Pre-Election Focus on Russian/Iran Sanctions, AI Utility Bills, Crypto Regulation and Nondiscriminatory FEMA Assistance

4 min read

Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027 (HR 6500) – This appropriations bill was finalized and passed by both the House and the Senate on Sept. 1. The act funds the fiscal year 2027 government budget through Dec. 11 at current levels. It was signed by the President on Sept. 2.

Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act (S 307) – This bill is designed to address sexual harassment and sexual assault of Bureau of Prisons correctional officers and other staff by incarcerated prisoners. Specifically, it details national standards for the prevention, reduction, and punishment of perpetrators. The legislation was introduced by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) on Jan. 29, 2025. It passed in the Senate on April 29, 2025; in the House on Aug. 31; and was enacted by the president on Sept. 16.

Retire through Ownership Act (S 2403) – Introduced by Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) on July 23, 2025, this bill amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. ESOPs are Employee Stock Ownership Plans that enable employees to accrue shares of their employers’ stock as part of a pension plan, in which they receive the cash value of their shares upon retirement. This bill clearly defines how a good-faith valuation should be determined by independent professional appraisers, based on IRS Revenue Ruling 59-60 for valuing privately held stock. In the past, ambiguous valuation methods have resulted in litigation. This act passed in the Senate on October 9, 2025, and in the House on Sept. 16. It currently awaits the president’s signature.

Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 (HR 5334) – This largely bipartisan act was championed by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). The legislation imposes a variety of sanctions, tariffs, and prohibitions related to Russia and Iran, and explicitly prohibits U.S. persons from making new investments in Russia. It also expands the tax deduction for early childhood education teachers for classroom expenses. The bill was introduced on Sept. 11, 2025, by Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA). It passed in the House on April 27 and in the Senate on Aug. 7, with final changes agreed upon on Sept. 16. The president signed the bill into law a day later.

Digital Asset Market Clarity Act (HR 3633) – Known as the Clarity Act, the purpose of this Trump Administration-backed bill is to implement the first regulations for the crypto sector. The bill was introduced by Rep. French Hill (R-AR) on May 29, 2025. It passed in the House on July 17, 2025. However, opponents of the bill say the industry-led standards are far too lenient and do not provide enough safeguards. The bill recently failed in the Senate after a party-line cloture vote, which means the debate ended before the floor could vote on the bill (considered a filibuster). The cloture vote does not rule out the Senate trying again at a later date.

Ratepayer Protection Act (HR 9340) – In an effort to rein in AI data center utility costs, this bill would require state utilities to consider adopting standards to ensure cost recovery for the generation, transmission, and distribution services of large-load electricity customers. This high-stakes, bipartisan issue comes ahead of the midterm elections in an effort to assure voters that local data centers will not ramp up local residents’ utility bills. The legislation was introduced by Rep. Gabe Evans (R-CO) on June 18. It passed in the House on Sept. 16 and currently resides in the Senate.

Stopping Political Discrimination in Disaster Assistance Act (HR 1342) – Current law states that federal major disaster emergency relief and assistance must be provided without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. The bill, introduced by Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) on Feb. 13, 2025, would add political affiliation protection under this requirement. The act passed in the House on Sept. 16 and awaits consideration in the Senate.

 


Disclaimer 

These articles provide general information on tax, accounting, and financial topics for small businesses and individuals. They are educational in nature and are not specific legal, accounting, financial, tax, or other professional advice, and should not be relied upon as such. This content was prepared by Service2Client and may have been reviewed or edited by the website owner for accuracy and compliance. Look for a trust mark below for verification details. No representation is made that any approach described will achieve a particular result, and no regulatory or professional body has reviewed or endorsed this content. Because each situation is different, readers should consult a qualified professional about their specific circumstances before acting. Images accompanying these articles are protected by copyright and may not be copied or reused.

