Congress
Companion Animal Protection Against Cruel Testing Act
Companion Animal Protection Against Cruel Testing Act
This bill prohibits the use of funds made available to covered federal agencies for any biomedical research activity involving a live dog or cat. Covered agencies are agencies or offices within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that award, administer, or expend federal funds for biomedical research.
This prohibition also applies to activities that materially facilitate biomedical research involving a live dog or cat (e.g., salaries, facility maintenance, and administrative support primarily related to such research). It does not apply to transportation and rehousing of animals previously used in biomedical research or observational activities that do not involve alteration of an animal’s normal environment or medical care.
The prohibition applies to federal funds obligated or expended beginning 180 days after the bill is enacted. HHS may waive the prohibition in limited circumstances if necessary to respond to a specified emergency.
Recipients of funding from covered agencies must make reasonable efforts to transfer dogs and cats no longer needed for research to rescue organizations or other appropriate entities. Further, recipients may only euthanize an animal if a veterinarian has determined euthanasia is necessary for animal welfare or public safety.
If HHS determines that a recipient has violated a provision of the bill, it may withhold further funding to the recipient, recover funds expended in violation, and impose other administrative remedies.
Finally, the Government Accountability Office must report to Congress on the bill's implementation within three years after the bill takes effect.
Update Date: 2026-10-16 00:00:00
Ellie’s Law
Ellie Helton, Lisa Colagrossi, Kristen Shafer Englert, Teresa Anne Lawrence, and Jennifer Sedney Focused Research Act or Ellie's Law
This bill authorizes through FY2030 appropriations for the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to conduct or support research on unruptured brain aneurysms in a patient population diversified by age, sex, and race.
Update Date: 2026-10-14 00:00:00
America’s College Promise Act of 2026
America's College Promise Act of 2026
This bill provides funding and establishes grant programs to expand access to higher education, including by providing free community college to students.
Specifically, the bill establishes a program to waive resident tuition and fees for community college students. The Department of Education (ED) must award grants to states and tribal colleges and universities to pay the federal share of the program.
As a condition of receiving such a grant, a state must (1) submit a plan to align the requirements for receiving a regular high school diploma with the requirements for entering credit-bearing coursework at community colleges; and (2) submit a plan to improve transfer pathways between institutions of higher education (IHEs), including by ensuring that associate degrees awarded by community colleges are fully transferable to four-year IHEs.
Next, the bill directs ED to award grants to states and tribal colleges and universities for implementing evidence-based institutional reforms and innovative practices to improve student outcomes.
In addition, ED must award grants to participating historically Black colleges and universities, tribal colleges and universities, and minority-serving institutions to waive or significantly reduce the first 60 credits of tuition and fees for low-income students.
Update Date: 2026-10-14 00:00:00
SPELL Act
Supporting Providers of English Language Learning Act or the SPELL Act
This bill allows elementary and secondary school teachers who teach English learners, bilingual students, or dual language immersion students to receive additional amounts of student loan forgiveness and loan cancellation.
Update Date: 2026-10-14 00:00:00
Consensual Donation and Research Integrity Act of 2025
Consensual Donation and Research Integrity Act of 2025
This bill requires certain entities that acquire human bodies and sell for profit a whole human body or human body part to register with the Department of Health and Human Services.
Registered entities must comply with record-keeping, labeling, packaging, and disposition requirements.
The registration and related requirements do not apply to
- the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (a public-private partnership that links the professionals involved in the U.S. donation and transplantation system) or its members;
- the preparation, transportation, and final disposition of human bodies or body parts by funeral service professionals; and
- schools of medicine, dentistry, and mortuary science and other research and training entities that do not sell whole human bodies or body parts for profit.
Update Date: 2026-10-14 00:00:00
Remote Opioid Monitoring Act of 2025
Remote Opioid Monitoring Act of 2025
This bill requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report on the use of remote monitoring of individuals who are prescribed opioids, including the efficacy and prevalence of remote monitoring with respect to these individuals. GAO must also recommend ways to improve the availability, access, and coverage of remote monitoring for these individuals.
Update Date: 2026-10-14 00:00:00
LGBTQ+ Panic Defense Prohibition Act of 2025
LGBTQ+ Panic Defense Prohibition Act of 2025
This bill generally prohibits a federal criminal defendant from asserting, as a defense, that the nonviolent sexual advance of an individual or a perception or belief of the gender, gender identity or expression, or sexual orientation of an individual excuses or justifies conduct or mitigates the severity of an offense.
Update Date: 2026-10-14 00:00:00
Andrew Kearse Accountability for Denial of Medical Care Act of 2025
Andrew Kearse Accountability for Denial of Medical Care Act of 2025
This bill establishes a new federal criminal offense for failing to obtain medical attention for an individual in federal custody who displays medical distress.
Specifically, the bill requires federal law enforcement officers and the Bureau of Prisons' personnel to provide or obtain immediate medical attention for an individual in federal custody who displays medical distress. It criminalizes the negligent failure to obtain or provide such medical attention that results in unnecessary pain, injury, or death.
A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to one year, or both.
Update Date: 2026-10-14 00:00:00
Cerebral Palsy Research Program Authorization Act of 2025
Cerebral Palsy Research Program Authorization Act of 2025
This bill requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to carry out a research program that addresses diagnosis and treatment, public health surveillance, and other aspects of cerebral palsy (a group of disorders caused by abnormal brain development or brain damage that affects an individual's ability to move and maintain balance and posture).
