HR 7007

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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

January 12, 2026

Mr. McGovern introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, the Judiciary, Agriculture, Natural Resources, Science, Space, and Technology, Education and Workforce, Small Business, Energy and Commerce, Foreign Affairs, Intelligence (Permanent Select), Armed Services, Oversight and Government Reform, Veterans’ Affairs, Financial Services, House Administration, Homeland Security, Rules, Ethics, the Budget, and Appropriations, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

A BILL

To govern on behalf of the American people.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the “Governing for the People Act”.

TITLE I

SECTION 101. FILM AND TELEVISION PRODUCTION DEDUCTION AMENDMENTS.

(a) Extension.—Section 181(g) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by striking “December 31, 2025” and inserting “December 31, 2030”.

(b) Increase in Dollar Limitation.—Section 181(a)(2)(A) of such Code is amended to read as follows:

“(A) In general.—Paragraph (1) shall not apply to so much of the aggregate cost of any qualified film or television production or any qualified live theatrical production as exceeds $30,000,000.”.

(c) Higher Dollar Limitation for Productions in Certain Areas.— Section 181(a)(2)(B) of such Code is amended in the matter following clause (ii) by striking “substituting ‘$20,000,000’ for ‘$15,000,000”’ and inserting “substituting ‘$40,000,000’ for ‘$30,000,000”’.

(d) Inflation Adjustment.—Section 181(a)(2) of such Code is amended by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:

“(C) Inflation adjustment.—

“(i) In general.—In the case of any taxable year beginning in a calendar year after 2026, each dollar amount in subparagraph (A) or

(B) shall be increased by an amount equal to—

“(I) such dollar amount, multiplied by

“(II) the cost-of-living adjustment determined under section 1(f)(3) for the calendar year in which the taxable year begins, determined by substituting ‘calendar year 2025’ for ‘calendar year 2016’ in subparagraph

(A)(ii) thereof.

“(ii) Rounding.—Any increase determined under clause (i) shall be rounded to the nearest multiple of $1,000.”.

(e) Effective Date.—The amendments made by this section shall apply to productions commencing after the date of the enactment of this Act.

TITLE II

SEC. 201. ADDITIONAL TOOL TO PREVENT CERTAIN FRAUDS AGAINST VETERANS.

(a) In General.—Chapter 63 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: “Sec. 1352. Fraud regarding veterans’ benefits

“(a) Whoever knowingly executes, or attempts to execute, any scheme or artifice to defraud an individual of veterans’ benefits, or in connection with obtaining veteran’s benefits for that individual, shall be fined under this title, imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or both.

“(b) In this section—

“(1) the term ‘veteran’ has the meaning given that term in section 101 of title 38; and

“(2) the term ‘veterans’ benefits’ means any benefit provided by Federal law for a veteran or a dependent or survivor of a veteran.”.

(b) Clerical Amendment.—The table of sections for chapter 63 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:

“1352. Fraud regarding veterans’ benefits.”.

TITLE III

SEC. 301. PURPOSE.

The purpose of this title is to ensure that parties affected by wildland fires resulting from management activities conducted by the Department of Agriculture on National Forest System land are eligible to receive 100 percent funding for the cost of remediating direct and indirect damages under authorized Federal recovery programs.

SEC. 302. COST-SHARE WAIVER FOR REHABILITATION FROM WILDLAND FIRES.

(a) Definitions.—In this section:

(1) Covered matching requirement.—The term “covered matching requirement” means a requirement under a program of the Secretary for wildland fire recovery for a State, Indian Tribe, locality, or individual to provide matching funds, in cash, for a project.

(2) Covered wildland fire.—The term “covered wildland fire” means a wildland fire that the Secretary determines to be a result of management activities conducted by the Secretary on National Forest System land.

(3) Secretary.—The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of Agriculture.

(4) Wildland fire.—

(A) In general.—The term “wildland fire” means any non-structure fire that occurs in vegetation or natural fuels.

