Sen. Ted Cruz

Maddy summaryThis bill makes permanent several tax provisions that were scheduled to expire after 2025, including individual income tax rate brackets, the standard deduction, and the child tax credit. It permanently increases the child tax credit from $1,000 to $2,000 per qualifying child and modifies the income threshold for claiming the credit. The bill also repeals the deduction for personal exemptions that was temporarily eliminated under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. These changes would affect most individual taxpayers who file federal income tax returns, particularly those with children and those who itemize deductions.

Capital Gains Inflation Relief Act of 2023 This bill allows the adjusted basis of certain assets (including any common stock in a C corporation, any digital asset, and tangible property used in a trade or business) to be indexed for inflation for the purpose of determining the gain or loss of a taxpayer (other than a corporation) who has held the asset for more than three years. The bill sets forth rules for applying the inflation adjustment to short sales; regulated investment companies; real estate investment trusts; other pass-through entities, including partnerships, S corporations, and common trust funds; dispositions between related persons; and improvements to property or contributions of capital. The Internal Revenue Service may disallow an adjustment if any person transfers cash, debt, or any other property to another person for the principal purpose of securing or increasing the adjustment allowed by this bill.

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 summaryS 1195, the Chemical Tax Repeal Act, eliminates excise taxes on specific chemicals and substances by amending the Internal Revenue Code. It directly affects chemical manufacturers and distributors who previously paid these taxes under subchapters B and C of Chapter 38. The bill repeals these tax provisions by striking the relevant sections from the tax code, effective January 1, 2023. This creates a concrete policy change by removing a tax obligation for covered chemical businesses.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to allow local schools to use existing federal funds for specific security improvements. It directly affects schools receiving ESEA funds by expanding eligible uses to include measures like metal detectors, bullet-resistant windows, crisis notification systems, and infrastructure for controlled access. Key provisions require security measures to have "evidence-based effectiveness" where available, while explicitly prohibiting the use of funds for firearms or firearm training. The bill does not override other laws permitting firearms but clarifies that security enhancements must focus on non-firearm solutions.

Maddy summaryThis bill redirects unused federal funds from three pandemic-era education relief packages (CARES Act, CRRSAA, and American Rescue Plan) to improve physical security at elementary and secondary schools. Local educational agencies (LEAs) that received these specific funds can now use the unobligated balances for security measures like fencing, surveillance, or access controls. It does not create new funding but reallocates existing resources already authorized under those prior laws. The bill directly affects schools that received pandemic education funding and were eligible to access those unspent balances.

Maddy summaryThis bill restricts federal funding for state and local governments that qualify as "sanctuary jurisdictions" under its definition. A sanctuary jurisdiction is defined as any state or local area that prohibits sharing immigration status information or refusing to comply with federal immigration detainers (with an exception for crime victims/witnesses). The bill blocks funding for Economic Development Administration grants and Community Development Block Grants if projects are located in such jurisdictions or if recipients become sanctuary jurisdictions during the grant period. Recipients must return funds if they become sanctuary jurisdictions, and the U.S. government will reallocate those funds to non-sanctuary areas.

Maddy summaryThe AMERICA Act (S 1073) establishes new rules for large digital advertising companies to increase transparency and competition in digital advertising markets. It prohibits companies with over $20 billion in annual digital advertising revenue from owning both a digital advertising exchange and a brokerage service, or from owning a brokerage while also being a buyer or seller of ad space. Companies with over $5 billion in annual revenue must act in their customers' best interests, provide detailed transparency about bid data and routing practices, and maintain separate business functions to avoid conflicts of interest. The bill creates private rights of action for harmed customers and requires annual certification of compliance to the Attorney General. It directly affects major digital advertising companies and their business customers who buy or sell digital advertisements.

Maddy summaryThis bill would require major financial regulators like the Federal Reserve, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, FDIC, and SEC to treat congressional requests for information with higher priority than public requests and without charging fees. It would reclassify Federal Reserve Banks as agencies subject to the Freedom of Information Act, requiring them to disclose ethics-related information including financial disclosures, personnel matters, and ethics program details. The bill would prevent agencies from withholding information on common law privilege grounds like attorney-client privilege and establish security protocols for handling sensitive materials. It applies to multiple financial regulatory agencies, aiming to increase transparency in their operations and ethics practices.

Maddy summaryS 1076 expands the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) authority to seek specific remedies for consumer harm caused by unfair or deceptive business practices. It allows the FTC to request restitution for consumer losses, contract rescission, refunds, or return of property within a 3-year window after the violation occurs. The bill also clarifies that courts can order disgorgement of unjust profits (offset by prior restitution), while requiring the FTC to prove a reasonable consumer would have known the practice was deceptive and relied on it. These changes directly affect consumers harmed by deceptive business actions and streamline the FTC's process for seeking relief, including referrals to the Attorney General for additional damages under the Clayton Act.