Sen. Jon Tester

Maddy summaryThis bill increases funding for two key U.S. agricultural export promotion programs. It raises the annual budget for the Market Access Program from $200 million to $400 million and for the Foreign Market Development Cooperator Program from $34.5 million to $69 million, extending these funding levels through 2029 (previously capped at 2023). The bill directly affects U.S. agricultural producers and exporters, including those growing commodities like soybeans, beef, dairy, and wheat, by providing more resources to access international markets. These changes aim to counter competitive disadvantages from foreign competitors and address years of stagnant funding adjusted for inflation.

Maddy summaryS.140 updates federal theft laws to specifically address organized retail crime by raising the monetary threshold for prosecution to $5,000 in stolen goods over 12 months and expanding definitions to include coordinated theft operations. It creates a new Homeland Security Coordination Center within 90 days to unify federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement efforts with retailers. The center will share threat intelligence, track crime trends, and produce annual public reports on organized retail crime patterns. These changes directly affect retailers facing financial losses, law enforcement agencies, and criminal organizations profiting from theft.

Maddy summaryS 52, the American Beef Labeling Act of 2023, requires mandatory country of origin labeling for beef and ground beef products sold in the U.S. It directly affects beef producers, importers, and retailers who must label the country where cattle were raised. The bill amends existing labeling laws to explicitly include beef (and ground beef) alongside lamb, and directs the U.S. Trade Representative and Agriculture Secretary to develop a WTO-compliant method to reinstate this labeling within 180 days of enactment, with full implementation required within one year. This policy change ensures consumers receive clear origin information for beef products.

Maddy summaryThe BUILD for Veterans Act of 2023 aims to improve how the Department of Veterans Affairs manages its physical infrastructure, including buildings, land, and related assets used to deliver health care and services to veterans. Key provisions require the VA to establish dedicated staffing for capital asset management at medical centers, develop performance metrics to track progress, and create a comprehensive 10-year strategic plan addressing staffing, budgeting, and planning needs. The bill also mandates climate resilience reviews for VA facilities, centralized management of asset disposal and reuse, and regular reports to Congress on capital asset projects, funding requirements, and performance metrics. These changes directly affect VA's operations across all medical centers, facilities, and infrastructure assets under its jurisdiction, aiming to make capital asset management more efficient and responsive to veterans' needs.

Maddy summarySJRES 3 proposes a constitutional amendment to clarify that the U.S. Constitution's rights apply only to natural persons, not to corporations, limited liability companies, or other business entities. It would define terms like "person," "citizen," and "people" to exclude such entities and affirm that Congress and state governments retain authority to regulate them. The amendment does not alter rights for natural persons but aims to resolve ambiguity about corporate constitutional status. This resolution must be ratified by three-fourths of state legislatures to become part of the Constitution.

Sunlight for Unaccountable Non-profits (SUN) Act This bill expands the disclosure requirements for certain tax-exempt organizations. This bill requires the annual tax return information for tax-exempt organizations and deferred compensation plans to be made available to the public at no charge and in an open structured data format that is processable by computers, with the information easy to find, access, reuse, and download in bulk. The bill also requires the disclosure of the names and addresses of contributors of $5,000 or more to tax-exempt organizations that participate or intervene in political campaigns on behalf of, or in opposition to, any candidate for public office.

National Cemeteries Preservation and Protection Act of 2022 This act addresses the administration and jurisdiction of national cemeteries. Specifically, the act requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to pay a plot or interment allowance for a veteran if the veteran was buried before March 15, 2022, in a cemetery on trust land owned by, or held in trust for, a tribal organization, and the organization that maintains or operates the cemetery applies for such allowance. Such allowance is only authorized if a plot or interment allowance was not already paid for the burial of such veteran. The act also authorizes the VA to designate green burial sections in national cemeteries (i.e., sections of cemeteries in which the remains of individuals have been prepared for interment in a manner not involving chemicals or embalming fluids and have been interred in a natural manner or completely biodegradable burial receptacle). The act authorizes the Department of the Army to transfer certain lands to the VA to expand the Fort Bliss National Cemetery. In addition, the act authorizes the Department of the Interior to transfer certain land to the VA for the land to be used as a national cemetery. Finally, the act prohibits persons who have committed certain crimes from being interred or memorialized in a cemetery in the National Cemetery Administration or in Arlington National Cemetery.

Low Power Protection Act This act provides for a one-year period during which eligible low-power television stations may apply to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for Class A licenses. To be eligible, a station must serve a media market with a limited number of television households, broadcast a minimum number of hours, and meet other requirements. A low-power station with a Class A license obtains certain broadcast rights, including primary status with respect to its allocation of the electromagnetic spectrum. (Typically, low-power stations have secondary status and may be displaced from their spectrum in the event the FCC reallocates it to a primary user.)

Law Enforcement De-Escalation Training Act of 2022 This act directs the Department of Justice (DOJ) to develop scenario-based training curricula (or identify existing curricula) that includes topics such as alternatives to the use of force, de-escalation tactics, and safely responding to an individual experiencing a mental, behavioral health, or suicidal crisis. The act also directs DOJ to make grants to states for costs associated with providing the training to law enforcement officers or mental health professionals.

Iran Hostages Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to the 53 hostages of the Iran Hostage Crisis (November 4, 1979-January 21, 1981) in recognition of their bravery and endurance throughout their captivity.