H.R. 5827 — Modernizing America with Rebuilding to Kickstart the Economy of the Twenty-first Century with a Historic Infrastructure-Centered Expansion Act

This section cites this title as the “Modernizing America with Rebuilding to Kickstart the Economy of the Twenty-first Century with a Historic Infrastructure-Centered Expansion Act” or the “MARKET CHOICE Act”.

This section states seven congressional findings on the essential role of roads, bridges, airports, and urban transportation systems in U.S. economic and national security; chronic funding shortfalls for infrastructure maintenance; economic benefits of strategic new investments; increasing extreme weather events and climate change impacts on health, economy, and budgets; the need to reduce climate risks to protect economy, security, infrastructure, agriculture, water supply, public health, and safety; and bipartisan support for greenhouse gas emission reductions through viable public and private policies.

This section appropriates to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030, an amount equal to 25% of the total amount appropriated to NCI for fiscal year 2024 to conduct or support cancer research, with funds to remain available until expended. These amounts are in addition to amounts otherwise made available to NCI.

This section directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Commissioner of Food and Drugs and in collaboration with other relevant agencies, to study the reasons for cancer drug shortages—including economic factors, supply chain failures, delays and complications in drug development and Food and Drug Administration approval, and insufficient generic drugs and biosimilar biological products—and to submit a report with recommendations to the appropriate congressional committees not later than one year after enactment.

This section establishes, not later than one year after enactment, the Coordinator for Engagement with Defense Communities Affected by PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) within the Department of Defense. The Coordinator is responsible for (1) improving the Department's outreach, education, and communication with current or former U.S. defense communities affected by PFAS contamination or leakage; and (2) serving as a dedicated liaison between the Department and local governments, advocacy organizations, and individual citizens in communities with ongoing or incomplete DoD PFAS remediation projects.

This section establishes within the legislative branch the National Bipartisan Fiscal Commission not later than 90 days after enactment. The 20-member commission consists of 4 congressional members appointed by the President (not more than 2 from the same party, 2 of whom the President designates as chair and vice chair), 4 appointed by the Speaker of the House, 4 by the House Minority Leader, 4 by the Senate Majority Leader, and 4 by the Senate Minority Leader, with all appointments made within 30 days of establishment. The commission must review long-term deficits and debt, recommend a legislative package to stabilize them, and require CBO to include debt-servicing costs in its estimates; it must submit a report with these elements to Congress not later than 18 months after enactment. The commission has subpoena power (requiring chair-vice chair agreement or 10-member vote), authority to hold hearings and administer oaths, a quorum of 10 members, initial meeting requirements within 180 days of enactment, and vacancy filling within 90 days, and is exempt from the Federal Advisory Committee Act.

This section requires the President, not later than 60 days after the Commission submits its report to Congress under section 401(d), to transmit a special message accompanied by a proposed joint resolution implementing the Commission's recommendations, following consultations with relevant congressional committee leaders (who may recommend alternatives or exclusions), the Comptroller General, and the Congressional Budget Office. The special message must specify included and excluded recommendations with reasons, identify programs for elimination or consolidation, and be made publicly available including on a presidential website and in the Federal Register. This section provides for expedited House consideration of a "Commission joint resolution" (i.e., one consisting solely of the President's proposed text), including (1) privileged introduction by the majority leader or any Member after the next legislative day; (2) committee reporting or discharge within 10 legislative days; and (3) a privileged motion to proceed after final committee action or discharge.

This section establishes a prohibition on Members of the House of Representatives owning or trading covered financial instruments (i.e., securities or security futures as defined by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, commodities as defined by the Commodity Exchange Act, or economic interests acquired synthetically such as through derivatives, options, or warrants). Exceptions apply to widely held investment funds registered as management companies, U.S. Treasury bills, notes, or bonds, bonds issued by state or local governments, and Thrift Savings Plan investments; Members must also submit a compliance pledge to the House Committee on Ethics and provide requested materials to verify adherence.

This section directs the Financial Institutions Examination Council (FIEC), within 180 days of enactment and in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, the private sector, trafficking victims and advocates, and law enforcement, to (1) review and enhance training and examination procedures for anti-money laundering (AML) and countering the financing of terrorism (CFT) programs to detect trafficking-related financial transactions; (2) review and enhance procedures for referring potential trafficking cases to law enforcement; and (3) assess whether financial institution requirements sufficiently detect and deter trafficking-related money laundering. This section further directs the Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking, within 270 days of enactment, to submit to specified congressional committees and federal banking agencies an analysis of U.S. government and financial institution AML efforts against severe forms of trafficking in persons (as defined in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000), along with legislative, administrative, and other recommendations—including stakeholder feedback on best practices, training changes, information sharing, and emerging technologies/virtual currencies—to strengthen such efforts. This section clarifies that it does not grant rulemaking authority to the task force or encourage financial institutions to deny services to trafficking victims or non-responsible individuals and incorporates definitions for relevant terms (e.g., federal banking agency as defined in the Federal Deposit Insurance Act).

