From Publius Papers. The last two bills on the President's desk are now law. Congress.gov shows the President signed both on Thursday, Oct 22: one lets wireless carriers send emergency alerts to phones by satellite, and the other settles old federal land claims in Sacramento. That brings October to 18 new laws, and 34 since Sept. 1, one in four of the 136 public laws this Congress has made. Neither chamber met from Friday through Sunday, so no other actions are dated Oct 23–25. Both return today for short pro forma sessions. Below: the two new laws, a San Francisco Bay bill now cleared for the House floor, and what to watch this week.
A correction from Friday
Our Oct 23 issue said H.R. 952 and H.R. 7022 were still waiting for the President's signature. Congress.gov now records that both were signed on Thursday, Oct 22, the day before that issue went out. The signatures weren't in the data when we pulled it. Neither has a Public Law number yet.
1. H.R. 7022 — Mystic Alerts Act (now law)
Sponsor: Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX), with 4 cosponsors
Latest action: Signed by the President (Oct 22, 2026). The Energy and Commerce Committee approved it 52–0 on March 25, 2026. The House passed an amended version by voice vote on April 20, 2026, and the Senate passed it without changes by unanimous consent on Sept 30, 2026.
What it does: Wireless Emergency Alerts are the warnings that pop up on phones for things like severe weather and missing children. Carriers join that system voluntarily. This law covers carriers that are in the alert system and also offer voice or data service over satellite. Each one must tell the FCC whether it will also send emergency alerts by satellite. If it opts in, it must follow the FCC's technical rules, honor customers who opt out of alerts, and can't charge extra for them. If it opts out, it must tell new and existing customers. The FCC must propose rules within 6 months and finish them within 18 months, working with the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA. The rules must weigh what satellites and phones can actually do and keep other communications, including 9-1-1 calls, from being disrupted. Carriers file their choice within 60 days after the rules take effect. That happens 36 months after the final rule is published, or 12 months after DHS and FEMA put the supporting standards in place, whichever is later. Carriers that follow the rules are shielded from lawsuits over sending alerts and over sharing subscriber information with public safety officials. Choosing not to take part can't by itself be the basis for a lawsuit.
Who it affects: Cellphone users, especially in places with weak or no cell coverage, wireless carriers that offer satellite service, the FCC, FEMA and DHS.
View on Congress.gov
2. H.R. 952 — Reversionary Interest Conveyance Act (now law)
Sponsor: Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA), no cosponsors
Latest action: Signed by the President (Oct 22, 2026). The House passed it by voice vote on May 13, 2025. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee reported it without changes on July 23, 2026, and the Senate passed it without changes by unanimous consent on Sept 22, 2026.
What it does: On about 8.43 acres in Sacramento, the federal government still holds "reversionary interests." Those are old rights, including some under an 1862 railroad law, that could return the land to federal control. Under this law, the landowner of record can ask to buy out those interests. Within two years of a request, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) must offer them and transfer them once the owner pays. The price must be at least fair market value, set by an appraisal under federal standards, and the buyer pays for surveys, appraisals and other costs. The money goes into the Federal Land Disposal Account. The sale is subject to existing rights. It can't shrink the Southern Pacific railroad right-of-way to less than 50 feet on each side of the main track's center line, and it doesn't validate claims to the land based on adverse possession or abandonment.
Who it affects: The owners of the affected Sacramento parcels, the BLM, and the railroad that holds the right-of-way.
View on Congress.gov
3. H.R. 1382 — San Francisco Bay restoration under the Clean Water Act
Sponsor: Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA), with 8 cosponsors, all California Democrats
Latest action: Reported by the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (House Report 119-852) and placed on the House Union Calendar, No. 749 (Oct 22, 2026). The committee approved it, with changes, 40–13 on Feb. 26, 2025.
What it does: Current law sets up an EPA San Francisco Bay Program Office, which keeps a yearly list of projects on water quality, wetland and estuary restoration, species recovery and climate adaptation. The office can fund them through grants, cooperative agreements and other means. The version the committee approved would broaden how that money can go out. It adds interagency agreements and contracts, and it lets funds go to federal agencies and to public or private entities, as well as state and local agencies, special districts and nonprofits. It also changes the federal cost cap. Today the cap is 75% of a recipient's costs each fiscal year. Under the bill, it would be 75% of the total cost of each project, activity or study, and non-federal recipients would pay at least 25%. And no money could go to a non-federal entity based in, or with any agreement or partnership with, a "foreign country of concern": China, North Korea, Russia, Iran, or another country the Secretary of State names.
Who it affects: Local governments, special districts, nonprofits and contractors that work on San Francisco Bay restoration, and EPA's regional office in San Francisco.
Odds it moves: Being on the Union Calendar means it can come to the House floor, but no floor date has been announced. The committee vote was 40–13, and all 8 cosponsors are from the sponsor's party.
View on Congress.gov
Quick list
On the President's desk: Nothing, according to Congress.gov.
Cleared Congress, not yet sent to the President: The Common Cents Act (H.R. 10167), Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI), passed the House by voice vote on Sept 14 and the Senate without changes on Sept 28. It would end penny production for circulation (pennies would stay legal tender) and round cash transactions to the nearest five cents. Its last action is still dated Oct 14. The President's 10-day clock starts only once a bill is formally presented.
October's 18 new laws: Signed Oct 7 (2), Oct 9 (1), Oct 15 (3), Oct 20 (10) and Oct 22 (2), according to Congress.gov.
New bills: None. The last bills filed were the 53 bills and 6 resolutions introduced in the House on Oct 22, covered in Friday's issue.
What's next
Today, Monday, Oct 26: The House meets in a pro forma session at 12:30 PM Eastern, and the Senate at 5:30 PM Eastern. A pro forma session is a brief meeting, often just a few minutes, that usually has no votes or legislative business. On Oct 22, the House met for two minutes and the Senate for 30 seconds.
Committees: The Congressional Record lists no House or Senate committee meetings for today.
The rest of the week: No House floor schedule has been posted for this week, and no sessions have been announced beyond today. We'll report new votes, bills and signings as they appear on Congress.gov.
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Thanks for reading.
The Publius Papers team
Data: Congress.gov API (Library of Congress), pulled Oct 26, 2026, plus the Congressional Record for Oct 22 (Vol. 172, No. 163) and the House Clerk. No Congressional Record was published for Oct 23–25 because neither chamber met. Bills 1 and 2 are summarized from their enrolled (final) text, and bill 3 from the text the committee reported; the committee report itself wasn't posted yet. The chart counts public laws by the month they were signed. It includes H.R. 952 and H.R. 7022, which don't have Public Law numbers yet, and leaves out the 2 private laws of this Congress. We only include "Odds it moves" when there's a real signal, like a vote, committee action or the cosponsor count.