Tom Cotton

This bill would stop states, territories, and their local governments from requiring specific amounts of renewable, zero-emission, or carbon-free energy in their electricity supply. It would also prevent them from linking electricity market participation or utility rules to these clean energy requirements. The goal is to protect the electric grid's reliability and prevent higher electricity costs.

This bill would make states follow federal immigration rules or lose some of their highway funding. States that don't check immigration status for driver's licenses or share info with federal agents could lose 5% to 10% of certain road funds. This would affect state budgets and people seeking driver's licenses.

This bill would make companies that create and sell synthetic DNA products screen their orders and customers. It aims to prevent dangerous materials from falling into the wrong hands and would also streamline how the government handles biosecurity. Individuals or companies that break these new rules could face significant fines.

This bill would allow companies to lease federal lands, specifically those acquired by the government, to extract hardrock minerals like gold, copper, and gemstones. Currently, these lands can only be leased for minerals such as oil, gas, and sulfur. The change would open up new areas for mining these specific types of minerals.

This bill would make penalties for welfare fraud much tougher, including longer prison sentences and new immigration consequences for noncitizens and naturalized citizens. It would also create a special government task force to investigate and recover money lost to welfare fraud, allowing for civil lawsuits and offering rewards to whistleblowers.

This bill would make it easier to deport non-citizens convicted of crimes by expanding the types of offenses that lead to deportation. It would also require state and local police to share criminal conviction data with federal immigration officials. Additionally, it would penalize "sanctuary cities" by cutting their highway funding.

This bill would create a new type of electric company called a "consumer-regulated electric utility." These new companies would not have to follow many federal energy rules. This is true as long as they operate completely separate from the main power grid and serve only new customers.

This bill would create a new federal crime for knowingly entering or staying within a marked 15-foot protective zone around a deployed National Guard member with the intent to interfere with their duties. People who violate this rule could face fines and up to 1 year in prison, with harsher penalties of up to 5 years if they make physical contact, throw an object, or spit on a Guard member. The bill also makes it clear that activities protected by the First Amendment are still allowed outside these zones.

This bill would stop people who are not permanent legal residents from getting cheaper in-state tuition or other financial aid at public colleges. It would require public colleges to check students' immigration status annually and charge out-of-state tuition to those not lawfully admitted for permanent residence. This aims to end a practice that currently costs taxpayers about $1 billion each year.

This bill would make it much harder for people seeking asylum to qualify for protection in the U.S. It would block asylum for those who traveled through other countries without seeking protection there, or who entered illegally or committed visa fraud. It would also allow children and their parents to be held together for up to 180 days during immigration proceedings.

This bill would make it harder for certain foreign entities to get advanced synthetic biology information from the U.S. It would require U.S. companies and researchers to get a special license before sending digital sequences of synthetic DNA or RNA to these entities. This aims to protect sensitive U.S. intellectual property and national security.

This bill would make it easier for egg producers to sell their extra broiler hatching eggs to companies that turn them into liquid egg products. It would immediately stop a current federal rule from applying to these eggs, which could help increase the supply of liquid eggs. Federal agencies would then create a new rule for how these eggs can be handled, aiming to stabilize or lower egg prices.