Sen. Roger Marshall

Maddy summaryThe MODERN WIC Act of 2023 expands remote participation options for the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nutrition program. It allows participants to complete certification, recertification, and nutritional risk evaluations via phone, video, or other remote formats instead of requiring in-person visits. States must provide temporary program eligibility immediately for income-eligible applicants while collecting nutritional risk data within 90 days, and they may deliver food benefits remotely (e.g., via mail or electronic cards) without requiring participants to visit local offices. The bill also requires a report to Congress within one year on how remote technologies are used for certification, nutrition education, and participant satisfaction.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 974) requires state agencies administering the WIC program to publicly share details about infant formula procurement bids online within 5 business days of posting the bid. Specifically, states must provide the bid title, website links for submitting bids, contact information, and bid deadlines to the federal Secretary of Agriculture, who must then publish this information publicly within 5 days. The law directly affects state WIC agencies and infant formula manufacturers bidding for contracts. Its key provision is creating a standardized, transparent online system for bid solicitation details, aiming to improve accessibility and efficiency in WIC formula procurement.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates an FBI hotline for anonymous tips about individuals acting on behalf of China's government or Communist Party to surveil, harass, intimidate, or coerce people in the U.S. (including pressuring Chinese nationals to return to China). It also makes it a federal crime for anyone to perform law enforcement functions in the U.S. on behalf of China or the Chinese Communist Party. The law specifically prohibits surveillance, harassment, intimidation, or coercion carried out for these entities. Violators face fines or up to 10 years in prison.

Maddy summaryS 959, the Stopping Traffickers and Their Accomplices Act of 2023, requires abortion providers to notify the National Human Trafficking Hotline within 24 hours if they reasonably suspect a patient is a trafficking victim. It mandates annual human trafficking training for all staff at abortion facilities and requires providers to submit certification of training completion. Violations of the reporting or training requirements incur penalties of $10,000 per violation for failure to report or $1,000 per day for training non-compliance. The bill directly affects abortion providers and their employees, with state attorneys general authorized to enforce these requirements through civil actions.

Maddy summaryThis bill proposes a constitutional amendment to require the U.S. Supreme Court to have exactly nine justices. Currently, Congress sets the Court's size through legislation, but this amendment would make the nine-justice structure a permanent requirement in the Constitution. It would need ratification by three-fourths of state legislatures within seven years to become part of the Constitution. If adopted, it would prevent Congress from changing the Court's size via ordinary legislation.

Maddy summaryThis bill directs the U.S. Treasury to instruct American representatives at multilateral development banks (like the World Bank and Asian Development Bank) to oppose new loans to China. It is based on findings that China exceeded the income threshold for graduation from development assistance in 2016 and has since received over $20 billion in loans from these institutions. The bill requires annual reports tracking China's borrowing, U.S. voting efforts to end lending to countries that have surpassed graduation thresholds, and the status of China's eligibility. It directly affects China's access to multilateral development financing and the operational policies of these banks.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 915) would require the President to appoint and the Senate to confirm the Inspectors General (IGs) for both the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Currently, these IGs may be appointed without Senate confirmation, but this bill would change that process for both positions. The key mechanism is amending federal law to add a new section (425) specifying that these IGs must be appointed by the President with Senate advice and consent, aligning their appointment process with other major agency IGs. The bill does not alter the IGs' duties or oversight authority, only the appointment procedure. This directly affects the Federal Reserve and CFPB by changing how their top internal auditors are selected.

Maddy summaryS 942 is a procedural Senate rule that would prevent consideration of any bill or amendment attempting to change the number of justices on the U.S. Supreme Court. It creates a "point of order" (a procedural objection) that, if sustained by the Senate chair, would automatically remove such provisions from legislation. This rule applies to all Senate consideration stages, including amendments and conference reports, and requires a two-thirds vote to override. The bill directly affects any legislation proposing to alter the Supreme Court's size, blocking it from advancing through Senate procedures.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the Director of National Intelligence to declassify specific information about the origin of COVID-19 within 90 days of enactment. It mandates the release of details including research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, activities involving the People’s Liberation Army, and medical records of researchers who fell ill in autumn 2019. The bill directs the Director to submit an unclassified report to Congress containing this information, with only minimal redactions for security reasons. It directly affects the Director of National Intelligence and the public by requiring transparency about potential links between the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the pandemic’s origins. The legislation is procedural in nature, focusing on declassification rather than new policy measures.

Maddy summaryThe ACE Agriculture Act of 2023 amends the Agriculture Advanced Research and Development Authority (AGARDA) within the USDA. It expands the program’s research focus to include water conservation, greenhouse gas reduction, and resilience to climate impacts like drought and pests. The bill increases annual funding from $50 million to $100 million for fiscal years 2024-2029 and clarifies that the AGARDA Director must collaborate closely with the USDA Chief Scientist while operating independently from other department programs. This directly affects USDA’s agricultural research initiatives and will influence how farmers and ranchers access new technologies for sustainable farming.