Sen. Mike Lee

Maddy summaryThe Star-Spangled Summit Act of 2025 grants a 10-year special use permit to maintain a U.S. flag at Kyhv Peak Lookout Point in Utah's Uinta National Forest. It prioritizes Robert S. Collins of Provo, Utah, or a qualified Utah County resident/nonprofit with flagpole maintenance experience for the permit, which exempts the holder from land use fees. The permit may be renewed for additional 10-year terms if the holder complies with maintenance conditions, and the bill exempts the permit from standard environmental review requirements.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends the Clean Air Act to address air quality challenges caused by emissions originating outside U.S. borders. It prevents states from being penalized (e.g., with sanctions or fees) for failing to meet air quality standards if the deficiency is due to emissions from outside the U.S. (regardless of whether those emissions are human-caused), or from exceptional events like wildfires. States must demonstrate this cause to avoid penalties and renew the demonstration every five years. The bill does not change air quality standards themselves but modifies how states are held accountable for meeting them. It directly affects states struggling with cross-border pollution, particularly for ozone and particulate matter.

Maddy summaryThe End the Vaccine Carveout Act would amend the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program to allow individuals to directly file civil lawsuits against vaccine manufacturers or administrators for vaccine-related injuries or deaths, removing the previous requirement to first pursue compensation through the federal program. It repeals provisions that forced people to choose between the compensation program and a lawsuit, and specifically excludes COVID-19 vaccines from the definition of "covered countermeasure" under emergency use authorities. This change would directly affect vaccine manufacturers and individuals harmed by vaccines, as it eliminates a legal barrier to holding manufacturers accountable in court. The bill does not alter the compensation program's operation for non-COVID-19 vaccines but ends the special liability protection for COVID-19 vaccines under emergency use designations.

University of Utah Research Park Act This bill confirms the use by the University of Utah of approximately 593 acres of specified nonfederal land in Salt Lake City, Utah, as a university research park and for related university purposes (including development of student housing and a transit hub) as a valid public purpose.

Critical Mineral Consistency Act of 2025 This bill modifies the Energy Act of 2020 to expand the definition of  critical minerals used by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to include  critical materials designated by the Department of Energy (DOE). It also directs USGS to update its list within 45 days of DOE adding a  mineral, element, substance, or material to its critical materials list. Thus, the bill requires the lists to be treated consistently and makes critical materials eligible for the same benefits (e.g., financing support or clean energy tax credits) provided to critical minerals. By way of background, DOE's critical materials list contains certain materials that are essential for energy, including those on the critical minerals list of the USGS. The USGS's list, which contains certain minerals that are essential to the nation's economic or national security, is currently not required to include the materials on DOE's list.

Maddy summaryThe Drone Espionage Act (S 1809) amends existing law to explicitly include video recordings alongside photographs in the prohibition against taking or transmitting defense information. This technical update to Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 793 clarifies that video footage of defense-related information - such as from drones or other devices - falls under espionage laws, just like photographic images. The bill directly affects individuals or entities recording defense information via video, expanding the scope of prohibited activities under current espionage statutes. It does not create new penalties but ensures modern recording methods are covered by existing legal protections.

Maddy summaryS 3786, the Balance the Highway Trust Fund Act, sets a strict annual spending limit for federal highway construction programs equal to the most recent Treasury estimate of highway tax receipts. It requires the Transportation Secretary to cap obligations at this level and redistribute unused funds to states with large unobligated balances, prioritizing those with significant leftover funds from previous years. The bill also applies similar spending limits to mass transit programs funded through the Highway Trust Fund’s Mass Transit Account. It directly affects state transportation departments and federal highway programs by changing how funds are allocated and redistributed. The law takes effect October 1, 2027.

Maddy summaryThe Historic Roadways Protection Act (S 90) prohibits the use of federal funds to finalize or implement specific travel management plans for certain public lands in Utah. It directly affects the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), blocking funding for plans in 10 designated areas (like the San Rafael Swell and Nine Mile Canyon) and four specific plans (including Indian Creek and San Rafael Swell). The restriction applies only during the time federal courts resolve 22 ongoing lawsuits (R.S. 2477 cases) about historical road access rights. Funding cannot be used for new plans or implementation of the listed plans until the Secretary of the Interior certifies all cases are resolved. This is a procedural funding restriction, not a change to land management policies.

Maddy summaryThis bill repeals the African Development Foundation Act, terminating the U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF) as a separate federal entity. It directly affects USADF's operations and removes references to the foundation from three other laws: the Trade and Development Act of 2000, the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, and the Global Food Security Act of 2016. The key mechanism is the formal repeal of the foundation's enabling statute, with conforming changes to other laws to update references. This is a procedural change that ends the agency's existence without creating new spending or policy rules.

Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act or the SAVE America Act This bill requires individuals to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote, and requires photo identification to vote, in federal elections. Specifically, the bill prohibits states from accepting and processing an application to register to vote in a federal election unless the applicant presents documentary proof of U.S. citizenship. The bill specifies what documents are considered acceptable proof of U.S. citizenship, such as identification that complies with the REAL ID Act of 2005 that indicates U.S. citizenship. Further, the bill (1) prohibits states from registering an individual to vote in a federal election unless, at the time the individual applies to register to vote, the individual provides documentary proof of U.S. citizenship; and (2) requires states to establish an alternative process to demonstrate U.S. citizenship. Each state must take affirmative steps on an ongoing basis to ensure that only U.S. citizens are registered to vote, which shall include establishing a program to identify individuals who are not U.S. citizens using information supplied by certain sources. Additionally, states must remove noncitizens from their official lists of eligible voters. The bill (1) provides for a private right of action for certain violations, and (2) establishes criminal penalties for certain offenses. Individuals voting in federal elections must present an eligible photo identification document. An individual who votes by absentee ballot must submit a copy of their identification document with both the request for, and the submission of, the absentee ballot.