Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto

Maddy summaryThis bill expands the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area by increasing its acreage from 48,438 to 57,728 acres and updates the boundary map to reflect a proposed expansion. It grants the Southern Nevada Water Authority a no-cost, temporary and permanent right-of-way for a pipeline, powerline, and access road to construct water transmission facilities, including permission to excavate and dispose of necessary materials. The bill explicitly preserves existing utility corridors and transmission lines within the expanded area, ensuring current infrastructure operations remain unaffected. It also requires a memorandum of understanding between the Bureau of Land Management and the water authority within 30 days of granting the rights-of-way.

Maddy summaryThis bill makes technical corrections to the 1989 Apex Project, Nevada Land Transfer and Authorization Act. It updates definitions to specifically include the City of North Las Vegas and the Apex Industrial Park Owners Association as entities involved in land transfers. The bill clarifies that land transfers must now involve Clark County, the City, and the Association jointly or individually, and adds a new requirement that all transfers comply with environmental laws like the National Environmental Policy Act. These changes streamline existing procedures without altering the core land transfer program.

Maddy summaryThis bill would require Members of Congress, their spouses, and dependent children to stop trading or holding certain investments (called "covered investments") and instead place them in "qualified blind trusts" or divest them by specific deadlines. It defines covered investments broadly to include stocks, commodities, and derivatives, but excludes diversified mutual funds, government bonds, and some business interests. The bill sets different deadlines for different groups (e.g., 90 days after enactment for existing holdings, 120 days for new holdings) and establishes civil penalties for non-compliance, including penalties equal to 10% of the value of non-compliant holdings. It also requires public reporting of financial disclosures and establishes procedures for oversight by ethics offices.

Maddy summaryThe Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act (S 3502) limits how consumer credit reports can be shared during mortgage applications. It prevents credit reporting agencies from sending these reports to third parties solely based on a mortgage-related request, unless the third party has the homebuyer's explicit authorization or is directly involved in the loan (like the mortgage lender, loan servicer, or their bank holding the homebuyer's account). This directly affects homebuyers applying for residential mortgages by restricting unauthorized sharing of their credit data. The bill amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to add these privacy protections without creating new government programs or altering existing mortgage processes.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends the Indian Health Service (IHS) scholarship and loan repayment programs to provide greater flexibility for healthcare professionals. It allows scholarship recipients and loan repayment participants to fulfill their service obligations through part-time (half-time) practice in Indian health programs, instead of requiring full-time work. Specifically, it offers two options: working half-time for 4 years (or longer) with full payment, or working half-time for 2 years with reduced payments (50% of full-time amount). The bill directly affects healthcare professionals who receive IHS scholarships or loan repayments, enabling them to serve in underserved Indian communities through adjusted work schedules.

Maddy summaryThe Invest to Protect Act of 2023 establishes a Department of Justice grant program to support local law enforcement agencies with fewer than 200 officers, including counties, municipalities, and tribal governments. It provides funding for de-escalation training, mental health resources, and recruitment/retention bonuses (like signing bonuses up to $10,000 or retention bonuses up to 20% of salary for officers with 5+ years of service). Grants may cover specific training on domestic violence, active shooter scenarios, and interactions with vulnerable populations (e.g., individuals with mental health needs or veterans), as well as mental health services for officers. The program includes accountability measures like mandatory audits, public disclosure of bonuses, and restrictions on duplicate funding, with $50 million allocated annually from existing DOJ funds for fiscal years 2024-2028.

Maddy summaryThe Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act of 2024 establishes a pilot program allowing qualified individuals or organizations (defined as "Good Samaritans") to remediate historic mine residue at abandoned hardrock mine sites without facing liability for their actions. The Environmental Protection Agency would grant up to 15 permits for projects that address pollution from abandoned mines, with applicants required to demonstrate they meet specific eligibility criteria (not being responsible owners/operators, having no role in creating the residue, and possessing adequate resources). The program includes liability protection for permitted activities, requires detailed remediation plans with baseline condition assessments, public notice, and environmental reviews, and establishes a fund for long-term operations and maintenance. This 7-year pilot program would directly affect communities near abandoned mine sites and qualified remediation groups seeking to address environmental contamination.

Maddy summaryThe BADGES for Native Communities Act aims to improve safety and response systems for Native American communities by addressing gaps in data collection and law enforcement coordination. It establishes Tribal facilitators to coordinate reporting of missing persons, unclaimed remains, and death investigations involving Native people to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. The bill creates a grant program to support state and tribal coordination on missing persons cases, a demonstration program for background checks of Bureau of Indian Affairs law enforcement officers, and requires studies on evidence handling and mental health resources for law enforcement officers. These provisions directly affect Native American tribes, Tribal organizations, and federal agencies like the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Department of Justice. The bill includes reporting requirements to Congress to track implementation and outcomes of these programs.

Maddy summaryThis bill reauthorizes the PROTECT Our Children Act of 2008, extending and updating federal efforts to combat online child exploitation. It requires the National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention to be updated every four years (instead of every two) and mandates detailed analyses of trends, resource needs, and ICAC task force performance - including arrests, prosecutions, and victim identification. The bill increases annual funding for these programs from $70 million (2025) to $90 million (2027) and adds limited liability protections for specialized law enforcement teams investigating online child exploitation. These provisions directly affect federal, state, local, tribal, and military law enforcement agencies operating ICAC task forces and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Maddy summaryThis bill authorizes the posthumous award of a Congressional Gold Medal to Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman elected to Congress (1968-1982) and the first African American to seek a major party's presidential nomination (1972). The bill directs the Secretary of the Treasury to design and strike a gold medal featuring Chisholm's image and name, which will be presented to her family by congressional leaders. After presentation, the medal will be displayed at the Smithsonian Institution for public viewing and research. The bill also authorizes the production and sale of bronze duplicates to cover costs. This is a commemorative measure honoring Chisholm's historic contributions to American politics and civil rights.