This bill expands the federal tax credit for advanced manufacturing of critical minerals by adding eight new minerals to the program, including boron, copper, lead, potash, rhenium, silicon, silver, and uranium, as well as phosphate meeting certain purity standards. The legislation also allows companies that extract ore to claim tax credits for their extraction costs if the ore is refined into applicable critical minerals, provided the ore was extracted in the United States or is a type not commercially extracted domestically and comes from countries not designated as foreign concerns. Additionally, the bill removes a previous reduction in tax credits for metallurgical coal, treating it the same as other covered minerals. These changes take effect for minerals produced and sold after December 31, 2025, and are intended to support domestic critical mineral production and processing. The bill affects mining companies, mineral refiners, and manufacturers involved in producing these materials domestically.

The MAP Roads Act establishes a federal grant program to help states digitize county road records and create publicly accessible online databases of road information. Under the program, the Transportation Secretary will distribute grants to states that can administer subgrants to their counties and maintain centralized road data repositories. County funds can be used to convert paper maps and outdated records into standardized digital formats, hire staff to assist with the conversion, and train personnel in data management. States receiving grants must publish the road data on public websites organized by road type, ensure the information is compatible with third-party mapping services, and update it at least annually. The bill authorizes $20 million annually for the program from 2026 through 2031, with the grant program ending on September 30, 2031, and requires participating states to submit annual progress reports on the number of road miles digitized and funding distributed to counties.

The State-Sponsored Visa Pilot Program Act of 2026 creates a new nonimmigrant visa category allowing individual states to sponsor foreign workers for temporary residence in the United States. Under the program, states can admit aliens to work, invest capital, or contribute to economic development as determined by each state, with accompanying spouses and minor children also eligible. Each state can receive a baseline of 5,000 visas annually plus additional allocations based on population and economic growth, with visa numbers adjusted based on state compliance rates and economic indicators. Participants must pass security vetting, pay bonds (starting at $4,000 if more than 3 percent of a state's participants violate program terms), remain employed and resident in their sponsoring state, and cannot receive federal means-tested benefits. States must assess labor needs and wage data, investigate worker displacement complaints, and report annually to federal authorities. The bill includes provisions allowing certain aliens physically present in the United States since December 31, 2016 to apply for waivers of deportability grounds. The Department of Homeland Security must issue implementing regulations within 180 days, and the program takes effect the first fiscal year after enactment.

This bill requires the Federal Trade Commission to have at least three of its five commissioners present and voting before taking major policy actions. The legislation applies to a broad range of FTC activities, including starting or completing rulemaking procedures, adopting or changing policy statements and enforcement guidance, and issuing industry guides. The bill affects the FTC's ability to act unilaterally on regulatory matters and applies to all laws the agency enforces, such as consumer protection and antitrust rules. The measure takes effect on January 20, 2029, giving the agency time to adjust its procedures before the new quorum requirement kicks in.

This is a ceremonial Senate resolution recognizing the 179th anniversary of when members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints arrived in the Great Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. The resolution honors the pioneers who made the journey westward starting in 1846, traveling over 1,300 miles by wagon and foot while enduring extreme hardship, disease, and loss of life to establish new communities. The resolution acknowledges their contributions to settling the American West, establishing over 500 communities and helping other westward-bound travelers through the resources and infrastructure they built. It also recognizes Pioneer Day, an annual Utah state holiday that has been celebrated since 1849 to commemorate this arrival. The resolution calls on all Americans to reflect on the pioneers' virtues of resilience, self-reliance, and faith as part of the broader American story.

The PATH Act modifies how the federal government evaluates whether transit projects deserve federal funding through the fixed guideway capital investment grants program. Currently, the law uses specific formulas to predict how many people will ride new transit systems, but this bill allows transit agencies to use more flexible forecasting methods that account for population density, population growth rates, and local development plans. The legislation is designed to help high-growth communities demonstrate that new transit projects are economically justified, potentially making it easier for rapidly expanding areas to qualify for federal transit grants. The bill affects transit agencies and communities seeking federal funding for rail and bus rapid transit projects. No specific funding amounts or implementation timelines are specified in the legislation.

The Wildfire Emissions Prevention Act of 2026 modifies how the federal government handles air quality data affected by prescribed fires and wildfire smoke. The bill expands the Clean Air Act's definition of "exceptional events" to explicitly include prescribed fires, which are deliberately controlled burns used to reduce wildfire risk and achieve forest management goals, and clarifies that cultural burning activities by Indian tribes qualify as prescribed fires. The Environmental Protection Agency must revise its regulations within 270 days to make it easier for states to demonstrate exceptional events and establish procedures for states to petition for approval, with a one-year deadline for the EPA to approve or deny these petitions; if the EPA doesn't respond within a year, the petition is automatically approved. The bill also establishes a "Smoke Ready Communities" grant program that provides federal funding to states, Indian tribes, and other entities to help protect community buildings like schools from wildfire smoke, with grants covering up to 90 percent of costs though this requirement can be waived in economically distressed areas. No more than 25 percent of annual grant funding may go to any single state.