(B) Inclusions.—The term “wildland fire” includes wildfire, prescribed fire, and any direct or indirect damage resulting in watershed impairment.

(b) Waiver.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary may waive any covered matching requirement for a project in response to a covered wildland fire that is in an area affected by that covered wildland fire.

TITLE IV

SEC. 401. AWARDS FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE LITERACY PROGRAMS.

(a) Awards.—

(1) In general.—The Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) may make awards to eligible entities, including nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, or consortiums of such entities, to develop, implement, and evaluate programs that promote AI literacy at the local level allowing communities to learn about AI from local, trusted sources.

(2) Use of funds.—Awards made under this subsection may be used for the following:

(A) To develop curricula, educational materials, and resources focused on AI literacy, including relating to understanding the basics of AI, its applications, ethical considerations, and the societal impacts of AI.

(B) To provide AI literacy education and training to marginalized communities, with priority given to communities of color, low-income populations, rural areas, senior citizens, people with disabilities, and other underserved groups.

(C) To conduct outreach and engagement activities to raise awareness of AI literacy and encourage participation in AI literacy programs.

(D) To evaluate the effectiveness of AI literacy programs and share best practices and lessons learned with other organizations and institutions.

(3) Prioritization.—In making awards under this subsection, the Director of the NSF may encourage applications that—

(A) demonstrate a strong commitment to serving marginalized communities, including senior citizens;

(B) have experience launching technology education local programs working with target populations; and

(C) propose innovative and scalable approaches to AI literacy education.

(4) Reporting.—Each recipient of an award made under this subsection shall submit to the Director of the NSF an annual report that may include the following:

(A) A description of the AI literacy programs funded by the award.

(B) Information relating to the number and demographics of individuals served by the award.

(C) An assessment of the impact of the award on participants’ understanding of AI and its implications.

(b) Interagency Coordination, Reporting, and Award Identification.—

(1) Reports to congress.—Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the heads of the following Federal agencies shall each submit to Congress a report detailing how the respective agency can more effectively advance AI literacy:

(A) The Secretary of Labor shall assess how AI literacy can be integrated into workforce development programs, with a focus on preparing workers for the jobs of the future and maintaining the United States competitive advantage and national security through artificial intelligence.

(B) The Secretary of Commerce shall evaluate how AI literacy can enhance the competitiveness of United States businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, in the global AI economy, and contribute to maintaining the United States competitive advantage and national security through artificial intelligence.

(C) The Administrator of the Small Business Administration shall evaluate opportunities to support AI literacy among small business owners and entrepreneurs, with an emphasis on underserved communities, to maintain the United States competitive advantage and national security through artificial intelligence.

(D) The Secretary of Education shall identify strategies for incorporating AI literacy into K-12 and higher education curricula, ensuring that all students have access to quality AI education, and that AI literacy contributes to maintaining the United States competitive advantage and national security through artificial intelligence.

(2) Award identification and modification.—The head of each agency specified in paragraph (1) shall also include in the respective reports required under such paragraph the following:

(A) An identification of existing awards under the jurisdiction of the respective agency that can be modified to include AI literacy as an eligible use of funds.

(B) Recommendations on how such awards can be adapted to support AI literacy initiatives, particularly in the context of workforce development, business competitiveness, education, and national security.

(C) Specific examples of award programs that could be modified and the potential impact of such modifications.

(3) Consultation.—In preparing the reports and recommendations required under this subsection, the head of each agency shall consult with relevant stakeholders, including educators, industry representatives, community organizations, and AI experts.

(4) Public availability.—The reports required under this subsection shall be made publicly available on the websites of the respective agencies.

(c) Definitions.—In this section:

(1) AI.—The term “AI” means artificial intelligence.

(2) Artificial intelligence.—The term “artificial intelligence” means an engineered system that can generate output for a given set of human-defined objectives, such as content, predictions, recommendations, or decisions that influence people or environments.

