Sen. John Thune

Maddy summaryS 3755 amends the CARES Act by removing subsection (c) from Section 4024 (15 U.S.C. 9058). This procedural change eliminates a specific federal housing regulation that may have conflicted with state housing laws. The bill directly affects entities subject to CARES Act housing provisions, such as housing providers or agencies receiving federal funds. The key mechanism is the deletion of the specified subsection, aligning the law with state housing regulations as indicated by the bill's title.

Maddy summaryThe DETECT Act requires the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop security guidelines for federal agencies using drone systems connected to government networks, including minimum cybersecurity standards for critical components like cameras and data systems. Agencies must implement these guidelines through a pilot program within one year, and contractors must report security vulnerabilities in drone systems they manage. The law mandates a 2-year delay before agencies can prohibit purchasing drones that don’t meet the new standards, with limited exemptions for commercial data collection. It also establishes reporting requirements for vulnerabilities and annual congressional reports on waiver approvals for non-compliant drones. The bill directly affects all federal agencies operating drone systems linked to government information networks, excluding national security systems.

Maddy summarySRES 544 designates the week beginning February 5, 2024, as "National Tribal Colleges and Universities Week." The resolution recognizes Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) for serving over 230 federally recognized tribes, preserving indigenous languages and cultural traditions, and providing accessible education in economically isolated areas. It calls on the public and organizations to observe the week with activities supporting TCUs, which offer open-enrollment higher education to American Indian, Alaska Native, and other students. This is a symbolic recognition resolution with no direct policy or funding changes.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from finalizing, implementing, or enforcing a specific regulation (described in a proposed rule from the Federal Register) that would affect funding for pregnancy centers. It defines "pregnancy centers" as organizations supporting maternal and fetal life and providing services like counseling, pregnancy testing, diapers, and baby clothes. The law directly affects federally funded pregnancy centers by blocking a regulatory change that could restrict their eligibility for federal expenditures. The key mechanism is a statutory prohibition preventing HHS from advancing the proposed rule, preserving existing funding pathways for these centers.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends the Natural Gas Act to give the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) exclusive authority to approve or deny applications for LNG terminal construction, expansion, or operation for exporting or importing natural gas. It requires FERC to deem LNG exports consistent with the public interest when making decisions, streamlining the approval process for energy companies seeking to build or expand export facilities. The bill clarifies that this change does not affect other federal agencies' responsibilities regarding LNG facilities or existing laws governing imports/exports. It directly affects LNG terminal developers, energy exporters, and the federal regulatory process for natural gas trade.

Maddy summaryThe Protecting Life and Integrity in Research Act of 2024 prohibits federal agencies from funding or supporting research using human fetal tissue obtained from induced abortions. It permits federal research on tissue from miscarriages (before 20 weeks) or stillbirths (20 weeks or more), requiring compliance with existing Public Health Service Act regulations. The bill also bans soliciting or knowingly acquiring tissue obtained from induced abortions. These changes amend the Public Health Service Act to restrict federal research to tissue from natural pregnancy losses, not intentional procedures.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the U.S. Census Bureau to add a citizenship status question to the 2030 and future decennial censuses, asking households to identify each member as a U.S. citizen, U.S. national (not citizen), lawfully residing alien, or unlawfully residing alien. It mandates that the Census Bureau publicly release state-level population data broken down by these four categories after each census. The bill also changes apportionment rules to exclude noncitizens from the population count used to determine the number of House seats and electoral votes each state receives, starting with the 2030 census. This directly affects how congressional representation and electoral votes are allocated among states based on population data.

Maddy summaryThe Insurance Data Protection Act (S 3349) requires federal financial regulators to coordinate with state insurance regulators before collecting data from insurance companies, ensuring they first check if the data is already available from existing sources to avoid duplication. It protects the confidentiality of data shared with federal regulators, preventing waivers of existing privacy protections or legal privileges under federal or state law. The bill applies to insurance companies and federal financial regulators (such as the Federal Reserve and Commodity Futures Trading Commission), mandating that any data-sharing agreements with state regulators maintain confidentiality. Key provisions include a "coordination step" to reduce redundant data requests and strict rules preserving privacy obligations for all data handled under this law.

Telemental Health Care Access Act of 2024 This bill eliminates certain restrictions relating to Medicare coverage of mental health services that are provided through telehealth. Current law allows for coverage of such services regardless of the geographic location of the originating site (i.e., the location of the beneficiary), as long as the beneficiary previously received in-person services and continues to receive in-person services at specified intervals (effective January 1, 2025). The bill eliminates these in-person requirements.

Maddy summaryS.1108, the Death Tax Repeal Act of 2023, repeals the federal estate tax and generation-skipping transfer tax for estates of people who die after the bill's enactment. It also modifies the gift tax by establishing a $10 million lifetime exemption (adjusted for inflation) and creating a new tax rate schedule for gifts. This bill directly affects high-net-worth individuals who would have paid estate or gift taxes on large transfers of wealth. The changes take effect after the bill's passage, with the exemption adjusted annually for inflation.