Sen. Jon Ossoff

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new payroll tax deduction for qualifying small businesses, allowing them to deduct 12% of wages paid to designated low-wage employees. It directly affects small businesses meeting specific criteria: those with no more than 15 full-time employees, meeting gross receipts limits, and certifying compliance. The deduction applies only to the lowest-wage full-time employees (excluding high earners), with the number of eligible employees decreasing annually (starting at 10 in 2026 and ending at 4 in 2033). The provision expires after 2033 and applies to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2025.

Maddy summaryThe International Human Rights Defense Act of 2025 establishes a permanent U.S. Special Envoy for LGBTQI+ rights at the Department of State, with the authority to coordinate all federal government efforts addressing discrimination and violence against LGBTQI+ people globally. The bill requires the development of a U.S. global strategy to prevent and respond to criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQI+ individuals, along with annual briefings to Congress on progress. It mandates that the Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices include detailed information about laws criminalizing or discriminating against LGBTQI+ people in all countries. The legislation also requires all U.S. government-funded programs to adopt inclusive nondiscrimination policies covering sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics. These provisions aim to strengthen U.S. foreign policy efforts to protect LGBTQI+ rights worldwide through coordinated diplomatic, humanitarian, and development initiatives.

Maddy summaryThe HONEST Act (officially titled the PELOSI Act) prohibits Members of Congress and their spouses from holding, buying, or selling most stocks, bonds, and financial derivatives (like options or futures) during their term in office to prevent conflicts of interest from insider trading. It excludes diversified mutual funds, ETFs, U.S. Treasury securities, and income from a spouse’s primary job, with a 180-day grace period for current and new members to divest existing holdings. Lawmakers must annually certify compliance to ethics committees, which can impose fines (up to 10% of non-compliant holdings’ value per 30 days) and publish violations publicly. The law also mandates a government audit within two years to assess compliance.

Maddy summarySRES 483 is a ceremonial Senate resolution honoring Dr. Jane Goodall, who passed away on October 1, 2025. It pays tribute to her lifelong work as a primatologist, conservationist, and founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and Roots & Shoots program, which engages youth globally in environmental action. The resolution recognizes her scientific contributions - including groundbreaking chimpanzee research at Gombe - and her advocacy for wildlife protection, education, and community-based conservation efforts like Tanzania's TACARE program. As a non-binding resolution, it does not enact policy changes but formally commemorates her legacy.

Ending Coercion of Children and Harm Online or the ECCHO Act This bill establishes a federal framework to combat the online coercion of minors to commit harm. The bill creates new criminal offenses, expands reporting of instances involving the online coercion of minors, facilitates the prosecution of offenders, and expands protections for minors who testify in court. Specifically, the bill makes it a crime to intentionally coerce a minor to commit suicide (or attempt to); kill someone (or attempt to); kill a pet, emotional support animal, service animal, or horse (or attempt to); physically harm an individual (including the minor), pet, emotional support animal, service animal, or horse; or commit (or attempt to commit) arson or certain other acts such as doxxing or swatting. A violation (or conspiracy or attempt to commit a violation) is subject to a fine, a prison term, or both. The bill requires electronic communication service providers and remote computing service providers to report instances of online coercion of minors to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children via the CyberTipline. The bill facilitates the federal prosecution of offenses committed by (1) individuals as part of a child exploitation enterprise, and (2) minors in certain circumstances. The bill extends various protections for minors who testify in court (e.g., certain privacy protections) to those who are victims of or witnesses to crimes involving mental injury (i.e., psychological or intellectual harm to a child) or the negligent treatment of a child.

Maddy summaryS 3400, the Ally’s Act, requires most private health insurance plans and group health plans to cover hearing implants and related services for eligible individuals. It mandates coverage for cochlear implants, bone conduction devices, maintenance, repairs, upgrades every five years, hearing assessments, pre- and post-surgery care, and aural rehabilitation. Insurers cannot impose stricter cost-sharing or treatment limits for these services than for other medical care, and cannot deny coverage based on medical necessity determinations by a physician or audiologist. The law applies to plans covering individuals with hearing loss (including unilateral or bilateral) who meet medical criteria, effective for plan years starting January 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryThis bill redesignates the existing Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park as Ocmulgee Mounds National Park and establishes a new Ocmulgee Mounds National Preserve in Georgia, to be created once the Secretary of the Interior acquires sufficient land. It authorizes the Secretary to acquire land for both areas only through voluntary means (purchase, donation, or exchange), prohibits eminent domain, and requires a management plan prioritizing preservation of cultural sites sacred to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. The bill also creates an advisory council with tribal representation, mandates hiring preferences for tribal members, and sets rules for managing hunting and fishing within the preserve under federal and state laws.

Maddy summarySRES 533 is a non-binding Senate resolution condemning white supremacy, hate, and antisemitism, with specific focus on the promotion of these ideologies by white supremacist Nick Fuentes and his platforming by Tucker Carlson. It highlights Fuentes' Holocaust denial, antisemitic conspiracy theories (like the "Great Replacement" myth), and use of dog whistles, while criticizing Carlson for hosting Fuentes without challenge and Heritage Foundation's Kevin Roberts for defending such views. The resolution urges all elected officials and leaders to reject these ideologies whenever they occur, and affirms condemnation of Nazism and the Holocaust. As a formal expression of Senate opinion, it does not create new laws but serves as a public stance against harmful rhetoric.

Maddy summaryThis bill directs the FBI to lead a working group of 18 federal agencies - including the FTC, CFPB, and Department of Homeland Security - to develop a National Strategy for Combating Scams within two years. The strategy must establish a common scam definition, coordinate federal efforts, and incorporate input from scam survivors, older adults, businesses, and law enforcement. It requires agencies to improve data sharing, prevent scams through evidence-based methods, and update the strategy every five years. The FBI, FTC, and CFPB must adopt the agreed-upon scam definition within one year of the strategy's publication.

Maddy summaryThe Medical Foods and Formulas Access Act of 2025 would require Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program to cover medically necessary food for people with specific digestive and metabolic disorders. This includes specialized formulas and nutrients prescribed by healthcare providers for conditions like inherited metabolic disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, and food protein allergies. The bill defines "medically necessary food" to include items such as amino acid preparations, low protein modified foods, and vitamins specifically designed for these conditions, along with necessary medical equipment for administration. Coverage would apply to federal health programs with different effective dates (1-3 years from enactment) and encourages private health insurance plans to provide similar coverage for these life-sustaining treatments.