Congressman Fulcher’s Legislative Update: October 6, 2026

October 6, 2026

Recently, H.R. 3657, the Hydropower Licensing Transparency Act, was signed into law.

I am proud to be the lead co-sponsor of this important law, which will cut federal red tape around hydropower relicensing applications. With nearly 600 water storage dams across Idaho, we must prioritize efficient licensing processes to keep our dams operating and support continued clean energy growth.

H.R. 3657 requires the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to report to Congress on the status of hydropower dam relicensing applications. It received overwhelming bipartisan support, passing by unanimous consent in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

As always, thank you for staying engaged, and I hope this e-newsletter provides a beneficial update on what my team and I have been working on as of late.

Legislation That Directly Impacts Idaho

Investing in our water resources and infrastructure will allow for continued economic growth in Idaho. I am proud to see H.R. 9497, the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2026, a bipartisan piece of legislation, pass the House.

This year’s WRDA legislation authorizes 133 new feasibility studies for locally proposed water resources infrastructure projects, as well as 14 projects that have been vetted by the Corps and are ready for construction upon Congressional authorization.

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Idahoans should always be able to determine what happens to the data their vehicle generates—including GPS location, routes, and driving habits.

That’s why I have co-sponsored H.R. 6734, the Auto Data Privacy and Autonomy Act. This bill protects consumers’ sensitive vehicle data from being accessed by third parties unless the vehicle owner has authorized it, and it allows consumers to control whether they want their operator data stored or deleted.

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Transparency in consumer packaging matters to Idaho families and businesses.

The PACK Act would combat confusing “green” labels and promote science-backed product labeling standards, helping businesses effectively communicate to consumers nationwide. I’m proud to co-sponsor this bipartisan bill, and glad to see it advance in the Energy and Commerce Committee.

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Rural health care is a vital issue for many Idahoans.

Through my support of the One Big Beautiful Bill, the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) was established, and Idaho is expected to receive $186 million in federal funding to help serve rural communities across our state.

Legislation With National Impact

Personal privacy is a concern for many Idahoans. I am proud to co-sponsor H.R. 9716, the Protecting Rights in Video and Equipment Acquired Discovery (PRIVACY) Act.

This legislation is designed to protect the privacy rights of Americans from increasingly intrusive surveillance data collection and to prohibit the widespread deployment of such surveillance tools with federal dollars. It’s simple: if the federal government wants to access state and local systems’ data on citizens, they need to get a warrant.

Specifically, the legislation safeguards the privacy of Americans by requiring federal law enforcement agencies to obtain a warrant from a federal judge before accessing, receiving, querying, or otherwise obtaining surveillance data collected by state and local systems.

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29 million. That’s how many filers claimed No Tax on Overtime during this year’s tax season, with the average deduction being over $3,100.

According to the Treasury Department, 75% of these filers made under $100,000. This tax deduction was a measure I first introduced in 2024 through the KEEP Act, and it was ultimately included in Congress’s Working Families Tax Cuts bill, H.R. 1.

I’m thrilled to see this policy delivering real, tangible savings for hardworking families across America.

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The House has passed the Senate Amendment to H.R. 6500.

This measure keeps our federal government open through December 11th while Fiscal Year 2027 appropriations bills are finalized—avoiding the possibility of yet another politically driven and costly government shutdown.

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I voted in favor of H.J. Res. 1, a proposed constitutional amendment to permanently establish the U.S. Supreme Court at nine justices.

This legislation would have protected the Constitution and helped prevent any political party from attempting to stack the Supreme Court.

Meetings

Active forest management is key to reducing wildfire risk and protecting our communities.

That is exactly what the bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act—legislation I proudly voted in favor of on the House floor—helps accomplish by streamlining the federal logging and thinning project process and strengthening coordination between federal, state, tribal, and local partnerships.

I appreciated the opportunity to meet with fire chiefs from across Idaho to discuss this important measure and how Congress can best support our first responders as they confront the growing threat of catastrophic wildfires. They are the heroes of our communities!

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Idaho ranks fifth in the nation for onion production.

It was great to be in Wilder with the Idaho Onion Growers Association visiting J&S Farm’s onion field and J.C. Watson’s onion shed.

I always appreciate the opportunity to see firsthand what it takes to plant, harvest, process, and ship Idaho’s delicious onions to Americans across the country!

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It was an honor to welcome our Idaho veterans to Washington, D.C., for the inaugural Idaho Honor Flight and recognize the extraordinary sacrifices they made to preserve our freedom.

I am grateful to the Honor Flight Network and Anheuser-Busch for their dedication to supporting veterans and to everyone who helped make this meaningful experience possible. It is a special opportunity to honor Idaho’s heroes and their families, showing them that their sacrifices will never be forgotten.

Casework Reminder

Since arriving in Congress, I am pleased to share that my terrific casework team has successfully returned over $26 million to hardworking Idahoans. This is money that was owed to constituents but was held up in a federal agency.

If you are a resident of Idaho’s First Congressional District and are unable to get a timely response from a federal agency, or if you feel you have been mistreated, please contact my office. We are here to serve you!

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Your opinions, encouragement, and feedback are so important, and they do not go unheard. Each call, email, and letter are considered as I represent you and make decisions on important pieces of legislation.

I will send another update soon. In the meantime, I encourage you to keep in touch by following us on Facebook, Instagram, and X.

Sincerely,

Russ Fulcher
Member of Congress