Sen. Chris Van Hollen

Energy Efficiency for Affordable Housing Act This bill increases the amount of the low-income housing tax credit for rehabilitation expenditures for buildings, including those in high cost areas, that achieve enhanced energy performance.

Maddy summaryThis bill reauthorizes U.S. programs to promote human rights in North Korea through 2028. It extends funding for humanitarian assistance, supports broadcasting into North Korea to provide outside information, and requires the appointment of a Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Issues. The bill also mandates reports on how North Korea has exploited humanitarian aid, adds sanctions for countries that forcibly repatriate North Korean refugees, and provides guidelines to help North Korean refugees resettle in the U.S. The primary beneficiaries are North Korean citizens facing human rights abuses and North Korean refugees seeking safety and resettlement.

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 summaryThe Preserve Access to Affordable Generics and Biosimilars Act prohibits "reverse payment" settlements where brand-name drug companies pay generic competitors to delay market entry, treating such agreements as anticompetitive violations of the Federal Trade Commission Act. The bill empowers the FTC to enforce these rules through civil penalties that can reach up to three times the value transferred in the settlement and allows for the forfeiture of a generic company's 180-day exclusivity period if they violate the new law. It also requires executives to certify that all settlement documents filed with regulators are complete and accurate, including any related oral agreements or contingent conditions. These provisions apply to both traditional generic drugs and biosimilar biological products to ensure that patent disputes do not unduly restrict consumer access to lower-cost alternatives.

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 requires the removal of statues in the U.S. Capitol that honor individuals who served in the Confederate States of America. The Architect of the Capitol must identify and remove these statues within 120 days of enactment, with states able to request the return of statues they provided (at their own cost) or have them stored by the Capitol. The bill appropriates $2 million for removal, transfer, storage, and security costs related to the process. It directly affects the Capitol's display of statues, the Architect of the Capitol, and states that originally contributed such statues. The law amends existing rules to exclude Confederate service from eligibility for Capitol statues.

Maddy summaryThe Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act helps people with disabilities transition from jobs where they're paid below minimum wage (under special certificates) to regular community jobs. It creates grant programs for states to assist employers in moving from special certificate employment to paying at least minimum wage (or customary wage for similar work) and provides technical assistance for this shift. The bill phases out special certificates by gradually increasing wage rates over 5 years (from 60% to 100% of minimum wage) and prohibits new special certificates after enactment. Existing special certificates will expire 5 years after the law takes effect, with states required to help employers transition to competitive integrated employment models.