Explore

Senators Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Codify NOAA’s Cooperative Institutes

Senators Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Codify NOAA’s Cooperative Institutes

U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) have introduced the bipartisan Cooperative Institute Act of 2026. This legislation aims to codify the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) long-standing Cooperative Institute (CI) program into statute. The goal is to ensure NOAA maintains its nationwide network of academic research partnerships, which conduct research directly supporting NOAA’s operational mission. These institutes contribute to improving hurricane forecasts, storm surge prediction, fisheries science, coastal resilience, drought and wildfire monitoring, and atmospheric river and flood forecasting. Senator Hyde-Smith emphasized that the act would provide greater certainty for NOAA and universities like Mississippi State and Southern Miss in understanding, protecting, and harnessing natural resources. She specifically mentioned the Northern Gulf Institute and the Cooperative Institute for Fostering A...

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...

Representatives García, Hayes, and Senator Booker Reintroduce DIVERSIFY Act to Double TEACH Grant Funding

Representatives García, Hayes, and Senator Booker Reintroduce DIVERSIFY Act to Double TEACH Grant Funding

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 strengthen 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 low-income communities. The core proposal of the DIVERSIFY Act is to increase the maximum TEACH Grant award from $4,000 to $8,000 per year, aligning it with the current cost of higher education. The bill also seeks to end sequestration cuts to the grant, eliminate the loan conversion penalty, and expand eligibility to cover the full cost of attendance rather than just tuition, fees, and institutionally owned housing. Additionally, it proposes expanding TEACH Grant eligibility for early educators by recognizing service in high-need early education programs and codifying early chil...

Representative Laura Gillen Co-Sponsors Legislation to Enhance Traffic Safety and Infrastructure Funding

Representative Laura Gillen Co-Sponsors Legislation to Enhance Traffic Safety and Infrastructure Funding

U.S. Representative Laura Gillen (D-NY) has introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives alongside Representative Rob Bresnahan (R-Pa.) to improve traffic safety and expand eligibility for federal funding in infrastructure projects. This House bill mirrors the Visionary Intersections Modernization Act, introduced in the Senate by Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.). The proposed legislation aims to amend the Surface Transportation Block Grant Program, specifically to include the construction of roundabouts as an eligible use of federal funding. The initiative is supported by several organizations, including Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Traffic Safety Services Association, and the Safe Routes Partnership. The goal is to provide states and local communities with more options for federal funding to construct roundabouts, which have been shown to improve traffic flow and reduce serious accidents.

U.S. House Passes AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, Advancing to Senate

U.S. House Passes AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, Advancing to Senate

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act (H.R. 979) by voice vote under suspension of the rules. This bipartisan legislation, reintroduced by Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ) in 2025, aims to mandate the inclusion of AM radio in new vehicles. The bill garnered 317 House cosponsors and cleared the House Energy & Commerce Committee with a 50-1 vote. This development follows over three years of advocacy by broadcasters, including the Colorado Broadcasters Association, which actively campaigned for the bill after several automakers announced plans in 2023 to remove AM radio from new vehicles. The legislation now moves to the U.S. Senate for further consideration.

U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Expand Security Funding for Religious and Community Centers

U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Expand Security Funding for Religious and Community Centers

U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Lafayette) has introduced the bipartisan 'Safe Spaces for All Act' to Congress, in partnership with U.S. Rep. Don Bacon (R-Nebraska). This proposed legislation aims to expand the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP). Currently, the NSGP provides funding for structural upgrades and physical security enhancements for non-profit organizations at high risk of terrorist or extremist attacks. The new bill would broaden the permissible uses of these funds to include hiring security guards, covering the costs of permanent salaried security personnel, off-duty law enforcement, and staff responsible for preparing grant applications. The initiative is a direct response to increasing threats and acts of religiously motivated violence, including a recent attack on the Pearl Street Mall in June 2025, which resulted in one fatality and multiple injuries. Organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League, Jewish Federations of North America, and the Je...

