Sen. Gary C. Peters

Maddy summaryThe Stop CHEATERS Act directs the Internal Revenue Service to increase its enforcement efforts against high-income individuals and large corporations while also expanding taxpayer support services. To achieve this, the bill appropriates billions of dollars over several years to fund IRS investigations, hire additional staff, purchase vehicles, and modernize outdated technology systems. Additionally, the legislation requires the IRS Commissioner to submit regular reports to Congress detailing plans to shift auditing resources toward wealthy taxpayers and analyzing collection gaps across different income levels.

Maddy summaryThis bill, titled the "Keep Public Funds in Public Schools Act," repeals two sections of the Internal Revenue Code. It eliminates Section 25F, which provides a tax credit for contributions made to scholarship granting organizations. Additionally, the bill repeals Section 139K, which allows certain educational assistance to be excluded from an individual's gross income. These changes primarily affect taxpayers who currently claim these credits or exclusions, and organizations involved in scholarship grants or providing educational assistance. The amendments generally take effect for taxable years ending after December 31, 2026.

Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2025 or the GLRI Act of 2025 This bill reauthorizes through FY2031 the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which carries out programs and projects to protect and restore the Great Lakes.

Maddy summaryThe NASA UAS Detection Act authorizes NASA to detect, identify, monitor, and track unmanned aircraft systems that pose a credible threat to its facilities and assets. This authority allows NASA personnel to intercept communications used to control drones without prior consent, subject to coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration and compliance with privacy protections. The bill requires NASA to conduct risk-based assessments of its facilities, maintain an inventory of covered assets, and provide semiannual briefings to Congress on how these powers are used. It also establishes guidelines for technology use, data retention limits of 180 days, and restrictions on sharing intercepted communications with outside entities. The authority granted by this act is set to expire on September 30, 2031.

Maddy summaryThis bill extends federal funding for sport fish restoration and recreational boating safety through 2031, directly benefiting anglers, boaters, and conservation organizations. It updates the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act by changing the funding period from 2026 to 2031 and modifies how multistate conservation grants are distributed. The key provision ensures each state receives the greater of 0.0375 percent of total appropriations or $200,000 for conservation projects, replacing the previous $1.2 million cap. These changes aim to provide more predictable and flexible funding for fisheries management and water safety initiatives across the United States.

Maddy summaryThe Rural America Health Corps Act creates a demonstration program to help health professionals work in rural areas by offering loan repayment assistance. Eligible individuals must commit to five years of full-time employment in a rural health professional shortage area to receive payments on their student loans. The program would pay one-fifth of the loan principal and interest each year of service, with a maximum total payment of $200,000 per person. This initiative is designed to address healthcare access challenges in rural communities by incentivizing medical professionals to serve in underserved areas.

Maddy summaryThe AFTER Act of 2026 requires federal agencies to retire research animals to nonprofit rescue organizations, sanctuaries, or shelters rather than euthanizing them when they are no longer needed for studies. The bill defines specific categories for these receiving facilities and excludes rats and mice from the retirement requirements. Federal facilities must create regulations within 90 days of enactment to facilitate adoption and placement of retired animals, including consideration of locations beyond their immediate geographic area. The legislation also ensures that state or local laws with stricter animal welfare standards remain in effect and allows chimpanzees used in research to be placed in existing sanctuary systems.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the U.S. Commerce Department to conduct a one-year review of how effectively the United States attracts foreign investment from companies in "trusted countries" (not deemed adversaries by the U.S.) and not controlled by foreign adversaries, with a focus on high-tech sectors like AI and digital trade. The review will analyze barriers such as data localization rules, intellectual property issues, and challenges from state-owned enterprises - especially those linked to the Chinese government - while assessing U.S. policies and global practices to improve investment appeal. It must also examine impacts on jobs, manufacturing, and supply chains, and avoid reviewing existing CFIUS (Committee on Foreign Investment) laws. The findings will be reported to Congress with recommendations to strengthen the U.S. investment climate without weakening security, labor, or environmental protections.

This resolution expresses the sense of the Senate that (1) Congress should adopt a fiscal target to reduce the federal budget deficit to 3% of gross domestic product or less as soon as possible and no later than the end of FY2030; and (2) after the target is achieved, Congress should continue to pursue further deficit reduction with the goal of achieving a balanced federal budget.

Maddy summaryS 2903, the Safe Step Act, requires health insurance plans and employers offering health coverage to establish a clear, timely process for patients or doctors to request exceptions when step therapy protocols (where insurers require trying cheaper drugs first) would harm a patient. It mandates approval for exceptions if prior drugs failed, delay would cause severe harm, a drug is unsafe, or a patient is stable on their current medication. Plans must respond to requests within 72 hours (or 24 hours in emergencies) and cover the requested drug without extra cost-sharing. The bill also requires annual reports to the government on exception requests, approvals, denials, and trends by medical condition or specialty. This directly affects patients on health plans with step therapy, their doctors, and the insurers managing those plans.