Shontel Brown

Head Start Expansion and Improvement Act of 2026

This bill reauthorizes through FY2032 and otherwise revises Head Start programs.

Specifically, the bill expands eligibility for Head Start programs to include families with incomes below 138% of the federal poverty level. The bill also adds a definition for public assistance under the Head Start Act to include Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF); Supplemental Security Income (SSI); the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

The bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a program to make grants to Head Start agencies (including Early Head Start agencies) to construct or improve facilities. HHS must also establish and carry out a program to make grants to Head Start agencies for increasing the compensation paid to employees.

The bill also provides student loan forgiveness for certain Head Start and Early Head Start child care workers. In particular, the Department of Education must cancel the outstanding balance of principal, interest, and fees due on Federal Direct Loans for a borrower who (1) has been employed full-time by a Head Start or Early Head Start program for three years, and (2) has provided care or instruction to children enrolled in such a program.

Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections Act of 2026 or the DISCLOSE Act of 2026

This bill addresses campaign finance, including by expanding the prohibition on campaign spending by foreign nationals, requiring additional disclosures of campaign expenditures, and requiring additional disclosures regarding certain political advertisements.

Specifically, the bill expands existing foreign money prohibitions to include disbursements for paid web-based or digital communications and federal judicial nomination communications. It also prohibits foreign nationals from contributing to campaigns related to ballot initiatives and referenda.

The Government Accountability Office must, for each four-year election cycle, study and report on the incidence of illicit foreign money in federal elections.

Next, the bill makes it unlawful to establish or use a corporation, company, or other entity with the intent to conceal an election contribution or donation by a foreign national. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to five years, or both.

Covered organizations (e.g., corporations, labor organizations, and political organizations) must, within 24 hours, file reports with the Federal Election Commission to disclose campaign expenditures of more than $10,000 during an election cycle.

The bill also requires organizations to provide additional disclosures regarding political advertisements, including the donors who contributed the most money to that organization in the last year.

Humane Cosmetics Act of 2025

This bill generally prohibits animal testing in the evaluation of cosmetic products, and it prohibits the sale or transport of cosmetics developed using animal testing, subject to civil penalties. These prohibitions begin one year after enactment.

The bill specifies exceptions to these prohibitions, including if such animal testing (1) is conducted outside the United States to comply with a foreign regulatory authority; (2) is pursuant to a finding by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that there are no nonanimal alternatives to test the safety of a potentially dangerous cosmetic product or ingredient; (3) is of a product or ingredient for a drug or device subject to regulation by the FDA; or (4) is required for a noncosmetic purpose pursuant to a state, federal, or foreign regulatory authority.

Further, evidence derived from animal testing conducted more than one year after the bill's enactment may not be used to establish the safety of a cosmetic product or ingredient that is regulated by the FDA, subject to limited exceptions.

Protecting America's Workers Act

This bill expands the coverage of requirements governing workplace safety and health to include protection for federal, state, and local government employees. However, the bill does not cover working conditions otherwise covered by federal requirements for mine safety and health.

The bill revises requirements governing worker protection, including by

• expanding protections for whistle-blowers, such as protections for employees who refuse to perform work because they reasonably believe the work would result in serious injury or illness and for employees who aid inspections;

• directing employers to furnish a hazard-free place of employment to all individuals performing work, not just employees;

• directing employers to report work-related deaths or certain injuries, illnesses, or hospitalizations;

• establishing rights for victims, or representatives of victims, with respect to inspections or investigations of work-related bodily injuries or deaths; and

• setting the permitted period for employers to correct serious, willful, or repeated violations while citations for the violations are being contested.

The bill also revises enforcement and oversight of workplace safety, including by

• increasing civil and criminal penalties for certain violations,

• requiring the Department of Labor to investigate fatalities or significant incidents in the workplace,

• expanding enforcement requirements relating to state occupational safety and health plans,

• expanding requirements for workplace health hazard evaluations by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and

• requiring Labor to provide training programs concerning employee rights and employer responsibilities.

Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act of 2025

This bill makes various changes related to the ethical standards, financial disclosure requirements, and recusal requirements that apply to Supreme Court Justices.

Among the changes, the bill requires the Supreme Court to

• adopt a code of conduct for Justices and establish procedures to receive and investigate complaints of judicial misconduct;

• adopt rules governing the disclosure of gifts, income, or reimbursements received by the Justices and law clerks that are at least as rigorous as the House and Senate disclosure rules; and

• establish procedural rules requiring each party or amicus to disclose any gift, income, or reimbursement provided to Justices.

Additionally, the bill

• expands the circumstances under which a Justice or judge must be disqualified; and

• requires the Supreme Court and the Judicial Conference to establish procedural rules for prohibiting the filing of or striking an amicus brief that would result in the disqualification of a Justice, judge, or magistrate judge.

National Plan for Epilepsy Act

This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a national plan, form an advisory council, and take other actions to address epilepsy. The requirements sunset on December 31, 2035.

Specifically, the bill requires HHS to carry out a National Plan for Epilepsy to prevent, diagnose, treat, and cure epilepsy. In carrying out the plan, HHS must implement activities such as coordinating research and services across all federal agencies and soliciting public comments.

Also, HHS must establish an Advisory Council on Epilepsy Research, Care, and Services. The advisory council must report to HHS and Congress every two years with an evaluation of federally funded efforts.

Additionally, HHS must annually report to Congress with recommended actions based on its assessments of the nation’s progress on epilepsy.

Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026

This bill prohibits the importation, manufacture, sale, resale, or introduction into U.S. interstate commerce of connected vehicles and related software and hardware components associated with China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea.

Connected vehicle means a vehicle that (1) integrates onboard networked hardware with automotive software systems to communicate with any other network or device using certain methods (e.g., wireless spectrum connectivity); or (2) is designed, manufactured, or originally equipped to communicate via such methods, regardless of whether such capability is enabled, disabled, or removed at the time the vehicle enters the United States.

Current regulations administered by the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) prohibit transactions involving vehicle connectivity system hardware and covered software designed, developed, manufactured, or supplied by persons owned by, controlled by, or subject to the jurisdiction or direction of China or Russia.

The bill expands the BIS regulatory framework, including by (1) expanding the countries covered by the prohibition to include China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea (Current BIS regulations apply only to China and Russia.); and (2) specifying that certain artificial intelligence components are covered by the prohibition.

By January 1, 2027, BIS must publish a list of items that are authorized for the importation, manufacture, sale, resale, or introduction into U.S. interstate commerce and would otherwise be subject to the bill's prohibition.

The bill also includes enforcement mechanisms, including that BIS must assess civil penalties for violations of the prohibition.