Legislative Intelligence Briefing - Thursday, May 14, 2026

Executive Summary

The House floor is dominated this week by a law-and-order package — four bills under H. Res. 1275 including the FY2027 Military Construction/VA Appropriations Act (H.R. 8469) — while the Senate Banking Committee holds a pivotal business meeting today on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act (H.R. 3633), the most significant crypto regulatory vote in years. The appropriations cycle is in active subcommittee markup phase, with 55 member FY2027 request portals now live and two Senate Appropriations subcommittees holding FY2027 budget hearings today. The regulatory docket features a significant EPA proposed rule on New Source Review permitting and a BLM final rule rescinding the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule.

Floor Action: House Law-and-Order Package Under H. Res. 1275

H. Res. 1275 (Rules Committee, reported May 12, 2026) provides for floor consideration of four bills this week under a structured or closed rule:

H.R. 5625 — Cashless Bail Reporting Act (Rep. Mark Harris, R-NC-8): Requires DOJ to publish an annual list of states/localities permitting cashless bail for violent offenses. Considered under a closed rule. Companion to Trump's August 2025 executive order on the same topic.

→ Walk me through H.R. 5625's provisions and likely floor vote outcome

H.R. 6260 — Keeping Violent Offenders Off Our Streets Act (Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, R-WI-5): Classifies charitable bail funds as insurance entities subject to federal fraud statutes and state licensing. Closed rule.

→ Expand on H.R. 6260's impact on charitable bail organizations

H.R. 8365 — Monitor Accountability Act (Rep. Andy Biggs, R-AZ-5): Limits court-appointed monitors overseeing consent decrees (e.g., police reform), imposing 5-year term limits, fee caps, and public comment requirements. Closed rule.

H.R. 8469 — Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2027: The first FY2027 appropriations bill to reach the House floor. Considered under a structured rule (amendments in order). This is a significant milestone — the first standalone FY2027 spending bill moving to a floor vote.

→ Draft a one-page memo on H.R. 8469's key funding levels and floor strategy

Action item: Staff tracking VA or MilCon funding should monitor floor amendments to H.R. 8469 in real time — the structured rule permits amendments and this is the first opportunity to shape FY2027 VA/MilCon levels.

Senate Banking: Digital Asset Market Clarity Act Business Meeting

The Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee holds a business meeting today (May 14, 2026, 2:30 PM, Dirksen 538) to consider H.R. 3633 — Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025 (CLARITY Act) (sponsor: Rep. J. French Hill, R-AR-2). The bill passed the House and was received in the Senate on September 18, 2025.

Key provisions: Establishes a dual SEC/CFTC regulatory framework for digital commodities; CFTC regulates digital commodity exchanges, brokers, and dealers on mature blockchains; SEC retains jurisdiction over alternative trading systems and national securities exchanges; subjects digital commodity platforms to Bank Secrecy Act AML requirements.

This business meeting is a critical procedural step — a committee vote to advance the bill would set up Senate floor consideration of the most comprehensive crypto market structure legislation to date.

→ Pull the full legislative history and cosponsor breakdown for H.R. 3633

→ Draft a memo on the CLARITY Act's SEC/CFTC jurisdictional split

Today's Committee Hearings and Markups (May 14, 2026)

Senate Armed Services Committee — Closed hearing + open session, 12:00 PM (Capitol Visitor Center, Senate side, 217 / SD-G50): Posture of U.S. Central Command and Africa Command; FY2027 Defense Authorization Request review.

→ See CENTCOM and AFRICOM FY2027 budget request details

House Armed Services Committee — Hearing, 2:00 PM (Rayburn 2118): Department of the Navy FY2027 Budget Request.

House Natural Resources Committee — Markup, 2:30 PM (Longworth 1324): Six bills including:

H.R. 741 (Rep. Stanton) — Stronger Engagement for Indian Health Needs Act
H.R. 3924 (Rep. Neguse) — Wildfire Risk Evaluation Act
H.R. 5694 (Rep. Begich) — ARTIST Act (Alaska ivory sales)
H.R. 7487 (Rep. Boebert) — Rural Jobs and Hydropower Expansion Act
H.R. 7831 (Rep. Kennedy of UT) — License to Drill Act

→ Walk me through the Natural Resources markup bills and expected votes

Senate Judiciary Committee — Business meeting, 2:15 PM (Hart 216): Considers 7 bills including S. 3966 (prohibit NDA clauses concealing minor sexual abuse), S. 736 (phone penalties in correctional facilities), S. 825 (PTSD treatment for public safety officers), plus judicial nominations including Justin D. Smith (8th Circuit) and three District of Kansas nominees.

House Veterans' Affairs Committee — Markup, 6:00 PM (Cannon 360): 17 bills including H.R. 7683 (VA Fiscal Management and Modernization Act), H.R. 7950 (VA Congressional Accountability Act), H.R. 5999 (Veteran Opioid Emergency Treatment Act), H.R. 5723 (FRAUD in VA Disability Exams Act).

→ Summarize the 17 bills in the House Veterans' Affairs markup on May 14 2026

House Homeland Security — Counterterrorism Subcommittee — Hearing + Markup, 3:00 PM (Cannon 310): Seven DHS intelligence reform bills including H.R. 7443 (I&A Mission Reorientation Act), H.R. 7427 (SAFE VISITS Act), H.R. 7448 (Modernizing NTAS Act).

House Foreign Affairs — Europe Subcommittee — Hearing, 2:00 PM (Rayburn 2172): "Securing NATO's Eastern Frontier: Assessing the Strategic Landscape in the Baltic Region."

House Education and Workforce Committee — Hearing, 2:15 PM (Rayburn 2175): "Examining the Policies and Priorities of the Department of Education."

