Sen. Margaret Wood Hassan

Maddy summaryThe Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act (S. 1351) directs the Department of Health and Human Services to contract with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to study child abuse in youth residential programs. The study, to be completed within three years and updated every two years for a decade, will examine the prevalence of abuse, funding sources, regulations, and barriers to community-based alternatives for youth. It will identify risk assessment tools, recommend improved oversight and training for staff, and provide best practices for care including reducing the use of seclusion and restraints. The bill directly affects youth in residential programs, child welfare systems, and the agencies that oversee them, with recommendations aimed at improving safety and care. The study will involve consultation with child advocates, health professionals, individuals with lived experience, and government agencies to ensure comprehensive recommendations.

Maddy summaryThe Jenna Quinn Law (S.1147) creates federal grants to fund community-driven programs in schools and communities focused on preventing, recognizing, responding to, and reporting child sexual abuse among K-12 students. It directly affects teachers, school staff, students, parents, and community organizations by requiring grant recipients to provide age-appropriate prevention education for students and training for adults who work with children. Key provisions include 5-year grants for evidence-based initiatives, annual reporting on program outcomes, and mandatory federal evaluations to assess effectiveness and avoid duplication of existing programs. The law aims to strengthen prevention efforts through targeted training and community engagement without mandating specific curricula.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes the Artificial Intelligence Safety Review Office within the Department of Commerce to oversee "covered frontier artificial intelligence models" that meet specific technical thresholds (trained with over 100 quintillion operations, broadly capable, or designed for biology/chemistry/nuclear/cyber capabilities). It requires developers of these models to implement red-teaming practices, cybersecurity standards, and conduct pre-deployment evaluations to assess risks related to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and cyber threats. The bill mandates reporting requirements for covered data centers, integrated circuits, and infrastructure-as-a-service providers, and creates a pre-deployment review process where the Office can prohibit deployment if risks are deemed insufficiently mitigated. Non-compliance can result in fines up to $1,000,000 per day or criminal penalties for willful violations.

Maddy summaryThis bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to create a new team within 180 days to overhaul how veterans schedule health care appointments. It requires the team to develop a unified digital platform allowing veterans to view and book all appointment types (primary care, specialty, etc.) online, request referrals, and cancel/reschedule. The bill also mandates a phone-based scheduling option where veterans can speak directly with a scheduler to book appointments. These changes aim to streamline access to VA care, with the team required to complete all objectives within one year of the bill's enactment.

Maddy summaryThe "Bring Our Heroes Home Act" creates a system to identify, collect, and make publicly available records about missing military personnel and civilian personnel who went missing between December 7, 1941, and the bill's enactment date. It requires federal agencies to identify and transmit these records to the National Archives within 180 days (with full completion within one year), and establishes a Review Board to oversee the process and make decisions about disclosure. The bill creates a presumption that such records should be declassified and made public, with only narrow exceptions for national security or privacy concerns, and mandates periodic reviews of any records that remain withheld. This primarily affects federal agencies that hold records related to missing military personnel and civilian personnel, aiming to provide families and the public with greater access to information about missing individuals.

Maddy summaryThe DETERRENCE Act (S 5398) adds enhanced federal sentencing penalties for certain crimes committed "at the direction of or in coordination with a foreign government." It applies to offenses like kidnapping, murder-for-hire, stalking, attacks on federal officials, and threats against their family members. For these crimes, judges may increase prison sentences by up to 10 years if foreign government involvement is proven, with additional increases for serious outcomes like bodily injury or death. The bill directly affects individuals convicted under these specific federal statutes who are found to have acted with foreign government coordination.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to review the automatic maximum coverage amount for Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI) and Veterans' Group Life Insurance (VGLI) every three years, starting January 1, 2024. The review compares the current coverage limit to an inflation-adjusted amount calculated as $400,000 multiplied by the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) since 2005. This adjustment ensures coverage limits keep pace with inflation for eligible servicemembers and veterans enrolled in these insurance programs. The results of each review must be submitted to Congress.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from using funds to purchase batteries produced by specific Chinese-owned battery manufacturers, beginning October 1, 2027. It directly affects DHS procurement of batteries from entities like CATL, BYD, and other companies linked to Chinese military or forced labor concerns under existing laws. The key mechanism bans purchases of batteries assembled or manufactured by these entities, including those using a majority of their components. The policy aims to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign battery suppliers deemed a national security risk, focusing on concrete procurement restrictions rather than broader economic impacts.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends federal financial management requirements to improve government accountability and efficiency. It requires federal agencies to develop and update 4-year financial management plans (replacing the previous 5-year requirement) and establish performance-based metrics for assessing financial management. The bill mandates that agencies link performance and cost information to support better decision-making and requires the Office of Management and Budget to prepare a governmentwide 4-year financial management plan. Annual reports on financial management status must be submitted to Congress, including assessments of agency compliance with financial management standards and progress on implementing the governmentwide plan.

Maddy summaryThe Executive Branch Accountability and Transparency Act requires federal agencies to create searchable public databases containing ethics records for noncareer government employees, including financial disclosures, ethics waivers, and recusal agreements. Agencies must compile these records within 270 days of guidance from the Office of Government Ethics, including all records from the previous 9 years. The databases must be accessible on agency websites without registration, comply with accessibility standards, and remain publicly available for at least 10 years. This bill directly affects thousands of federal appointees in noncareer positions, making previously hard-to-find ethics information more transparent to the public.