Recent Legislative Activity

• Extends the SBIR and STTR programs from September 30, 2025 to September 30, 2031
• Establishes new security screening requirements for small business concerns, including evaluation of security risks through due diligence processes and coordination with intelligence agencies
• Creates a new "strategic breakthrough allocation" allowing federal agencies to award up to $30,000,000 to qualifying small businesses for Phase II projects

• Provides for House consideration of H.R. 1689, which would require the Secretary of Homeland Security to designate Haiti for temporary protected status
• Waives all points of order against the bill and establishes specific debate procedures including one hour of debate and one motion to recommit
• Includes an amendment requiring Haiti's temporary protected status designation until 3 months after January 20, 2029

• Makes appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security for fiscal year ending September 30, 2026, with specific funding amounts for various DHS components including CBP, ICE, TSA, Coast Guard, Secret Service, CISA, and FEMA
• Provides $20,000,000 for procurement, deployment, and operations of body-worn cameras for agents and officers performing enforcement activities under immigration law
• Includes administrative provisions establishing reporting requirements, oversight mechanisms, and operational restrictions for DHS agencies and programs

• Amends title 46, United States Code, regarding types of vessels that may enter or operate in U.S. navigable waters or transfer cargo in U.S. ports
• Allows the President to designate certain ports, harbors, or marine terminals in Western Hemisphere countries with U.S. free trade agreements if they have nationalized or expropriated property owned by U.S. persons
• Prohibits vessels that have transited designated facilities from entering U.S. ports, with exceptions for emergencies and vessels authorized by the original U.S. owner

• Appropriates funds for the Department of Homeland Security for fiscal year ending September 30, 2026, including operations and support, procurement, construction, and improvements across multiple agencies
• Provides specific funding amounts for major DHS components including U.S. Customs and Border Protection ($17.7 billion for operations), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ($10.0 billion for operations), Transportation Security Administration ($10.6 billion for operations), Coast Guard ($11.3 billion for operations), and U.S. Secret Service ($3.1 billion for operations)
• Establishes various administrative provisions, reporting requirements, and restrictions on the use of appropriated funds, including requirements for congressional notifications and briefings on spending plans and operations

• Amends the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act of 2016 to prohibit courts from applying defenses based on passage of time (such as laches, adverse possession) and other non-merits defenses to Nazi-looted art recovery claims
• Expands coverage to include artwork lost due to persecution by covered governments or their agents/associates, regardless of the victim's nationality or citizenship
• Applies to civil claims pending in court on the date of enactment or filed after that date

• Authorizes the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation to establish a commemorative work on the National Mall to honor Medal of Honor recipients' acts of valor, selfless service, and sacrifice
• Specifies that the monument shall be located within the Reserve, notwithstanding existing restrictions in section 8908(c) of title 40, United States Code
• Applies the Commemorative Works Act to the commemorative work except for the location requirement specified in the bill

• Adjusts the boundaries of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area to include the Scarper Ridge property
• Amends Section 2(a)(2) of Public Law 92-589 to add land depicted as "Proposed Boundary Addition" on a specific map dated July 2024

• Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to issue a 10-year special use permit for maintaining a flagpole bearing the U.S. flag at Kyhv Peak Lookout Point in Utah's Uinta National Forest
• Designates Robert S. Collins of Provo, Utah as the first permit recipient, or alternatively a qualified person from Utah County with flagpole maintenance experience
• Exempts the permit from land use fees and exempts the permit process from the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969

• Provides a supplemental monthly allowance of $833.33 to veterans eligible for aid and attendance allowances under specific subsections
• Increases dependency and indemnity compensation rates by Social Security benefit increase percentage plus one percent, with this requirement terminating after five increases
• Allows collection of housing loan fees from veterans with disability ratings of 70 percent or less and for subsequent loans during a specified period

• Authorizes Alaska Natives in five southeastern Alaska communities (Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell) to form Urban Corporations under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act
• Provides for the conveyance of approximately 23,040 acres of federal land to each of the five Urban Corporations, with surface estate going to the Urban Corporations and subsurface estate to the Regional Corporation for Southeast Alaska
• Establishes shareholder eligibility and distribution rights for Alaska Natives enrolled in these communities who were previously omitted from the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act

• Authorizes North Dakota to relinquish state land grant parcels located within Indian reservation boundaries in exchange for selecting unappropriated federal land of substantially equivalent value
• Requires that relinquished state land within reservation boundaries be taken into trust by the Secretary for the benefit of the applicable Indian Tribe upon their request
• Establishes procedures for land valuation, appraisals, and conveyance processes with specific timelines for Secretary approval and conveyance actions

• Takes approximately 1,261 acres of federal land in Riverside County, California into trust for the benefit of the Pechanga Band of Indians
• Requires the land to be maintained as open space and prohibits any class II or class III gaming activities
• Makes the land part of the Pechanga Band's reservation, subject to existing rights and agreements

• Establishes an online program allowing Department of Veterans Affairs employees to schedule appointments for veterans with non-Department health care providers under the Veterans Community Care Program
• Requires the Secretary to implement this program within one year and prescribe regulations within 90 days of enactment
• Program terminates seven years after the date of enactment

• Amends title 38, United States Code, to include a representative of the National Association of State Veterans Homes on the Department of Veterans Affairs Geriatrics and Gerontology Advisory Committee
• Requires the representative to hold a professional license in nursing home administration
• Establishes consultation requirements with the President of the National Association of State Veterans Homes on matters concerning the association

• Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct a feasibility study on designating the Benton MacKaye Trail as a national scenic trail
• Amends the National Trails System Act to require completion and submission of the study to Congress within 1 year
• Requires the Secretary to consult with interested organizations, including the Benton MacKaye Trail Association, during the study

• Establishes the General George C. Marshall House in Virginia as an affiliated area of the National Park System
• Designates the George C. Marshall International Center as the management entity for the affiliated area
• Allows the Secretary of the Interior to provide technical assistance and enter into cooperative agreements for financial assistance with marketing, interpretation, and preservation

• Amends the Catawba Indian Tribe of South Carolina Land Claims Settlement Act of 1993
• Removes the requirement that tribal members must be lineal descendants of persons on the final base membership roll and maintain political relations with the Tribe

• Requires the Department of Veterans Affairs-Department of Defense Joint Executive Committee to inventory and assess the effectiveness of programs that facilitate access to mental health services across the transition spectrum
• Mandates submission of a report to Congressional Veterans Affairs Committees within 180 days containing assessment results, identified deficiencies/gaps, and recommendations with action plans
• Establishes a requirement for biennial review of the joint separation health assessment to validate and recommend changes to assessment questions