Sen. Brian Schatz

This resolution recognizes the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Mutual Defense Treaty between the United States and South Korea. Affirming the importance of the U.S.-South Korean alliance as the linchpin to safeguarding peace, security, and prosperity on the Korean peninsula, the resolution welcomes President Yoon Suk Yeol to the United States. It also supports ongoing defense and security ties, calls for continued promotion of human rights, and encourages close cooperation between the United States, South Korea, and Japan.

Maddy summaryThe Right to Read Act of 2023 establishes the "right to read" as a fundamental educational right, requiring states and school districts to ensure all students have access to evidence-based reading instruction, effective school libraries, culturally diverse materials, and family literacy support. The bill mandates that school libraries meet specific standards, including having State-certified librarians, adequate collections of digital and print materials, and collaboration with teachers to develop digital and information literacy skills. It authorizes $500 million annually for literacy programs through Title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, requires biennial data collection on school library resources, and provides liability protections for educators following established "right to read" policies. This legislation directly affects students, school librarians, teachers, and school administrators across all public elementary and secondary schools.

Maddy summaryThe Election Worker Protection Act of 2023 provides federal grants to states for recruiting and training election workers (including poll workers and election volunteers) with specific requirements for cultural competence and diversity in recruitment efforts. It also funds physical security services and social media threat monitoring for election workers to protect them from threats. The bill establishes new criminal penalties for intimidating, threatening, or harassing election workers while they perform their duties, and creates a grant program to help protect election workers' personally identifiable information from public disclosure. These provisions apply to workers involved in federal elections and require states to submit reports on how the funds are used.

Maddy summaryThe Protecting Kids on Social Media Act requires social media platforms to verify the age of users through reasonable methods (beyond simple self-attestation) and obtain parental consent for minors aged 13-17 before allowing account creation or certain features. Platforms must stop using algorithmic recommendations based on personal data for users under 18 and allow parents to revoke consent at any time, with strict limits on how verification data can be used or stored. A voluntary government pilot program will offer secure digital ID credentials for age and parental verification, meeting high cybersecurity standards, though participation is optional for both users and platforms. Violations will be enforced by the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general, with civil penalties for non-compliance.

Maddy summaryS.1309, the Student Veterans Transparency and Protection Act of 2023, requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to maintain and improve the G.I. Bill Comparison Tool to provide veterans and other GI Bill users with detailed, accessible data about educational institutions. The bill mandates that the tool include specific information such as average costs for degrees, employment rates and median incomes of graduates (disaggregated by program and veteran status), transfer-out rates, and civil settlements against schools. It also requires institutions to retain and publish student feedback for the duration of their approval and ensures this feedback is prominently displayed in the tool. Additionally, the bill creates a streamlined process for veterans to regain educational benefits if their school faces civil enforcement actions or disapproval. This legislation directly affects veterans using GI Bill benefits and the colleges/universities offering programs approved under Chapter 36 of Title 38.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new visa category allowing South Korean nationals to work in specialty occupations in the U.S. It directly affects South Korean workers in specialized fields and their U.S. employers seeking to hire them. Key provisions include adding a new visa type (E-4) for these workers, setting a yearly cap of 15,000 initial visas for principal applicants only (not including spouses or children), and requiring employer attestations to the Labor Department. The change modifies existing immigration law to establish this dedicated pathway for South Korean specialty workers.

Maddy summaryThe Love Lives On Act of 2023 restores survivor benefits for veterans' spouses who remarried before age 55 and before the bill's enactment, which they previously lost due to remarriage. It removes an expiration date for the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship for surviving spouses and expands access to military commissaries and exchanges for remarried surviving spouses. The bill also extends TRICARE coverage to include remarried widows or widowers whose subsequent marriage ended.

Maddy summaryThis bill exempts certain family members of eligible Filipino veterans from U.S. immigration visa limits. It directly affects spouses, children, and other relatives of Filipino veterans who were naturalized under specific historical laws (the 1990 Immigration Act or the 1940 Act related to WWII service). The key provision amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to create a new exemption category, allowing these family members to qualify for visas without being subject to annual numerical caps. This changes the process by removing a specific barrier to family reunification for this group. The bill focuses on updating visa eligibility rules, not creating new benefits.

Maddy summaryThe FISH Act of 2023 establishes a U.S. "black list" of foreign fishing vessels engaged in Illegal, Unreported, or Unregulated (IUU) fishing, including those using forced labor. Vessels on this list would be denied access to U.S. ports, services, and transshipment in U.S. waters, with sanctions imposed on their beneficial owners. The bill requires coordination between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, State Department, and Customs and Border Protection to implement the list, verify seafood imports, and share data to combat IUU fishing. It also authorizes $20 million annually for enforcement and includes provisions for technical assistance to help nations improve fisheries management. The law directly affects foreign fishing vessels, their owners, and U.S. agencies responsible for enforcement and import verification.

Maddy summaryThe First Step Implementation Act of 2023 implements key provisions from the First Step Act of 2018 by allowing courts to reduce sentences for certain drug offenses and creating new parole options for juveniles convicted as adults. It establishes automatic sealing of juvenile nonviolent offense records after three years of completing supervision and provides a process for expungement of certain juvenile records. The bill also requires the Attorney General to implement procedures for correcting inaccurate or incomplete criminal records used in employment background checks. These provisions directly affect individuals with past juvenile offenses, those with certain drug convictions, and people seeking employment who may have inaccurate criminal records.