Representative Monica De La Cruz's Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen HUD Whistleblower Protections Passes House

Representative Monica De La Cruz's Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen HUD Whistleblower Protections Passes House

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed H.R. 4646, the Whistleblower Protection Act, a bipartisan bill championed by Housing and Insurance Subcommittee Vice Chair Monica De La Cruz. This legislation aims to ensure that all Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) contracts, including those established before 2013, incorporate whistleblower protections. The bill clarifies that enhanced whistleblower protections, originally enacted in 2013 under Section 4712, apply universally to all HUD contractors. This measure addresses a bureaucratic oversight where many long-standing HUD contracts, some decades old, lacked these crucial protections, leaving thousands of contractors without clear safeguards against retaliation for reporting waste, fraud, and abuse. The bill received bipartisan support and was passed out of the Financial Services Committee, reflecting a collective effort to enhance accountability within government programs.

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 ...

Congressman Pat Harrigan and Don Davis Introduce REACH Act to Strengthen Rural Healthcare Workforce

Congressman Pat Harrigan and Don Davis Introduce REACH Act to Strengthen Rural Healthcare Workforce

Congressman Pat Harrigan (NC-10), alongside co-leads Congressmen Tom Barrett (R-MI-07) and Don Davis (D-NC-01), has introduced the Resources for Essential Access to Community Health (REACH) Act. This bipartisan legislation aims to address the shortage of healthcare providers in rural communities by offering a refundable $10,000 annual tax credit. The credit would be available to doctors, nurses, mental health professionals, and medical residents who commit to working at least 900 hours per year in rural areas. The tax credit would begin to phase out for providers with adjusted gross incomes above $170,000 and would remain available for qualifying rural employment through 2033, taking effect in the 2027 tax year. The initiative is supported by healthcare organizations like Atrium Health and Duke University Health System, which recognize the critical need to attract and retain medical professionals in underserved regions.

Representative Maxwell Frost Co-Sponsors Bipartisan Bill to Extend FEMA Appeal Deadlines

Representative Maxwell Frost Co-Sponsors Bipartisan Bill to Extend FEMA Appeal Deadlines

U.S. Representative Maxwell Frost (D-FL) has co-sponsored a bipartisan bill, the 'Post-Disaster Protection Act,' which recently advanced through the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. This legislation, also led by Representatives Mike Ezell and Kimberlyn King-Hinds, aims to extend the appeal period for FEMA disaster assistance denials from 60 to 90 days. The proposed change would align the time disaster survivors and government applicants have to appeal with the time FEMA has to review those appeals. Supporters of the bill argue that this extension would provide applicants with more adequate time to gather necessary documents and respond to FEMA's decisions. The bill has garnered support from various organizations, including the National Association of Counties and the National League of Cities, and has multiple Democratic and Republican co-sponsors, indicating broad agreement on its practical benefits.

Nevada Lawmakers Reintroduce Bill to Aid Human Trafficking Survivors with Air Travel

Nevada Lawmakers Reintroduce Bill to Aid Human Trafficking Survivors with Air Travel

U.S. Representatives Susie Lee (D-Nev.) and Mark Amodei (R-Nev.) have reintroduced the Jimmy Deal Trafficking Survivors Assistance Act. This bipartisan legislation aims to help survivors of human trafficking access air travel to escape their traffickers and receive care. A companion bill was introduced in the Senate by U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.). The bill is named after James 'Jimmy' Deal, a late Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer who worked to raise awareness of human trafficking at Reno-Tahoe International Airport and assisted victims. Many survivors lack the necessary identification documents for air travel, as traffickers often control these documents. The proposed act seeks to facilitate air travel for these individuals, enabling them to return to their families and communities. This legislation was initially proposed in 2023 but did not pass during that congressional term.

House Ways and Means Committee Advances Buchanan Bill to Expand Medicare Coverage for Early Alzheimer’s Detection

House Ways and Means Committee Advances Buchanan Bill to Expand Medicare Coverage for Early Alzheimer’s Detection

The House Ways and Means Committee has unanimously advanced the bipartisan Alzheimer’s Screening and Prevention (ASAP) Act (H.R. 6130), co-led by Congressman Vern Buchanan and Congressman Paul Tonko. This legislation aims to provide Medicare coverage for FDA-approved or cleared blood-based biomarker tests for the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Under current law, Medicare's coverage for preventive services is limited to those specifically authorized by Congress or recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which can cause significant delays in access to new screening technologies. Congressman Buchanan emphasized that early detection is crucial for families to have more time to plan and seek preventative care. The bill is supported by the Alzheimer’s Association and the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement and has garnered 215 bipartisan cosponsors in the House. Companion legislation has also been introduced in the Senate by Senators Susan Collins and Catherine Cortez Masto...