(3) Artificial intelligence literacy; ai literacy.—The terms “artificial intelligence literacy” and “AI literacy” mean the ability for humans to understand, evaluate, and effectively use artificial intelligence technologies, including understanding artificial intelligence basics and knowing what artificial intelligence can do, how artificial intelligence works, and being aware of the effects on society of artificial intelligence.

(4) Ethical artificial intelligence.—The term “ethical artificial intelligence” means the practice of designing, developing, deploying, and using artificial intelligence systems to align with ethical principles and human values, considering the potential impact on society of such systems.

TITLE V

SEC. 501. REPORTING REQUIREMENT.

(a) In General.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of National Intelligence shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees and Secretary of the Treasury a report analyzing oil and ballistic missile-related transactions between the People’s Republic of China and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

(b) Elements.—The report required by subsection (a) shall include the following:

(1) An assessment of the purchases of Iranian oil by the People’s Republic of China since 2020, including an assessment of the use of transshipment points and shell companies as methods to insulate the People’s Republic of China from sanctions.

(2) An assessment of significant financial transactions by entities in the People’s Republic of China related to the sale, supply, or transfer to Iran of chemical precursors and other materials that may support the ballistic missile program of Iran.

(c) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.—In this section, the term “appropriate congressional committees” means—

(1) the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Foreign Relations, and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate; and

(2) the Committee on Financial Services, the Committee on Energy and Commerce, the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives.

SEC. 502. DETERMINATION.

Not later than 6 months after the submission of the report required by section 2, the Secretary of the Treasury shall determine whether the People’s Republic of China is conducting any sanctionable activities and report such determination to Congress.

TITLE VI

SEC. 601. COVERAGE REQUIREMENT.

(a) Coverage Standard.—All health insurers—including a group health plan, a health insurance issuer offering group or individual health insurance coverage, and all applicable Federal health programs— shall provide full coverage, without cost-sharing, for annual low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) or other appropriate lung cancer screening technologies for eligible individuals described in section (3).

(b) Prohibited Barriers.—Coverage under this title may not be subject to—

(1) prior authorization;

(2) step-therapy or other utilization controls;

(3) frequency limits more restrictive than one screening annually; or

(4) documentation requirements beyond those included in recent evidence-based clinical guidelines.

SEC. 602. ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS.

An eligible individual is an adult who—

(1) is 50 to 80 years old; and

(2) is determined by a treating health care professional to be at increased risk for lung cancer based on personal, environmental, or familial risk factors.

SEC. 603. IMPLEMENTATION.

The Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and the Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall issue implementing regulations within 180 days of enactment and ensure program-wide compliance.

TITLE VII

SEC. 701. IMPLEMENTATION OF GAO RECOMMENDATIONS.

The Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall take such actions as may be necessary to implement the priority recommendations of the Comptroller General of the United States contained in the report published on November 15, 2022, and titled “Disaster Recovery: Actions Needed to Improve the Federal Approach” (GAO-23-104956).

TITLE VIII

SEC. 801. UPDATING THE PROCESS FOR PAYING SALARIES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Section 116(a) of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2002 (2 U.S.C. 4551) is amended—

(1) by striking “The usual day” and inserting “(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), the usual day”; and

(2) by adding at the end the following:

“(2) When the House of Representatives next upgrades its payroll system, if directed by the Committee on House Administration of the House of Representatives, the Chief Administrative Officer may pay salaries in or under the House of Representatives twice per month, or on the basis of such other schedule, as such Committee may promulgate by regulation.”.

TITLE IX

SECTION 901. ADMINISTRATION OF NEXT GENERATION WARNING SYSTEM GRANT PROGRAM.

