This Week in Washington — week of January 5, 2026

This week in Washington was mostly routine House housekeeping, but a handful of actions touched things Americans deal with directly: passports, taxes, and air quality. The Senate voted to keep an EPA air quality plan in place, the House passed bills on water infrastructure and land management, and several new proposals were introduced that would affect students, maritime workers, and passport applicants if they become law.

Passport Services

• A bill called the Community Passport Services Access Act was introduced in the House. It would expand local availability of passport services, changing how and where people physically apply for passports by moving services closer to local communities. The bill was only introduced this week; its impact depends on whether it moves through Congress.

Tax Relief for Fraud Victims

• Representative Adrian Smith introduced the Tax Relief for Fraud Victims Act. It would change how taxpayers can recover certain losses from fraud or theft, making it easier to recover some of those financial losses through tax deductions. It is a proposal at this stage, not law.

Environment, Air, and Water

• The Senate voted against a joint resolution that would have overturned an EPA rule on regional haze in South Dakota. That leaves the EPA’s existing air quality plan for South Dakota in place.
• The House passed the Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act, intended to provide funding or authorization to complete the Arkansas Valley Conduit water infrastructure project. This is a procedural step: the bill now goes to the Senate before any actual construction or funding changes occur.

Education and Workforce Development

• The RISE Act was introduced in the Senate. It proposes changes to how certain federal programs handle student financial aid and workforce development, including reporting standards. Whether it has any effect depends on passage in both chambers and a presidential signature.

Government Transparency

• The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability approved an amended version of the Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act of 2025 by a vote of 18 to 8. The bill aims to increase transparency in how federal agencies resolve legal disputes. It still needs votes from the full House and Senate and the President’s signature to take effect.

Land Management

• The House passed the Miccosukee Reserved Area Amendments Act, which proposes changes to how certain lands within the Miccosukee Reserved Area are managed. Its practical impact depends on whether the changes are adopted into law.

Maritime and Merchant Marine

• The USMMA Athletics Act of 2026 was introduced in the House. It would change how the United States Merchant Marine Academy handles its athletic programs and funding — a narrow change limited to one federal service academy.
• Representative Dan Molloy introduced the Duty Status Reform Act. It would change how certain maritime personnel are categorized regarding working hours and duty status, addressing administrative definitions used by the Coast Guard and maritime workers.

Congressional Housekeeping and Ceremonial Actions

• The House processed a series of routine procedural motions, all agreed to without objection: a motion regarding quorum, one regarding committee notification, an adjustment to the chamber’s daily meeting time, a change in committee membership, and a step that reset the clock on how three separate bills are handled on the floor.
• The House took a similar procedural step on H.R. 1834, laying a motion to reconsider on the table. This changes scheduling, not law.
• The House passed a motion expressing sorrow regarding the death of Representative Doug LaMalfa. It is a ceremonial gesture with no practical impact on law or policy.

---

This weekly digest is generated from federal records (the Federal Register and Congress.gov) and summarized in plain English. It may simplify or omit detail — follow the linked official sources before relying on any item. Part of The Boring Parts.