Sen. Richard J. Durbin

Maddy summaryThis bill bans forced arbitration clauses in employment, consumer, antitrust, and civil rights disputes. It prohibits agreements that require individuals to resolve such disputes through private arbitration before any conflict arises, and also blocks waivers that prevent people from joining class or collective lawsuits. The law directly affects workers facing workplace issues, consumers with purchase disputes, and individuals alleging discrimination or civil rights violations. It ensures these cases can be handled in court rather than private arbitration, applying to disputes occurring after the law takes effect.

Maddy summaryS 2784, the Congressional Tribute to Constance Baker Motley Act of 2025, is a commemorative resolution honoring civil rights pioneer Constance Baker Motley. It authorizes the posthumous presentation of a Congressional gold medal to her son, Joel Motley III, and niece, Constance Royster, recognizing her historic role as the first African-American woman on the LDF legal team for *Brown v. Board of Education*, her service as a federal judge, and her civil rights advocacy. The bill directs the Treasury Secretary to design and strike the medal, with proceeds from bronze duplicates covering costs. It does not create new laws or affect any policies, as it solely serves to commemorate Motley's legacy.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a federal 36% maximum interest rate for most consumer credit products, directly affecting borrowers using high-cost loans like payday, car title, and overdraft services. It closes loopholes by requiring all fees (including late fees, insurance, and ancillary charges) to be included in the rate calculation, replacing the current patchwork of state laws. The cap applies broadly, with limited exceptions for small application fees under specific conditions. This would prevent lenders from charging rates like 400% for payday loans or 17,000% for overdrafts, while requiring clear disclosure of the total fee-and-interest rate.

Maddy summaryThe Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act creates 40,000 new immigrant visas for nurses and physicians by recapturing unused employment-based visas from fiscal years 1992 through 2024. It reserves 25,000 visas specifically for nurses and 15,000 for physicians, available to applicants who file petitions within three years of the bill's enactment. These visas are exempt from country-based limits, processed more quickly without additional fees, and require employers to attest that hiring foreign workers won’t displace U.S. healthcare workers.

Maddy summaryThis bill would make several administrative changes to the Social Security Administration, including exempting it from the jurisdiction of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and certain executive orders, restricting political appointees from accessing beneficiary data systems, and preventing closure of field offices while requiring maintenance of staff levels. It also creates new offices within the SSA for civil rights, transformation, and analytics, and provides additional funding for administrative costs and customer experience improvements. These provisions would directly affect how the SSA manages its operations, protects beneficiary data, and delivers services to beneficiaries. The bill's title is misleading as it does not address billionaires or their relationship with Social Security.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands eligibility for family and medical leave under the FMLA for paraprofessionals and education support staff (ESP) in schools. It lowers the required work hours for eligibility from 1,250 hours per year to 60% of the expected monthly hours for their specific role (based on the previous school year’s schedule). Employers must document each employee’s expected monthly hours in a file for the Secretary’s review. The law specifically covers school staff providing services like clerical work, food services, custodial duties, or student health support, aligning with existing definitions from education law.

Maddy summaryThe America's Clean Future Fund Act establishes the Climate Change Finance Corporation to finance clean energy and climate resiliency projects, with specific focus on communities disproportionately affected by climate change and pollution. It imposes a carbon fee on fossil fuel producers (including oil, coal, and natural gas) that increases annually, with revenue funding the America's Clean Future Fund. The fund will provide direct rebates to individuals, transition payments to agricultural producers, and assistance to communities impacted by the shift from carbon-intensive industries. The bill sets emissions targets of 45% reduction by 2030 and net zero by 2050, based on 2018 levels, with requirements to prioritize environmental justice communities and ensure worker transitions.

Maddy summaryS 2703, the Protecting Older Americans Act of 2025, prevents employers from requiring workers aged 40 or older to use pre-employment arbitration agreements or joint-action waivers in age discrimination cases. The bill makes such agreements invalid and unenforceable for disputes alleging age discrimination under federal, tribal, or state law. This means workers can choose to pursue age discrimination claims in court instead of binding arbitration. The law applies to all claims arising on or after its enactment date and ensures courts - not arbitrators - decide if the provision applies to specific agreements.

Maddy summaryThis bill (SJRES 75) terminates the President's emergency declaration from August 11, 2025, which had allowed federal use of the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., under an "emergency" related to crime. It directly affects the District of Columbia's local governance by ending a federal emergency status that had been in place since 2025. The resolution cites declining violent crime (at a 30-year low) and the federal government's prevention of D.C. from spending $1 billion in locally raised funds for public safety and emergency services. It formally ends the emergency under Section 740(b) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, without creating new policies or altering funding mechanisms.

Maddy summaryThis bill repeals a provision allowing the President to assume emergency control of the District of Columbia's police force. It directly affects the District of Columbia government and its police department by removing the federal override power during emergencies. The key mechanism is eliminating Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, which previously permitted the President to take temporary control of DC police operations. The change shifts full emergency management authority over police to local DC leadership. This is a procedural adjustment to the existing Home Rule framework.