Sen. Roger Marshall

Patients Before Middlemen Act or the PBM Act  This bill prohibits pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) under the Medicare prescription drug benefit or Medicare Advantage from receiving any income for their services other than bona fide service fees. Specifically, PBMs may not receive any income other than flat, bona fide service fees that are specified in their contracts with prescription drug plan (PDP) sponsors. Such fees may not be based on drug prices, discounts, rebates, or any other remuneration. PBMs must turn over any excess amounts they receive to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. PDP sponsors and PBMs must annually certify their compliance with these requirements.

This resolution designates June 2023 as Great Outdoors Month. The resolution encourages all individuals in the United States to responsibly participate in recreation activities in the great outdoors.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the General Services Administration (GSA) to prioritize classical or traditional architectural styles for new or renovated federal buildings costing over $50 million, including courthouses, agency headquarters, and District of Columbia buildings. It defines "preferred architecture" as classical styles (like Neoclassical or Georgian) that "uplift public spaces" and "command respect," while limiting approvals of modern styles like Brutalism or Deconstructivism. The GSA must notify Congress and justify any deviation from preferred designs, including cost comparisons and public input, and submit annual reports on building styles. The bill creates a 5-year advisory council to recommend design policy updates and ensure compliance with these standards.

Maddy summaryThis bill changes school lunch rules to allow schools to serve whole milk as part of the National School Lunch Program. It amends the law to explicitly include "whole, reduced-fat, low-fat, and fat-free" milks as acceptable options. Crucially, it clarifies that milk fat in fluid milk provided under this rule will not count toward the meal's saturated fat limit for compliance purposes. This directly affects school nutrition programs nationwide by expanding milk choices and simplifying meal planning around fat content.

This resolution designates May 2023 as ALS Awareness Month. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new regulatory category for certain substances added to animal feed, called "zootechnical animal food substances." It defines these as products that affect digestion, reduce foodborne pathogens, or alter gut bacteria in animals - without treating disease or acting as drugs - while excluding hormones and veterinary drugs. The bill requires manufacturers to submit specific data about these substances to the FDA for review and mandates clear labeling stating they are "not for use in the diagnosis, cure, or treatment of animal disease." This changes how such feed additives are evaluated and labeled, without requiring their use in farming.

Maddy summaryThe Credit Card Competition Act of 2023 (S 1838) requires major credit card companies (with over $100 billion in assets) to allow merchants to choose any payment network for processing credit card transactions, ending exclusive deals that limited merchants to one or two networks. It prohibits restrictions on routing transactions to different networks and mandates the Federal Reserve to create a public list of payment networks posing national security risks. The law directly affects large card issuers, payment networks, and merchants processing credit card payments across the U.S. The key change is enabling competition by removing contractual barriers that previously favored dominant networks.

This resolution expresses support for the designation of DIPG Awareness Day. DIPG refers to diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, a terminal childhood brain cancer.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends federal transparency laws to require disclosure of Federal subawards (payments passed through to subrecipients) made to entities located in "foreign countries of concern" as defined in the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act. It directly affects Federal agencies, prime award recipients, and subrecipients that pass funds to foreign entities in designated countries. The key provision mandates that covered subawards be reported using the same disclosure systems already required for domestic subawards, with the Director issuing compliance guidance within 90 days of enactment. This creates a new transparency requirement for specific international spending without altering funding levels or creating new programs.

Maddy summaryThis joint resolution (SJRES 18) disapproves a Department of Homeland Security rule that would have expanded the "public charge" standard for immigration. The rule, published in the Federal Register on September 9, 2022, aimed to deny visas or green cards to immigrants who might rely on public benefits like housing or food assistance. By passing this resolution, Congress blocks the rule from taking effect, meaning immigrants applying for visas or permanent residency would not face this specific eligibility barrier. The resolution directly affects non-citizens seeking to enter or remain in the U.S. under immigration processes.