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S. 3259
U.S. Senate•In Senate Committee
Summary
S. 3259, the RECAPTURE Act, was introduced in the Senate on Nov 20, 2025 by Sen. Joni Ernst (R) with 5 co-sponsors. It was referred to Commerce, Science, And Transportation, and last saw action on Nov 20, 2025: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Record
Text
S. 3259 has 5 co-sponsors.
sb3259/introduced-in-senate.txt119 S3259 IS: Recovering Excess Communications Appropriations while Protecting Telecommunications Upgrades, Reinvestment, and Expansion ActU.S. Senate2025-11-20text/xmlENPursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.II 119th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 3259 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES November 20, 2025 Ms. Ernst (for herself and Mr. Cruz ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation A BILLTo amend the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to require remaining funds under the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program to be used for deficit reduction.1.Short titleThis Act may be cited as the Recovering Excess Communications Appropriations while Protecting Telecommunications Upgrades, Reinvestment, and Expansion Act or the RECAPTURE Act .2.Use of remaining BEAD funds for deficit reduction(a)In generalSection 60102(e)(4) of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act ( 47 U.S.C. 1702(e)(4) ) is amended—(1)in subparagraph (D)(ii)(III), by striking , shall make available to the eligible entity the remainder of the grant funds allocated to the eligible entity under subsection (c); and inserting the following:, shall, with respect to the remainder of the grant funds allocated to the eligible entity under subsection (c)—(aa)make available to the eligible entity the portion of those remaining funds that have been designated for a specific purpose in the final proposal; and(bb)deposit in the general fund of the Treasury, for the sole purpose of deficit reduction, the portion of those remaining funds that have not been designated for a specific purpose in the final proposal;; and(2)in subparagraph (E)(ii)(III), by striking , shall make available to the eligible entity the remainder of the grant funds allocated to the eligible entity under subsection (c); and inserting the following:, shall, with respect to the remainder of the grant funds allocated to the eligible entity under subsection (c)—(aa)make available to the eligible entity the portion of those remaining funds that have been designated for a specific purpose in the final proposal; and(bb)deposit in the general fund of the Treasury, for the sole purpose of deficit reduction, the portion of those remaining funds that have not been designated for a specific purpose in the final proposal;.(b)Technical and conforming amendmentsSection 60102 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act ( 47 U.S.C. 1702 ) is amended—(1)in subsection (c)(5)(C)—(A)by striking clause (ii);(B)by strikingReallocation to other eligible entities .— and all that follows through The Assistant Secretary and insertingReallocation to other eligible entities due to application failures .—The Assistant Secretary ;(C)by redesignating subclauses (I) and (II) as clauses (i) and (ii), respectively, and adjusting the margins accordingly; and(D)in clause (ii), as so redesignated, by striking subclause (I) of this clause and inserting clause (i) of this subparagraph ; and(2)in subsection (e)(4)(A)(i), in the matter preceding subclause (I), by striking approvals and inserting approves .
Tracker
The tracker indicates the progress of this legislation as it moves through the legislative process.
- Introduced2025-11-20
- Passed Senate
- Passed House
- Conference
- To President
- Became Law
A bill to amend the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to require remaining funds under the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program to be used for deficit reduction.
Sponsors
Sen. Joni Ernst (R) sponsors S. 3259, and 5 members have co-sponsored it, 1 of them from the day it was introduced.

