November 12, 2025
Mr. McGovern introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Small Business, Appropriations, Ethics, Education and Workforce, the Judiciary, Veterans' Affairs, Natural Resources, House Administration, Science, Space, and Technology, Energy and Commerce, Financial Services, Transportation and Infrastructure, Oversight and Government Reform, Agriculture, Armed Services, Foreign Affairs, Intelligence (Permanent Select), Homeland Security, Rules, and the Budget, 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
To advance commonsense priorities.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Commonsense Legislating Act
.
Title I
Sec. 101. Extension of FAST Program
Section 34(i) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 657d(i)) is amended by striking September 30, 2005
and inserting September 30, 2030
.
Sec. 102. Application assistance to broaden participation
(a) In general
Section 9(mm)(1) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 638(mm)(1)) is amended—
(1)
in subparagraph (J), by striking and
at the end;
(2)
in subparagraph (K), by striking the period at the end and inserting ; and
; and
(3)
by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
(L)
providing small business concerns with assistance applying to the SBIR program or STTR program of the Federal agency, including providing such assistance to carry out the policy directive required under paragraphs (2)(F) or (5) of subsection (j) and subsection (p)(2)(H) to increase the participation of States with respect to which a low level of SBIR or STTR awards have historically been awarded.
(b) Enhanced minority institution participation
(1) SBIR
Section 9(j) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 638(j)), is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
(5) Increased outreach requirements
Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this paragraph, the Administration shall modify the policy directives issued pursuant to this subsection to require enhanced outreach efforts to increase the participation of individuals conducting research at minority institutions (as defined in section 365 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1067k)) and Hispanic-serving institutions (as defined in section 502(a) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1101a(a))) in SBIR programs.
(2) STTR
Section 9(p)(2) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 638(p)(2)) is amended—
(A)
in subparagraph (F), by striking and
at the end;
(B)
in subparagraph (G)(iii), by striking the period at the end and inserting ; and
; and
(C)
by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
(H)
procedures for outreach efforts to increase the participation of individuals conducting research at minority institutions (as defined in section 365 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1067k)) and Hispanic-serving institutions (as defined in section 16 502(a) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1101a(a))) in STTR programs.
Title II
Sec. 201. Native American tourism grant programs
The Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience Act (25 U.S.C. 4351 et seq.) is amended—
(1)
by redesignating section 6 (25 U.S.C. 4355) as section 7; and
(2)
by inserting after section 5 (25 U.S.C. 4354) the following:
6. Native American tourism grant programs
(a) Bureau of Indian Affairs program
The Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs may make grants to and enter into agreements with Indian tribes and tribal organizations to carry out the purposes of this Act, as described in section 2.
(b) Office of Native Hawaiian Relations
The Director of the Office of Native Hawaiian Relations may make grants to and enter into agreements with Native Hawaiian organizations to carry out the purposes of this Act, as described in section 2.
(c) Other Federal agencies
The heads of other Federal agencies, including the Secretaries of Commerce, Transportation, Agriculture, Health and Human Services, and Labor, may make grants under this authority to and enter into agreements with Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations to carry out the purposes of this Act, as described in section 2.
(d) Authorization of appropriations
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $35,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
Title III
Sec. 301. Eligibility of spouses of military personnel for the work opportunity credit
(a) In general
Paragraph (1) of section 51(d) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by striking or
at the end of subparagraph (I), by striking the period at the end of subparagraph (J) and inserting , or
, and by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
(K)
a qualified military spouse.
(b) Qualified military spouse
Subsection (d) of section 51 of such Code is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
(16) Qualified military spouse
The term qualified military spouse means any individual who is certified by the designated local agency as being (as of the hiring date) a spouse of a member of the Armed Forces of the United States.
(c) Effective date
The amendments made by this section shall apply to amounts paid or incurred after the date of the enactment of this Act to individuals who begin work for the employer after such date.
Title IV
Sec. 401. Mental health consultations and outreach to a veteran receiving compensation for a service-connected disability relating to a mental health diagnosis
(a) Annual consultation; outreach
The section 1167 of title 38, United States Code, relating to mental health consultations is amended—
(1)
in subsection (a), in the subsection heading, by striking In general
and inserting Initial consultation
;
(2)
by redesignating subsections (b) and (c) as subsections (c) and (d), respectively;
(3)
by inserting after subsection (a) the following new subsection (b):
(b) Annual consultation; outreach
Not less frequently than once each year, the Secretary shall, with regards to a veteran who is receiving compensation under this chapter for a service-connected disability relating to a mental health diagnosis—
(1)
offer a mental health consultation to assess the mental health needs of, and discuss other mental health care options for, the veteran; and
(2)
conduct outreach regarding the availability of—
(A)
consultations under paragraph (1); and
(B)
other mental health services furnished by the Secretary.;
(4)
in subsection (c), as redesignated by paragraph (2), by inserting or (b)
after under subsection (a)
both places it appears; and
(5)
in subsection (d), as redesignated by paragraph (2), by inserting , or to require the reevaluation of any entitlement of the veteran to compensation under this chapter
before the period at the end.
