Sen. Cynthia M. Lummis

Maddy summarySJRES 1 proposes a constitutional amendment limiting congressional terms: it would bar Representatives from serving more than three terms (including time filling vacancies lasting over a year) and Senators from serving more than two terms (including time filling vacancies lasting over three years). The amendment would only apply to future elections, not current members or terms served before ratification. It directly affects candidates seeking election to the House or Senate after the amendment is approved by states. The key provision sets a clear term cap for each chamber, with specific rules for handling vacancies to prevent circumventing the limit.

Maddy summaryThis bill would make daylight saving time permanent across the United States by repealing the current rule that requires switching back to standard time in the fall. It directly affects all states and territories, though it preserves exemptions for areas like Arizona and Hawaii that currently skip daylight saving time. Key provisions include adjusting time zone calculations in historical laws (e.g., changing "4 hours" to "3 hours" in time zone references) and allowing states that already opted out of daylight saving time to maintain their preferred standard time. The bill does not create new policies but changes the legal framework to end seasonal time changes.

Maddy summaryThis bill, S 1553, primarily helps ranchers with federal grazing permits or leases during natural disasters. It allows temporary access to unused grazing areas when their own land becomes unusable due to events like droughts or wildfires, for up to three grazing seasons without changing their original permit terms. The bill also creates a new $15 million annual fund (from investing Land and Water Conservation Fund money) to support rangeland improvements like fence construction, invasive plant control, and public access agreements for recreation. Additionally, it extends grazing permit renewal terms from 10 to 20 years and streamlines environmental reviews for permit renewals and emergency adjustments.

Maddy summaryThe Wyoming Public Lands Initiative Act of 2023 designates several areas in Wyoming as wilderness or special management areas, including the Encampment River Canyon Wilderness, Prospect Mountain Wilderness, Bennett Mountains Special Management Area, and others. The bill allows continued grazing on designated lands where established before enactment, restricts motorized vehicle use except for specific purposes like fire suppression or range improvements, and requires fire management plans within 180 days of enactment. It releases certain wilderness study areas from further wilderness designation review under federal law, allowing them to be managed under existing land management frameworks. The legislation affects federal land management across Carbon, Fremont, Natrona, Johnson, Campbell, Washakie, and Hot Springs counties, with specific provisions for resource management, grazing, and fire protection.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends Title 36 of the U.S. Code to officially designate the bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) as the national bird, replacing the current symbolic reference. It adds a specific provision stating "The bald eagle is the national bird" to the code, with no changes to existing government policies or programs. The bill includes findings on the bald eagle's historical significance, cultural importance to Indigenous communities, and widespread use in U.S. symbols, but explicitly states it does not alter any government actions or decisions (per Section 1(d)). As a purely symbolic measure, it affects no specific group or policy and serves only to formalize an existing national symbol.

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 Connect Our Parks Act requires the Secretary of the Interior to assess where National Parks need improved broadband internet and cellular service, focusing on areas like campgrounds, administrative facilities, and locations critical for emergency access or staff communications. Within 180 days of enactment, the Secretary must submit a report identifying priority locations for both services. By two years after enactment, the Secretary must develop a plan to install infrastructure, meeting minimum speed standards (100 Mbps downstream, 20 Mbps upstream for broadband), minimizing environmental impact, and using public-private partnerships. The plan must exclude parks where adequate service already exists, as determined by park superintendents.

Maddy summaryS 5580, the *Effective Assistance of Counsel in the Digital Era Act*, requires the federal government to create a secure electronic system within two years that protects attorney-client communications for incarcerated people. It prohibits monitoring of these protected messages between inmates (held by Bureau of Prisons or U.S. Marshals Service) and their attorneys or legal representatives. The system mandates that any access to such communications - beyond the inmate - requires a court-issued warrant, with prosecutors first reviewing messages to confirm if privilege applies, and bars prosecutors from using reviewed messages in related cases. This law directly affects incarcerated individuals and their legal teams by ensuring digital communications remain confidential under standard attorney-client privilege rules.

Maddy summaryThis bill extends the existing Colorado River Basin System Conservation Pilot Program by updating its expiration dates. It revises the program's authorization to run through 2026 (instead of 2024) and extends the deadline for program implementation to 2027 (instead of 2025). The bill does not create new conservation requirements or change how the pilot program operates - only prolongs the current timeline. It directly affects federal agencies and water management entities administering the pilot program in the Colorado River Basin.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes transparency and accountability requirements for high-impact artificial intelligence systems that affect access to housing, employment, credit, education, healthcare, or insurance. It requires deployers of such systems to submit annual transparency reports detailing their systems' design, data usage, safety measures, and risk management processes. The bill creates a certification process for critical-impact AI systems (defined as systems posing significant risk to constitutional rights or safety) and establishes enforcement mechanisms including civil penalties for noncompliance. It also mandates research into content provenance standards to verify AI-generated media and creates a working group to develop consumer education initiatives about AI systems.