This section adds to the criteria under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 for determining whether governments of countries are making serious and sustained efforts to eliminate severe forms of trafficking in persons a new factor (13) evaluating whether the government, consistent with its capacity, has in effect a framework to prevent financial transactions involving proceeds of such trafficking and is taking steps to implement it, including by investigating, prosecuting, convicting, and sentencing individuals who attempt or conduct such transactions. (Thus, the State Department's annual Trafficking in Persons Report will consider countries' anti-money laundering efforts specific to trafficking proceeds when assigning tier rankings that affect U.S. foreign assistance.)

This section directs the Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to convene, not later than 90 days after enactment and in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security, a rulemaking advisory committee—chaired by the CISA Director and including the Secretary of Education (or designee) and representatives from state and local law enforcement, school safety personnel, advocates (including parents), teachers or administrators, ballistic shielding experts, school construction experts (e.g., structural engineers or architects), and other appropriate stakeholders—to develop findings and recommendations on requiring the installation or modification of reinforced interior and exterior doors in federally funded primary and secondary schools. The committee must consider door reinforcement requirements and technologies, performance standards, development and testing processes, service lifetime, threat protection without impeding law enforcement response or emergency evacuations, and other relevant factors. Not later than one year after convening the committee, CISA must submit a report on its findings and recommendations to the House and Senate Homeland Security, Education, and related committees. Not later than six months after submitting the report, CISA must issue a final rule requiring such door installations or modifications. This section is administered under the State Homeland Security Grant Program (6 U.S.C. 605) (i.e., grants to states—which must obligate at least 80% to local and tribal governments—for preventing, preparing for, protecting against, and responding to terrorism). It authorizes additional funding of $100 million for that program in the fiscal year of final rule issuance and each of the nine fiscal years thereafter, to be obligated and expended solely for this section.

This section requires each state to permit unaffiliated voters registered for federal elections to vote in any primary election for federal office, except that the state may not permit such a voter to vote in primaries for more than one political party; prohibits states from sharing such voters' information for political or commercial purposes or treating their participation as party affiliation on official voter lists; and conditions any state's use of federal funds provided directly for election administration on certifying equivalent access and protections for unaffiliated voters in primaries for state and local office. This section further establishes transition assistance grants from the Election Assistance Commission equal to 2% of a state's total requirements payments received under section 251 of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21001)—which provide funds to states meeting HAVA voting system and administration standards—for the fiscal year of certification and each of the next four fiscal years, to be used solely for implementation costs, with such sums as necessary authorized for FY2026 and each succeeding fiscal year. The requirements apply to elections held after the date of enactment.

This section declares it the policy of the United States that noncitizens may not vote in any taxpayer-funded election for public office held by or in the United States or any state. It prohibits any state from permitting noncitizens to vote in any election for federal office. It further conditions any state's use of federal funds provided directly for election administration purposes on certification to the Election Assistance Commission that the state does not permit noncitizens to vote in any election for state or local office or any ballot initiative or referendum.

This section directs the Director of National Intelligence, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, to conduct a review and issue a classified report to the congressional intelligence committees not later than 90 days after enactment of this Act determining whether increased intelligence sharing with Ukraine relating to the Russian Federation, Belarus, China, North Korea, or other appropriate entities improves the security of the United States and its allies and partners.

This section amends the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (i.e., requires recipients of certain federal highway, transit, and airport funds to ensure DBE participation goals) to include veteran-owned small business concerns by (1) defining the term by reference to the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632(q)); (2) inserting such concerns into the list of eligible businesses; and (3) adding veterans to the list of disadvantaged individuals who may own or control DBEs.

This section expands eligibility for increased Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC)—monthly payments to survivors of veterans whose death resulted from a service-connected disability or who were rated totally disabled for specified periods prior to death—to surviving spouses of veterans who die from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), treating such veterans as qualifying under existing criteria without regard to disease duration prior to death. For these purposes, a surviving spouse is one married to the veteran continuously for eight years or longer before death. The changes apply to deaths on or after October 1, 2025.

This section directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, not later than 180 days after enactment, to submit to Congress a report identifying any service-connected disability other than amyotrophic lateral sclerosis that should be treated the same as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis under 38 U.S.C. 1311(a)(2)(B) and (C), as added by section 1202. The report must include (1) a comprehensive list of service-connected disabilities with high mortality rates and (2) the average life expectancy for persons with each such disability.