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Congress Considers Paul Whelan Hostage Compensation Act to Aid Returning U.S. Hostages

Congress Considers Paul Whelan Hostage Compensation Act to Aid Returning U.S. Hostages

Congress is currently evaluating a new legislative proposal, the Paul Whelan Hostage Compensation and Reintegration Act, designed to provide financial assistance to U.S. citizens who have been held hostage abroad. This initiative aims to address the significant financial and personal losses experienced by former hostages, such as Paul Whelan, who was detained in Russia for over five years on espionage charges. Whelan, a Michigan native, returned home in August 2024 to find his job and home gone, highlighting a critical gap in support for returning hostages. The proposed bill seeks to establish a social safety net, offering monetary compensation based on the duration of captivity. This compensation would not come from U.S. taxpayer funds but rather from frozen assets and bank accounts of 'rogue nations' known for holding American citizens, including countries like Russia, China, Syria, and Iran. The legislation is championed by Michigan Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens and has garnered bipartisan supp...

Westchester County Journal News

Do clocks fall back this weekend? Here's when daylight saving time ends in 2026

Do clocks fall back this weekend? Here's when daylight saving time ends in 2026

Wondering when to change your clocks? Here's when daylight saving time ends in 2026 and when clocks fall back by one hour.

Representative García Introduces DIVERSIFY Act to Strengthen TEACH Grant Program

Representative García Introduces DIVERSIFY Act to Strengthen TEACH Grant Program

Representatives Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), Jahana Hayes (CT-05), and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) have reintroduced the Diversifying by Investing in Educators and Students to Improve Outcomes For Youth (DIVERSIFY) Act. This legislation aims to enhance and expand the TEACH Grant program, which was established in 2007 to provide financial aid to undergraduate and graduate students pursuing teaching careers in high-need fields and serving low-income families. Currently, the TEACH Grant offers up to $4,000. The DIVERSIFY Act proposes several key changes, including increasing the maximum annual TEACH Grant award to $8,000 to better align with the rising costs of higher education and educator preparation. Additionally, the bill seeks to eliminate sequestration cuts to the TEACH Grant, ensuring that eligible students receive the full authorized grant amount. It also aims to amend the program to cover the full cost of attendance, rather than being limited to tuition, fees, and institutionally owned housing, thereb...

Senate Approves Bipartisan Resolution Designating Gold Star Families Remembrance Week

Senate Approves Bipartisan Resolution Designating Gold Star Families Remembrance Week

The U.S. Senate has unanimously approved a resolution, S.Res.904, introduced by U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) and U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), formally designating September 20-27 as Gold Star Families Remembrance Week. This bipartisan measure aims to honor the sacrifices made by the families of U.S. military servicemembers who have died in defense of the nation. Senator Hyde-Smith emphasized the patriotism and resolve of Gold Star families and reaffirmed her commitment to advancing legislation to protect and improve their survivor benefits. Senator Warnock highlighted that when servicemembers answer the call, their entire family joins the mission, and their personal sacrifice should not go unrecognized. The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), a veterans' organization, supports this annual resolution. Senator Hyde-Smith met with TAPS Gold Star Families prior to the Senate's action, where she committed to advocating for legislation such as the Love Lives on Act (S.41...

Congresswoman Pettersen and Congressman Valadao Introduce Bipartisan Financial Literacy Bill for High Schools

Congresswoman Pettersen and Congressman Valadao Introduce Bipartisan Financial Literacy Bill for High Schools

Congresswoman Brittany Pettersen has introduced the bipartisan 'Promoting Financial Literacy in Secondary Schools Act' alongside Congressman David Valadao. This proposed legislation aims to expand financial literacy resources for high school students across the nation. The bill would direct the Financial Literacy and Education Commission to extend its best-practices guidance, which currently focuses on higher education, to include high schools. The goal is to provide voluntary, expert-developed resources on essential financial topics such as budgeting, credit management, and debt avoidance. This initiative responds to survey data indicating a strong desire among many Colorado teenagers for financial literacy education, coupled with limited access to such programs.

Representative Sam Graves Champions Infrastructure Bill and EV Fee to Bolster Highway Trust Fund

Representative Sam Graves Champions Infrastructure Bill and EV Fee to Bolster Highway Trust Fund

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO) has been a key proponent of the BUILD America 250 Act, a five-year transportation funding bill currently under consideration in Congress. This bipartisan proposal aims to invest significantly in highways, bridges, transit, rail, and freight programs. A central feature of the bill is the introduction of a new annual federal registration fee for electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrids. Specifically, the bill proposes a $130 annual fee for EVs and a $35 fee for plug-in hybrids. This measure is designed to address a long-standing funding gap in the Highway Trust Fund, which has historically relied on gasoline and diesel taxes. With EVs not contributing through these fuel taxes, the fund has seen a widening deficit as EV adoption increases. The bill allocates $376 billion for Federal Highway Administration programs, $87.6 billion for transit, $5.7 billion for highway safety, and $5 billion for motor carrier safety, alongside a...

