Maddy summaryThe Affordable College Textbook Act (S 740) establishes a federal grant program to help colleges and universities adopt open educational resources (OER), primarily open textbooks, to reduce student costs. It authorizes the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to institutions or consortia for creating, adapting, or promoting OER, requiring projects to include faculty input, accessibility standards, and plans for tracking savings and educational impact. The bill also amends the Higher Education Act to mandate that colleges disclose textbook prices and OER availability on course schedules, and requires publishers to share data collection practices for digital materials. These provisions directly affect students (by lowering textbook costs), faculty (through OER adoption requirements), and institutions (via reporting obligations). The law focuses on creating sustainable, accessible alternatives to traditional textbooks rather than direct price controls.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryThis resolution (SRES 93) expresses the Senate's view that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) should not face funding disruptions or operational delays that violate existing law. It specifically highlights the importance of uninterrupted NIH work on research for diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and heart disease. The resolution emphasizes that NIH scientists and researchers are essential to medical progress and public health efforts. As a symbolic resolution, it does not change funding laws or create new policies - it solely states the Senate’s position on protecting NIH operations.
Maddy summaryThe Leveling the Playing Field 2.0 Act establishes special rules for handling successive antidumping and countervailing duty investigations, requiring the Department of Commerce to consider prior injury determinations when making new findings. It addresses market distortions from foreign government subsidies and currency undervaluation by expanding how the U.S. calculates fair trade values for imported goods. The bill also creates new procedures to prevent circumvention of existing duties (such as by changing product descriptions to avoid tariffs) and requires importers to certify that merchandise isn't subject to existing duties. These changes primarily affect U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Department of Commerce, and importers of goods from countries that may be engaging in trade-distorting practices.
Maddy summaryThis bill modifies federal transit funding rules to allow transit agencies to make advance payments for new buses without requiring pre-approval or performance bonds from manufacturers. It directly affects public transit agencies purchasing bus rolling stock by permitting advance payments up to 20% of the total contract value. Key provisions require agencies to have a signed contract with the manufacturer, preaward authority, and compliance with existing requirements under sections 5318(e) and 5323(m) of Title 49. The change streamlines procurement but maintains strict limits on advance payment amounts and conditions.
Maddy summaryThis bill (S 634) amends U.S. Code § 4001 to prohibit federal authorities from detaining individuals solely based on protected characteristics. It directly affects anyone detained by federal law enforcement, banning detention based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or any additional characteristic the Attorney General designates. The key provision adds a new subsection requiring that no one be imprisoned or detained "based solely on an actual or perceived protected characteristic," with the Attorney General having authority to expand the list of protected traits. This creates a clear legal standard to prevent discriminatory detention practices under federal law.
Maddy summaryThe Healthy Poultry Assistance and Indemnification Act of 2025 requires the U.S. Department of Agriculture to compensate poultry growers and egg-laying facility owners when their operations are in a USDA-designated "control area" (a zone established due to animal health threats like disease outbreaks). Compensation equals the average income from the owner's five most recent flocks multiplied by the number of flocks they were prohibited from raising during the control period, but cannot exceed the difference between this amount and any other compensation received. Payments must be made within 60 days of the owner's request. This bill directly assists poultry producers facing income loss due to USDA-mandated restrictions during disease control efforts.
Maddy summaryThis bill amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to include "rural-area small businesses" in existing exemptions that currently apply to women-owned small businesses. It directly affects rural small businesses by expanding their access to certain capital-raising provisions under federal securities law. The key change inserts "rural-area small businesses" into two specific sections of the law, allowing them to qualify for the same capital access exemptions previously reserved for women-owned businesses. This is a technical adjustment to existing securities rules, not a new funding program.
Maddy summaryThis bill amends the Clean Air Act to expand fuel options for retailers and support small refineries. It allows fuel blends containing 10-15% ethanol to meet vapor pressure requirements during high ozone seasons, replacing previous state-specific limits with a nationwide standard. Additionally, it enables small refineries to reclaim retired renewable fuel credits from 2016-2018 compliance years or apply them to future obligations under specific conditions. The changes directly affect fuel retailers selling ethanol-blended gasoline and small refineries participating in the renewable fuel program.
Credit Union Board Modernization Act This bill revises the required frequency of meetings held by a credit union's board of directors. Specifically, new credit unions and credit unions with a low soundness rating must meet monthly. All other credit unions must hold at least six meetings annually, with at least one meeting held during each fiscal quarter. Currently, all credit union boards must meet at least once a month.
Maddy summaryThis bill allows states to waive the 35-mile rule for certain rural hospitals seeking Critical Access Hospital (CAH) designation under Medicare. It targets hospitals that are sole community hospitals, Medicare-dependent small rural hospitals, low-volume hospitals, or subsection (d) hospitals located in high-poverty or health professional shortage areas, with two consecutive years of negative margins. To qualify, hospitals must commit to adding high-demand services like obstetrics or behavioral health and submit annual reports on these services. The bill caps total CAH designations at 120 nationwide (5 per state) and requires transition to new payment models after 9 years. It also mandates studies by GAO and MedPAC to evaluate impacts on access and costs.