Sen. Marco Rubio

Maddy summaryThe ONSHORE Manufacturing Act of 2023 establishes a federal program to provide financial assistance (up to $500 million per project, with a minimum $100 million investment) to private companies and consortia for building or upgrading facilities that process rare earth elements into finished products like magnets and alloys. The program prioritizes projects that will supply the Department of Defense, defense industry, or critical energy infrastructure, with requirements to prevent foreign entities of concern from benefiting. It includes workforce development initiatives to train workers for rare earth processing jobs and establishes a Minerals Security Partnership Fund to support international collaboration on secure rare earth supply chains. The bill authorizes $1.5 billion for fiscal year 2024 and $200 million annually through 2028 for these programs.

Maddy summaryThe American Shores Protection Act of 2023 extends a moratorium on offshore oil and gas leasing along the coasts of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina until June 30, 2032. It specifically adds two new areas - the South Atlantic Planning Area and the Straits of Florida Planning Area - to the existing moratorium. The bill ensures existing oil and gas leases remain valid but allows exceptions for environmental projects like shore protection, beach restoration, wetlands conservation, and habitat preservation. This directly affects federal leasing decisions and the offshore energy industry in these coastal states.

Maddy summaryThis bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to partner with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals to review U.S. domestic biopharmaceutical manufacturing capacity. It requires assessing current capabilities and their adaptability to public health threats, then drafting recommendations for new manufacturing technologies to address gaps. The review will also identify opportunities to align federal technology with private-sector advances through BARDA's BioMAP initiative and improve overall public health preparedness. The bill does not create new regulations but establishes a process for evaluating and strengthening the nation's biopharmaceutical manufacturing foundation.

Maddy summaryS 35, the New Parents Act of 2023, would create a Social Security-funded parental leave benefit for eligible workers. It provides up to 3 months of paid leave (calculated based on future retirement benefits) for parents of biological or adopted children under 18, requiring applicants to meet Social Security coverage thresholds (8 quarters total, 4 in the past year) and attest to using the leave for childcare. The benefit must be repaid through reduced retirement benefits (up to 60 months) or an increased retirement age, with repayment details projected online. The bill includes fraud prevention measures, clarifies no preemption of state laws, and includes a sunset clause if the Social Security trust fund ratio falls below 20%.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits the U.S. Department of Defense from requiring defense contractors to report greenhouse gas emissions. It specifically bans the Secretary of Defense from mandating any "greenhouse gas inventory" or reports on Scope 1, Scope 2, or Scope 3 emissions from contractors holding federal defense contracts. The law directly affects defense contractors who would otherwise have been required to track and disclose their emissions data. It removes a specific reporting requirement for contractors under Defense Department contracts, without altering other environmental regulations.

Maddy summaryThe American Innovation and Manufacturing Act establishes a Small Business and Domestic Production Recovery Investment Facility to support small manufacturing businesses with North American Industry Classification System codes beginning with 31, 32, or 33. The facility will provide financial assistance to participating investment companies that facilitate equity financing for eligible small manufacturers, with $10 billion authorized for the first fiscal year. Participating investment companies must invest at least 50% of their funds in eligible small businesses and share profits with the Administration, with bonds having a 15-year term at 2% interest. The program includes specific provisions for bond terms, profit sharing, and requirements for participating investment companies to ensure capital flows to domestic manufacturing. The goal is to strengthen domestic manufacturing supply chains by increasing access to capital for small manufacturing businesses.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits the Department of Defense from imposing new COVID-19 vaccine mandates without explicit congressional approval. It directly affects military members discharged or facing adverse actions (like separation or rank reduction) solely due to refusing the vaccine. Key provisions require the DoD to adjust discharges to "honorable," reinstate members to their prior rank, expunge adverse records related to vaccination status, and provide back pay for lost benefits. The bill also mandates equal retention and promotion opportunities for unvaccinated service members and creates exemption processes for specific cases like natural immunity or religious objections. These changes apply regardless of whether members previously sought vaccine accommodations.

Maddy summaryThis bill proposes a constitutional amendment that would limit Members of Congress to a maximum of three terms in the House of Representatives and two terms in the Senate. It specifies that filling a vacancy for more than one year in the House or more than three years in the Senate counts toward these term limits. The amendment would not apply to terms served before its ratification. If approved by three-fourths of state legislatures within seven years, it would change how long representatives and senators could serve. This is a proposed constitutional change, not current law.

Maddy summaryThis bill raises the reporting threshold for payment platforms like PayPal or Venmo. It requires these platforms to report transaction data only if a business receives over $20,000 in payments across more than 200 transactions in a year. This change directly affects payment processors and their business users by reducing the volume of transactions they must report to the IRS.

Maddy summaryS 16, the Protecting Life on College Campus Act of 2023, prohibits federal funding for colleges and universities that host campus health clinics providing abortion drugs or abortions to students or employees. It requires these institutions to submit annual certifications confirming their clinics do not offer such services, with funding eligibility contingent on this compliance. The bill defines "abortion drugs" broadly as any medication intended to terminate a pregnancy (excluding specific medical exceptions), and clarifies that campus health clinics - not hospitals - are covered under this restriction. This policy directly affects public and private institutions of higher education receiving federal funds, altering their funding eligibility based on campus health service offerings.