VALOR Legislative Tracker
Accountability · Liberty · Sovereignty
Policy Alerts
Urgent Constitutional Alert
Executive Order: "Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections" — Signed March 31, 2026
President Trump signed an executive order directing the Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration to compile state-by-state citizen voter lists and restricting USPS mail ballot delivery. The order also conditions federal funding on state compliance. Multiple constitutional scholars, including UCLA's Rick Hasen, have called the order unconstitutional under the Elections Clause, which reserves election administration authority to the states and Congress — not the executive branch. A prior elections-related EO was blocked by federal courts. Legal challenges expected immediately. Watch for preliminary injunction filings in federal district courts in the coming days.
First Amendment Alert
DHS Rescinds Protected Areas Guidance — Enforcement Now Permitted at Houses of Worship, Schools, Hospitals
The Department of Homeland Security has rescinded longstanding guidance requiring headquarters approval before immigration enforcement in or near "sensitive locations" — including churches, mosques, schools, and hospitals. This policy shift fundamentally changes the relationship between federal enforcement and constitutionally protected spaces. The action requires no Congressional authorization and took immediate effect. The USCCB and civil liberties organizations have raised formal objections. Any American religious institution may now be subject to enforcement operations without prior notice or elevated authorization.
Federal Activity
Bills Under Consideration (5 Bills)
H.R. 2816 | DISCLOSE Act of 2026
Status: In Committee | Tags: Accountability, Foreign Influence
Sponsors: Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH-1) / Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) | Reintroduced March 2026
VALOR Analysis: The DISCLOSE Act addresses a genuine accountability gap: post-Citizens United "dark money" flows allow corporations and potentially foreign nationals to funnel election spending through opaque entities. The 2026 version expands disclosure requirements to cover social media influencer payments and tightens the harassment-exemption process that has been exploited to shield large donors. The bill has passed the House previously but stalled in the Senate. VALOR tracks this as a sovereignty and accountability matter — the core question is whether Americans can know who is financing campaigns targeting their votes. Republicans in the Senate have historically blocked the measure, citing First Amendment associational privacy concerns, a legitimate but competing interest.
H.R. 7738 / S. 3918 | Government Surveillance Transparency Act of 2026
Status: Referred to Committee | Tags: Bipartisan, Accountability, 1st Amendment
House Sponsors: Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA-36) & Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH-8) | Senate: S. 3918 referred to Senate Judiciary, cosponsored by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) | Introduced February 2026
VALOR Analysis: This bipartisan measure tackles a structural accountability failure: hundreds of thousands of criminal surveillance orders issued annually by courts remain sealed indefinitely — even when targets are never charged with any crime. Current law allows indefinite secrecy, making it impossible for the public or Congress to evaluate the scope of government surveillance. The bill would require public reporting through machine-readable forms and allow targets to petition to unseal orders. VALOR considers this a high-priority liberty measure. The Fourth Amendment concerns embedded here are compounded by First Amendment implications — surveillance of political and religious organizations has historically chilled protected speech and association. Bipartisan cosponsorship suggests unusual viability.
H.R. 3411 | Conscience Protection Act of 2025
Status: In Committee | Tags: Religious Liberty
House: Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX-11) | Senate: Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) | Introduced 2025
VALOR Analysis: The Conscience Protection Act would prohibit the federal government and federally funded programs from discriminating against health care entities that decline to participate in abortion services. It would also strengthen existing federal conscience statutes. The measure implicates a live First Amendment tension: the government's interest in ensuring broad access to medical services versus healthcare workers' and institutions' claims of religious exemption from performing procedures they consider morally objectionable. VALOR notes this bill cuts to the heart of how far government may compel participation in activity that violates sincerely held religious beliefs — a question the Supreme Court continues to narrow in favor of religious claimants.
FAIR Act | Fifth Amendment Integrity Restoration Act — Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform
Status: Introduced Feb. 2026 | Tags: Bipartisan, Due Process
Sponsors: Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI-5) & Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD-8) | February 24, 2026
VALOR Analysis: Civil asset forfeiture — the government's power to seize property without a criminal conviction — has long been flagged by both conservative and civil libertarian critics as a systemic due process violation. The FAIR Act would raise the evidentiary standard for federal seizures from "preponderance of the evidence" to the higher "clear and convincing" threshold, protect small business owners from IRS structuring abuses, and increase Congressional oversight of forfeiture revenues. VALOR flags this as a constitutional property-rights measure with strong bipartisan support. The financial beneficiaries of the current system are law enforcement agencies that retain seized assets — creating a structural incentive misaligned with due process principles.
