly available sample successful applications, guidance documents, and the criteria used to review and rate submissions. The bill does not specify funding amounts or implementation deadlines, leaving those details to the EDA's discretion.

This resolution designates February 28, 2026, as Rare Disease Day.

The Pay Less at the Pump Act of 2026 would eliminate a federal tax on certain hazardous substances that currently funds environmental cleanup efforts under the Superfund program. The tax, known as the Hazardous Substance Superfund financing rate, would stop applying after December 31, 2025, meaning companies would no longer pay this tax starting in 2026. The bill also changes how the Superfund program can borrow money, requiring it to repay any advances from unobligated funds on a quarterly basis rather than extending repayment authority through 2032. This legislation affects oil refineries, chemical manufacturers, and other industries that currently pay the Superfund tax, which is ultimately passed along to consumers at the gas pump and in product prices. The stated goal is to reduce costs for consumers, though the bill does not specify how Superfund cleanup projects would be funded after the tax expires.

This bill would require any international climate agreement—including potential future ones or a return to the Paris Agreement—to be approved by the Senate as a formal treaty before the United States can enter or re-enter it. Currently, the executive branch can join climate agreements without Senate approval by treating them as executive agreements rather than treaties. The bill also prohibits federal funding from being used to implement or comply with any international climate agreement unless the Senate has formally consented to it. This legislation would significantly increase congressional oversight of climate diplomacy and make it harder for the president to commit the country to international climate obligations without Senate support. The bill was introduced in January 2026 with support from 23 Republican senators.

S. 3607 expands Medicare coverage to include genetic counseling services furnished by qualified genetic counselors, starting January 1, 2027. The bill defines eligible genetic counselors as those licensed by their state or, in states without licensing, certified by the American Board of Genetic Counseling. Medicare would cover 80 percent of genetic counseling services, calculated at 85 percent of the physician fee schedule rate, protecting patients from balance billing by genetic counselors. The legislation affects Medicare beneficiaries seeking genetic counseling and allows genetic counselors to be independently reimbursed providers, while also preserving the existing right of physicians and other healthcare providers to bill for genetic counseling services. No specific funding amount is mentioned in the bill, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services is authorized to implement the changes through expedited regulatory procedures.

S. 3514 proposes to exempt certain less-than-lethal weapons from federal firearms taxes and regulations under the National Firearms Act. The bill defines qualifying devices as those incapable of firing conventional ammunition, designed not to cause death or serious injury, and unable to accept standard firearm magazine feeding systems. The legislation affects manufacturers, producers, and importers of these devices, who may request classification determinations from the Treasury Secretary within 90 days. The bill requires the Treasury Secretary to maintain and update public lists of approved less-than-lethal devices annually and to submit annual reports to Congress about devices considered for inclusion. The exemptions take effect immediately upon enactment, applying to devices sold after the law passes.

ACO Assignment Improvement Act of 2025This bill establishes additional requirements for assigning Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries to accountable care organizations (ACOs) under the Medicare shared savings program. Under current law, the program enables ACOs to receive payments for savings stemming from care coordination and management.The bill requires the basis for assignment to reflect beneficiaries' utilization of not only primary care services provided by ACO physicians, but also those provided by other ACO practitioners—specifically, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and clinical nurse specialists.

The Retirement Rollover Flexibility Act would allow people to transfer money directly from Roth IRAs to designated Roth accounts (special Roth-type accounts offered through employer retirement plans) without triggering taxes or penalties. Currently, this type of transfer is not permitted under tax law. The bill applies to individual Roth IRAs that are the person's only Roth IRA and meet certain balance limits, and it also allows transfers through automatic portability arrangements when people change jobs. The legislation affects workers and retirees who use Roth IRAs and have access to employer plans with Roth options, giving them more flexibility in managing their retirement savings. The changes would take effect immediately upon the bill's enactment, with no specific funding required since this is a tax code modification.