House Judiciary — Federal Law Enforcement Subcommittee — Hearing, 2:00 PM (Rayburn 2154): "Privacy Protections & the Second Amendment: Examining ATF's Relationship to the Tiahrt Amendment."

House Science — Environment Subcommittee — Markup, 2:15 PM (Rayburn 2123): Three pieces of legislation (bills not yet specified in the schedule).

Appropriations: FY2027 Cycle — Active Subcommittee Markup Phase

The appropriations cycle is now in active subcommittee markup phase (both chambers), with full committee markups approximately 18 days away. Two Senate Appropriations subcommittees hold FY2027 budget hearings today:

Senate THUD Subcommittee — 2:00 PM (Dirksen 192): FY2027 HUD budget request
Senate MilCon/VA Subcommittee — 2:00 PM (Dirksen 124): FY2027 Military Construction and Family Housing budget request

Upcoming Senate Appropriations hearings (week of May 19):

May 19: Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee — FY2027 Department of Labor (Dirksen 124)
May 19: Commerce-Justice-Science Subcommittee — FY2027 Department of Justice (Dirksen 138)
May 19 (evening): THUD Subcommittee — FY2027 Department of Transportation (Dirksen 192)
May 20: Energy and Water Subcommittee — FY2027 Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation (Dirksen 124)

FY2027 Member Request Portals — 55 offices now live. A sample of recently opened portals (all detected April 22, 2026):

Rep. John Mannion (D-NY): mannion.house.gov/fy27-appropriations-requests
Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-CA): sarajacobs.house.gov/appropriations-requests
Rep. Troy Carter (D-LA): troycarter.house.gov/services/fy27-appropriations-requests
Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA): collins.house.gov/services/fy27-appropriations-requests
Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY): espaillat.house.gov/appropriations-requests
Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX): sessions.house.gov/appropriations-requests
Rep. Donald Norcross (D-NJ): norcross.house.gov/fy27-appropriations-requests
Rep. Laura Friedman (D-CA): friedman.house.gov/fy27-appropriations-requests
Rep. Janelle Bynum (D-OR): bynum.house.gov/services/fy27-appropriations-requests
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN): burchett.house.gov/appropriations-requests

Advocacy guidance: Public testimony submission windows remain active through May. With full committee markups ~18 days out, this is the last window to influence chairman's marks. If your provisions are not yet in a subcommittee draft, push for full committee amendments now.

→ Draft appropriations testimony for the FY2027 cycle

Regulatory: EPA Proposes New Source Review Permitting Overhaul

EPA Proposed Rule — "Begin Actual Construction in the NSR Preconstruction Permitting Program" (Document No. 2026-09524, published May 13, 2026; 91 FR 26958): EPA proposes to revise the definition of "begin actual construction" under New Source Review to allow non-emitting construction activities (site prep, foundations, structures) to proceed before an NSR air permit is obtained. Applies to both Nonattainment NSR and Prevention of Significant Deterioration programs. Comment deadline: June 29, 2026 (46 days remaining).

This is a significant deregulatory action that would accelerate industrial construction timelines by decoupling non-emitting site work from the permitting trigger.

→ Analyze the EPA NSR proposed rule and its implications for industrial permitting

Regulatory: BLM Rescinds Conservation and Landscape Health Rule

BLM Final Rule — "Rescission of Conservation and Landscape Health Rule" (Document No. 2026-09386, published May 12, 2026; 91 FR 25787): The Bureau of Land Management fully rescinds the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule (originally finalized May 9, 2024). The rescission restores the "multiple use and sustained yield" framework, prioritizing access and local decision-making over conservation-first land management. Effective: June 11, 2026.

→ Expand on the BLM Conservation Rule rescission and what it means for federal land management

Regulatory: Tri-Agency Proposed Rule on Excepted Fertility Benefits

Treasury/IRS/DOL/HHS Proposed Rule — "Excepted Fertility Benefits" (Document No. 2026-09479, published May 13, 2026; 91 FR 27140): Proposes to establish fertility benefits as a new category of limited excepted benefits under ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code, and the Public Health Service Act — exempting them from ACA market requirements. Comment deadline: July 13, 2026 (60 days remaining).

→ Analyze the excepted fertility benefits proposed rule and its impact on employer health plans

Presidential Actions

ICTS Supply Chain National Emergency Continuation (Document No. 2026-09671, published May 13, 2026): President Trump renewed the national emergency with respect to securing the Information and Communications Technology and Services supply chain. This continuation keeps in force the executive authority to block foreign ICTS transactions posing national security risks.

Presidential Determination under NDAA FY2012 §1245(d)(4)(B)&(C) (Document No. 2026-09624, published May 13, 2026): A determination under the Iran sanctions provisions of the FY2012 NDAA — typically used to grant or deny exceptions to sanctions on Iranian oil purchases.

Proclamations (published May 12–14): Peace Officers Memorial Day and Police Week 2026 (signed May 11); Victory Day for World War II 2026 (signed May 7); Military Spouse Day 2026 (signed May 7).

Head Start Deregulation: ACF Proposes $2 Billion in Cost Savings

HHS/ACF Proposed Rule — "Restoring Flexibility to Support Head Start Program Access" (Document No. 2026-09383, published May 12, 2026; 91 FR 25842): Proposes to remove wage and benefit requirements from Head Start Program Performance Standards, which ACF estimates would produce over $2 billion in future cost savings for Head Start programs. The NPRM targets the costliest provisions of the 2024 "Supporting the Head Start Workforce" final rule. Comment deadline: June 11, 2026 (28 days remaining).

Thursday, May 14, 2026