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Rep. Brad Knott Co-Sponsors Bipartisan 'Right to Worship Act' to Protect Houses of Worship

Rep. Brad Knott Co-Sponsors Bipartisan 'Right to Worship Act' to Protect Houses of Worship

Rep. Brad Knott (R-NC) has co-sponsored the 'Right to Worship Act' alongside Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY), a bipartisan legislative effort aimed at safeguarding houses of worship from disruptions. The proposed bill seeks to establish a 100-foot protest-free buffer zone around religious establishments during services, making it unlawful to knowingly impede or disrupt individuals attending worship. Knott emphasized that the legislation is designed to balance potentially conflicting elements of the First Amendment, specifically the rights to free speech and religious worship. He stated that the right to worship is currently under attack across the country. The bill has garnered significant support from over 30 national religious organizations, including Hindu, Sikh, and Jewish groups, who rallied at Capitol Hill to advocate for its passage. This initiative builds upon Suozzi's earlier 'Safeguarding Access to Congregations and Religious Establishments from Disruption (SACRED) Act' introduced in April, with the 'Righ...

Senate Committee Approves Bipartisan Runway SAFE-T Act to Enhance Airport Safety

Senate Committee Approves Bipartisan Runway SAFE-T Act to Enhance Airport Safety

The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee has approved the bipartisan Runway Surface Awareness and Focused, Effective Training and Technology (Runway SAFE-T) Act (S. 5224). Introduced by Senate Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Senator John Hickenlooper (D-CO), the bill aims to improve airport runway safety and prevent aviation incidents. The legislation proposes the establishment of a task force within the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to enhance airport movement area driver training and support technologies designed to reduce runway incursions and other surface safety incidents. The bill is co-sponsored by a bipartisan group of senators, including Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tim Sheehy (R-MT), and John Kennedy (R-LA). The American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) supports the bill, emphasizing its thoughtful approach to enhancing training for critical airport...

House Committee Passes Bipartisan Aviation Medication Transparency Act to Improve Pilot and Air Traffic Controller Healthcare Access

House Committee Passes Bipartisan Aviation Medication Transparency Act to Improve Pilot and Air Traffic Controller Healthcare Access

The Aviation Medication Transparency Act, a bipartisan bill introduced by U.S. Congressmen Sean Casten (D-IL-06) and Pete Stauber (R-MN-08), has successfully passed out of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure by a voice vote. The legislation is now slated for a full House vote. This bill mandates that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) publicly list medications deemed safe for use by pilots, flight instructors, flight attendants, and other aviation professionals, alongside those that are not. Furthermore, it requires the FAA to provide guidance on the duration for which airmen may need to limit their duties while adjusting to specific medications. Currently, the FAA provides this critical information to Aviation Medical Examiners but not directly to pilots, non-aeromedical physicians, or air traffic controllers. This lack of accessibility can lead to aviators unknowingly taking prescription medications that could jeopardize their careers. The Act aims to rectify this by ensuring ...

U.S. Senator Angus King Backs Bill to Modernize Fisheries Tracking with eDNA Technology

U.S. Senator Angus King Backs Bill to Modernize Fisheries Tracking with eDNA Technology

U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, is supporting the Fisheries Science Modernization Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at updating how federal officials monitor and protect fisheries. The proposed legislation seeks to integrate environmental DNA (eDNA) and other biomolecular tools into the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) fisheries programs. The primary objective is to enhance the accuracy and reduce the cost of fish population surveys. Currently, NOAA's stock assessment methods are expensive and constrained by the availability of research vessels, leading to gaps in survey coverage. The bill would enable NOAA to utilize eDNA, a modern technology already widely adopted in the private sector, for its assessments. This technology allows researchers to gather data in remote or hazardous environments more cost-effectively than traditional survey methods. Senator King emphasized that fisheries are vital to Maine's economy and culture, and their sustainability is crucial for their continued promin...

NOAA Deploys Saildrones to Monitor Historic El Niño

NOAA Deploys Saildrones to Monitor Historic El Niño

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is intensifying its efforts to monitor the ongoing El Niño event, which is expected to become historic. NOAA has deployed four uncrewed surface vehicles, known as Saildrones, to the Niña 3.4 region in the equatorial Pacific. These wind-powered, solar-steered instruments collect real-time data on ocean-atmosphere interactions, filling gaps left by stationary sensors. The Saildrones are part of a broader network of monitoring tools, including moored buoys, Argo floats, drifters, gliders, and satellites. Together, these instruments provide critical insights into how El Niño transfers heat to the atmosphere, driving shifts in global weather patterns. The data collected will help forecast potential impacts, such as heavy rainfall and flooding in southern U.S. regions and warmer, drier conditions in northern states. (Source: NOAA, Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory; Source time: Wed, 16 Sep 2026 09:47:45 GMT)

US Senate panel approves bill to bar government officials from pressuring networks on free speech

US Senate panel approves bill to bar government officials from pressuring networks on free speech

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON, Sept 16 (Reuters) - The U.S.