House-Passed Digital Assets Market Clarity Act Fails to Advance in Senate Amid Ethics Disagreement

House-Passed Digital Assets Market Clarity Act Fails to Advance in Senate Amid Ethics Disagreement

On September 15, 2026, the House-passed bipartisan Digital Assets Market Clarity Act (H.R. 3633) did not advance to the Senate floor. The bill failed to proceed following a largely party-line procedural vote. Lawmakers are currently in disagreement over specific ethics provisions contained within the legislation. Despite this setback, there is a stated commitment among members of Congress to resume negotiations on the bill during the upcoming lame duck session. This development occurred as Congress returned to Washington with a limited legislative window before adjourning for the 2026 midterm elections, with the House recessing earlier than anticipated to focus on campaigns, while the Senate was scheduled to remain in session longer. Both chambers are expected to reconvene for a busy lame duck session starting November 9, 2026.

Representative Jack Bergman Introduces Bill to Expand Dental Care Access for Rural Veterans

Representative Jack Bergman Introduces Bill to Expand Dental Care Access for Rural Veterans

U.S. Representative Jack Bergman (R-MI) has introduced H.R. 10419, known as the Supporting Mobile and Integrated Local Examinations for Veterans Act (SMILE for Veterans Act). This proposed legislation aims to establish a three-year pilot program under the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to enhance dental care access for veterans residing in rural areas. The program, which would need to be implemented within one year of enactment, would involve the VA collaborating with community-based dental providers outside its system. These providers would offer dental services through reimbursements, contracts, or other agreements. Services could include basic, preventive, restorative, and urgent dental care, mobile dental services, and no-cost dentistry days. The pilot program is mandated to operate in at least 10 rural locations across a minimum of five states. Eligible veterans would typically be those enrolled in the VA patient enrollment system, living in a rural area, and either ineligible for VA dental care ...

U.S. Representative Erin Houchin Sponsors Bipartisan Literacy Bill Prioritizing Phonics

U.S. Representative Erin Houchin Sponsors Bipartisan Literacy Bill Prioritizing Phonics

U.S. Representative Erin Houchin (R-Ind.) is sponsoring the Science of Reading Act of 2026, a bipartisan bill aimed at directing federal literacy grants towards programs that utilize phonics as a teaching method. The bill emphasizes the effectiveness of phonics, which focuses on the sound of letters and their combination, for all students, including those with dyslexia. Representative Houchin noted that some schools have shifted away from phonics to methods like the 'three-cueing method,' which involves context clues, sight words, and guessing from pictures. She argues that this alternative approach is particularly detrimental for children with learning disabilities. The bill successfully passed the House with bipartisan support and is currently awaiting consideration in the Senate, with hopes for it to be addressed before the session concludes in December.

Senator Martin Heinrich Objects to House-Passed Ratepayer Protection Act, Citing Voluntary Standards for Data Centers

Senator Martin Heinrich Objects to House-Passed Ratepayer Protection Act, Citing Voluntary Standards for Data Centers

Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM), the top Democrat on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, has objected to the passage of the Ratepayer Protection Act (H.R. 9340) in the Senate. The bill, which passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan support (417-3), aims to address high utility costs for consumers living near data centers by requiring state utility regulators to consider standards that would make large data centers pay the full incremental cost of their electricity consumption. Senator Heinrich argues that the bill's provisions are insufficient because they rely on voluntary pledges and suggestions to states rather than mandating that data centers cover the costs of necessary grid upgrades. He believes that Congress needs to enact "real legislation with real teeth" to ensure data centers contribute adequately to infrastructure costs. His objection blocked the bill's swift passage in the Senate.

Representative Joe Courtney Introduces Bill to Safeguard VC-25B Bridge Aircraft from Transfer

Representative Joe Courtney Introduces Bill to Safeguard VC-25B Bridge Aircraft from Transfer

Representative Joe Courtney has introduced H.R. 10360, titled the 'Safeguarding Taxpayer Investment for Executive Airlift Act of 2026.' This bill, received on September 14, 2026, and currently having 18 cosponsors, aims to prevent the Department of Defense from using fiscal year 2027 funds to sell, donate, or otherwise transfer ownership or control of any aircraft in the VC-25B Bridge program to entities outside the Department of the Air Force. The legislation is designed to ensure these specific aircraft remain under Air Force control, thereby preventing their transfer to private individuals or organizations. The bill does not alter how the aircraft are built, operated, or directly funded, beyond restricting the use of FY2027 defense funds for any external transfer. This move underscores a legislative effort to maintain specific military assets within the established defense framework.

Bipartisan Coalition Urges Congressional Appointment for Next GAO Head to Ensure Independence

Bipartisan Coalition Urges Congressional Appointment for Next GAO Head to Ensure Independence

A bipartisan coalition is advocating for Congress, rather than the president, to appoint the next head of the Government Accountability Office (GAO). This call for reform comes after the retirement of Comptroller General Gene Dodaro in December 2025, leaving Orice Williams Brown to lead the GAO in an acting capacity. The coalition, organized by the American Governance Institute and supported by over 20 organizations across the political spectrum, argues that this change is crucial to preserve the GAO's independence, impartiality, professionalism, and credibility. They emphasize that Congress alone should choose its agency heads, especially for an office within the legislative branch that examines the effectiveness and efficiency of federal programs. The current process involves a commission of senior lawmakers recommending individuals to the president, who then makes a selection subject to Senate confirmation.