"; return; } var url = block.dataset.restUrl + "?post_id=" + encodeURIComponent(block.dataset.postId) + "&keyword=" + encodeURIComponent(keyword); output.innerHTML = "
Searching…
"; submit.disabled = true; output.setAttribute("aria-busy", "true"); fetch(url, { headers: { "X-WP-Nonce": block.dataset.nonce } }) .then(function(r){ return r.json().then(function(data){ return { status: r.status, data: data }; }); }) .then(function(resp){ if (resp.status === 200 && resp.data && resp.data.success) { dpSimilarRender(output, keyword, resp.data); } else if (resp.status === 403) { output.innerHTML = "
Session expired. Please refresh the page and try again.
"; } else if (resp.status === 429) { output.innerHTML = "
Too many searches. Please try again in a few minutes.
" + dpSimilarCta(output, -1); } else { output.innerHTML = "
Search failed. Please try again.
" + dpSimilarCta(output, -1); } }) .catch(function(){ output.innerHTML = "
Could not reach the server. Please check your connection.
" + dpSimilarCta(output, -1); }) .then(function(){ submit.disabled = false; output.removeAttribute("aria-busy"); }); } function dpAskGrokSend(block) { var input = block.querySelector(".dp-ask-grok-input"); var result = block.querySelector(".dp-ask-grok-result"); var send = block.querySelector(".dp-ask-grok-send"); var form = block.querySelector(".dp-ask-grok-form"); var button = block.querySelector(".dp-ask-grok-button"); var intro = block.querySelector(".dp-ask-grok-intro"); var question = (input.value || "").trim(); if (question.length Please ask a question of at least 10 characters."; return; } if (question.length > 500) { result.innerHTML = "
Question is too long. Please keep it under 500 characters.
"; return; } result.innerHTML = "
Asking Grok\u2026 (this can take 10-20 seconds)
"; send.disabled = true; result.setAttribute("aria-busy", "true"); fetch(block.dataset.restUrlAskGrok, { method: "POST", headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json", "X-WP-Nonce": block.dataset.nonce }, body: JSON.stringify({ post_id: parseInt(block.dataset.postId, 10), question: question }) }) .then(function(r){ return r.json().then(function(data){ return { status: r.status, data: data }; }); }) .then(function(resp){ if (resp.status === 429) { if (form) form.style.display = "none"; if (intro) intro.style.display = ""; if (button) { button.style.display = ""; button.disabled = true; button.setAttribute("title", "Daily limit reached. Try again tomorrow."); button.textContent = "Daily limit reached"; } var rateMsg = (resp.data && resp.data.message) ? resp.data.message : "You\u2019ve reached today\u2019s question limit. Please try again tomorrow."; result.innerHTML = "
" + dpSimilarEscape(rateMsg) + "
"; return; } if (resp.status === 403) { result.innerHTML = "
Session expired. Please refresh the page and try again.
"; return; } if (resp.status === 200 && resp.data && resp.data.success) { var safeAnswer = dpSimilarEscape(resp.data.answer || ""); var safeDisclaimer = dpSimilarEscape(resp.data.disclaimer || ""); var answerHtml = "
"; answerHtml += "

" + safeAnswer + "

"; answerHtml += "

\u26a0\ufe0f " + safeDisclaimer + "

"; answerHtml += "
"; result.innerHTML = answerHtml; if (form) form.style.display = "none"; if (intro) intro.style.display = ""; if (button) { button.style.display = ""; button.disabled = true; button.setAttribute("title", "Daily limit reached. Try again tomorrow."); button.textContent = "Daily limit reached"; } return; } if (resp.status === 200 && resp.data && !resp.data.success) { var msg = dpSimilarEscape(resp.data.message || "Could not process your question right now."); result.innerHTML = "
" + msg + "
"; return; } result.innerHTML = "
Could not process your question right now. Please try again later.
"; }) .catch(function(){ result.innerHTML = "
Could not reach the server. Please check your connection and try again.
"; }) .then(function(){ if (send) send.disabled = false; result.removeAttribute("aria-busy"); }); } function dpSimilarRender(output, keyword, data) { var html = ""; if (data.count === 0) { html += "
No matches found for “" + dpSimilarEscape(keyword) + "”.
"; } else { html += "

Articles matching “" + dpSimilarEscape(keyword) + "”

"; html += "
    "; data.results.forEach(function(r){ html += "
  • "; html += "" + r.title + ""; html += "" + r.date + ""; html += "
  • "; }); html += "
"; } html += dpSimilarCta(output, data.count); output.innerHTML = html; } function dpSimilarCta(output, count) { var block = output.closest(".dp-similar-block"); var contactUrl = block ? block.dataset.contactUrl : ""; if (!contactUrl) { return ""; } var ctaText; if (count === -1) { ctaText = "While you wait, here are some other ways to get help:"; } else if (count === 0) { ctaText = "Couldn\u2019t find what you needed? Speak with a professional for personalized help."; } else { ctaText = "Need more help with this topic? Speak with a professional."; } var html = "
"; html += "

" + ctaText + "

"; html += "Talk to a Professional"; html += "
"; var isFullApi = block && block.dataset.isFullApi === "1"; html += "

Or ask our AI assistant a quick question about this topic.

