United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2026
Protect our Pets Act This bill increases federal criminal penalties for animal crushing. The term animal crushing includes conduct to purposely crush, burn, drown, suffocate, or impale living animals. The bill also establishes a new federal criminal offense for abandoning or endangering domesticated animals. Current law imposes criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to seven years, or both—for animal crushing. Under this bill, an individual who commits an animal crushing offense is subject to a fine, a prison term of up to 10 years, or both for a first offense; and a fine, a prison term of up to 15 years, or both for a second or subsequent offense. Additionally, the bill establishes a new federal criminal offense for knowingly abandoning a domesticated animal or committing an act of violence that endangers a domesticated animal. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to 10 years, or both for a first offense; and a fine, a prison term of up to 15 years, or both for a second or subsequent offense. The bill provides exceptions, including for conduct that is (1) the slaughter of animals for food, (2) medical or scientific research, (3) necessary to protect the life or property of a person, or (4) performed as part of euthanizing an animal.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2026
Promoting Access to Local Agriculture Act of 2026 This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish a streamlined process for farmers and ranchers to provide benefits under certain federal nutrition programs. These programs include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP); the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); and the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP). Specifically, USDA must establish a streamlined application process for farmers and ranchers to apply to be vendors under the nutrition programs, including by developing a single application for the programs or an information sharing system. USDA must also develop a streamlined process for these vendors to use standardized technology to process program benefits (such as a single piece of equipment or a mobile application). Further, USDA must ensure that the program benefit processing equipment and systems made available by a state agency are appropriate for the entity. For example, this includes ensuring wireless or mobile processing equipment and technology systems are appropriate for farmers markets and other direct-to-consumer markets.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2026
This resolution supports the recognition of Distracted Driving Awareness Month. The resolution also supports the efforts of the Department of Transportation, state and local governments, and state and local law enforcement to prevent and stop distracted driving.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2026
Protecting American Competition Act of 2026 This bill establishes additional requirements for the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) to review applications for export licenses and establishes related reporting requirements. Specifically, the bill directs BIS, when reviewing an application for a license or other authorization for the export, reexport, or in-country transfer of controlled items, to consider whether the requested license or other authorization would be the initial license or other authorization for the export, reexport, or in-country transfer of the item to an ultimate consignee or end user. After issuing an initial license or other authorization, BIS must attempt to administer in a timely manner any subsequent license application by a different applicant for the same or a similar item to the same ultimate consignee or end user as the initial license. The bill requires BIS to submit annual reports to specified congressional committees on initial licenses granted by BIS. Additionally, BIS must report to Congress on how it is implementing the bill's provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2026
Strengthening Export Controls Compliance Act This bill requires the President and the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) to provide businesses and others with assistance in complying with U.S. export control laws. Specifically, the bill directs the President to submit a plan to Congress every two years to assist U.S. persons, especially small- and medium-sized U.S. businesses, with export licensing and compliance. The bill provides statutory authority for an annual conference held by BIS, which is known as the Update Conference on Export Controls and Policy. The bill also requires BIS to (1) carry out dedicated public and industry outreach before promulgating major new rules regarding export control laws, and (2) include information on classification requests and advisory opinions in its annual report to Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2026
Bureau of Industry and Security License Administration Enhancement Act This bill revises certain processes used by the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) to review applications for export licenses. Specifically, the bill requires BIS to administer any export control license or other authorization considered pursuant to an is informed letter or similar guidance or communication sent to a U.S. or foreign person in the same way as the standard interagency process. (An is informed letter notifies individual companies and universities of supplemental license requirements and requires compliance with the letter's license requirements. BIS guidance states that noncompliance with a letter is treated the same as noncompliance with any other license requirement under the Export Administration Regulations.) The bill requires any is informed letter or similar guidance or communication to be terminated within 60 days after issuing a related license or other authorization unless BIS publishes a regulation that provides for the parameters of the letter or guidance or publishes the communication in the Federal Register. BIS must establish standards and factors that licensing officers should use when applying a presumption-of-denial standard to license applications. BIS must submit these factors to Congress prior to publishing them in the Federal Register. The bill expands the requirements for BIS technical advisory committees, including by requiring BIS to establish committees for specified topics. BIS must regularly review (and report to Congress on) the implementation of a 2025 interim final rule, which provides additional due diligence procedures regarding advanced computing integrated circuits.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2026
This bill extends from 5 to 10 years the statute of limitations for civil and criminal violations of U.S. export control laws. The bill also specifies that the commencement of an action, suit, or proceeding includes the issuance of a charging letter. (A charging letter is a formal notification by the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security that a company or individual is under investigation for an apparent violation of export administration laws or regulations.)