(b) Technical corrections
(1) Redesignation
Such section, as amended, is redesignated as section 1169 of such title.
(2) Clerical amendments
The table of sections at the beginning of chapter 11 of such title is amended—
(A)
by striking the item relating to the section 1167 that relates to mental health consultations; and
(B)
by inserting after the item relating to section 1168 the following new item:
(c) GAO review
Not later than two years after the date of the enactment of this section, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a report on the effect of the amendments made by this section. Elements of such report shall include—
(1)
the number of veterans who received—
(A)
mental health consultations under paragraph (1) of subsection (b) of section 1169 of such title; and
(B)
outreach under paragraph (2) of such subsection;
(2)
whether veterans reported barriers to seeking such consultations; and
(3)
such barriers, if any.
Title V
Sec. 501. Private or commercial interstate carrier protections
(a) Obstruction of matter left for collection
Section 659 of title 18, United States Code, is amended—
(1)
at the end of the fourth paragraph, by striking —
and inserting ; or
; and
(2)
by inserting after paragraph four the following new paragraph:
Whoever embezzles, steals, or unlawfully takes, carries away, or by fraud or deception obtains, any package, or other article, which has been delivered by any private or commercial interstate carrier before the addressee or his or her agent has taken physical possession—
Title VI
Sec. 601. Interagency task force
(a) Establishment
Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Labor, in consultation with the Secretaries of Health and Human Services, Education, Housing and Urban Development, Commerce, Treasury, Transportation, and Agriculture and the Administrator of the Small Business Administration, shall establish an Interagency National Task Force on Working Families. The task force shall be titled the Working Families Task Force
and for purposes of this Act be referred to as the Task Force
.
(b) Membership
The Task Force shall be composed of not fewer than 10 members and shall include representatives designated by the relevant Secretaries from each of the following Federal agencies:
(1)
The Department of Labor.
(2)
The Department of Health and Human Services.
(3)
The Department of Education.
(4)
The Department of Housing and Urban Development.
(5)
The Department of Commerce.
(6)
The Department of the Treasury.
(7)
The Department of Transportation.
(8)
The Department of Agriculture.
(9)
The Small Business Administration.
(c) Meetings
(1) In general
The Task Force shall meet not less than 1 time per quarter per calendar year.
(2) Quorum
Two-thirds of the members of the Task Force shall constitute a quorum.
(d) Purpose
The purpose of the Task Force shall be to—
(1)
examine the challenges facing working families; and
(2)
develop recommendations to improve the standard of living and quality of life for working families.
(e) Duties
The duties of the Task Force shall include the following:
(1)
Identifying and evaluating key factors that impact the standard of living for working families, including—
(A)
addressing affordability challenges related to various economic conditions, including inflation;
(B)
reducing barriers to economic mobility;
(C)
improving access to quality jobs with livable wages and strong labor standards;
(D)
expanding affordable child care for all families;
(E)
improving incentives, including tax policies such as the child tax credit, child and dependent care tax credit, and earned income tax credit, that assist children and families;
(F)
supporting home care and medical care for seniors and families that need assistance;
(G)
mitigating barriers to more affordable and higher quality health care and services;
(H)
obtaining and building quality, affordable housing;
(I)
expanding educational and workforce training opportunities;
(J)
increasing financial literacy and access to financial services;
(K)
accessing affordable and nutritious food;
(L)
reducing gaps in access to technology and the internet that impact educational and employment opportunities and health services;
(M)
reducing environmental hazards and creating a healthier environment;
(N)
accessing affordable and renewable energy sources;
(O)
accessing affordable, reliant, and efficient transportation systems; and
(P)
addressing the impacts of staffing and funding cuts at Federal agencies.
(2)
Assessing or developing a methodology to assess how various macroeconomic conditions (which may include unemployment, inflation, gross domestic product, and monetary policy) affect quality of life and affordability for working families.
(3)
Assessing the effectiveness of current Federal policies and programs in helping working families achieve an improved standard of living.
(4)
Developing legislative and regulatory policy recommendations to enhance the efforts of Federal agencies and Congress to empower working families to meet the challenges of current economic conditions, raise their standards of living, and access the benefits of economic growth.
(5)
The Task Force shall consult with a wide-ranging group of external stakeholders and public experts in order to develop the recommendations referred to in paragraph (4).
(f) Report
Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Task Force shall—
(1)
submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on its most recent findings and recommendations, which shall include a list of stakeholders and public experts with which the Task Force consulted and the meeting minutes for each meeting of the Task Force; and
(2)
make such report publicly available on the website of the Task Force.
