Census and government statistics

S 2354: Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026

Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026

This bill provides FY2026 appropriations to the Department of Commerce, the Department of Justice (DOJ), the science agencies, and several related agencies.

The bill provides appropriations to the Department of Commerce for

  • the International Trade Administration,
  • the Bureau of Industry and Security,
  • the Economic Development Administration,
  • the Minority Business Development Agency,
  • Economic and Statistical Analysis,
  • the Bureau of the Census,
  • the National Telecommunications and Information Administration,
  • the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office,
  • the National Institute of Standards and Technology,
  • the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and
  • Departmental Management.

The bill provides appropriations to DOJ for

  • Justice Operations, Management, and Accountability;
  • the Executive Office for Immigration Review;
  • the Office of Inspector General;
  • the U.S. Parole Commission;
  • Legal Activities;
  • the U.S. Marshals Service;
  • the National Security Division;
  • Interagency Law Enforcement;
  • the Federal Bureau of Investigation;
  • the Drug Enforcement Administration;
  • the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and
  • the Federal Prison System.

The bill also provides appropriations to DOJ for state and local law enforcement activities, including

  • the Office on Violence Against Women,
  • the Office of Justice Programs, and
  • Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS).

The bill provides appropriations for science agencies, including

  • the Office of Science and Technology Policy,
  • the National Space Council,
  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and
  • the National Science Foundation.

The bill provides appropriations to related agencies, including

  • the Commission on Civil Rights,
  • the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission,
  • the U.S. International Trade Commission,
  • the Legal Services Corporation,
  • the Marine Mammal Commission,
  • the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and
  • the State Justice Institute.

The bill also sets forth requirements and restrictions for using funds provided by this and other appropriations acts.

HR 798: Dignity for Aborted Children Act

Dignity for Aborted Children Act

This bill establishes requirements for abortion providers with respect to the disposal of human fetal tissue from an abortion.

Specifically, it requires abortion providers to obtain a patient’s informed consent for one of two specified methods of disposition and to retain the corresponding documentation in the patient’s file.

First, patients may choose to retain possession of the tissue. A patient may choose to transfer the tissue to an entity that provides interment or cremation services.

Second, patients may choose to release the tissue to the provider. Providers must ensure any tissue released to them is interred or cremated within seven days of the procedure in a manner consistent with state law regarding the disposal of human remains.

Abortion providers must submit reports annually to the Department of Health and Human Services about these requirements and other specified information.

The bill establishes civil penalties for violations of the requirement to retain documentation of informed consent, and it establishes criminal penalties for violations of the requirement regarding the disposal of human fetal tissue.

S 242: Dignity for Aborted Children Act

Dignity for Aborted Children Act

This bill establishes requirements for abortion providers with respect to the disposal of human fetal tissue from an abortion.

Specifically, it requires abortion providers to obtain a patient’s informed consent for one of two specified methods of disposition and to retain the corresponding documentation in the patient’s file.

First, patients may choose to retain possession of the tissue. A patient may choose to transfer the tissue to an entity that provides interment or cremation services.

Second, patients may choose to release the tissue to the provider. Providers must ensure any tissue released to them is interred or cremated within seven days of the procedure in a manner consistent with state law regarding the disposal of human remains.

Abortion providers must submit reports annually to the Department of Health and Human Services about these requirements and other specified information.

The bill establishes civil penalties for violations of the requirement to retain documentation of informed consent, and it establishes criminal penalties for violations of the requirement regarding the disposal of human fetal tissue.

HR 702: Improving Federal Assistance to Families Act

Improving Federal Assistance to Families Act

This bill directs the Bureau of the Census to develop and publish a new regional poverty line index for each state, and requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to use the new index to determine eligibility for federal programs in certain circumstances. 

Specifically, the bureau must develop and publish a new poverty line index, to be known as the Regionally Adjusted Poverty Line, that is measured separately for each state on an annual basis. The Regionally Adjusted Poverty Line must use new poverty thresholds calculated based on the most recent poverty thresholds and each state’s most recent regional price parity. (Poverty thresholds are specified dollar amounts used by the bureau to determine a household’s poverty status. Regional price parities are measurements of the differences in price levels between states and the national average, and are published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis.)  

For each state, HHS must determine annually which poverty line index—the Regionally Adjusted Poverty Line or the current poverty line—results in a greater percentage of households falling below the poverty line. HHS must generally use the identified poverty line index for administrative purposes applicable to each state, including to determine residents’ financial eligibility for certain federal programs. 
 
Finally, the Government Accountability Office must study and report to Congress on the Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed threshold, an alternate poverty measure that includes consideration of regional costs of necessities like housing, child care, taxes, and transportation. 

HR 151: Equal Representation Act

Equal Representation Act

This bill requires that the statement sent by the President to Congress after the decennial census indicating the number of persons in each state exclude noncitizens. (This statement is the basis for reapportionment of U.S. Representatives.)

The bill also requires any questionnaire used in the decennial census to include a checkbox or other similar option for respondents to indicate whether the respondent and each household member is (1) a U.S. citizen, (2) a U.S. national but not a citizen, (3) a non-U.S. national (alien under federal law) lawfully residing in the United States, or (4) a non-U.S. national unlawfully residing in the United States.

The Department of Commerce must make public the number of persons in each state, disaggregated by each of these four categories.