Congressional Digest — April 2026: 11 Bills That Moved Past Committee
Most of what Congress does never makes a headline. In April 2026, 11 bills moved past committee, including 4 signed into law. Here is the full list with plain-language summaries — the quiet record behind the noisy news.
Signed into law
HJRES 140 — Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Bureau of Land Management relating to Public Land Order No. 7917 for Withdrawal of Federal Lands; Cook, Lake, and Saint Louis Counties, MN. This resolution nullifies a 2023 Bureau of Land Management order that had withdrawn approximately 225,504 acres of National Forest System lands in Cook, Lake, and Saint Louis Counties, Minnesota, from mineral and geothermal leasing for 20 years.
S 1884 — Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act of 2025. This law permanently extends the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act of 2016, removing the previous December 31, 2026 deadline for filing civil claims to recover artwork and property seized by the Nazis between 1933 and 1945.
Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act of 2025
S 3971 — Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act. This act reauthorizes the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs through FY2031 and adds new security, training, and funding rules.
Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act
S 4465 — A bill to amend the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 to extend the authorities of title VII of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978, and for other purposes. This law extends the surveillance authorities of Title VII of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), including Section 702, until June 12, 2026. Section 702 allows the government to collect communications of non-U.S.
Passed the House
HR 1689 — To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to designate Haiti for temporary protected status. This bill would require the Department of Homeland Security to designate Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months starting August 3, 2025. Haitians who qualify would be allowed to work legally in the U.S.
To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to designate Haiti for temporary protected status
HR 3419 — To amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the telehealth network and telehealth resource centers grant programs. This bill reauthorizes two federal grant programs supporting telehealth networks and telehealth resource centers through fiscal year 2030. The programs, run by the Health Resources and Services Administration, fund health care providers to expand telehealth access in rural and medically underserved areas.
HR 6398 — RED Tape Act. The RED Tape Act would eliminate a requirement that the EPA review and comment on major federal construction projects and other federal agency actions that already undergo environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act, as well as on proposed federal regulations.
HR 7959 — IRS Whistleblower Program Improvement Act. This bill changes the rules for the IRS whistleblower program, which rewards people who report tax fraud.
IRS Whistleblower Program Improvement Act
HR 7971 — Taxpayer Experience Improvement Act. This bill requires the IRS to publicly post real-time phone wait times and call volume data on its website, and to give taxpayers online or mobile access to their tax returns, IRS notices, and refund status information.
Taxpayer Experience Improvement Act
HR 8029 — Pay Our Homeland Defenders Act. This bill provides full-year FY2026 appropriations to the Department of Homeland Security, ending a partial DHS shutdown that began on February 14, 2026.
Pay Our Homeland Defenders Act
HR 8364 — To amend title 5, United States Code, to authorize the increase of the retirement age in the United States Capitol Police. This bill would allow the Capitol Police Board to grant waivers permitting Capitol Police officers to work until age 65, raising the current waiver cap from age 60. Officers are currently required to retire at 57 but can already receive a waiver to stay until 60.
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