H.Res. 1026 | Condemning Violent Disruption of Religious Worship at Cities Church, St. Paul, Minnesota
Status: Referred to Judiciary | Tags: Religious Liberty
Sponsor: Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA-1) | Introduced January 30, 2026
VALOR Analysis: On January 18, 2026, protesters stormed Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota during a Sunday worship service, targeting an ICE official in the congregation. DOJ has since charged 30 individuals under potential violations of the Ku Klux Klan Act and the FACE Act, which prohibit interference with religious assembly. H.Res. 1026 formally condemns the disruption and reaffirms First Amendment religious freedom protections. VALOR tracks this as a precedent-setting matter: the right to worship without interference is foundational. Whether charges involve KKK Act or FACE Act provisions will determine whether this creates durable legal standards protecting religious assembly from ideologically motivated disruption regardless of the political valence of the target.
Executive & Agency Actions
EO — March 31, 2026 | Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections
Status: Legally Challenged | Tags: Sovereignty, Federal Overreach
Issuing Authority: President Donald J. Trump | White House, March 31, 2026
VALOR Analysis: This executive order directs DHS and SSA to build a national verified voter list and restricts USPS mail ballot operations to only "verified" voters — functions that fall under congressional and state authority under the Constitution's Elections Clause. The order also conditions federal funding on state compliance, using spending leverage to coerce state election policy. Legal scholars across the political spectrum have noted the constitutional defect: the executive branch does not control federal election administration. A prior Trump elections EO was enjoined by federal courts. VALOR assesses this as a separation-of-powers flashpoint regardless of the underlying election integrity goals — executive power cannot cure problems assigned by the Constitution to legislative and state authority.
DHS Agency Action — 2026 | Rescission of "Sensitive Locations" Immigration Enforcement Guidance
Status: In Effect | Tags: Religious Liberty, First Amendment
Issuing Authority: Department of Homeland Security | Effective 2026
VALOR Analysis: DHS has rescinded the longstanding policy requiring headquarters pre-approval before conducting immigration enforcement operations at or near "sensitive locations" — houses of worship (churches, mosques, synagogues, temples), hospitals, and schools. This administrative action has immediate nationwide effect and requires no congressional authorization or public comment. Every American religious institution now faces potential immigration enforcement without the previous procedural safeguards. VALOR flags this as a First Amendment matter of the highest order: the right to assemble in religious spaces without fear of government enforcement actions is foundational to free exercise. The policy's financial beneficiaries are enforcement agencies seeking operational flexibility; its constitutional costs are borne by religious communities and their members.
State Watch
State-Level Actions (4 States)
Mississippi | State Immigration Enforcement Cooperation Bills — Enacted March 2026
Status: Signed by Governor | Both chambers passed | March 31, 2026
VALOR Analysis: Mississippi enacted legislation requiring local law enforcement agencies to assist U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and expanding the state's role in federal immigration enforcement. The measures align state law with federal enforcement priorities but raise questions about unfunded mandates on local governments and the diversion of local law enforcement resources from locally defined priorities. VALOR will track whether enforcement data indicates mission drift in local departments or resource strain on smaller municipalities. The question of who bears the financial cost of this expanded enforcement role is not addressed in the legislation.
Tennessee | Student Immigration Status Data Collection in Public Schools — House-Passed
Status: House-Passed | Tags: First Amendment, Immigration
Status: Passed Tennessee House | Senate pending
VALOR Analysis: The Tennessee House has passed legislation requiring public schools to collect immigration status information from all students enrolled or seeking enrollment for the 2026–27 school year. This directly implicates the 1982 Supreme Court ruling in Plyler v. Doe, which established that states may not deny public education to undocumented children. If enacted and enforced, Tennessee's bill would face immediate constitutional challenge. The practical effect of requiring status disclosure — regardless of its legal status — would be to deter enrollment through fear, which courts have historically treated as a constitutional harm. Plyler's precedent remains controlling absent a Supreme Court reversal.
