Sen. Chuck Grassley

Maddy summaryThis Senate resolution (SRES 280) designates May 2023 as National Foster Care Month to raise public awareness about challenges faced by children in foster care. It encourages Congress to develop policies improving outcomes for these children, without specifying new laws or funding. The resolution highlights issues like educational instability, lengthy stays in care, and the need for family reunification support, but does not create binding requirements. It focuses on recognition - honoring foster parents, youth resilience, and child welfare workers - rather than enacting policy changes. As a procedural resolution, it serves as a symbolic call to action, not a legislative measure with concrete policy effects.

Maddy summarySRES 271 is a Senate resolution designating June 15, 2023, as "World Elder Abuse Awareness Day" and the month of June as "Elder Abuse Awareness Month." It does not create new laws or allocate funds but serves as a symbolic call to action to raise public awareness about elder abuse. The resolution encourages individuals and professionals to learn about, recognize, and report elder abuse - which disproportionately affects older adults with cognitive impairments, disabilities, or social isolation - and to support existing efforts by adult protective services and long-term care ombudsman programs. It acknowledges ongoing federal initiatives like the Elder Justice Act but focuses solely on awareness, not policy changes.

Maddy summaryS 2210, the Iran Sanctions Relief Review Act, requires the President to submit a detailed report to Congress before terminating, waiving, or significantly altering U.S. sanctions on Iran. Congress then has 30 days (or 60 days during summer months) to review the proposal through committee hearings and decide whether to approve or disapprove it via joint resolution. During this review period, the President cannot implement the sanction change without Congressional approval. The bill directly affects the executive branch's ability to modify Iran sanctions policy and gives Congress formal oversight authority over major foreign policy shifts related to Iran.

Maddy summaryS 2091, titled "Kate's Law," amends U.S. immigration law to increase penalties for individuals reentering the United States after being removed, deported, or excluded. It directly affects immigrants who reenter without authorization, particularly those with prior criminal convictions or multiple removals. Key provisions include raising maximum imprisonment to 10 years for reentry after prior drug crimes, crimes against persons, or multiple removals, and establishing a mandatory 5-year minimum sentence for reentry after an aggravated felony conviction or two prior reentry offenses. The bill also updates agency references from "Attorney General" to "Secretary of Homeland Security."

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 2082) amends existing U.S. law to clarify legal pathways for victims of terrorism to seek compensation from foreign states. It updates references in federal statutes (28 U.S.C. § 1605B and 18 U.S.C. § 2331) to explicitly include entities organized under U.S. law when defining "national of the United States" for terrorism lawsuits. The changes ensure victims can pursue claims under Section 2333 against foreign states that sponsor terrorism, while also clarifying how judgments against such states can be executed. These technical amendments apply to all pending or future cases filed after the bill's enactment, directly affecting terrorism victims seeking legal recourse in U.S. courts.

Maddy summaryS 886 (Women's Suffrage National Monument Location Act) specifies the location for the Women's Suffrage National Monument. It directs the monument to be placed within the "Reserve" area, overriding a previous location provision under 40 U.S.C. § 8908(c). This procedural bill does not change monument policies or affect people; it only sets the physical site for a monument already authorized by Public Law 116-217. The Commemorative Works Act generally applies, except for the specified location.

Maddy summaryS 2054, the "Audit the Pentagon Act of 2023," requires the Department of Defense (DoD) to obtain an unqualified audit opinion on its full financial statements by 2024. If a DoD component (like a military branch or agency) fails to achieve this by the end of the calendar year for any fiscal year after 2024, it faces a 1% reduction in its next fiscal year's funding. The withheld funds are distributed proportionally across all programs within that component and then deposited into the Treasury's general fund for deficit reduction. This bill directly affects all DoD financial components by linking their budget authority to audit compliance.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a 30-month restriction on retired military officers with access to classified information from seeking employment with foreign governments, with limited exceptions for certain allied nations like the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. It requires retired officers to report their employment to the Department of Defense and establishes a public database of employment approvals for transparency. Violations could lead to civil penalties up to $100,000 or the amount of compensation received, and could restrict future government employment or access to classified information. The law also mandates the Secretaries of Defense and State to issue guidance within 120 days of enactment.

Maddy summaryS 2005, the Mandatory Materiality Requirement Act of 2023, would require the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to specify in new disclosure rules that public companies must only disclose information the company determines is important for investment decisions. The bill amends the Securities Acts of 1933 and 1934 to mandate that the SEC explicitly state in rulemaking that disclosure obligations apply only when information is material - meaning a reasonable investor would consider its omission significant to their decision. This applies to all SEC rulemaking on disclosure requirements for public companies, though it excludes rules that would reduce disclosure burdens. The bill does not change current disclosure standards but alters how future SEC rules must be structured.

Maddy summaryThe American Innovation and Choice Online Act targets large online platforms (termed "covered platforms") with significant user bases or revenue, specifically those meeting thresholds like 50 million US monthly active users or $550 billion in annual sales. It prohibits covered platforms from favoring their own products/services over others, using business users' nonpublic data to compete with them, or restricting business users' access to data or platform features. The law would be enforced by the FTC and Department of Justice, with potential civil penalties up to 10% of a platform's US revenue for violations. The law would take effect one year after enactment, with agencies required to issue enforcement guidelines to clarify implementation. This legislation aims to promote competition by preventing anticompetitive conduct by dominant digital platforms.