Skip to content
PoliticalRepoPoliticalRepo

Person

Official portrait of Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT]

Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT]

United States · Official source

Records

6,152 records where Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years

Bill· SS. 4964 (119th)referred

Protecting Innocent Taxpayers from Endless Assessments Act

United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2026

Protecting Innocent Taxpayers from Endless Assessments Act This bill limits the amount of time the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has to assess taxes related to fraudulent or false federal tax returns where there is no intent by the taxpayer to evade taxes. As background, the IRS generally has three years from the date that a tax return is filed (statute of limitations) to assess taxes owed by the taxpayer for the tax year. However, if a false or fraudulent tax return is filed with the intent to evade tax (fraud exception), then the IRS may assess taxes at any time. In  Murrin v. Commissioner the U.S. Tax Court held (and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit affirmed) that the fraud exception applies when a tax return preparer places false or fraudulent entries on a tax return without the taxpayer’s knowledge. In contrast, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims held in BASR Partnership v. Commissioner that the fraud exception only applies if the taxpayer intends to evade taxes. The bill limits the fraud exception to cases in which the taxpayer intends to evade taxes.

Bill· SS. 4912 (119th)referred

BUFFER Act

United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2026

Building Up Farmland Frontiers for Ecological Resilience Act or the BUFFER Act This bill provides that certain land (that is under state regulations) is eligible to participate under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Under CRP, the Department of Agriculture provides annual payments to agricultural producers to take highly erodible and environmentally sensitive land out of production and install resource-conserving practices.   Specifically, land otherwise eligible under the program remains eligible for enrollment even if a tribal, state, or other local law, ordinance, or other regulation requires any resource-conserving or environmental protection measure or practice. The bill includes an exception that makes the land ineligible under the program if the implementation requirement has been imposed by an administrative order or a court order. Current regulations exclude from enrollment eligibility (with exceptions) land that is subject to tribal, state, or other local laws, ordinances, or other regulations that require any resource-conserving or environmental protection measures or practices.

Bill· SS. 4854 (119th)referred

Foster Youth Housing Opportunity Act

United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2026

Foster Youth Housing Opportunity Act This bill expands states' permissible uses of federal funds under the John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood (Chafee program) to include supportive housing services. The Chafee program is administered by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Children's Bureau and provides funding to support youth and young adults who are in, or were formerly in, foster care with their transition to adulthood. The program is funded through formula grants awarded to child welfare agencies in states, certain territories, and participating tribes. The bill allows states to use such funds to provide supportive services (e.g., financial counseling) for youth up to the age of 26 who are seeking to obtain or retain housing and who have experienced foster care and receive assistance under the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Section 8 Family Unification Program. Additionally, HHS and HUD must jointly develop and issue guidance to state public child welfare agencies and public housing authorities to improve alignment and coordination of housing supportive services. HHS, in consultation with HUD, also must report information about foster youth who are receiving federal housing assistance and the outcomes for such youth, including the extent to which such youth are able to access stable housing and the rates of homelessness. The report must include findings from any evaluations of state programs and recommendations for improving coordination between public child welfare agencies and federal housing programs.

Bill· SS. 4844 (119th)referred

PFAS Alternatives Act

United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2026

Bill· SS. 4668 (119th)open

Protect College Sports Act of 2026

United States · United States Congress · 2 June 2026

Protect College Sports Act of 2026 This bill establishes requirements for name, image, or likeness (NIL) agreements for college student athletes and provides a limited antitrust exemption for schools and conferences to pool and sell certain college sports media rights. The requirements address elements of the court-approved agreement to settle  In re College Athlete NIL Litigation (i.e., House settlement ). First, the bill statutorily prohibits institutions, conferences, or interstate intercollegiate athletic associations (e.g., the National Collegiate Athletic Association [NCAA]) from restricting student athletes from entering NIL agreements (subject to specified limitations). Students must report to their institution NIL compensation greater than $600. The bill requires agents to register with a state and caps agent endorsement contract fees at 5%. The bill also provides student athletes with one transfer without losing athletic eligibility and restricts football personnel from becoming the head football coach at a different institution during the same season. Further, the bill prohibits institutions, conferences, or specified entities acting for the benefit of an institution from providing athletes with compensation that circumvents the limit on sharing revenue with student athletes established under the House settlement. The bill also makes the limit permanent and provides for an annual inflation adjustment. Additionally, the bill establishes (subject to specified conditions) a limited antitrust exemption for institutions or conferences that form joint agreements to transfer their sports telecasting rights to a third party. Such an agreement requires participation from at least 75% of the institutions in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Bill· SS. 4641 (119th)referred

Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2026

United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2026

Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2026 This bill deems an individual receiving outpatient observation services in a hospital as an inpatient for purposes of satisfying the three-day inpatient hospital-stay requirement with respect to Medicare coverage of skilled nursing facility (SNF) services. (Generally, individuals must have been an inpatient at a hospital for at least three days in order to qualify for SNF services. An individual's time spent under observation at a hospital for purposes of determining whether the individual should be admitted does not count towards this requirement.)

Bill· SS. 4591 (119th)open

NO FAKES Act of 2026

United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2026

Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe Act of 2026 or the NO FAKES Act of 2026 This bill creates a federal intellectual property right to protect individuals from unauthorized digital replicas (e.g., digital content made using generative artificial intelligence) of their voice and visual likeness. Specifically, the bill gives each individual or right holder the right to authorize (1) the use of a digital replica embodying the individual's voice or visual likeness, or (2) the use of the individual's voice or visual likeness for a product or service requiring authorization to avoid liability under the bill. This property right is not assignable during the individual’s lifetime but is licensable and does not expire upon the death of the individual. Generally, any individual or entity that engages in specified prohibited activities (e.g., distributing a digital replica without authorization) shall be liable in a civil action and subject to related penalties. The bill exempts specified uses from liability, such as categories of conduct likely to involve protected speech under the First Amendment (e.g., news reporting, sports broadcasts, and satire). The bill establishes (1) a notice-and-takedown process for unauthorized digital replicas; and (2) a counter-notification process, which allows an individual to contest the removal of a digital replica. The bill establishes penalties related to false or deceptive notice or counter-notice. The bill expressly preempts state laws related to digital replicas except for causes of action under state statutes or common law in existence as of January 2, 2025.