Bipartisan Hydropower Licensing Transparency Act Passes Senate, Heads to President Trump's Desk

Bipartisan Hydropower Licensing Transparency Act Passes Senate, Heads to President Trump's Desk

The Hydropower Licensing Transparency Act (H.R.3657/S. 3500), a bipartisan piece of legislation, has unanimously passed the U.S. Senate and is now awaiting President Trump's signature to become law. This bill, led by Representatives Kim Schrier (D, WA-08) and Russ Fulcher (R, ID-01) in the House, and Senators Daines (R-MT) and Cortez Masto (D-NV) in the Senate, aims to increase transparency in the hydropower relicensing process. The legislation mandates that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) submit an annual report to Congress detailing the status of relicensing for every facility undergoing the process. This initiative seeks to address the current system, which often takes over a decade and incurs significant costs, thereby posing a threat to the continued operation of hydropower facilities. The National Hydropower Association (NHA) has applauded the Senate's passage, emphasizing the importance of hydropower for meeting energy demands and ensuring reliable power.

House Passes Chesapeake Bay WATERS Act, Reauthorizing NOAA Programs

House Passes Chesapeake Bay WATERS Act, Reauthorizing NOAA Programs

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed H.R. 6893, the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Advancement for Training, Education, Restoration, and Science (WATERS) Act. This bipartisan legislation was co-led by Representatives Bobby Scott (VA-03), Rob Wittman (VA-01), Jen Kiggans (VA-02), and Sarah Elfreth (MD-03). The bill aims to reauthorize programs managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Chesapeake Bay Office. These programs are crucial for the restoration, monitoring, and educational initiatives within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Specifically, the WATERS Act supports Bay restoration efforts, provides essential water-quality and scientific data, and funds educational programs like the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) program, which would be authorized for the first time under this legislation. The bill now moves to the United States Senate for consideration.

Congresswoman Houchin Introduces Bipartisan '16 Up Social Media Act' to Establish National Age Standard

Congresswoman Houchin Introduces Bipartisan '16 Up Social Media Act' to Establish National Age Standard

Congresswoman Erin Houchin (R-IN-09) and Congressman Jake Auchincloss (D-MA-04) have jointly introduced the '16 & Up Social Media Act.' This bipartisan legislation aims to set a national age standard of 16 for social media platforms, prohibiting individuals under this age from creating or maintaining accounts. The bill specifically targets platforms that utilize engagement-driven design features, such as infinite scroll, autoplay, push alerts, and personalized feeds, which are engineered to capture and retain user attention. According to Rep. Houchin, the legislation is a response to the addictive nature of these platforms, particularly for children, and seeks to provide a clear guideline for both platforms and parents. The act also mandates the deletion of children's data upon account termination and requires platforms to establish a five-day appeals process for account closures, focusing on design features rather than content regulation.

Representative Vince Fong Proposes Amendment to Limit Rideshare Company Liability

Representative Vince Fong Proposes Amendment to Limit Rideshare Company Liability

Representative Vince Fong of California has proposed an amendment to H.R. 8870, the BUILD America 250 Act, which seeks to significantly alter the liability standards for rideshare companies. This amendment, introduced during a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee markup, would preempt state-law doctrines that currently allow injured individuals to hold rideshare companies directly responsible for incidents. Instead, victims would face a much higher legal bar, needing to demonstrate gross negligence or criminal wrongdoing by the company itself. The amendment is designed to apply to lawsuits filed on or after its enactment date, regardless of when the harm occurred, potentially affecting cases where injuries happened before the bill's passage but lawsuits have not yet been filed. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved the bill, including Fong's amendment, by a 62-2 vote on May 22, 2026. As of September 14, 2026, the bill awaits action by the full House and has not yet pas...

Rep. Gabe Evans' Bipartisan Bill Aims to Protect Communities from Data Center Electric Grid Upgrade Costs

Rep. Gabe Evans' Bipartisan Bill Aims to Protect Communities from Data Center Electric Grid Upgrade Costs

Rep. Gabe Evans, representing Colorado’s 8th district, has introduced the bipartisan "Ratepayer Protection Act." This legislation seeks to prevent local communities from bearing the financial burden of electric grid upgrades necessitated by the construction of new data centers. The bill has successfully passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee with unanimous support, indicating broad agreement on its objectives. The core intent of the act is to mandate that large-load electricity consumers, such as data centers, provide financial assurances to cover the infrastructure improvements required to meet their substantial electricity demands. This measure is designed to ensure that the costs associated with expanding and upgrading the electrical grid are not passed on to existing ratepayers, but rather are borne by the entities driving the increased demand. The bill's progression through the committee stage suggests it is moving towards a full vote in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Representative Sanford Bishop Co-Sponsors Resolution to Close 13th Amendment Slavery Loophole

Representative Sanford Bishop Co-Sponsors Resolution to Close 13th Amendment Slavery Loophole

U.S. Representative Sanford Bishop Jr. (GA-02) is a co-sponsor of the bicameral 'End the Exception Amendment,' a resolution aimed at striking the 'Slavery Clause' from the 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. This clause currently permits slavery 'as a punishment for crime.' The resolution was reintroduced by U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), U.S. Representative Nikema Williams (GA-05), and U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ). Proponents argue that this loophole has historically allowed for forced labor, particularly impacting Black Americans, through practices like 'Black Codes' enacted after 1865. These codes led to mass arrests for minor offenses, with imprisoned individuals then leased out for labor, sometimes on the same plantations where they had been enslaved. By 1898, 73% of Alabama's state revenue reportedly came from such forced labor. The resolution seeks to eliminate this exception, ensuring a complete ban on slavery without any qualifications.