The SAFE KIDS Act requires artificial intelligence chatbot providers to implement comprehensive safety measures to protect children under 18 from harmful content and exploitation. Providers must conduct risk assessments before launching chatbots to children, implement age verification technology, create crisis response protocols for users expressing suicidal ideation or self-harm, and publish public safety policies. The bill mandates parental controls allowing parents to monitor usage, restrict features, set time limits, and receive notifications if their child is at risk. Critically, the law prohibits targeted advertising to children and bans the sale or sharing of children's personal information without parental consent. Providers must also submit to annual independent audits conducted by qualified professionals to verify compliance with safety requirements. The Federal Trade Commission enforces the law through civil penalties of up to $1,000 per violation per user, or $10,000 for willful violations involving sexual exploitation or false reporting, and can seek injunctions. The act takes effect 180 days after enactment.

The BANNED in Latin America Act directs the Secretary of State to develop and submit a comprehensive strategy to Congress within 180 days of enactment for countering Iranian and Hezbollah influence operations across Latin America. The strategy must address efforts to disrupt propaganda networks, including Hezbollah's Al Mayadeen Español broadcasting platform, and expose Iran's Al Mustafa International University network, which the bill identifies as a vehicle for radicalization and recruitment. It also requires plans to counter Iranian and Hezbollah involvement in drug and contraband smuggling, money laundering, illicit resource exploitation such as gold mining in Venezuela, and document fraud schemes involving fake passports and identification. This legislation primarily affects U.S. State Department operations and intelligence-sharing efforts with Latin American governments, aiming to curb what lawmakers view as growing security threats from Iranian and Hezbollah networks in the region. The strategy must be submitted in unclassified form, though it may include a classified annex for sensitive details.

This bill designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 111 South Tremont Street in Tremonton, Utah, as the "Sorensen-Estrada Post Office".

The TECH Act would expand access to federal education grants for technical schools by allowing qualified vocational institutions to compete for the same federal funding as traditional two-year and four-year colleges. The bill specifically targets four federal grant programs: the Strengthening Institutions Program, the Federal TRIO Program, the CCAMPIS child care program under the Department of Education, and the Labor Department's Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grants Program. Qualified technical schools would need to offer either eligible career pathway programs or short-term job training programs (150 to 600 clock hours) in critical sectors like healthcare, manufacturing, transportation, and infrastructure. Within 180 days of enactment, the Departments of Education and Labor must modify their grant eligibility rules and issue guidance on how to distribute funds fairly across technical schools and traditional institutions to build workforce pipelines in aging industries. The bill includes a 60-day approval process for schools seeking to establish program eligibility and requires certification from state boards.

This bill requires the Secretary of War to assess annually whether the United States has the military capacity to fulfill its obligations under the Taiwan Relations Act, which commits America to helping Taiwan maintain defensive capabilities and deterring military coercion. The assessment must evaluate whether U.S. military forces can credibly deter large-scale invasions, blockades, and missile attacks on Taiwan, while also identifying any gaps in weapons, logistics, basing, and industrial capacity needed to support a year-long conflict. The report must also address whether the U.S. can meet its Taiwan commitments while simultaneously responding to aggression from Russia, Iran, North Korea, or terrorist organizations. The Secretary of War must submit the first report within 180 days of the bill's enactment and then annually for five years, with classified briefings provided to relevant congressional committees. The bill does not authorize military force or change existing U.S. law regarding Taiwan, but rather provides Congress with detailed information to guide defense planning and budget decisions.

The Fiscal Commission Act establishes a bipartisan commission of 16 members—12 from Congress and 4 outside experts—tasked with addressing the nation's long-term fiscal crisis by proposing policies to reduce federal debt and deficits. The Commission, which begins operations 60 days after enactment, must submit legislative recommendations by April 13, 2027, with the goal of bringing the public debt-to-GDP ratio to no more than 100 percent by fiscal year 2039 and ensuring federal trust funds remain solvent for at least 75 years. To develop these recommendations, the Commission must conduct at least 6 public hearings nationwide and obtain Congressional Budget Office cost estimates before voting on any proposals, with final recommendations requiring majority support including at least 2 Republicans and 2 Democrats. The Commission is funded through Senate appropriations, operates under congressional ethics rules, and automatically terminates 30 days after submitting its report or by May 17, 2027, whichever comes first. Any legislation implementing the Commission's recommendations will follow expedited consideration procedures in both chambers, though either chamber may modify these rules at any time.

The Community TEAMS Act creates a new grant program to help medical schools partner with rural health clinics, federally qualified health centers, and other facilities in medically underserved areas to provide hands-on training for medical students. These grants would support clinical rotations and educational programs designed to encourage newly trained physicians to practice in high-need communities where doctors are scarce. Eligible applicants must be consortiums that include at least one medical school (either osteopathic or allopathic) partnered with at least one rural or underserved health care facility. Grants would be awarded for periods of one to five years, and applicants must demonstrate how their programs will improve healthcare access and have a plan for sustainability after federal funding ends. The legislation authorizes this grant program through 2030 and amends the Public Health Service Act to establish the federal framework for distributing these funds.

The Rural Emergency Response Support Act amends federal overtime pay requirements under the Fair Labor Standards Act to create an exception for emergency medical technicians and paramedics working in rural areas. Specifically, the bill exempts public agencies in states with populations under 100,000 residents—and private companies contracting with those agencies—from having to pay overtime compensation to EMTs and paramedics. This change affects primarily rural emergency response employers and the medical personnel they employ, as it allows these organizations to avoid overtime pay obligations that normally apply to most workers under federal labor law. The bill does not include specific funding provisions or implementation timelines, as it is structured as a regulatory change to existing labor law rather than a funded program.