Minnesota | Right to Public Education Regardless of Immigration Status — Codification Bill
Status: Introduced | Tags: Education Rights
Status: Introduced in Minnesota Legislature | March 2026
VALOR Analysis: Minnesota legislators have introduced a bill to codify into state statute the constitutional right to public education regardless of immigration status, preemptively enshrining Plyler v. Doe protections at the state level. This mirrors actions by several other states seeking to legislatively insulate existing constitutional rights from potential federal policy shifts. The financial implication is neutral — this would codify existing federal constitutional requirements rather than expand state spending. VALOR notes the legislative strategy: states on both sides are racing to lock in their preferred interpretive frameworks ahead of potential Supreme Court reconsideration of longstanding precedents.
California | Expanded School District Protections from Immigration Enforcement — Enacted
Status: Signed by Governor | Tags: First Amendment
Status: Signed by Governor Newsom | 2026
VALOR Analysis: California enacted legislation creating new mandatory obligations for school districts when immigration enforcement officers attempt to access school sites, request student records, or seek information about students and families. This directly responds to the DHS rescission of sensitive-location protections and creates a state-law firewall around California schools. The legislation is likely to face federal preemption challenges, as immigration enforcement authority is constitutionally a federal domain. VALOR observes this as an emerging constitutional friction zone: the Supremacy Clause generally gives federal immigration law priority over conflicting state law, yet states retain authority over their public schools. Courts will ultimately resolve the boundary.
Oversight Tracker
Accountability Watch
Oversight Gap | Congressional Recess During Active Executive Branch Rulemaking
Status: Watch Period | Tags: Accountability
VALOR Analysis: Congress entered its District Work Period on March 27 and does not return until April 14. During this three-week recess window, the Trump administration issued the voter verification executive order, and DHS enforcement policy changes have continued to take effect. Historical pattern: executive branch agencies accelerate regulatory and policy actions during congressional recesses, knowing that floor debate and oversight hearings are unavailable. VALOR flags this structural oversight gap as a recurring accountability concern regardless of administration — the Constitution envisions continuous legislative oversight of executive action, but recess calendars create systematic blind spots. Neither party has proposed meaningful reform to recess oversight mechanisms.
S. 4082 | Government Surveillance Reform Act of 2026 — Lee/Wyden Bipartisan Bill
Status: Introduced March 2026 | Tags: Bipartisan, 4th Amendment, Oversight
Sponsors: Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) & Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) | Introduced March 2026 (FISA Reform)
VALOR Analysis: The Lee-Wyden Government Surveillance Reform Act takes aim at the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act framework, which has been a source of sustained bipartisan concern since the Snowden revelations and subsequent inspector general reports documenting FBI abuses of the FISA warrant process. The bill seeks to reform how the government targets Americans and U.S. persons under surveillance authority. VALOR considers this among the most consequential civil liberties bills of the 119th Congress. The financial stakes are significant: federal law enforcement agencies have substantial institutional interests in maintaining current FISA tools. Bipartisan sponsorship by Lee and Wyden signals genuine ideological breadth — this bill has support from both libertarian conservatives and civil liberties liberals.
Summary Statistics
- Total Bills Tracked: 9
- Active Policy Alerts: 2
- Bipartisan Bills: 3
- 1st Amendment Flags: 6
Coming Up
- April 14: Congress returns — oversight hearings expected to resume
- Ongoing: Federal court challenges to Voter Verification EO — watch for TRO filings
- Ongoing: FISA reauthorization timeline — Lee-Wyden bill markup possible spring 2026
- Ongoing: Tennessee school immigration bill — Senate vote pending
- Ongoing: FAIR Act civil forfeiture — Judiciary Committee consideration
VALOR Methodology: VALOR tracks legislation through the lens of four accountability principles: (1) Does this expand or contract government accountability? (2) Does this protect or erode constitutional rights? (3) Does this serve American sovereignty or foreign interests? (4) Who benefits financially? Bills from both parties are tracked equally. Analysis is nonpartisan and constitutionally grounded.