(a) In General.—The Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency shall take such actions as may be necessary to—

(1) assume responsibility for administering the Next Generation Warning System grant program;

(2) not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, disburse all funds made available for fiscal year 2022 to carry out such program under the heading “Protection, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery—Federal Emergency Management Agency—Federal Assistance” of title III of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (Public Law 117-103) that are obligated as of the date of enactment of this Act; and

(3) begin the process of awarding grants under the Next Generation Warning System grant program with funds made available to carry out such program—

(A) for fiscal year 2023 under the heading “Protection, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery— Federal Emergency Management Agency—Federal Assistance” of title III of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Public Law 117-328); and

(B) for fiscal year 2024 under the heading “Protection, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery— Federal Emergency Management Agency—Federal Assistance” of title III of the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (Public Law 118-47).

(b) Communications Research and Development.—

(1) In general.—Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with other relevant Federal agencies and departments, State, local, Tribal, and territorial governments, and relevant owners and operators of critical infrastructure, as appropriate, shall, to the extent practicable, carry out research and development to support and improve the—

(A) accessibility of emergency warning systems;

(B) resiliency and security of emergency warning systems; and

(C) other matters as the Secretary determines appropriate.

(2) Research and development report.—Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate a report on the research and development activities carried out pursuant to paragraph (1).

(c) Definitions.—In this section:

(1) Next generation warning system grant program defined.— The term “Next Generation Warning System grant program” means the grant program authorized pursuant to title III of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (Public Law 117-103) under the heading “Protection, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery—Federal Emergency Management Agency—Federal Assistance”.

(2) Secretary.—The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of Homeland Security, acting through the Under Secretary for Science and Technology.

TITLE X

SEC. 1001. HEARINGS.

(a) In General.—Each standing committee of the House of Representatives shall hold a hearing on the implementation of this Act within one year of enactment.

(b) Exercise of Rulemaking Authority.—Subsection (a) is enacted—

(1) as an exercise of rulemaking power of the House of Representatives, and, as such, shall be considered as part of the rules of the House, and such rules shall supersede any other rule of the House only to the extent that rule is inconsistent therewith; and

(2) with full recognition of the constitutional right of either House to change such rules (so far as relating to the procedure in such House) at any time, in the same manner, and to the same extent as in the case of any other rule of the House.

TITLE XI

SEC. 1101. CODE OF OFFICIAL CONDUCT.

In rule XXIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, strike clause 18 and insert the following: “18.(a) A Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner may not engage in a sexual relationship with any employee of the House who works under the supervision of the Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner, or who is an employee of a committee on which the Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner serves. This paragraph does not apply with respect to any relationship between two people who are married to each other.

“(b) A Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, officer, or employee of the House may not engage in unwelcome sexual advances or conduct towards another Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, officer, or employee of the House.

“(c) In this clause, the term ‘employee’ includes an applicant for employment, a paid or unpaid intern (including an applicant for an internship), a detailee, and an individual participating in a fellowship program.”.

TITLE XII

SEC. 1201. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS.

The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go-Act of 2010, shall be determined by reference to the latest statement titled “Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation” for this Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that such statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.

TITLE XIII

SEC. 1301. APPROPRIATIONS.

The following sums are hereby appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2027, and for other purposes, namely:

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH

national institute of dental and craniofacial research

For an additional amount for necessary expenses for carrying out section 301 and title IV of the Public Health Service Act with respect to dental and craniofacial diseases, $1,000,000.

ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE

salaries and expenses

For an additional amount for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service salaries and expenses, $1,000,000.

UNITED STATES TAX COURT

salaries and expenses

For an additional amount for necessary expenses, $1,000,000, to remain available until expended.

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE, SPACE FORCE

For an additional amount of expenses, not otherwise provided for, necessary for the operations and maintenance of the Space Force, as authorized by law, $1,000,000.

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

north american wetlands conservation fund

For an additional amount of expenses necessary to carry out the provisions of the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 4401 et seq.), $1,000,000, to remain available until expended.

FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION

SAFETY AND OPERATIONS

For an additional amount of expenses necessary of the Federal Railroad Administration, $1,000,000. <all>