"; html += ""; html += "
"; html += ""; html += ""; html += ""; html += ""; html += "
"; html += "
"; html += "
"; html += "
"; return html; } function dpSimilarEscape(s) { var div = document.createElement("div"); div.textContent = s; return div.innerHTML; }})();

Coronado-Fortune & Associates, LLC

Pre-Election Focus on Russian/Iran Sanctions, AI Utility Bills, Crypto Regulation and Nondiscriminatory FEMA Assistance

October 1, 2026  ·  Blog, Congress at Work, Uncategorized

4 min read

Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027 (HR 6500) – This appropriations bill was finalized and passed by both the House and the Senate on Sept. 1. The act funds the fiscal year 2027 government budget through Dec. 11 at current levels. It was signed by the President on Sept. 2.

Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act (S 307) – This bill is designed to address sexual harassment and sexual assault of Bureau of Prisons correctional officers and other staff by incarcerated prisoners. Specifically, it details national standards for the prevention, reduction, and punishment of perpetrators. The legislation was introduced by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) on Jan. 29, 2025. It passed in the Senate on April 29, 2025; in the House on Aug. 31; and was enacted by the president on Sept. 16.

Retire through Ownership Act (S 2403) – Introduced by Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) on July 23, 2025, this bill amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. ESOPs are Employee Stock Ownership Plans that enable employees to accrue shares of their employers’ stock as part of a pension plan, in which they receive the cash value of their shares upon retirement. This bill clearly defines how a good-faith valuation should be determined by independent professional appraisers, based on IRS Revenue Ruling 59-60 for valuing privately held stock. In the past, ambiguous valuation methods have resulted in litigation. This act passed in the Senate on October 9, 2025, and in the House on Sept. 16. It currently awaits the president’s signature.

Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 (HR 5334) – This largely bipartisan act was championed by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). The legislation imposes a variety of sanctions, tariffs, and prohibitions related to Russia and Iran, and explicitly prohibits U.S. persons from making new investments in Russia. It also expands the tax deduction for early childhood education teachers for classroom expenses. The bill was introduced on Sept. 11, 2025, by Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA). It passed in the House on April 27 and in the Senate on Aug. 7, with final changes agreed upon on Sept. 16. The president signed the bill into law a day later.

Digital Asset Market Clarity Act (HR 3633) – Known as the Clarity Act, the purpose of this Trump Administration-backed bill is to implement the first regulations for the crypto sector. The bill was introduced by Rep. French Hill (R-AR) on May 29, 2025. It passed in the House on July 17, 2025. However, opponents of the bill say the industry-led standards are far too lenient and do not provide enough safeguards. The bill recently failed in the Senate after a party-line cloture vote, which means the debate ended before the floor could vote on the bill (considered a filibuster). The cloture vote does not rule out the Senate trying again at a later date.

Ratepayer Protection Act (HR 9340) – In an effort to rein in AI data center utility costs, this bill would require state utilities to consider adopting standards to ensure cost recovery for the generation, transmission, and distribution services of large-load electricity customers. This high-stakes, bipartisan issue comes ahead of the midterm elections in an effort to assure voters that local data centers will not ramp up local residents’ utility bills. The legislation was introduced by Rep. Gabe Evans (R-CO) on June 18. It passed in the House on Sept. 16 and currently resides in the Senate.

Stopping Political Discrimination in Disaster Assistance Act (HR 1342) – Current law states that federal major disaster emergency relief and assistance must be provided without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. The bill, introduced by Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) on Feb. 13, 2025, would add political affiliation protection under this requirement. The act passed in the House on Sept. 16 and awaits consideration in the Senate.

 


Disclaimer 

These articles provide general information on tax, accounting, and financial topics for small businesses and individuals. They are educational in nature and are not specific legal, accounting, financial, tax, or other professional advice, and should not be relied upon as such. This content was prepared by Service2Client and may have been reviewed or edited by the website owner for accuracy and compliance. Look for a trust mark below for verification details. No representation is made that any approach described will achieve a particular result, and no regulatory or professional body has reviewed or endorsed this content. Because each situation is different, readers should consult a qualified professional about their specific circumstances before acting. Images accompanying these articles are protected by copyright and may not be copied or reused.


Disclaimer 

These articles provide general information on tax, accounting, and financial topics for small businesses and individuals. They are educational in nature and are not specific legal, accounting, financial, tax, or other professional advice, and should not be relied upon as such. This content was prepared by Service2Client and may have been reviewed or edited by the website owner for accuracy and compliance. Look for a trust mark below for verification details. No representation is made that any approach described will achieve a particular result, and no regulatory or professional body has reviewed or endorsed this content. Because each situation is different, readers should consult a qualified professional about their specific circumstances before acting. Images accompanying these articles are protected by copyright and may not be copied or reused.

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