Sen. Margaret Wood Hassan

Maddy summaryThis bill requires Medicare to simplify access for family caregivers to beneficiaries' health information. It mandates that Medicare create a new authorization form (CMS-10106) allowing beneficiaries to grant caregivers access to their personal health data via 1-800-MEDICARE. The law also directs Medicare to provide clear outreach through notices, websites, and provider channels, including multilingual materials and training for call center staff. It requires the Secretary to develop fraud protection best practices within one year and ensure all Medicare beneficiaries - regardless of plan type - can authorize caregiver access.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a federal working group under the Department of Health and Human Services to standardize how loneliness (a subjective feeling) and isolation (an objective lack of social contact) are measured across government and healthcare. The Working Group, composed of HHS agencies and state representatives from areas with high/low mental health practitioner shortages, will develop consistent metrics and definitions for research, public health initiatives, and healthcare tools. It requires the group to submit a report to Congress within one year of enactment, detailing recommendations for unified measurement standards. The effort is limited to improving data collection methods and expires by December 31, 2027.

Maddy summaryThe Scam Compound Accountability and Mobilization Act establishes a strategy to combat cyber-enabled fraud operations run by transnational criminal organizations from "scam compounds" that use human trafficking victims for forced criminality. The bill requires the State Department to create a global strategy within 180 days of enactment, identify enabling countries (those permitting scam operations) and impacted countries, and coordinate international efforts to prevent recruitment fraud and support trafficking survivors. It authorizes sanctions against foreign individuals or entities that support scam operations, including financial sanctions, visa restrictions, and asset seizures. The strategy will be implemented through an interagency task force that will monitor progress, update the strategy as needed, and report annually to Congress. The bill expires seven years after enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to commission an independent study comparing the quality of mental health and addiction therapy care provided by VA health care providers versus non-VA providers. The study must assess key factors like health outcome improvements, use of evidence-based practices, coordination between providers, veteran satisfaction, and care for veterans with co-occurring conditions. It will cover various treatment settings - including telehealth, inpatient, and outpatient care - and must be completed within 18 months, with results published publicly. The study directly affects veterans receiving mental health or addiction therapy services through VA or non-VA providers. The bill does not change benefits or funding but aims to gather data to inform future care decisions.

Maddy summarySRES 533 is a non-binding Senate resolution condemning white supremacy, hate, and antisemitism, with specific focus on the promotion of these ideologies by white supremacist Nick Fuentes and his platforming by Tucker Carlson. It highlights Fuentes' Holocaust denial, antisemitic conspiracy theories (like the "Great Replacement" myth), and use of dog whistles, while criticizing Carlson for hosting Fuentes without challenge and Heritage Foundation's Kevin Roberts for defending such views. The resolution urges all elected officials and leaders to reject these ideologies whenever they occur, and affirms condemnation of Nazism and the Holocaust. As a formal expression of Senate opinion, it does not create new laws but serves as a public stance against harmful rhetoric.

Maddy summarySRES 531 is a non-binding Senate resolution celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) on November 29, 2025. It recognizes IDEA's historical role in guaranteeing children with disabilities access to free appropriate public education in inclusive settings, transforming educational opportunities for millions. The resolution honors students, families, educators, and advocates who advanced IDEA's principles since its 1975 enactment. It does not create new policy but formally acknowledges the law's enduring impact on educational equity.

Maddy summaryThe PBM Price Transparency and Accountability Act requires pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to be more transparent about drug pricing and ensure accurate payments to pharmacies. It establishes national average drug acquisition cost benchmarks for Medicaid, prohibits PBMs from keeping excessive profits through "spread pricing," and mandates detailed reporting of drug pricing, rebates, and fees. The bill affects Medicaid programs, Medicare Part D plans, and the PBMs that negotiate drug prices on behalf of insurers. It includes enforcement mechanisms like civil penalties for non-compliance and requires PBMs to report detailed pricing information to the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates two pathways to help high school students earn college credit while in high school and graduate early. The "early college fast track pathway" allows students to take college-level courses (like AP, IB, or dual enrollment) that count toward a degree, while the "early high school graduation pathway" lets students graduate in 3 years without needing remedial college courses and provides a scholarship for college. States would receive federal grants to implement these pathways, requiring them to align high school curriculum with college requirements, create statewide credit transfer agreements, and ensure credit transfer between institutions. The bill also changes Pell Grant rules to allow eligible high school students in these pathways to receive Pell Grants without counting toward the usual 12-semester limit. It requires states to track participation and outcomes, particularly for historically underrepresented students.

Maddy summaryThis Senate resolution (SRES 525) condemns the Iranian government's ongoing, state-sponsored persecution of the Baha'i minority, citing decades of systemic abuses including executions, job dismissals, education bans, and property confiscations. It references UN reports and Human Rights Watch findings documenting Iran's violation of international human rights treaties, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The resolution calls on Iran to immediately release imprisoned Baha'is, end discriminatory policies restricting their education and employment, and cease hate propaganda, while urging the U.S. President and Secretary of State to impose sanctions on Iranian officials responsible for these abuses.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes two federal prize competitions to advance research on two key AI safety areas: interpretability (making AI decisions understandable to humans) and adversarial robustness (resisting malicious attacks that cause harmful outputs). The Secretary of Homeland Security must launch these competitions within 270 days of enactment, consulting with agencies like the National Institute of Standards and Technology and AI industry experts. Competitions will evaluate submissions based on practical value in high-risk AI applications, such as healthcare or finance, and require participants to submit frameworks or models. The Secretary must report to Congress 180 days after the competitions end, assessing research gaps and suggesting policy actions. The bill authorizes $10 million in funding for these competitions over fiscal years 2026-2030.