Sen. Jeff Merkley

Right to Read Act of 2025 This bill expands access to school libraries and literacy skills support for elementary and secondary school students. It also outlines certain constitutional rights and liability protections related to school libraries. Specifically, the bill reauthorizes through FY2030 (1) the Comprehensive Literacy State Development Program, which provides grants to ensure high-quality instruction and effective strategies in reading and writing for children through 12th grade; and (2) the Innovative Approaches to Literacy Program, which provides grants to support the development of literacy skills in low-income communities. Additionally, the bill allows Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants to be used to assist local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools in recruiting, hiring, and retaining state-certified school librarians. Further, the bill authorizes states and LEAs to use Student Support and Academic Enrichment grants for programs and activities that promote the development of digital literacy and information literacy skills. The Department of Education (ED) must direct the National Center for Education Statistics to biennially collect data on school libraries. ED must require an assurance from each state and LEA receiving certain funds confirming that it will (1) protect the First Amendment rights of students in school libraries, and (2) provide equal protection in the conduct of school libraries in compliance with the requirements of the Fourteenth Amendment and nondiscrimination laws. The bill also provides liability protection to teachers, school librarians, school leaders, paraprofessionals, and other staff for actions that conform with state or local policies regarding the right to read.

Maddy summaryThis Senate resolution (SRES 525) condemns the Iranian government's ongoing, state-sponsored persecution of the Baha'i minority, citing decades of systemic abuses including executions, job dismissals, education bans, and property confiscations. It references UN reports and Human Rights Watch findings documenting Iran's violation of international human rights treaties, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The resolution calls on Iran to immediately release imprisoned Baha'is, end discriminatory policies restricting their education and employment, and cease hate propaganda, while urging the U.S. President and Secretary of State to impose sanctions on Iranian officials responsible for these abuses.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes rules for temporary immigration judges who handle cases while permanent judges are appointed. It allows the Attorney General to appoint former immigration judges, Board members, or attorneys with 10+ years of immigration law experience for up to 6-month terms (renewable for a maximum of 4 terms, or 24 months total). Temporary judges must complete 8 weeks of initial training plus weekly 1-day sessions unless recently retired (within 2 years), and their work is overseen by the Chief Immigration Judge. The law emphasizes that temporary judges should not replace permanent judges and requires them to have deep expertise in U.S. immigration law.

Maddy summaryThe Artificial Intelligence Civil Rights Act of 2025 regulates AI systems that make decisions affecting people's lives, such as employment, housing, healthcare, credit, and education. It requires developers and deployers to conduct pre-deployment evaluations and annual impact assessments by independent auditors to prevent discrimination and harm. The law mandates clear consumer disclosures about AI use, provides the right to human alternatives for AI-driven decisions, and creates enforcement mechanisms through the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general. It also includes whistleblower protections for employees reporting violations and requires transparency about how AI systems operate.

Maddy summaryThe Roadless Area Conservation Act of 2025 would maintain existing protections for designated roadless areas within the National Forest System by prohibiting new road construction, reconstruction, or logging in those areas. It directly affects National Forest lands managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service, where the Roadless Rule already restricts such activities. The bill’s key mechanism requires the Secretary of Agriculture to enforce these current restrictions without adding new limitations. This policy change preserves existing protections for watersheds, wildlife habitats, recreation opportunities, and culturally significant sites within these roadless areas.

Maddy summaryS 1228 amends the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 to change cost-sharing requirements for conservation projects run by qualified youth or conservation corps on public lands. It increases the federal government's required cost-share from 75% to 90% and decreases the non-federal partner's share from 25% to 10%. This directly affects conservation corps and their partners by reducing their financial burden for projects on public lands. The bill makes no other changes to the Act's provisions.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands the Smith River National Recreation Area to include specific parcels of land in Oregon, adding approximately 555 acres of the Cedar Creek Parcel. It designates 24 specific river segments in Oregon as "wild" or "recreational" under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, including tributaries of the North Fork Smith River. The bill requires the Secretary to conduct a 5-year study of the expanded area focusing on natural resources like streams, wetlands, and native plants, followed by management plan revisions to protect these values. The legislation also includes provisions for tribal consultation and access to cultural sites while maintaining existing protections for the Kalmiopsis Wilderness and the Northwest Forest Plan.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates approximately 128,000 acres of federal land in Oregon (including Rogue Canyon and Molalla recreation areas) for management focused on recreation, conservation, and wildfire risk reduction. It requires the federal land managers to conduct wildfire risk assessments within 280 days and develop mitigation plans within a year, including forest thinning and evacuation routes for nearby communities. The bill withdraws these designated lands from mining, mineral leasing, and disposal, while preserving existing rights and recreational uses. It also expands the Wild Rogue Wilderness by 59,512 acres and withdraws specific lands in Curry and Josephine Counties from mineral activities.

Maddy summaryThe Crime Gun Tracing Modernization Act of 2025 requires the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to create electronic, searchable databases for firearm records that licensed dealers already must maintain, including details on import, production, shipment, sale, and disposition. It mandates that dealers provide electronic access to these records and allows them to turn over non-electronic records after 10 years without active transactions. The databases must be searchable by firearm details (like model, serial number, and caliber) but not by personal information, and access is restricted to law enforcement investigations, foreign intelligence purposes, or compliance inspections. The bill also requires annual audits by the Comptroller General and congressional reporting to ensure ATF compliance.

Maddy summaryThis resolution (SRES 511) is a symbolic Senate measure supporting Transgender Day of Remembrance. It recognizes the epidemic of violence against transgender people in the U.S., specifically memorializing 27 transgender or gender nonconforming individuals killed between October 2024 and September 2025. The resolution emphasizes the disproportionate impact of violence on transgender women of color and calls for addressing this crisis, though it does not create new laws or policies. It directly affects the transgender community by affirming their lives and safety as a national priority.