Maddy summaryS 582 (Sunshine Protection Act of 2023) would make daylight saving time permanent across the United States, eliminating the need to change clocks twice yearly. It repeals the 1966 law requiring seasonal time changes and adjusts time zone offset language to reflect permanent daylight saving time (e.g., changing "4 hours" to "3 hours" in time zone rules). The bill directly affects all states and territories currently observing daylight saving time, with a specific exemption for states or areas that had already opted out of the Uniform Time Act before this bill's enactment. Key provisions include permanently adopting daylight saving time as standard time and allowing previously exempt states to maintain their existing time practices. This is a procedural change to federal timekeeping law, not a new policy affecting other areas.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryS 617, the COAST Anti-Drilling Act, prohibits the federal government from issuing oil and gas leases in four specific offshore areas: the Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic, North Atlantic, and Straits of Florida planning areas. The bill amends federal law to require the Secretary of the Interior to deny all permits for exploration, development, or production of oil, natural gas, or minerals in these regions. This directly affects oil and gas companies seeking to operate in those federal waters and aims to prevent offshore drilling activities in these coastal zones.
Maddy summaryThis bill repeals two provisions that reduce Social Security benefits for certain public-sector retirees. It eliminates the government pension offset (GPO), which currently cuts Social Security checks for people with government pensions, and removes the windfall elimination provision (WEP), which reduces benefits for those with pensions from jobs not covered by Social Security. The changes directly affect public employees (like teachers, firefighters, and state/local government workers) who have pensions from jobs that didn't pay into Social Security. The bill takes effect for Social Security benefits paid after December 2023, restoring full benefits for eligible retirees.
Maddy summaryThis bill changes how often federal credit unions must hold board meetings based on their performance ratings. For all federal credit unions, boards must meet at least monthly for the first 5 years after their charter is approved. After that, credit unions rated 1 or 2 (highest performance) must meet at least 6 times yearly (with one per quarter), while those rated 3-5 must meet monthly. The bill directly affects all federal credit unions by adjusting their board meeting requirements according to their Uniform Financial Institutions Rating System score. These changes aim to align meeting frequency with credit union performance and oversight needs.
Maddy summaryThis is a ceremonial Senate resolution (SRES 85), not a law. It formally congratulates the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) on its 85th anniversary and commends the union and its members for their service. The resolution highlights NTEU's history of advocating for federal employees, including securing civil service protections and promoting workplace policies like telework. It does not create new laws, affect any policies, or change government operations - it is solely a symbolic gesture of recognition.
Maddy summaryThis resolution designates February 6-10, 2023, as "National School Counseling Week" in the U.S. Senate. It symbolically recognizes the role of school counselors in supporting students' academic, social, and emotional development. The resolution encourages public awareness of counselors' contributions to student success and school safety but does not create new policies, funding, or requirements. It directly affects school counselors and communities by highlighting their work during this designated week.
Maddy summaryThis bill authorizes Congress to award a single gold medal to the First Rhode Island Regiment collectively, recognizing their service during the Revolutionary War. The medal, designed by the Treasury Secretary, will be permanently displayed at the Rhode Island State Library, with Congress encouraging its use for research and potential display at other historically significant locations. Bronze duplicates may be sold to cover production costs, and all medals are classified as national medals under U.S. law. The bill directly honors the regiment, which in 1778 became one of the first integrated units in American history by recruiting over 200 Black and Indigenous soldiers.
Maddy summaryThis bill amends the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 to clarify that the Secretary of the Interior may take land into trust for **any federally recognized Indian tribe**, updating the original language that referenced tribes "under Federal jurisdiction." It specifically **ratifies and confirms past land trust actions** taken for tribes recognized by the federal government at the time of those actions, preventing legal challenges based on recognition status. The bill explicitly states it **does not change other federal laws** or the Secretary's authority under them, and references to the Indian Reorganization Act in other laws will now include this amendment. This directly affects federally recognized tribes seeking land trust status and the Department of the Interior's administrative processes.
Maddy summaryThis bill changes how credit unions can serve as "agents" for the National Credit Union Administration's Central Liquidity Facility (CLF), which provides emergency funding. It replaces a current rule where the NCUA Board could decide which credit unions qualify as agents with a new rule making all credit unions automatically eligible. However, this change includes a 3-year "sunset," meaning it will expire 3 years after the bill becomes law unless renewed. The policy directly affects credit unions that access the CLF for liquidity support, altering their eligibility without ongoing NCUA discretion.
Maddy summarySRES 72 is a non-binding Senate resolution passed on February 16, 2023, declaring that Russia’s actions in Ukraine meet the legal definition of genocide under the 1948 Genocide Convention. It cites specific atrocities, including mass killings of civilians, deliberate destruction of infrastructure (like hospitals and farmland), forced displacement of Ukrainians, and systematic sexual violence, as evidence of intent to destroy the Ukrainian people. The resolution calls on the U.S. government to support Ukraine, back international accountability efforts, and urges the President to impose sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act on those responsible. As a symbolic resolution, it does not create new laws but formally recognizes the Senate’s position on Russia’s conduct.