Sen. James Lankford

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new federal offense for intentionally fleeing U.S. Border Patrol agents or assisting law enforcement while operating a vehicle within 100 miles of the U.S. border. It establishes tiered penalties: up to 2 years in prison for the basic offense, 5-20 years if serious injury occurs, and 10+ years or life if death results. The bill also links this offense to immigration consequences, making convictions trigger inadmissibility, deportability, and disqualification from seeking asylum. Additionally, it requires an annual report to Congress tracking prosecutions, apprehensions, and sentencing related to this new offense.

Maddy summaryThe MERP Clarifications Act of 2025 clarifies the Methane Emissions Reduction Program under the Clean Air Act. It exempts small oil and gas producers (with annual emissions below 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent and 2,500 or fewer employees) from reporting and fee requirements, and also exempts facilities complying with specific EPA regulations and state plans. The bill requires the EPA to delay imposing fees until after grants are fully disbursed and revised emissions factors are finalized, while mandating plain-language explanations of fee calculations. The program is set to end on December 31, 2034, with a dispute resolution process for fee-related appeals during its active period.

Maddy summaryS 505, the "Protect Small Businesses from Excessive Paperwork Act of 2025," extends the filing deadline for certain small businesses already subject to federal reporting requirements. It modifies a provision in 31 U.S. Code by changing the deadline from "before January 1, 2024" to "not later than January 1, 2026." This directly affects small businesses that must submit specific reports under existing law, giving them an additional two years to comply. The bill aims to reduce administrative burden by delaying the filing obligation.

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.

Maddy summaryS.68, the Complete COVID Collections Act, extends the deadline for prosecuting fraud related to pandemic relief programs to 10 years and streamlines collection processes for small business loans. It requires the Small Business Administration to refer claims under $100,000 to the Treasury for collection, mandates monthly reports to Congress on collection efforts, and demands monthly DOJ reports detailing fraud prosecutions and recovered funds. The bill directly affects businesses that received CARES Act loans, restaurant grants, or venue operator funds, as well as the SBA, Treasury, and DOJ. Key provisions include standardizing fraud enforcement timelines across all covered programs and requiring public transparency on recovered funds through the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee.

This resolution supports the designation of Career and Technical Education Month to celebrate career and technical education across the United States.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits federal tax deductions or credits for businesses involved in marijuana trafficking, maintaining the current tax treatment under Section 280E of the Internal Revenue Code. It directly affects businesses operating in the legal marijuana industry (where permitted by state law) by preventing them from deducting ordinary business expenses like rent or supplies on federal tax returns. The key provision expands the existing rule to explicitly include marijuana trafficking under federal law, regardless of state legalization. This policy change means marijuana businesses cannot use standard business expense deductions for federal tax purposes, aligning with federal prohibition on marijuana.

Maddy summaryS 481, the "Securing our Border Act," directs funding to enhance border security by requiring 100% scanning of vehicles at all southern border ports by 2034 using nonintrusive inspection systems, and allocates funds for constructing a border wall along the southwest U.S. border. It also creates new bonus programs for U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents, including up to $15,000 for recruitment, retention bonuses up to 15% of pay, and relocation bonuses up to 15% of annual pay. The bill amends immigration procedures to require returning migrants from neighboring countries to contiguous territory or processing asylum claims, rather than immediate release. These provisions directly affect CBP operations, border patrol staffing, and migrants crossing the southern border, with specific deadlines and reporting requirements for funding use.

Maddy summaryThis bill would require federal agencies to submit detailed reports about new regulations to Congress before they take effect. Major rules (defined as those with an annual economic effect of $100 million or more, or significant effects on competition, employment, or public safety) would need congressional approval via a joint resolution before taking effect, with Congress having 70 days to act. Nonmajor rules would have a different, shorter review process. The bill would also require agencies to publish cost-benefit analyses and other supporting documentation, and would mandate that rules be reviewed and potentially reapproved after 10 years.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends the federal tax credit for carbon capture (Section 45Q) to expand eligibility for companies capturing carbon dioxide. It adds new qualifying uses for the credit, including using captured carbon as a "tertiary injectant" in oil/gas extraction projects and certain other storage methods. The credit amount is set at $17 per metric ton for 2025-2026, then adjusted annually for inflation after 2026. The changes apply to tax years beginning after December 31, 2024, directly affecting businesses engaged in carbon capture and storage.