Sen. · R–IA · Sponsor
Introduced Nov 20, 2025

Sen. · R–TX · Co-sponsor
Joined Nov 20, 2025 · Original

Sen. · R–UT · Co-sponsor
Joined Dec 1, 2025

Sen. · R–WY · Co-sponsor
Joined Jan 6, 2026

Sen. · R–FL · Co-sponsor
Joined Apr 13, 2026

Sen. · R–PA · Co-sponsor
Joined Jul 29, 2026
Committees
S. 3259 went before 1 committee: Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Actions
S. 3259 has taken 2 actions since Nov 20, 2025.
| Chamber | Action | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Nov 20, 2025 | Senate | Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee | ||
Nov 20, 2025 | — | Introduced in Senate |
Votes
S. 3259 has not gone to a roll call.
Titles
S. 3259 goes by 4 titles, 2 of them short titles.
- RECAPTURE Act — Display Title
- RECAPTURE Act — Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Recovering Excess Communications Appropriations while Protecting Telecommunications Upgrades, Reinvestment, and Expansion Act — Short Title(s) as Introduced
- A bill to amend the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to require remaining funds under the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program to be used for deficit reduction. — Official Title as Introduced
Lobbying
4 clients hired 4 firms and 13 registered lobbyists who named S. 3259 in 10 quarterly filings, 2025 to 2026. Reported under the Lobbying Disclosure Act; a filing’s income covers everything its registrant worked that quarter, so the amounts below are the filings’, not this bill’s.
Filed under Telecommunications, Taxation/Internal Revenue Code, Agriculture, Budget/Appropriations, Automotive Industry, Communications/Broadcasting/Radio/TV, Computer Industry, Copyright/Patent/Trademark.
Clients
Who paid to be heard, by how many filings named the bill.
| Client | Business | State | Firms | Filings | Reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COMPETITIVE CARRIERS ASSOCIATION | — | District of Columbia | 1 | 3 | — |
| COX ENTERPRISES INC. | — | District of Columbia | 1 | 3 | — |
| RSM US LLP (FORMERLY KNOWN AS MCGLADREY LLP) | — | District of Columbia | 1 | 3 | — |
| NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATION | — | Virginia | 1 | 1 | — |
Firms
Registrants who filed on the bill, by filings.
| Registrant | Clients | Filings | Reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| COMPETITIVE CARRIERS ASSOCIATION | 1 | 3 | — |
| COX ENTERPRISES INC. | 1 | 3 | — |
| RSM US LLP (FORMERLY KNOWN AS MCGLADREY LLP) | 1 | 3 | — |
| NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATION | 1 | 1 | — |
Lobbyists
Named on the filings that cite the bill.
| Lobbyist | Firms | Clients | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|
| EMERALD LITKE-SMITH | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| MARIBETH COLLINS | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| MARY GOLDSMITH | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| PAUL SCOLESE | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| SONYA WENDELL MANFREDI | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| STEPHANIE MATHIAS | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| TIMOTHY DONOVAN | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| KATHERINE FOSTER | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| BRENDAN DAILEY | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| JOHN HOWES | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| LEIF OVESON | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| MAKENZIE NOVAK | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| VIRDINA GIBBS | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Filings
The documents themselves, on the Senate’s Lobbying Disclosure site, largest reported first.
| Client | Registrant | Period | Reported | Document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COX ENTERPRISES INC. | COX ENTERPRISES INC. | 2026 first_quarter | $810K | 1st Quarter - Report |
| COX ENTERPRISES INC. | COX ENTERPRISES INC. | 2026 second_quarter | $750K | 2nd Quarter - Report |
| COX ENTERPRISES INC. | COX ENTERPRISES INC. | 2025 fourth_quarter | $570K | 4th Quarter - Report |
| COMPETITIVE CARRIERS ASSOCIATION | COMPETITIVE CARRIERS ASSOCIATION | 2026 second_quarter | $170K | 2nd Quarter - Report |
| RSM US LLP (FORMERLY KNOWN AS MCGLADREY LLP) | RSM US LLP (FORMERLY KNOWN AS MCGLADREY LLP) | 2026 second_quarter | $150K | 2nd Quarter - Report |
| COMPETITIVE CARRIERS ASSOCIATION | COMPETITIVE CARRIERS ASSOCIATION | 2026 first_quarter | $150K | 1st Quarter - Report |
| COMPETITIVE CARRIERS ASSOCIATION | COMPETITIVE CARRIERS ASSOCIATION | 2025 fourth_quarter | $150K | 4th Quarter - Report |
| RSM US LLP (FORMERLY KNOWN AS MCGLADREY LLP) | RSM US LLP (FORMERLY KNOWN AS MCGLADREY LLP) | 2026 first_quarter | $90K | 1st Quarter - Report |
| NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATION | NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATION | 2025 fourth_quarter | $90K | 4th Quarter - Report |
| RSM US LLP (FORMERLY KNOWN AS MCGLADREY LLP) | RSM US LLP (FORMERLY KNOWN AS MCGLADREY LLP) | 2025 fourth_quarter | $80K | 4th Quarter - Report |
Classification
The Congressional Research Service files S. 3259 under Science, Technology, Communications, one of its 31 policy areas.
CRS Subjects
CRS assigns every bill one policy area from its 31; S. 3259’s is Science, Technology, Communications.
s3259/policy-areas.txtSource: congress.gov · legiscan.com