Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto

Maddy summaryThis bill authorizes a Congressional Gold Medal to honor the volunteers and donors who supported the North Platte Canteen during World War II. It directs the Treasury Secretary to strike a gold medal commemorating the approximately 55,000 individuals (mostly women) from Nebraska, Colorado, and Kansas who provided food, hospitality, and donations to over 6 million troops between 1941 and 1946. The medal will be presented to the Lincoln County Historical Museum in North Platte, Nebraska, for public display and research. The bill is purely commemorative and does not create new programs or obligations.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows veterans with combat-related disabilities and less than 20 years of service to receive both military retired pay and VA disability compensation simultaneously. Previously, such veterans had their retired pay reduced to avoid "concurrent receipt" of both benefits. The bill removes the 20-year service requirement for this group, applying specifically to those retired under Chapter 61 of Title 10 with a combat-related disability as defined in existing law. It does not change eligibility for veterans with non-combat disabilities or those with 20+ years of service.

Maddy summaryThe SAFER Health Act of 2023 strengthens privacy protections for individuals' information related to pregnancy termination (including abortion) or pregnancy loss (such as miscarriage, stillbirth, or ectopic pregnancy). It prohibits healthcare providers, clinics, and related entities from disclosing this sensitive health information in any legal, administrative, or government proceeding without the individual’s explicit consent, except in two limited cases: for professional liability defense or when investigating physical harm to the individual who cannot consent. The bill also requires health IT systems to segregate this data and updates federal regulations to prevent "information blocking" when complying with these privacy rules. This law preempts conflicting state laws but allows states to adopt stronger privacy protections for this information.

Maddy summaryThe Barbosa Act requires the Department of Defense to provide enhanced colorectal cancer screening to active-duty military members who served in specific locations with toxic exposure from burn pits. It directly affects service members deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, Djibouti, and other designated areas (like Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Syria) during periods when burn pits were used. The policy mandates screenings - such as colonoscopies or fecal tests - starting five years after qualifying service, following U.S. Preventive Services Task Force guidelines. Additionally, the Secretary of Defense must report within two years comparing colorectal cancer rates among deployed service members versus non-deployed personnel and the civilian population.

Maddy summaryThis bill adds a new federal criminal offense targeting fraud involving veterans' benefits. It makes it a crime to knowingly scheme or attempt to defraud a veteran or their dependents/survivors of any federal benefit provided under Title 38 (such as disability compensation or education benefits), punishable by up to 5 years in prison or fines. The law directly affects individuals who commit or attempt to commit such fraud, and it protects veterans and their families who rely on these benefits. The key provision creates a specific legal tool to prosecute fraudsters, rather than changing how benefits are administered or distributed.

Maddy summaryThe Keep Americans Safe Act bans the import, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession of large capacity ammunition magazines (defined as holding more than 10 rounds) for most civilians, while exempting law enforcement officers, retired officers, and certain security personnel. It requires new magazines to have serial numbers and manufacturing dates, and allows federal funding for buy-back programs to remove these magazines from circulation. The law grandfathered existing magazines owned before enactment and excludes specific uses like campus law enforcement or nuclear facility security. This directly affects civilians owning high-capacity magazines but not police, military, or authorized security personnel.

Maddy summaryThe Increasing Competitiveness for American Drones Act of 2023 requires the Federal Aviation Administration to establish a regulatory pathway for commercial drone operations beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) within two years. It creates a new Office of Associate Administrator of UAS Integration to oversee drone integration into the national airspace system and establishes a UAS Certification Unit to develop certification processes for drones. The bill extends the FAA's authority to grant exemptions for drone operations until the new rules take effect, requiring risk-based approaches for authorizing operations. This legislation directly affects drone manufacturers, commercial operators, and the FAA by creating new regulatory processes to enhance U.S. competitiveness in drone technology while maintaining safety standards.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands transparency requirements for the transportation fuel market by amending the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to include a broader definition of "transportation fuel" (encompassing gasoline, distillate fuels, jet fuel, aviation gasoline, and biofuels). It creates a new Transportation Fuel Monitoring and Enforcement Unit within the Federal Trade Commission to collect and analyze market data, while requiring the Department of Energy to gather detailed information from energy companies about crude oil and fuel production, transportation, storage, and pricing. Energy companies that own or control commercial amounts of these fuels must report specific market data, including quantities, prices, and sources of fuel. The bill establishes data-sharing agreements between federal agencies to improve regulatory oversight and requires the FTC to submit annual reports on enforcement actions related to market manipulation. These changes aim to promote transparent and competitive fuel markets while providing regulators with better data to identify potential market manipulation.

Maddy summaryThis resolution designates the week beginning February 5, 2023, as "National Tribal Colleges and Universities Week" to symbolically recognize these institutions. It directly honors the 35 accredited Tribal Colleges and Universities operating across 15 states, which serve over 230 federally recognized tribes and provide higher education access to American Indian, Alaska Native, and other students in underserved communities. The resolution calls for national recognition through appropriate activities but does not create new laws, funding, or policy changes. It is a ceremonial measure without binding legal effect.

Maddy summaryThis bill repeals the District of Columbia Home Rule Act's provision (Section 740) that allowed the President to assume emergency control of the District of Columbia's police force. It removes the federal government's authority to override local police management during emergencies. The bill directly affects DC police operations by eliminating a specific federal intervention mechanism. The change is procedural, updating the Home Rule Act to reflect the removal of this presidential power.