Maddy summaryThis non-binding Senate resolution expresses the chamber's support for nuclear power as a clean, reliable energy source critical to achieving a secure, low-emission grid. It commits the Senate to promoting nuclear energy development, including establishing domestic uranium production, strengthening the nuclear supply chain, and cultivating a skilled workforce. The resolution also highlights nuclear energy as an export opportunity for U.S. manufacturing expertise. As a procedural resolution, it does not create new laws or directly affect policy implementation.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryThis bill creates a data platform to track forest carbon emissions, sequestration, and the carbon footprint of wood products, helping measure environmental impacts. It modifies existing grant programs to prioritize rural wood mills in areas with high unemployment, supports wood-building education at colleges, and funds pilot projects using mass timber in rural infrastructure construction. The bill directly affects rural communities (especially those with wood manufacturing history), wood product manufacturers, and educational institutions developing wood-building curricula. Key mechanisms include mandatory carbon data reporting, targeted grants for economic development, and requirements for wood products to be "produced and assembled in the U.S." in pilot projects.
Maddy summaryThis bill removes federal Endangered Species Act protections for grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis) in the lower 48 U.S. states and a specific experimental population in Idaho and Montana. It requires the Secretary of the Interior to remove these bears from the endangered species list within two years of enactment, ending current legal restrictions. The bill also establishes a process for future protections if specific population segments meet recovery criteria, while prohibiting courts from reviewing the removal. This directly affects federal conservation management and land use decisions in states where grizzly bears live, but does not immediately allow hunting or alter existing state management plans.
Financing Our Energy Future Act This bill expands the types of partnerships that qualify for treatment as publicly traded partnerships instead of as corporations for tax purposes. Under current law, partnerships that meet certain gross income requirements (i.e., at least 90% of the partnership's gross income in a taxable year consists of qualifying income) are excepted from being treated as a corporation for tax purposes. This bill expands the sources of income that are considered qualifying income and make a partnership eligible for such an exception. Specifically, the bill provides that income derived from the generation of specified alternative energy, alternative fuel projects, or the associated property, storage, or transportation for such projects (e.g., the conversion of renewable biomass into renewable fuel or the storage or transportation of such fuel) is considered qualifying income.
Maddy summaryThis bill requires U.S. Customs and Border Protection to maintain all northern border ports of entry (between the U.S. and Canada) open for equal or more hours daily than they operated before the pandemic. It directly affects CBP operations and travelers/businesses using these ports, mandating that hours return to pre-COVID-19 levels. The key provision specifies that operating hours must match those in effect immediately before the March 2020 public health emergency declaration related to the pandemic. The bill does not change border security policies but reverses pandemic-era reductions in port availability.
Maddy summaryThe CDFI Fund Transparency Act (S 2674) requires the Treasury Secretary (or their designee) to provide annual testimony to Senate and House financial committees about the operations of the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund. This testimony would cover the previous fiscal year's activities and is scheduled at the discretion of the relevant committee chairs. The bill directly affects how the CDFI Fund, which supports community development lenders, reports its work to Congress. It adds a transparency mechanism without altering the fund's programs or funding levels.
Maddy summaryS 2671, the DRIVE Act, prohibits the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration from requiring large trucks (over 26,000 pounds gross weight) operating in interstate commerce to install speed limiting devices. This directly affects commercial trucking companies and operators transporting goods across state lines with qualifying vehicles. The bill prevents the agency from creating a new rule mandating these devices, effectively maintaining the current regulatory status for such vehicles. The legislation focuses solely on blocking this specific requirement, without altering other safety regulations.
Maddy summaryThis bill (S 2647, SHINE for Autumn Act of 2023) provides federal funding to improve stillbirth data collection, research, and education. It authorizes $5 million annually for states to collect stillbirth data using existing health records while protecting privacy, $1 million for developing standardized data collection guidelines and public educational materials, and $3 million for specialized training programs in perinatal pathology and stillbirth research. The bill directly affects state health departments, medical professionals (like obstetricians and pathologists), and families impacted by stillbirth through improved data systems and educational resources. Key provisions require standardized data reporting, consultation with affected families and healthcare providers, and mandatory reports on program progress within five years of enactment.
Maddy summaryThe INDEX Act requires investment advisers managing passively managed funds (like index funds) to follow voting instructions from the fund's actual investors for non-routine corporate proposals (e.g., major mergers, governance changes). It applies when an adviser controls over 1% of a company's voting shares through such funds, mandating they distribute voting materials and wait 5 business days for instructions. Advisers may still vote freely on routine matters (e.g., board elections) or use a "mirror voting" exception for majority-approved proposals. This directly affects retail investors in index funds and the advisers managing them, ensuring investor preferences shape votes on significant corporate issues.
Maddy summaryThis bill amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit the Secretary from requiring any State, clinic, or provider to counsel or refer for abortions as a condition for receiving Title X family planning funding. It directly affects Title X-funded clinics and health centers that provide reproductive health services. The key provision explicitly adds that no entity receiving Title X funds may be compelled to offer or facilitate abortion services. This changes existing requirements by removing mandatory abortion counseling or referral as a condition for federal funding under Title X. The bill focuses on clarifying funding rules without altering other Title X program requirements.