This bill designates November as National American History and Founders Month by adding it to the federal code. The designation would be permanent, and the President would be asked to issue a yearly proclamation encouraging Americans to observe the month with programs, ceremonies, and activities focused on civics education and understanding American history. The bill's sponsors point to declining civics proficiency among students—with only 13 percent of eighth graders proficient in U.S. history and 22 percent in civics according to 2022 data—as justification for strengthening historical and civic awareness. State governors and territorial leaders would also be encouraged to issue their own proclamations supporting the observance. The bill carries no direct federal funding or enforcement mechanisms, instead relying on voluntary participation from schools, communities, and organizations to expand educational programming around American founding history during November.

This Senate resolution honors Northwest Mississippi Community College on the 100th anniversary of its founding, tracing its history from Tate County Agricultural High School in 1915 to its evolution into a full community college in 1988. The resolution highlights the institution's growth into an 11-county service area with campuses across North Mississippi, its enrollment of more than 8,000 students annually, and 13 consecutive semesters of enrollment growth. It commends the college for its academic programs, workforce training, health sciences education, and athletic achievements, including multiple national championships. This is a symbolic measure with no funding attached or policy changes required; it simply formalizes congressional recognition of the college's century of service and directs that a copy be sent to the college's president, vice president, and athletic director. The resolution primarily affects the college community and serves as a ceremonial acknowledgment rather than substantive legislation.

This Senate resolution designates August 1, 2026, as "Gold Star Children's Day," honoring the children of service members who died while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. It continues a tradition the Senate has observed annually since 2021 to formally recognize the sacrifices and hardships faced by these children, building on longstanding traditions of honoring Gold Star Mothers since 1936 and Gold Star Spouses since 2010. The resolution does not create new programs or allocate funding; it is a symbolic gesture expressing the Senate's gratitude and encouraging the American public to observe the day in support of these families. It primarily affects children who have lost a parent in military service, acknowledging the unique burden they carry as part of the broader debt owed to fallen service members. The measure was introduced by Senator Wicker along with a bipartisan group of cosenators and was agreed to by the Senate.

The Tire Safety Modernization Act of 2026 directs the Secretary of Transportation to update federal tire safety standards to reflect modern tire technology and testing methods. The bill requires the removal of outdated testing requirements for tire strength and bead unseating resistance, clarifies how tire "chunking" or cracking is defined for snow tires versus other tire types, and establishes new uniform high-speed performance testing protocols aligned with international standards. These changes affect tire manufacturers and consumers by modernizing safety testing for passenger cars and light trucks. The Department of Transportation must complete most revisions within one year of enactment, with high-speed testing protocols required within 180 days. The Government Accountability Office is directed to study the impact of these changes on tire safety and market availability within three to eight years and report findings to Congress.

National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027This bill sets forth policies and authorities for FY2027 for Department of Defense (DOD) programs, activities, and military construction as well as the national security programs of the Department of Energy (DOE).Among other elements, the billauthorizes the procurement of various items, including aircraft and ships;sets active duty and reserve component personnel strength levels;sets policy regarding various aspects of military health care and military compensation;sets policy regarding DOD acquisitions and acquisition management, including contracting authorities;sets policy for various matters related to DOD interactions with foreign nations, including matters concerning the Middle East, Europe, and the Indo-Pacific;sets policy for various matters related to DOD cyber operations, cyber forces, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence;requires DOD to review certain materials (including boron carbide, copper foil, and synthetic diamond) to determine actions to maintain access to critical defense industry components and materials, and report to Congress on such matters; authorizes DOD's Office of Strategic Capital to make equity investments in non-federal entities with respect to batteries and critical minerals, materials, and chemicals;authorizes specified military construction projects and extends the authorization of certain projects from previous fiscal years; and authorizes the National Nuclear Security Administration and the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board.For additional information on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) seeIn Focus IF10516, Defense Primer: Navigating the NDAA, andIn Focus IF10515, Defense Primer: The NDAA Process.