Update Date: 2026-10-14 00:00:00
Expanding Medical Education Act
Expanding Medical Education Act
This bill authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants to institutions of higher education, or consortia of such institutions, to establish or expand medical schools.
In awarding these grants, HHS must prioritize minority-serving institutions or those that propose to establish or expand schools in medically underserved communities or areas with shortages of health professionals where no such schools exist.
Update Date: 2026-10-14 00:00:00
Break the Cycle of Violence Act
Break the Cycle of Violence Act
This bill establishes federal grant programs and related entities to support violence intervention initiatives.
Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants for coordinated community violence intervention initiatives in communities disproportionately impacted by homicides and community violence. HHS must also establish several related entities, including
- an Office of Community Violence Intervention to administer programs and activities related to violence intervention;
- the Community Violence Intervention Advisory Committee to advise and assist the office and HHS; and
- the National Community Violence Response Center to provide training and technical assistance, coordinate research, and develop data collection policies.
Additionally, the bill directs the Department of Labor to award grants for job training and workforce programs in communities disproportionately affected by gun violence to connect youth ages 16 to 24 to in-demand occupations.
Update Date: 2026-10-14 00:00:00
Gold King Mine Spill Compensation Act of 2025
Gold King Mine Spill Compensation Act of 2025
This bill authorizes and provides funding for compensation for certain homeowners, livestock grazers, farmers, and companies who suffered damages as a result of the Gold King Mine spill on August 5, 2015, in southwest Colorado.
To be eligible for compensation, a homeowner, livestock grazer, farmer, or company (1) must have submitted an administrative claim to the Environmental Protection Agency on or before August 5, 2017, that was denied or not fully compensated; and (2) must not have entered a settlement with the United States for an amount exceeding $2,500.
Under the bill, covered damages include lost business income, expenses arising from relocating livestock and providing alternative water supplies, and crop loss or diminished crop yield.
Update Date: 2026-10-14 00:00:00
SPEAK Act of 2025
Supporting Patient Education And Knowledge Act of 2025 or the SPEAK Act of 2025
This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to issue guidance with best practices for improving telehealth services for non-English speakers, including with respect to using interpreters, providing accessible instructions, and enabling multi-person video calls.
Update Date: 2026-10-14 00:00:00
Access to Family Building Act
Access to Family Building Act
This bill provides a statutory right to access assisted reproductive technology (e.g., in vitro fertilization).
Specifically, under the bill, individuals have the right to access assisted reproductive technology, and to retain all rights with respect to the use or disposition of reproductive genetic materials (e.g., eggs or sperm), without prohibitions or unreasonable restrictions. Health care providers and insurers also have the right to provide and cover these services, respectively.
The bill does not affect state or local health and safety regulations that achieve their purpose in the least restrictive manner possible.
The Department of Justice may bring civil actions against states, localities, or government officials or entities that enact or enforce limitations or requirements that violate this bill. Individuals and health care providers who are affected by violations may also bring civil actions for relief.
Update Date: 2026-10-14 00:00:00
Student Loan Forgiveness for Farmers and Ranchers Act
Student Loan Forgiveness for Farmers and Ranchers Act
This bill establishes a student loan forgiveness program for certain farmers or ranchers.
Specifically, to receive loan forgiveness under this bill, a borrower must (1) make 120 monthly loan payments under a specified repayment plan while employed full-time at a qualified farm or ranch; and (2) fall within certain categories of individuals such as a beginner farmer or rancher, an individual underrepresented in the agricultural profession, or a veteran farmer or rancher.
Update Date: 2026-10-14 00:00:00
HERO Act
Helping Emergency Responders Overcome Act or the HERO Act
This bill establishes a series of programs relating to the behavioral health of law enforcement officers, first responders, 9-1-1 operators, and other public safety officers and health care providers.
The programs include
- a public safety officer suicide-reporting system at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
- a grant program for peer-support behavioral health and wellness programs within fire departments and emergency medical services agencies, and
- a grant program for behavioral health and wellness programs for health care providers.
Update Date: 2026-10-14 00:00:00
Beyond the Box for Higher Education Act of 2026
Beyond the Box for Higher Education Act of 2026
This bill requires the Department of Education to issue guidance and recommendations for institutions of higher education to remove criminal and juvenile justice questions from their admission applications.
Update Date: 2026-10-14 00:00:00
Smaller Class Sizes for Students and Educators Act of 2026
Smaller Class Sizes for Students and Educators Act of 2026
This bill directs the Department of Education to award grants for local educational agencies to reduce class sizes in the early elementary grades (grades K-3) in targeted public elementary schools by recruiting, hiring, and supporting qualified teachers.
Update Date: 2026-10-14 00:00:00
Emergency Grant Aid for College Students Act
Emergency Grant Aid for College Students Act
This bill establishes a grant program for emergency student financial aid. It also prohibits the Department of Education (ED) from transferring functions related to this program to other federal agencies.
Specifically, the bill directs ED to establish a grant program for institutions of higher education to provide emergency financial aid grants to students.
The bill also prohibits ED from entering into or carrying out interagency agreements related to this program. This prohibition applies to the transfer of functions such as administering or operating programs, making grants, carrying out technical assistance, enforcing rights and requirements (e.g., data collection requirements), conducting administrative and oversight functions, and monitoring grantees.
Update Date: 2026-10-14 00:00:00
To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 475 East FM 1382 in Cedar Hill, Texas, as the "Eugene Gates Jr. Post Office Building".
This bill designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 475 East FM 1382 in Cedar Hill, Texas, as the "Eugene Gates Jr. Post Office Building".
Update Date: 2026-10-14 00:00:00