Maddy summaryThe Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act requires employers to provide detailed paystubs showing wage calculations, timely final payments within 14 days of termination, and strengthens workers' ability to recover stolen wages. It increases civil penalties for wage theft violations from $10,000 to $22,030 per employee affected for initial violations, and extends the statute of limitations for wage theft claims from 2-3 years to 4-5 years. The bill creates a $50 million grant program to fund community partnerships that prevent wage theft and assist workers in recovering unpaid wages. These provisions target widespread wage theft that disproportionately affects low-wage workers, women, immigrants, and racial and ethnic minorities.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryThis bill (S 2757) freezes current payment rates for veterans' transportation services provided through "special modes" (like non-emergency medical transport) starting January 1, 2023, preventing the VA from lowering these rates without strict conditions. It directly affects veterans relying on these transportation services and the contractors providing them. The key provision allows rate increases but requires the VA to conduct a detailed economic impact review, consult with veterans' groups and industry experts, and ensure new rates cover actual costs before any decrease can occur. This aims to protect veterans' access to care by preventing rate cuts that could disrupt transportation services.
Maddy summaryS 2745, the Veterans Affairs Peer Review Neutrality Act of 2023, requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to eliminate conflicts of interest in medical quality reviews and investigations. It mandates that VA staff involved in peer reviews or administrative investigations must recuse themselves if they have direct involvement with the care being reviewed, personal bias, or a supervisory relationship with the subject. The bill also requires the VA Secretary to notify Congress within 90 days when a medical center director is detailed to another position, including details about the new role and expected absence, and to appoint an acting director within 120 days. Additionally, it limits how long a director can be detailed away from their position (180 days, with limited 90-day waivers), requiring them to return or trigger a new hiring process unless an investigation is ongoing.
Maddy summaryThe SWIFT Act (S 2741) amends Social Security benefits for widows, widowers, and surviving divorced spouses with disabilities. It eliminates age restrictions for disability benefits (previously requiring age 50-60), removes reductions for benefits claimed before retirement age, and increases the age limit for child-in-care benefits from 16 to 18 (or 19 for full-time students). The bill creates new provisions to increase survivor benefits for those who delay claiming benefits, with effective dates starting January 1, 2025. It also requires the Social Security Administration to provide a booklet explaining survivors' benefits and mail it to survivors following a death on or after January 1, 2025. This legislation directly affects individuals qualifying for survivor benefits under Social Security, particularly those with disabilities or caring for children.
Maddy summaryThis bill repeals a federal provision (subsection (b) of section 14 of the National Labor Relations Act) that allowed states to enact "right-to-work" laws. These laws prohibit mandatory union membership as a condition of employment. By removing this federal barrier, the bill would prevent states from passing or enforcing such laws, directly affecting workers in states with existing right-to-work statutes. The key mechanism is the federal preemption of state right-to-work laws, making union membership voluntary nationwide without requiring state action.
Maddy summaryThis bill requires the Supreme Court to establish a code of conduct for justices within 180 days of enactment, with public access to these rules on the Court's website. It sets minimum disclosure standards for gifts, income, and reimbursements received by justices and their law clerks, and strengthens recusal requirements when justices have financial ties to parties in cases. The bill creates procedures for filing complaints about justices' conduct and establishes a judicial investigation panel to review such complaints, while also requiring parties and amicus curiae to disclose gifts to justices and lobbying activities related to the nomination of justices. These provisions aim to increase transparency and accountability in Supreme Court operations.
Maddy summaryThis joint resolution directs the Archivist of the United States to immediately certify and publish the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) as the 28th Amendment to the Constitution, claiming it was validly ratified after Virginia became the 38th state to approve it in 2020. It asserts that the ERA meets all constitutional requirements under Article V, including the completion of ratification by three-fourths of states (38 states total), and references historical precedents like the 27th Amendment’s delayed certification. The resolution does not alter legal rights or create new law - it solely addresses the Archivist’s statutory duty under 1 U.S.C. §106b to formally recognize the ERA’s ratification. It affects only the Archivist’s office, requiring them to fulfill a procedural step without delay.
Maddy summarySRES 319 is a non-binding Senate resolution (introduced July 27, 2023) that declares racism a public health crisis in the United States. It cites documented health disparities affecting racial and ethnic minorities, including lower life expectancy for Black and Native American people, higher maternal mortality rates, and disproportionate COVID-19 impacts. The resolution commits the Senate to developing a nationwide strategy to dismantle systemic racism, address health inequities, and advance reforms targeting social determinants of health. It directly affects all racial and ethnic minority communities facing these documented health disparities, though it does not create new laws or allocate funding.
Financing Our Energy Future Act This bill expands the types of partnerships that qualify for treatment as publicly traded partnerships instead of as corporations for tax purposes. Under current law, partnerships that meet certain gross income requirements (i.e., at least 90% of the partnership's gross income in a taxable year consists of qualifying income) are excepted from being treated as a corporation for tax purposes. This bill expands the sources of income that are considered qualifying income and make a partnership eligible for such an exception. Specifically, the bill provides that income derived from the generation of specified alternative energy, alternative fuel projects, or the associated property, storage, or transportation for such projects (e.g., the conversion of renewable biomass into renewable fuel or the storage or transportation of such fuel) is considered qualifying income.
Maddy summaryThis bill (S 2647, SHINE for Autumn Act of 2023) provides federal funding to improve stillbirth data collection, research, and education. It authorizes $5 million annually for states to collect stillbirth data using existing health records while protecting privacy, $1 million for developing standardized data collection guidelines and public educational materials, and $3 million for specialized training programs in perinatal pathology and stillbirth research. The bill directly affects state health departments, medical professionals (like obstetricians and pathologists), and families impacted by stillbirth through improved data systems and educational resources. Key provisions require standardized data reporting, consultation with affected families and healthcare providers, and mandatory reports on program progress within five years of enactment.