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2026
Provider Reimbursement Stability Act of 2026 This bill allows for larger annual adjustments to the Medicare physician fee schedule. It also requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to make certain corrections to compensate for expenditures under the fee schedule that exceed a certain amount in a given year, and it limits how much certain adjustment factors may vary each year. Current law prohibits annual adjustments to the Medicare physician fee schedule that would result in a more than $20 million difference between the adjusted amount and the non-adjusted amount of total expenditures. The bill increases this threshold to $54.3 million beginning in 2027, with adjustments for inflation every five years beginning in 2032. Additionally, for certain services, the bill requires the CMS to determine the difference between expenditures based on estimated utilization of the service and expenditures based on actual utilization. If this difference exceeds a certain percentage of total expenditures under the fee schedule, the CMS must reconcile this difference by adjusting payments for the following year. This requirement applies to services for which payment was bundled with another service and there was a separate or add-on payment during the previous year. Finally, the CMS must update the prices and rates of each category of direct costs that affect payments (e.g., prices of equipment) at least every five years, with updates made to each category in the same year. The bill also prohibits the CMS from varying a certain adjustment factor by more than 2.5% each year.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2026
Export Control Enforcement and Enhancement Act This bill allows for expedited consideration of modifications to the Entity List. (The Entity List is managed by the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security. The list identifies the names of persons who are involved, or have the potential to be involved, in activities contrary to U.S. national security or foreign policy interests.) Specifically, the bill allows any member of the End-User Review Committee to submit proposals directly to the full committee requesting a vote for additions to, removals from, or other modifications with respect to the Entity List. Generally, within 30 days of receiving a proposal, the committee must vote to approve or disapprove the proposal. Generally, the bill establishes a presumption of denial for a license application to export, reexport, or in-country transfer controlled items that involves a foreign person added to the Entity List under the authorities provided by this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2026
This resolution congratulates the people of Greece as they celebrate the 205th anniversary of the War of Greek Independence. The resolution also expresses support for the principles of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law to which the people of the United States and Greece are committed.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2026
Interagency Coordination in Export Controls Act of 2026 This bill authorizes specified departments to propose regulations on U.S. export controls. It also directs the Department of State to evaluate China's military-civil fusion strategy (a national strategy to eliminate barriers between China's civilian commercial sector and its military and defense industrial sectors). Specifically, the bill authorizes the State Department and the Departments of Defense and Energy to propose new rules or amendments to existing rules under the Export Administration Regulations. These departments may submit proposals directly to the Export Administration Review Board (EARB), which reviews applications for export licenses. The EARB must vote to accept or reject the proposal within 30 days of the proposal's submission, but the bill allows a 30-day extension. The Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Securities (BIS) must initiate the rulemaking process for each proposal accepted by a simple majority vote of the EARB. BIS must also coordinate (instead of consult) with these departments on activities related to U.S. export controls. The bill also requires the State Department, within 30 days of the bill's enactment, to complete a review of the implications of China's military-civil fusion strategy on U.S. export control policy and national security. The State Department must consider proposing to the EARB (or any successor entity) any change to U.S. export control policy identified pursuant to the review. The EARB must vote on the adoption of each proposal. The State Department must report to Congress on the activities required by the bill.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2026
Helping Oversee and Ward off Infrastructure Emergencies Act or the HOWIE Act This bill directs the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to revise current railroad accident reporting requirements to include additional causes of damage. Specifically, FRA must require a railroad to report a train accident that results in damage if the railroad has a reasonable suspicion that an action carried out by the railroad caused the damage. An accident includes any incident that causes a fire, including a brush fire, alongside a railroad track.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2026
Export Dispute Resolution Act This bill revises the interagency dispute resolution process for export license applications. In particular, the bill requires the Operating Committee for Export Policy (an interagency body within the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security) to resolve disputes related to specified matters by majority vote, including matters relating to countries that are subject to comprehensive U.S. arms embargoes. The bill also authorizes the committee chair to decide cases and matters that cannot be decided by majority vote.
![Official portrait of Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/l000599_200.jpg)