Sen. Josh Hawley

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 471) gives states more flexibility in determining which Medicaid providers can participate in state plans if they perform abortions. It allows states to set their own criteria for excluding abortion providers from Medicaid participation, except in specific cases. The exceptions require coverage for abortions needed due to rape or incest, or when a physician certifies a life-threatening physical condition related to pregnancy. This directly affects Medicaid providers who perform abortions and state Medicaid programs, changing how states manage provider participation under federal Medicaid rules.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends U.S. immigration law to create specific, limited pathways for temporary parole into the United States. It directly affects military families (spouses/children of active-duty service members), Cuban nationals with approved petitions meeting strict criteria, and individuals facing urgent medical needs, family emergencies, or law enforcement-related public benefits. Key provisions require case-by-case decisions (not class-based eligibility), limit parole to 1 year (with possible 1-year extensions), and mandate annual congressional reporting on parole usage. Parole does not count as admission, so recipients cannot adjust to permanent residency through this status.

Maddy summarySRES 49 is a 2023 Senate resolution condemning China's unauthorized surveillance balloon flight over U.S. airspace. It formally expresses the Senate's disapproval of the Chinese Communist Party's action, which violated U.S. sovereignty and international law, as the balloon traversed multiple states from January to February 2023 before being shot down. The resolution affirms U.S. policy to protect airspace from foreign surveillance and calls for the President to share transparency about this incident and future Chinese spying attempts. As a non-binding resolution, it does not create new law but serves as a formal statement of Senate position.

Maddy summaryS 457, the "Protecting Our Kids from Child Abuse Act," creates a federal civil liability for gender-transition procedures performed on minors under 18. It allows affected individuals to sue pediatric gender clinics, medical practitioners, and affiliated institutions (like hospitals or universities) for bodily injury or mental health harm caused by these procedures, with a 30-year window from age 18 to file claims. The bill also prohibits federal funding for pediatric gender clinics or any gender-transition procedures on minors. Key exceptions include medical treatments for ambiguous biological characteristics, infections, or imminent life-threatening conditions. This legislation directly affects minors receiving such medical interventions, the healthcare facilities providing them, and the providers involved.

Maddy summaryThe PELOSI Act prohibits Members of Congress and their spouses from owning stocks, bonds, commodities, or similar investments while serving in office, to prevent conflicts of interest. It includes a 180-day grace period for current members to sell existing holdings and allows investments held in qualified blind trusts. Members must annually certify compliance to ethics committees, which will publish these certifications publicly, and violations may result in fines or requiring the return of profits. Enforcement is handled by the Senate Ethics Committee and House Ethics Committee, with a GAO audit required within two years.

Maddy summaryS 444 requires the U.S. Senate to approve any World Health Organization (WHO) pandemic preparedness treaty before it becomes binding on the United States. The bill mandates that agreements resulting from the WHO’s pandemic treaty negotiations (currently led by the International Negotiating Body) must be treated as treaties under the U.S. Constitution, requiring Senate ratification with a two-thirds vote. It directly affects U.S. foreign policy implementation by ensuring congressional oversight of international pandemic agreements. The bill responds to concerns about WHO’s pandemic management and aims to prevent executive agreements from bypassing Senate review.

Maddy summaryThe MATURE Act requires large social media platforms (defined as those with over 1 million monthly users) to verify that new account creators are at least 16 years old using government-issued ID, full legal name, and date of birth. Platforms must delete this verification data within 30 days if an account is deleted and cannot use it for other purposes. The Federal Trade Commission will conduct regular audits to ensure 90% accuracy for the first two audits, rising to 100% for later audits. Parents of users under 16 can sue platforms for violations after the fourth audit, with penalties including fines and injunctions. This directly affects social media companies and underage users seeking to create new accounts.

Maddy summaryThis bill directs the government's top auditor (the Comptroller General) to conduct two studies on how social media affects minors. The short-term study (completed within 1 year) will examine links between social media use and specific health issues like anxiety, depression, and eating disorders in users under 18. A longer-term study (completed within 10 years) will track a group of under-18 social media users to assess long-term health impacts. The studies are funded with $1 million for the short-term study and $20 million for the longitudinal study, both to be reported to Congress. The bill directly affects minors under 18 by focusing research on their health outcomes related to social media use.

Maddy summaryThe Hearing Protection Act (S 401) reclassifies firearm silencers as firearms under federal tax law, requiring them to be taxed at 10% like other firearms starting 90 days after enactment. It mandates the destruction of all existing federal silencer registration records within one year and preempts state laws that tax, regulate, or require registration of silencers. The bill directly affects silencer owners, manufacturers, and dealers by changing federal tax treatment, eliminating federal registration requirements, and overriding conflicting state regulations. Key provisions include updated definitions for silencers, new marking requirements for manufacturers, and removal of federal registration barriers.

Maddy summaryThis joint resolution (SJRES 7) seeks congressional disapproval of a 2023 rule defining "Waters of the United States" (WOTUS), which would have changed how federal agencies regulate wetlands and waterways. It targets a rule jointly issued by the Army Corps of Engineers, EPA, and other agencies (88 Fed. Reg. 3004, Jan. 18, 2023), directly affecting landowners, developers, and environmental regulators by altering jurisdiction over water resources. If passed, the resolution would nullify the rule under a specific disapproval process in Title 5 of U.S. Code, preventing it from taking effect. The resolution does not create new regulations but aims to block an existing federal rule. This is a procedural step, not a new law.