July 6–12, 2026
A quiet week for passed legislation, with five federal bills clearing committee and heading toward a House floor vote.
Nothing new became law at the city, county, or state level this week. The action is all at the federal level, where a handful of bills cleared committee and are waiting for a full House vote. No firm dates are set for any of them.
Coming up next week:
ALS research funding extension. HR 8205 would keep federal money and fast-track drug approval programs running through 2031 for ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) patients. The University of Minnesota and research hospitals in the Twin Cities metro receive federal research grants, so a lapse would affect local labs too. The bill cleared committee and is headed to a full House floor vote, with no firm date confirmed yet.
Maternal health research funding. HR 6238 directs the National Institutes of Health to fund studies on reducing deaths and injuries during pregnancy and childbirth. Findings would flow to hospitals and doctors nationwide, including North Memorial and Hennepin Healthcare, which serve Plymouth-area residents. The bill cleared committee and awaits a House floor vote.
Airport security upgrades. HR 8770 dedicates $500 million per year for baggage scanning systems and $250 million per year for checkpoint technology at airports across the country. The $5.60 security fee already on your airline ticket funds this. If you fly regularly out of Minneapolis-Saint Paul International, newer equipment and potentially shorter security lines are the practical result. This cleared committee and is waiting for a House floor vote.
DHS community outreach reorganization. HR 7574 gives the Department of Homeland Security 120 days to submit a reorganization plan for its community engagement office, with a focus on cutting overlapping roles. The bill does not change what services residents receive now, but it could shift how the agency communicates with local organizations and community groups in the metro. It cleared committee and heads to a House floor vote.
Several other federal bills this week dealt with matters at a distance from Plymouth: one requires DHS to write terrorism threat assessments covering 19 allied nations for Congress, with no direct effect on residents' daily lives.
See what's up for a vote now · Find your representatives