Maddy summaryThe RTP Full Funding Act of 2024 aims to fully fund the Recreational Trails Program (RTP), which supports trail development and maintenance nationwide. Currently, the program receives about $84 million annually from a fuel tax paid by nonhighway recreation users, though the actual tax collected totals roughly $281 million yearly. The bill requires the Federal Highway Administration to provide Congress with an annual estimate of these collected taxes at least one year before highway program funding expires, ensuring tax revenues are fully returned to states for trail projects. This change directly affects states and local communities that rely on RTP funds to maintain trails used for activities like hiking, biking, and snowmobiling.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryThe Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act (S 3502) limits how consumer credit reports can be shared during mortgage applications. It prevents credit reporting agencies from sending these reports to third parties solely based on a mortgage-related request, unless the third party has the homebuyer's explicit authorization or is directly involved in the loan (like the mortgage lender, loan servicer, or their bank holding the homebuyer's account). This directly affects homebuyers applying for residential mortgages by restricting unauthorized sharing of their credit data. The bill amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to add these privacy protections without creating new government programs or altering existing mortgage processes.
Maddy summaryThe "Skinny Labels, Big Savings Act" (S 5573) creates a legal safe harbor to prevent patent infringement claims against generic and biosimilar drug manufacturers for marketing activities that avoid patented conditions of use. It protects actions like submitting applications for generic drugs (under FDA’s 505(j) pathway) or biosimilars (under 351(k)), promoting approved labeling, and describing drugs as generics or biosimilars - provided marketing never references the specific patented condition. This directly affects drug manufacturers seeking to market affordable alternatives and patent holders of method-of-use patents. The bill aims to reduce legal barriers to competition by clarifying that "skinny label" marketing (avoiding patented uses) does not infringe patents.
Maddy summaryThis bill establishes federal testbeds for developing and evaluating "trustworthy" artificial intelligence systems. It requires the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Director to coordinate with the Energy Secretary and other federal agencies to create physical and virtual environments for testing AI safety, guardrails, misuse risks, and system vulnerabilities. The bill mandates a memorandum of understanding between Commerce and Energy to provide NIST and other agencies access to Department of Energy resources, facilities, and cross-agency R&D programs. These testbeds aim to improve AI reliability and trustworthiness for federal agency use and oversight of commercial AI systems, particularly for national security applications like preventing weapons proliferation.
Maddy summaryThe Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act of 2024 establishes a pilot program allowing qualified individuals or organizations (defined as "Good Samaritans") to remediate historic mine residue at abandoned hardrock mine sites without facing liability for their actions. The Environmental Protection Agency would grant up to 15 permits for projects that address pollution from abandoned mines, with applicants required to demonstrate they meet specific eligibility criteria (not being responsible owners/operators, having no role in creating the residue, and possessing adequate resources). The program includes liability protection for permitted activities, requires detailed remediation plans with baseline condition assessments, public notice, and environmental reviews, and establishes a fund for long-term operations and maintenance. This 7-year pilot program would directly affect communities near abandoned mine sites and qualified remediation groups seeking to address environmental contamination.
Maddy summaryThe PLAN for Broadband Act requires the federal government to create a coordinated strategy to improve broadband access nationwide. It mandates the Assistant Secretary of Commerce to develop a National Strategy within one year of enactment, detailing all federal broadband programs and identifying gaps in coordination across 14 covered agencies (including the FCC and USDA). The bill then requires an Implementation Plan within 120 days, outlining how agencies will streamline efforts, reduce duplication, and lower administrative burdens for states, local governments, and Tribal entities participating in broadband programs. Key provisions include standardizing data reporting for federal broadband funding and establishing regular interagency meetings to accelerate infrastructure deployment. The strategy must address barriers to broadband adoption, particularly on Tribal lands, and be subject to public input and GAO evaluation.
Maddy summaryThe Mapping Housing Discrimination Act (S 5534) provides federal grants to universities and minority-serving institutions to digitize and map historic housing discrimination records dating back to 1850. It directly affects educational institutions (via competitive grants) and local governments (through required partnerships for digitizing deeds), focusing on records showing racial covenants, discriminatory language in property agreements, or laws permitting housing bias against protected classes. Key mechanisms include standardized data collection for a national public database, mandatory metadata reporting, and funding for tools to identify discriminatory clauses in historical documents. The database will include spatial datasets of documented discrimination patterns, making all collected records freely available online. The bill does not alter current fair housing laws but creates a centralized resource for historical analysis.
Maddy summaryThe Leadership in CET Act (S 5537) creates a 5-year pilot program at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to expedite patent reviews for applications related to artificial intelligence, microelectronics, and quantum information science. It directly affects U.S.-based applicants (either incorporated U.S. entities or U.S. resident inventors) filing original, nonprovisional patent applications in these fields. The program allows the Patent Office to waive fees and prioritize these applications, with a cap of 10,000 total applications or a 5-year limit, whichever comes first. The Office must publicly track participation and issue a final report to Congress after the pilot ends.
Maddy summaryThis bill requires the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop and regularly update public guidelines for evaluating the trustworthiness of artificial intelligence systems used by federal agencies. The guidelines must cover safety, security, transparency, privacy, fairness (especially for protected classes), and other trustworthiness elements across all AI components - from data and models to human interactions and hardware. Federal agencies must evaluate existing AI systems used for automated decisions within two years to ensure compliance or stop using them, and new systems must meet the guidelines before deployment. Agencies must publicly label compliant systems, document non-compliant deployments with justification, and appoint a Chief AI Officer within 120 days to oversee implementation. The bill focuses on standardizing AI safety and accountability for government use, without mandating specific technical solutions.
Maddy summarySJRES 121 proposes a constitutional amendment to replace the Electoral College with direct popular voting for President and Vice President. The bill would require voters in every state and the District of Columbia to cast a single vote for a presidential-vice presidential pair, with the winning pair elected based on the most votes nationwide. It would abolish the current system where electors chosen by states cast votes, directly changing how the president is selected. The amendment would take effect one year after ratification by 38 states (three-fourths of all states). This change would affect all U.S. voters in presidential elections.