Sen. Tom Cotton

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to clearly inform veterans about their rights regarding healthcare, benefits, and services. It directly affects veterans using VA services and VA employees, mandating that the VA integrate 10 specific rights into all policies, training, and communications. Key provisions include ensuring veterans receive respectful treatment, transparent claim updates, access to community care, protection from retaliation for seeking care, and clear grievance processes. The VA must display these rights prominently at facilities, in its mobile app, and during military transition programs, with annual staff training and facility audits. The bill does not create new legal rights but codifies existing expectations for VA accountability and veteran communication.

Maddy summaryThe Critical Infrastructure Airspace Defense Act grants owners and operators of high-risk facilities, such as power plants and substations, the legal authority to detect, track, and neutralize unauthorized drones threatening their safety. To use this power, personnel must complete a federally mandated training and certification program that ensures they follow specific operational standards and coordinate with aviation authorities. The legislation also provides $250 million in funding through 2031 to help these facilities purchase and install approved drone countermeasures while offering liability protection for authorized actions taken in good faith.

Maddy summaryThis bill extends the authority under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act for an additional 18 months, setting the expiration date to October 20, 2027. The provision allows federal intelligence agencies to collect certain communications from non-U.S. persons located outside the United States without individual warrants, primarily for foreign intelligence purposes. By amending existing laws from 2008, the bill updates the expiration timeline for these surveillance powers rather than creating new authorities. The change directly affects intelligence agencies' ability to conduct ongoing foreign intelligence collection activities under current legal frameworks.

Maddy summaryThe Stop Climate Shakedowns Act of 2026 prohibits individuals and organizations from filing lawsuits or seeking damages against energy companies for alleged harms caused by climate change or greenhouse gas emissions. This legislation declares that regulating emissions is exclusively a federal responsibility and voids any state laws that attempt to hold energy businesses liable for past or future environmental damage. Consequently, the bill bars courts from hearing these cases and requires any pending lawsuits of this nature to be immediately dismissed. By defining "climate suits" broadly to include claims based on marketing or warnings, the law aims to prevent states from imposing financial penalties on the energy sector.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to review new drug applications from companies based in China to determine if they are affiliated with the Chinese government, Communist Party, or military. If an application comes from such an affiliated entity, the FDA will deny approval for the drug, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection will refuse entry and destroy any imported drugs from these sponsors. The law also allows for a process where affected companies can prove they are no longer affiliated or sell their drug rights to a non-affiliated company within 180 days to avoid having their products blocked. Additionally, the bill authorizes $5 million in funding to carry out these review and enforcement activities.

Maddy summaryThe Safer Prisons Act of 2026 increases the maximum prison sentence and fine for individuals convicted of assaulting correctional officers at the Bureau of Prisons. This change specifically targets attacks on federal prison staff by doubling the potential punishment compared to similar assaults on other law enforcement officers. The bill amends existing federal law to ensure that violence against these specific officers carries a heavier penalty.

Maddy summaryThe ENDS Chinese Vapes Act of 2026 increases civil penalties for individuals or companies that smuggle unauthorized electronic nicotine delivery systems, such as vapes, into the United States. Under this bill, fines are calculated based on the number of devices and the severity of the violation, ranging from $500 for negligence to $5,000 for fraud per unit. The law also allows for higher penalties if the shipment involved transshipment through a third country or if the violator has committed similar offenses within the last three years. These changes apply to any entity attempting to bring unapproved vaping products into the country after the bill is enacted.

Maddy summaryThe JOAN Act streamlines the approval process for natural gas projects by designating the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission as the sole lead agency for environmental reviews and establishing strict deadlines for all involved federal and state agencies to complete their permitting steps. To speed up legal challenges, the bill creates a single, exclusive court process for lawsuits against these projects, which must be resolved within 180 days and limits the ability of courts to issue long-term injunctions or order new evidence gathering. Additionally, the legislation allows project sponsors to continue construction on unaffected parts of a project while legal disputes are ongoing and requires agencies to accept data gathered through remote surveys like aerial photography.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires federal agencies to submit proposed regulations affecting power generation for review by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) before finalizing them. It directly affects agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Energy (DOE) when they develop rules related to power plants or grid operations. The key mechanism mandates that if FERC’s Electric Reliability Organization (ERO) identifies a risk of insufficient power supply, the Commission must notify relevant agencies and require them to submit their regulations for review. FERC can then comment on reliability impacts and recommend modifications to avoid disruptions, with agencies needing to address these comments before finalizing rules.

Maddy summaryThe Multilateral Alignment of Technology Controls on Hardware (MATCH) Act seeks to prevent countries of concern, such as China, from obtaining advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment. It directs U.S. agencies to identify critical semiconductor manufacturing technology and facilities in these countries and immediately engage allied nations to adopt equivalent export controls, including denying licenses for exports and servicing to targeted facilities. The bill mandates the U.S. to implement its own countrywide controls on relevant U.S.-produced equipment and comprehensive restrictions on identified foreign facilities within 150 days. If an allied country fails to implement comparable controls after diplomatic efforts are exhausted, the U.S. will extend its jurisdiction to control the export and servicing of covered equipment originating from that allied nation. This legislation primarily affects U.S. and allied semiconductor manufacturing equipment producers, as well as specific foreign entities and facilities in countries of concern.