Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (S 1383) – Also known as the SAVE America Act, this bill passed in the House on Feb. 11 but stalled in the Senate due to the Democrat filibuster. The bill would require states to verify documentary proof of citizenship and current residential address when Americans apply for federal voter registration. The easiest documentation would be a birth certificate or passport that confirms their current legal name (most women change their last name after marriage, so they require additional documentation, such as a marriage certificate). However, research from the Bipartisan Policy Center found that nearly 1 in 10 registered voters do not have access to their birth certificate, and 52 percent do not have an unexpired passport with their current legal name. Note that these registration requirements kick in any time current voters update their registration, such as for an address change or to switch political party affiliation. The bill also requires a specific type of photo ID to cast a ballot. A driver’s license is acceptable, but not student IDs or a tribal ID that lacks an expiration date (which tribal IDs do not contain). The president is also insistent that the legislation include unrelated restrictions for transgender Americans. The debate over this bill continues in the Senate.
Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026 (HR 7744) – This is the bill that has held up appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2026. The bill was introduced by Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) on March 2 and passed in the House on March 5. However, it triggered a partial government shutdown and is under heated debate in the Senate. Republicans insist on passing the complete bill with increased funding for national security and border protection. The legislation also includes provisions prohibiting funds for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Critical Theory programs, as well as abortions and gender-affirming care for ICE detainees. Senate Democrats are seeking to include guardrails that would prohibit ICE agents from wearing masks or entering homes, schools, hospitals, etc., without a judicial warrant. Currently at a stalemate, Republicans will likely try to pass funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), more money for ICE, and components of the Save America Act through a budget reconciliation bill.
Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act (S 3971) – On March 3, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) introduced this bipartisan bill to reauthorize the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) programs. These programs, also known as America’s Seed Fund, expired last September. The new bill enables certain agencies to award a portion of their funds to larger projects focused on technology transition, rather than incremental R&D. These agencies, which include the Departments of Defense, Energy and Homeland Security, the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, may award up to $30 million to small business projects that prioritize national security, customer demand and undercapitalized technology areas. The bill passed in the Senate on March 3, the House on March 17, and was signed into law by the president on April 13.
Tyler’s Law (S 921) – The purpose of this bill is to issue guidance for hospital emergency departments to implement fentanyl testing as a routine procedure for patients experiencing an overdose. The current standard procedure tests for marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, PCP, and natural and semisynthetic opioids, but not synthetic opioids like fentanyl – something many ER practitioners are unaware of. The bill is named for Tyler Shamash, a California teenager who died of an overdose after he passed a drug test in an emergency room that did not include fentanyl. The bipartisan bill was introduced by Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN) on March 10, 2025. It passed in the Senate on March 23, 2026, and is currently awaiting a vote in the House.
To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to designate Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (HR 1689) – This bill was introduced on Feb. 27, 2025, and passed in the House on April 16, 2026. Amid rampant immigration enforcement, this bill is designed to extend temporary protected status for Haitian migrants through 2029. TPS is intended to provide a safe haven for foreign nationals whose home countries are experiencing temporary unsafe conditions, such as from a natural disaster or civil unrest, for which Haitians continue to qualify. This largely partisan legislation faces an uphill battle in the Senate, as well as a likely veto by the president. In February, the president revoked TPS status for approximately 330,000 Haitians in the United States. However, enforcement of that order is currently halted, and its constitutionality is under consideration by the U.S. Supreme Court.
All American Flag Act (S 1973) – Introduced by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) on June 14, 2023, this bill requires that all U.S. flags used by the Federal government be manufactured domestically. This includes all raw materials. One exception to this mandate is if flags cannot be produced of acceptable quality and quantity as needed at competitive market prices. The bill passed in the Senate on Nov. 2, 2023, in the House on July 22 and was signed into law by the president on July 30.
Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy (S 111) – This bill was introduced by Sen. Shelly Moore Capito (R-WV) on March 30, 2023. This bipartisan legislation is designed to strengthen America as a leader in energy security. This bill includes measures to bolster clean nuclear power, establish strong union jobs, and achieve our nationwide net-zero emission goal by 2050. Versions of this bill passed in the Senate and House over the past year, and it was signed into law by the president on July 9.
Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act (S 138) – This bill was introduced by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) on Jan. 30, 2023. It establishes a statutory definition of Tibet that includes areas currently claimed by China. The legislation also expands efforts to combat Chinese government propaganda, such as disinformation about Tibet’s history and institutions. The bill passed in the Senate on May 23 and in the House on June 12. It is currently awaiting enactment by the president.
FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 (HR 3935) – This bipartisan bill reauthorizes funding and direction for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSBB) for another five years. The legislation is designed to improve air travel safety, provide increased protections for consumers, hire more people to the aviation workforce, and modernize the U.S. national airspace system for the future. It authorizes more than $105 billion for FAA funding through fiscal year 2028. The bill passed in the Senate on May 9, in the House on the next day, and was signed by the president on May 16.
Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024 (HR 8035) – Introduced on April 17, this bill authorizes $60 billion to provide military aid to support Ukraine in its war against Russian invasion. More than a third of this allocation will fund U.S. manufacturing for the replenishment of weapons, stocks and facilities. The bill passed in the House on April 20, in the Senate on April 23, and was signed by the President on April 24. The President indicated that up to $1 billion in weapons supplies for Ukraine would begin delivery within hours.
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (HR 4366) – On March 9, the president signed the latest appropriations bill passed in time to halt a government shutdown. While this bill does authorize funding through the end of the fiscal year (Sept. 30), it only addresses six of the 12 bills necessary to fully fund the government. The recent legislation covers Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Rural Development, the Food and Drug Administration, the Commerce, Justice and Science-related departments, the Energy Department, the Department of the Interior and the Environment, and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development. On March 23, the president signed the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (HR 2882) in the nick of time to prevent a government shutdown. This subsequent budget legislation includes the remaining spending bills to fully fund the federal government through the end of the fiscal year (Sept. 30).
The Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act (HR 815) – Formerly known as the RELIEVE Act, this bill was originally written to improve veteran eligibility for reimbursement for emergency treatment. However, the bill was altered to incorporate the Senate’s effort to combine new U.S. border policies with aid for wars abroad. On Feb. 13, the Senate passed this bill to provide $95.3 billion in aid for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. While the border policy portion of the bill was struck out, the Senate did manage to pass the foreign aid funding. The bill includes $4.83 billion to help deter China’s aggression against Taiwan, $9.15 billion in humanitarian assistance to civilians in conflict zones such as Gaza and the West Bank, $14.1 billion to support Israel’s war against Hamas, and $60 billion in aid to Ukraine. It is worth noting that about 75 percent of the Ukraine funding would be spent in the United States to refill inventories and purchase new weapons from American manufacturers. However, the House speaker has indicated he will not bring the bill to the floor for a vote until they have satisfactorily readdressed immigration policies affecting the U.S. border.
Protecting Hunting Heritage and Education Act (HR 5110) – This bill was introduced in the House on Aug. 1 by Rep. Mark E. Green (R-TN). The purpose of this bill is to ban federal funds from being used for weapons training in public schools, except in the case of training students in archery, hunting, and other school sports that involve shooting guns. The bill passed in the House on Sept. 26, the Senate on Sept. 27, and was signed into law by the president on Oct. 6.