(g) Appropriate congressional committees defined
In this section, the term appropriate congressional committees means the following:
(1)
The Committee on Education and Workforce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate.
(2)
The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate.
(3)
The Committee on Financial Services of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Finance of the Senate.
(4)
The Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate.
(5)
The Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate.
Title VII
Section 701. National Security Council Fentanyl Disruption Steering Group
(a) Establishment
There is established within the National Security Council a Fentanyl Disruption Steering Group (in this section referred to as the Steering Group
).
(b) Membership
(1) In general
The Steering Group shall be composed of—
(A)
the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, who shall serve as chair; and
(B)
a senior official from each of the agencies described in paragraph (2), to be appointed by the head of the respective agency of such official (and in the case of the intelligence community, to be appointed by the Director of National Intelligence).
(2) Agencies described
The agencies described in this paragraph are the following:
(A)
The Department of State.
(B)
The Department of the Treasury.
(C)
The Department of Defense.
(D)
The Department of Justice.
(E)
The Department of Commerce.
(F)
The Department of Health and Human Services.
(G)
The Department of Transportation.
(H)
The Department of Energy.
(I)
The Department of Homeland Security.
(J)
The intelligence community (as defined in section 3(4) of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003(4))).
(K)
The United States Postal Service.
(c) Duties
The Steering Group shall have the following duties:
(1)
Oversee implementation of the policy priorities and directives undertaken by the agencies described in subsection (b)(2) to combat fentanyl trafficking and use.
(2)
Identify and set goals for strategic disruption of fentanyl.
(3)
Assist in ensuring that all of the available resources and tools are brought to the efforts described in paragraphs (1) and (2) in accordance with strategic priorities.
(4)
Oversee updates to and implementation of the Strategy to Combat Fentanyl and Other Synthetic Drugs of the United States Customs and Border Protection.
(5)
Identify disagreements and challenges for interagency review by the Steering Group.
(d) Annual submission of description of initiatives
(1) In general
Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the agencies described in subsection (b)(2) shall submit to the chair of the Steering Group a detailed description of the existing and planned fusion cells, joint task forces, mission centers, and similar multi-department initiatives relating to fentanyl disruption of such agencies, including an explanation of purposes, goals, and composition, to support efforts to ensure appropriate prioritization and resourcing and minimize duplication of efforts.
(2) Form of submissions
The descriptions described in paragraph (1) shall be submitted in unclassified form but may include a classified annex.
(e) Strategic plan for public-Private partnerships
(1) In general
The Steering Group shall develop and maintain an ongoing strategic plan for public-private partnerships between the agencies described in subsection (b)(2) and private entities on fentanyl trafficking disruption.
(2) Reports to Congress
Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Steering Group shall submit to Congress a report describing the strategic plan referred to in paragraph (1).
Title VIII
Sec. 801. 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 IX
Sec. 901. Code of official conduct
In rule XXIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, strike clause 19 and insert the following:
19.
(a)
A Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, officer, or employee of the House may not serve as an officer or director of any public company.
(b)
In paragraph (a), the term public company means an issuer as defined in section 3 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c)—
(1)
the securities of which are required to be registered under section 12 of such Act (15 U.S.C. 78l); or
(2)
that is required to file reports under section 15(d) of such Act (15 U.S.C. 78o(d)).
(c)
A Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, officer, or employee of the House shall comply with regulations issued and revised, as necessary, by the Committee on Ethics regarding types of prohibited service or positions that could lead to conflicts of interest.
Title X
Sec. 1001. 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 XI
Sec. 1101. Appropriations
The following sums are hereby appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2026, and for other purposes, namely:
Department of Health and Human Services
National Institutes of Health
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
For an additional amount for necessary expenses for carrying out section 301 and title IV of the Public Health Service Act with respect to diabetes and digestive and kidney diseases, $1,000,000.
Congressional Research Service
Salaries and Expenses
For an additional amount for the Congressional Research Service salaries and expenses, $1,000,000.
Small Business Administration
Entrepreneurial Development Programs
For an additional amount for necessary expenses of programs supporting entrepreneurial and small business development overseen by the Small Business Administration, $1,000,000, to remain available until expended.
Department of Defense
Operation and Maintenance, Marine Corps
For an additional amount of expenses, not otherwise provided for, necessary for the operations and maintenance of the Marine Corps, as authorized by law, $1,000,000.
Department of the Interior
Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation
For an additional amount of expenses necessary to carry out the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (16 USC 6101 et seq.), $1,000,000, to remain available until expended.
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Assisted Housing Inspections and Risk Assessments
For an additional amount of expenses necessary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s inspection and assessment programs, including travel, training, and program support contracts, $1,000,000.