Ted Cruz

This resolution honors the contributions of small businesses in the United States and supports the designation of National Small Business Week.

North Platte Canteen Congressional Gold Medal Act

This bill provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to recognize the individuals and communities that provided financial and other support for the North Platte Canteen in North Platte, Nebraska, during World War II.

This resolution expresses support for National Safe Digging Month and encourages all homeowners and excavators to call 811 to find the location of underground utility lines before digging.

Combating Illicit Xylazine Act

This bill regulates xylazine under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

Xylazine, also known as tranq, is a nonopioid sedative and pain reliever that is approved for use in animals. Recently, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has reported an increase in trafficking of fentanyl mixed with xylazine.

This bill adds xylazine, including its salts, isomers, and salts of isomers, to schedule III of the CSA. Schedule III controlled substances, including anabolic steroids, buprenorphine, and ketamine, have less potential for abuse than a schedule I or II substance, have a currently accepted medical use, and have low or moderate risk of dependence if abused.

Under the bill, manufacturing, distributing, or dispensing xylazine, or possessing with intent to manufacture, distribute, or dispense xylazine for illicit use is subject to criminal penalties under the CSA. The bill also requires xylazine transactions to be tracked in the drug reporting system maintained by the DEA.

The bill exempts from registration under the CSA persons and entities that possess xylazine (1) lawfully dispensed by a veterinarian or pharmacy and (2) for an animal or for use in certain animal-control or wildlife programs.

The bill also exempts xylazine manufacturers from the CSA's physical security requirements.

Finally, the bill requires the DEA, in coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to provide Congress with a report on how the agencies previously determined whether xylazine should be a controlled substance, including the full text of HHS's recommendations to the DEA for scheduling xylazine.

Federal Law Enforcement Officer Service Weapon Purchase Act of 2026

This bill directs the General Services Administration to establish a program under which a federal law enforcement officer may purchase a retired firearm from the agency that issued the firearm to the officer.

Wildland Firefighters Congressional Gold Medal Act

This bill provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to wildland firefighters in recognition of their strength, resiliency, sacrifice, and service to protect the forests, grasslands, and communities of the United States.

Federal Carjacking Enforcement Act

This bill lowers the threshold the government must meet to establish that a defendant committed a federal carjacking offense.

Under current law, the federal carjacking statute prohibits taking (or attempting to take) a motor vehicle from the presence of another by force and violence or intimidation, with the intent to cause death or serious bodily harm.

This bill removes the requirement that a defendant take (or attempt to take) a motor vehicle with the specific intent to cause death or serious bodily harm. Under the bill, the government need only prove that a defendant took (or attempted to take) a motor vehicle knowingly. A violation (or attempted violation) is subject to the same criminal penalties as under current law—a fine, a prison term of up to 15 years, or both.

A violation that results in death or serious bodily injury is subject to the same criminal penalties as under current law—a fine, a prison term of up to 25 years, or both—but only if the offense involves certain aggravating circumstances: (1) the motor vehicle is taken with the intent to cause death or serious bodily harm, or (2) a firearm is brandished or discharged during the offense.

United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Reauthorization Act of 2026

This bill reauthorizes the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom through FY2028. The commission is an independent federal commission tasked with monitoring international religious freedom conditions, reviewing U.S. government policy, and making policy recommendations.

Stop Sextortion Act

This bill criminalizes threats to distribute child sexual abuse material to intimidate, coerce, extort, or cause substantial emotional distress. This practice is commonly referred to as sextortion. The bill also increases criminal penalties for related offenses that involve the use of child sexual abuse material to intimidate, coerce, extort, or cause substantial emotional distress.

Specifically, the bill establishes new federal criminal offenses for threatening to distribute child pornography or a visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct with intent to intimidate, coerce, extort, or cause substantial emotional distress. An offense, or an attempt or conspiracy to commit the offense, is subject to criminal penalties.

Additionally, the bill increases the maximum prison term for various offenses involving the sexual exploitation of children if those offenses involve the use of child pornography or a visual depiction of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct with intent to intimidate, coerce, extort, or cause substantial emotional distress.

Ending Coercion of Children and Harm Online or the ECCHO Act

This bill establishes a federal framework to combat the online coercion of minors to commit harm. The bill creates new criminal offenses, expands reporting of instances involving the online coercion of minors, facilitates the prosecution of offenders, and expands protections for minors who testify in court.

Specifically, the bill makes it a crime to intentionally coerce a minor to

• commit suicide (or attempt to);

• kill someone (or attempt to);

• kill a pet, emotional support animal, service animal, or horse (or attempt to);

• physically harm an individual (including the minor), pet, emotional support animal, service animal, or horse; or

• commit (or attempt to commit) arson or certain other acts such as doxxing or swatting.

A violation (or conspiracy or attempt to commit a violation) is subject to a fine, a prison term, or both.

The bill requires electronic communication service providers and remote computing service providers to report instances of online coercion of minors to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children via the CyberTipline.

The bill facilitates the federal prosecution of offenses committed by (1) individuals as part of a child exploitation enterprise, and (2) minors in certain circumstances.

The bill extends various protections for minors who testify in court (e.g., certain privacy protections) to those who are victims of or witnesses to crimes involving mental injury (i.e., psychological or intellectual harm to a child) or the negligent treatment of a child.

Sentencing Accountability For Exploitation Act or the SAFE Act

This bill directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to review and amend its guidelines and policy statements applicable to federal criminal offenses involving the production, receipt, transport, shipment, or distribution of child sexual abuse material to (1) account for the actual and potential harm from the offense and changes since the last amendments with respect to the typical offense behavior and modern technologies, and (2) better reflect the spectrum of offender culpability.

Officer John Barnes and Chief Michael Ansbro Public Safety Officers' Benefit Program Expansion Act of 2026

This bill establishes processing timelines and expands claims assistance, outreach, and reporting requirements pertaining to claims for benefits under the Public Safety Officers' Benefits (PSOB) program. The PSOB program provides death, disability, and education benefits to public safety officers who are killed or injured in the line of duty and their survivors.

This bill requires the Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to notify a claimant of any missing information required to process a claim within 90 days of receiving the claim and generally requires the BJA to determine eligibility within 270 days of a completed claim.

In addition, the bill requires the BJA to use its subpoena authority to obtain information or documentation that is necessary to adjudicate a claim if a public agency fails to provide it 30 days after a request.

Under the bill, the BJA must conduct ongoing outreach to promote awareness of the PSOB program. The BJA must also report on whether a delay in processing a claim was due to the inaction of the claimant or the public agency from which information is required.

The bill requires the BJA to implement the recommendations of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in the 2024 report, Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program: Transparency, Claims Assistance, and Program Management Improvements Needed.

Finally, the GAO must conduct an annual audit of PSOB claims that have been pending for more than one year.

Count the Crimes to Cut Act

This bill establishes public databases of federal criminal offenses.

Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Justice to report on and create a public database of all criminal statutory offenses. Additionally, the bill requires federal agencies to report on and create public databases of criminal regulatory offenses that they enforce.

Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act

This bill creates new federal crimes related to transporting a minor across state lines for an abortion.

Specifically, the bill makes it a crime to knowingly transport a minor across a state line to obtain an abortion without satisfying the requirements of a parental involvement law in the minor's resident state. A parental involvement law requires parental consent or notification, or judicial authorization, for a minor to obtain an abortion.

The bill prohibits an individual who has committed incest with a minor from knowingly transporting the minor across a state line to receive an abortion.

Finally, the bill makes it a crime for a physician to knowingly perform or induce an abortion on an out-of-state minor without first notifying the minor's parent.