This resolution designates the week of April 13 through April 19, 2026, as "National Osteopathic Medicine Week" to recognize and celebrate osteopathic physicians and their contributions to American healthcare. The resolution acknowledges that there are over 167,000 osteopathic physicians and nearly 40,000 osteopathic medical students currently practicing or training in the United States, with the profession having grown significantly over the past decade. It highlights that osteopathic medical schools train physicians across the country, including in rural and underserved communities, and that over half of osteopathic medical students pursue primary care residencies, helping address physician shortages. The resolution also honors the historical roots of osteopathic medicine, which was founded in 1874 by Andrew Taylor Still and emphasizes a whole-person, patient-centered approach to healthcare. No funding is allocated by this resolution, as it is a ceremonial designation intended to raise awareness of the osteopathic medicine profession's role in the U.S. healthcare system.

This bill makes two minor technical corrections to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026, which was previously passed as Public Law 119-60. The first correction clarifies the licensing requirements for military judge advocates, specifying that they must maintain a license in good standing that allows them to practice law. The second correction removes the word "posthumous" from the section heading that authorizes a Distinguished Service Cross award to Isaac "Ike" Camacho for his service in Vietnam. These changes fix drafting errors in the original defense authorization bill and affect military legal personnel and one veteran's award recognition. The Senate passed this technical corrections bill on March 23, 2026, and it involves no additional funding since it only corrects language in existing law.

This bill establishes a 15-member task force, led by the National Institute of Justice, to study how artificial intelligence speech-to-text and automatic speech recognition technologies affect the U.S. court system. The task force will include federal employees, state and federal judges, civil liberties experts, and court record specialists—but explicitly excludes anyone employed by or compensated by AI companies to ensure independence. Within 18 months of the task force's establishment (which must occur within 60 days of the bill's enactment), the task force must deliver a comprehensive report to Congress examining whether these AI technologies affect transcription accuracy, costs for litigants, cybersecurity, and data integrity of court records. The report will also address whether AI-modified records should be marked with watermarks or metadata identifying the technology used, and provide policy recommendations for the judicial system. The task force will submit progress updates to Congress every four months and dissolves after submitting its final report, with no funding amount specified in the legislation.

This act allows for the posthumous honorary promotion of Captain Cody Khork to the rank of major in the Army without the required 60-day notice to Congress.

S.Con.Res. 27 is a ceremonial resolution celebrating the 125th anniversary of the Army Nurse Corps, which was officially established on February 2, 1901. The resolution honors the historical contributions of Army nurses, recognizing their role as the first women to serve in the U.S. military and their service in every major American conflict from World War I through the War on Terror. The resolution pays tribute to specific accomplishments, such as over 10,000 Army nurses serving overseas during World War I and more than 5,000 providing care during the Korean and Vietnam conflicts, and it acknowledges 653 Army nurses buried in Arlington National Cemetery's Nurses Section. This resolution does not authorize any spending or create new programs—it is a symbolic gesture of congressional recognition and gratitude for the dedication and sacrifice of military nurses throughout American history. The resolution was introduced by Senators Wicker and Merkley in February 2026 and referred to the Senate Armed Services Committee.

This bill extends the authorization for the Regional Ocean Partnerships program, which coordinates ocean management and conservation efforts across different regions, through fiscal year 2031. The legislation increases funding for the program with amounts ranging from approximately $11.6 million to $11.9 million annually between 2028 and 2031, allowing the program to continue operating and growing slightly each year. The bill also requires the program to submit progress reports to Congress, with an additional report due within five years of the law's enactment. This reauthorization primarily affects federal ocean management agencies and regional partnerships involved in coastal and marine resource coordination, ensuring they have sustained funding and clear expectations for accountability over the next several years.

S. 3678, the Voluntary Limited Accreditation for Adoption Services Act, modifies federal adoption law to allow adoption service providers to become "limited accreditation" providers rather than pursuing full comprehensive accreditation. Specifically, agencies can now voluntarily specialize in offering just one or more specific services—such as conducting background studies on children, home studies on prospective adoptive parents, or post-placement monitoring—instead of having to provide all adoption services to become accredited. The bill responds to a declining number of accredited adoption providers in the United States and addresses preferences from foreign countries and adoptive families for accredited providers to handle these specific services. The legislation takes effect 90 days after enactment and does not require adoption providers to obtain limited accreditation or change existing practices. No new federal funding is appropriated by this bill, as it primarily creates a new regulatory pathway within the existing Intercountry Adoption Act framework.

