Sen. Josh Hawley

Maddy summaryS 1382, the Protecting Our Supreme Court Justices Act of 2023, increases penalties for obstructing justice near Supreme Court justices' residences or workplaces. It amends federal law to raise the maximum prison sentence for picketing or parading that obstructs justice from one year to five years. This change directly affects individuals who engage in disruptive protests near justices' homes or offices. The bill focuses solely on strengthening criminal penalties for obstruction, not on judicial decisions or court procedures.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the Army Corps of Engineers to set new goals for removing all radioactive contamination from Jana Elementary School in Florissant, Missouri, within 120 days of enactment. It creates a $25 million fund to reimburse schools for testing costs related to radioactive contamination and to finance new school construction for affected schools in the Hazelwood School District. The bill mandates investigations of all Hazelwood schools for radiation, requiring reports on contamination levels and safety risks to students. It directly affects Jana Elementary (which closed after 2020) and other Hazelwood schools with detected radiation within 1,000 feet of classrooms.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes the Southwestern Power Administration Fund within the U.S. Treasury to consolidate existing financial accounts. It directly affects the Southwestern Power Administration (a federal power marketing agency) and the Department of Energy, by merging unexpended balances from three previous funds into one centralized account. The fund will be used exclusively for operating power transmission facilities, marketing electricity, building infrastructure, and related administrative costs under existing laws. The bill streamlines financial management without creating new programs or altering policy.

Maddy summaryS 1279, the Pretrial Release Reporting Act, requires the Bureau of Justice Statistics to create a comprehensive report on pretrial release practices for violent felony defendants in State courts. Within 180 days of enactment, the report must detail data including the number of individuals released on bail for violent felonies (such as murder, rape, robbery, or firearm offenses), rearrests for additional violent crimes, prior violent felony records, bail amounts, missed court appearances, and factors courts use for release decisions. The bill directly affects State courts and the Bureau of Justice Statistics by mandating this data collection, which has not been updated since 2007. It focuses on gathering factual information to inform Congress, not on changing current release policies.

Maddy summarySRES 169 is a symbolic Senate resolution expressing the chamber's lack of confidence in DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. It states the Senate believes he does not have the confidence of the Senate or American people to carry out his duties, citing border enforcement challenges, alleged false testimony, and policy decisions like ending the Migrant Protection Protocols. The resolution does not change Mayorkas' position, alter border policies, or create new legal requirements - it is purely a formal statement of disapproval. As a procedural resolution, it has no binding effect on government operations.

Maddy summaryThe Combating Violent and Dangerous Crime Act amends federal criminal statutes to clarify legal standards and increase penalties for specific violent crimes. It clarifies that assaults on federal officers are general intent crimes (removing the need to prove defendants specifically intended to harm officers), increases carjacking penalties to 20 years for first offenses (up from 15) and up to 40 years when weapons are used, and creates a new offense for distributing candy-flavored controlled substances to minors with penalties of up to 20 years for repeat violations. The bill also updates sentencing guidelines to require a 2-level enhancement for the new candy-flavored drug offense. These changes apply to existing federal criminal codes without creating new crime categories beyond the specified provisions.

Maddy summaryThis bill (SJRES 10) seeks to block a specific rule issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) regarding reproductive health services for veterans. It requests Congress disapprove the rule (published September 2022) under a process in federal law that allows Congress to halt agency regulations. If approved, the VA rule would be nullified and could not take effect, meaning the VA could not enforce its provisions on reproductive health services for veterans. The bill directly affects the implementation of this VA policy for veterans receiving care at VA facilities.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits drug manufacturers from providing rebates or other payments to health plans or pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) that could influence which drugs appear on preferred formulary tiers. It directly affects Medicare Part D plans, private health insurers, and PBMs by banning these financial arrangements for covered prescription drugs. The law defines "rebate" as a fixed discount disclosed at purchase but paid later, and removes previous safe harbor protections for such payments. The changes take effect January 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryThe Fair Prescription Drug Prices for Americans Act would cap the U.S. retail price of prescription drugs and biological products at the average price in Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Drug manufacturers must annually report their prices in the U.S. and these six countries, with the government calculating the average price for each drug. Manufacturers exceeding the cap would face a civil penalty of 10 times the price difference per unit sold. This bill directly affects drug manufacturers selling in the U.S. market, aiming to align U.S. drug pricing with international averages.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits federal agencies from banning lead ammunition or tackle for hunting and fishing on federal lands and waters managed by the Interior Department or Agriculture Department. It directly affects hunters and anglers using these public areas by preventing federal restrictions on lead products, except in limited cases. The exception allows restrictions only on specific federal sites where state wildlife data shows lead use is harming wildlife, and only if approved by the state's fish and wildlife agency. The bill requires federal agencies to explain in public notices how any exception meets these state approval and wildlife harm criteria.