September 28, 2026 The Week Ahead
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The Senate is in session.
- The Senate returns today to consider legislation on college sports and the Ratepayer Protection Act.
- The House returns on November 9.
- College Sports: The Senate is expected to vote on final passage of the Protect College Sports Act (S.4668) today at 5:30 PM. The legislation, among other things, seeks to establish a regulatory framework for name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals in college sports. If approved by the Senate, House lawmakers would then need to take up the measure during the lame duck session.
- Ratepayer Protection Act: The Senate is expected to vote Wednesday on the House-passed Ratepayer Protection Act (H.R.9340). The bill requires states to consider adopting a federal standard directing data centers to pay the full cost of new generation and transmission upgrades needed to serve their facilities. The bill previously failed to advance by unanimous consent after Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Martin Heinrich (D-NM) objected, arguing that it did not go far enough to ensure data centers pay the full cost of their energy demands.
- H.R.1 Implementation: On October 1, three major changes under H.R.1 will take effect. States and local governments will assume a larger share of SNAP administrative costs, with the non-federal contribution increasing to 75 percent from 50 percent and potentially adding tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars in annual expenses for states and local governments. The law also narrows the definition of qualified immigrants for Medicaid eligibility, making certain lawfully present immigrants, including refugees, asylees, and humanitarian parolees, ineligible for coverage. Additionally, H.R. 1 reduces federal funding for emergency Medicaid services provided to undocumented individuals by lowering the federal matching rate to each state's standard reimbursement level, eliminating the enhanced federal funding currently available for these services.
- 2030 Census Rulemaking: On September 28 at 3:00 PM, NLC, USCM, and ICMA are hosting a joint webinar on the Census Bureau’s proposed changes to the 2030 decennial census. NLC has provided template comment letters to the Census Bureau, available here, and to congressional offices, available here. Comments are due by October 13, 2026.
- House Democrats Draft Housing Affordability Agenda: The House Democratic Housing Working Group has reportedly outlined an agenda for the 120th Congress that includes investigating the alleged politicization of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), examining whether HUD shared information with ICE or other agencies, and identifying ways to address HUD's operational and administrative challenges. In a separate 32-page policy roadmap, the group proposes actions to expand housing supply, modernize regulations, improve financing tools, and strengthen consumer protections during the first 100 hours, 100 days, and first year of the next Congress.
- EPA Reconvenes its LGAC: On September 25, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reconvened its Local Government Advisory Committee (LGAC). The committee will seek recommendations related to the conversion and reuse of existing buildings and infrastructure, including opportunities to support housing development and community revitalization, and on expanding water reuse practices within industrial sectors, with an eye toward improving water efficiency, resource management, and long-term resilience.
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Hearings and Markups:
- Energy: The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing to consider several energy-related pieces of legislation, including S.465, a bill to require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to reform the interconnection queue process for the prioritization and approval of certain projects, on Wednesday.
- HUD: The Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee will hold a nomination hearing for Matthew Jones to be an Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development on Thursday.
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