The SUCCESS for BEAD Act redirects leftover federal broadband funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to support broadband infrastructure projects with strategic benefits beyond traditional deployment, including public safety communications, workforce development, emergency response systems, and artificial intelligence-capable networks. States and territories would distribute these remaining grant funds through competitive subgrant programs that prioritize unserved areas and projects with at least 25 percent private cost-sharing, while a public challenge process would prevent duplicative fiber infrastructure in areas already served on wholesale terms. The bill expands eligible uses of BEAD funding to address national security concerns and U.S. competitiveness with China in advanced infrastructure and AI technology, while establishing cybersecurity requirements for certificate authorities and allowing up to 24 months of operational funding support (capped at 15 percent of each subgrant amount) to ensure project success. This approach aims to maximize the impact of existing federal broadband investments by connecting infrastructure development to workforce preparation, emergency communications, and emerging technology capabilities.

Medical Foods and Formulas Access Act of 2025This bill expands coverage under Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program to include medically necessary food and associated equipment and supplies.The bill defines medically necessary food as specially formulated and processed products (e.g., nutritional formulas) prescribed by health care practitioners for individuals who have special dietary requirements because of certain digestive or metabolic disorders or conditions.

The USMMA Athletics Act of 2026 authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to establish a nonprofit corporation, incorporated under New York law and owned by the federal government, to support the athletic programs of the United States Merchant Marine Academy. This corporation would be governed by a board of directors, which can include Department of Transportation employees serving in an advisory capacity, though they cannot make up more than one-third of the board or be paid beyond travel expenses. The bill allows the Secretary to enter into contracts, lease academy property to the corporation for up to five years, transfer existing athletic-support assets to it, and accept funding from sources like the NCAA, athletic conferences, ticket sales, and licensing deals, all while safeguarding against conflicts of interest or reputational harm to the department. It also grants the Secretary new authority to license the Academy's trademarks and service marks, using the resulting fees to cover licensing costs and fund athletic programs and recruiting. This primarily affects the Merchant Marine Academy's athletic department, its student-athletes, and the Department of Transportation, with guidance on the trademark licensing program required within 180 days of enactment; funds collected under the law remain available until spent, with no overall spending cap specified.

S. Resolution 472 is a symbolic measure that supports designating October 30 as the "International Day of Political Prisoners" in the United States. The resolution emphasizes that approximately one million political prisoners worldwide—including journalists, activists, and dissidents—are detained by authoritarian regimes such as China, Russia, Belarus, Iran, and Venezuela for exercising their political or religious freedoms. The date of October 30 commemorates a 1974 Soviet tradition started by Ukrainian and Russian prisoners of conscience to raise awareness about political imprisonment. The resolution calls on the U.S. government to continue condemning political repression, holding accountable regimes responsible for imprisoning dissidents, and using diplomatic negotiations to secure the release of political prisoners. This resolution has no direct budget impact or enforcement mechanism, as it is a statement of congressional support rather than binding legislation.

This Senate resolution recognizes the 250th birthday of the United States Navy, marking the anniversary of the Continental Congress establishing a Continental Navy on October 13, 1775. The resolution honors the Navy's evolution from protecting American colonial trade against British forces to becoming today's global naval force of more than 290 ships, 3,700 aircraft, and 590,000 personnel. It acknowledges the service and sacrifices of Navy sailors, veterans, families, and civilian supporters who have contributed to America's maritime defense over two and a half centuries. The resolution, which passed the Senate with broad bipartisan support from 29 co-sponsors, formally expresses the nation's appreciation for the Navy's role in conflicts, humanitarian missions, and maintaining global stability. As a simple resolution recognizing an anniversary, it does not involve any funding or implementation timelines, but rather serves to commemorate this military milestone and reaffirm congressional support for the Navy's continued mission.

This bill directs the U.S. government to prioritize military cooperation and security assistance with nine NATO allies bordering Russia and Belarus—Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia. The legislation establishes these "Eastern Flank strategic defense partners" as priority recipients for military financing, training programs, excess military equipment transfers, and joint military exercises to strengthen their defenses against Russian aggression and support Ukraine. The Secretaries of State and Defense are instructed to increase military stockpiles in these countries under existing authorities and reinforce bilateral defense agreements. The bill does not specify new funding amounts, instead directing the administration to use existing defense cooperation programs, and requires the Defense Secretary to brief Congress within 180 days on implementation plans, goals, and timelines for strengthening cooperation with these allied nations.

The amendment introduces new provisions that enhance existing regulations by adding stricter compliance requirements for certain activities and increasing penalties for violations. Additionally, it establishes a new oversight mechanism to ensure better enforcement of these regulations.