Maddy summaryThe America's Red Rock Wilderness Act (S 1193) would designate approximately 3.3 million acres across nine distinct wilderness areas in Utah as protected wilderness. These areas include the Great Basin, Grand Staircase-Escalante, Moab-La Sal Canyons, Henry Mountains, Glen Canyon, San Juan, Canyonlands Basin, San Rafael Swell, and Book Cliffs-Greater Dinosaur regions. The bill would manage these areas under the Wilderness Act, preserving them for recreation, wildlife habitat, and cultural values while allowing continued livestock grazing under existing regulations. It also includes provisions to protect Tribal rights and water rights within the designated wilderness areas, with specific administrative guidelines for roads, land management, and Tribal consultation.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryThis bill changes SNAP (food stamp) eligibility rules for workers participating in strikes. It directly affects workers who are on strike by removing an exception that previously allowed them to keep SNAP benefits during labor actions. The key change removes language that let striking workers remain eligible, now making them ineligible to participate in SNAP solely because they are on strike. This is a concrete policy shift in the Food and Nutrition Act, changing who qualifies for food assistance during labor disputes.
Maddy summaryS. Res. 136 is a Senate resolution affirming the rule of law and the legitimacy of judicial review, referencing the Constitution's Article III and the landmark 1803 *Marbury v. Madison* decision. It states that the executive branch must comply with federal court rulings and may appeal such rulings when authorized by law. The resolution serves as a formal statement of the Senate's support for the judiciary's role in interpreting the Constitution, without creating new legal requirements or affecting specific groups.
Maddy summaryThe Quality Defense Act of 2025 establishes a federal grant program to improve public defense systems by requiring states and local jurisdictions to collect detailed data on caseloads, attorney work hours, and case outcomes. It provides two types of grants: data grants to help jurisdictions develop data collection systems, and hiring grants to hire more public defenders, increase compensation to match prosecutors, and provide support staff. The bill mandates collection of information on case types, client demographics, and case resolutions to inform evidence-based reforms. It also requires studies on appropriate caseload limits and compensation levels to ensure constitutional standards for legal representation are met. The legislation directly affects public defenders, panel attorneys, and defendants in state and local court systems.
Maddy summaryThe SHARE Act of 2025 updates federal rules for sharing criminal background check data used in professional licensing. It requires the FBI to provide criminal history record information to state licensing authorities for background checks when states are part of an interstate compact. States must use this data solely for licensing decisions and cannot share the full records with other states, commissions, or the public. Instead, they may only share a binary result (e.g., "satisfactory" or "unsatisfactory") regarding the background check. This directly affects state licensing boards and professionals seeking licenses across participating states.
Maddy summaryThe Paycheck Fairness Act strengthens equal pay protections by modifying the Equal Pay Act of 1963 to require employers to prove that non-sex factors used in pay decisions are job-related, consistent with business necessity, and account for the entire pay difference. It prohibits employers from relying on salary history when setting pay for new hires and enhances protections for workers who discuss wages or file pay discrimination claims. The bill requires the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to collect and publish compensation data disaggregated by sex, race, and ethnicity to better enforce pay discrimination laws. These provisions directly affect workers in the private and public sectors, particularly women and women of color who face the largest pay gaps. The act also establishes a National Award for Pay Equity to recognize employers making significant efforts to eliminate pay disparities.
Maddy summaryThis Senate resolution expresses strong support for public K-12 schools and condemns any efforts to defund public education or dismantle the Department of Education. It highlights the federal government’s critical role in providing equitable funding - particularly for students in underserved communities, including those with disabilities, from low-income families, and in rural areas - and opposes diverting funds to private schools. As a non-binding resolution, it does not create new laws but formally states the Senate’s position on protecting public education funding and oversight.
Maddy summaryS 1021 establishes a new program within the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to increase purchases of "naturally nutrient-rich dairy" (like fluid milk, yogurt, and cheese made from cow's milk) by SNAP households. It provides point-of-sale incentives at checkout, meaning SNAP users would receive immediate discounts when buying qualifying dairy products. The program allocates $10 million annually for grants to state/local governments or nonprofits to run projects, with priority given to initiatives maximizing direct incentives and using electronic systems. Projects must be evaluated for effectiveness, and results will be publicly reported, while transitioning existing dairy incentive programs to this new framework.
Maddy summaryThis bill amends the Communications Act to give the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) direct authority to enforce unpaid forfeiture penalties for violations of telemarketing rules (Section 227), which restrict unwanted automated calls. If the Attorney General doesn't act within 120 days on a referred penalty, the FCC can sue to recover the amount itself. The law prioritizes enforcement for penalties exceeding $25 million, focusing on major violations of robocall restrictions. It directly affects businesses that violate telemarketing laws by requiring them to pay penalties the FCC can now pursue independently.
Maddy summaryThis bill amends the tax code to close a loophole that previously allowed certain tar sands oil to be taxed differently than conventional crude oil. It expands the definition of "crude oil" under federal excise tax rules to explicitly include oil derived from tar sands, bitumen, and oil shale. This change directly affects oil producers and refiners handling these specific unconventional oil sources, requiring them to pay the standard crude oil excise tax. The key mechanism is the updated tax code definition, which also grants the Secretary regulatory authority to include other pipeline-transported petroleum products meeting specific environmental risk criteria.