Maddy summaryThe Food Date Labeling Act of 2025 establishes uniform phrases for food date labels to reduce consumer confusion: "BEST If Used By" (or "BB" for small packages) for quality dates (when food quality may decline but it remains safe) and "USE By" (or "UB") for discard dates (when food should not be consumed). Food manufacturers must display these labels prominently in clear type on packaging, with optional use of technologies like QR codes. The bill preempts state laws requiring different labeling standards but allows states to enforce the uniform phrases, while excluding infant formula from its requirements. It mandates consumer education on label meanings within two years and takes effect for labels on products two years after enactment.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryThe EATS Act of 2025 (S 2512) expands eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to include most college students. It directly affects full-time undergraduate students enrolled at least half-time in recognized higher education institutions by removing their current exclusion from SNAP benefits. The bill revises the definition of "household" under SNAP rules and eliminates the prior requirement that students meet separate conditions to qualify. This change, effective January 2026, would allow millions of students to access food assistance without additional barriers.
Maddy summaryThe John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2025 strengthens voting rights protections by requiring preclearance for certain voting changes in jurisdictions with a history of discrimination. It establishes new preclearance requirements for changes to election methods, district boundaries, voter ID rules, and polling locations. The bill updates standards for determining when voting practices deny or abridge rights, particularly for racial, ethnic, and language minority groups. It also requires transparency about voting changes through public notices and strengthens enforcement mechanisms for voting rights violations. The bill directly affects states and localities with documented histories of voting discrimination, aiming to protect minority voters' rights.
Maddy summaryS 2500, the Research for Healthy Soils Act, authorizes federal research grants to study microplastics (plastic particles under 5mm) in biosolids applied to farmland. It directs the USDA to fund specific research on microplastic concentrations in agricultural soil, wastewater treatment methods to remove microplastics, impacts on crops and soil health, and microplastic movement in farmland. The bill does not regulate microplastic use but supports scientific understanding of potential agricultural effects. It affects agricultural researchers and institutions receiving these grants, extending related research funding through 2031. The focus is strictly on gathering data and developing solutions, not on policy changes for farmers or regulators.
Maddy summaryThis bill authorizes $50 million annually from 2026 through 2031 for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to fund research on firearms safety and gun violence prevention. It directly affects the CDC and researchers by providing dedicated funding to study these topics under the Public Health Service Act. The key mechanism is a specific annual funding allocation, added to existing resources, to support new or ongoing research initiatives. The bill does not create new regulations or restrict gun ownership but focuses solely on enabling evidence-based research. This is a funding measure, not a policy change affecting the public directly.
Maddy summaryThe Cell-Site Simulator Warrant Act of 2025 requires law enforcement agencies to obtain a court-issued warrant before using cell-site simulators (devices that mimic cell towers to track or intercept phone communications), with specific requirements to limit surveillance scope. Agencies must demonstrate other investigative methods have failed or would be too dangerous, specify the narrowest possible area and time frame for use, and disclose potential disruptions to emergency services like 911 calls. Exceptions exist for emergencies (requiring 48-hour warrant applications), certain research, and protective services, but information about people not under investigation must be minimized and destroyed. The bill also mandates annual reports to Congress on usage patterns and requires third-party testing of devices to verify accuracy before deployment.
Maddy summaryThe Restoring Essential Healthcare Act repeals a provision that blocked Medicaid payments to certain healthcare providers. Specifically, it removes a restriction from Public Law 119-21 that prevented Medicaid from paying "prohibited entities" for services provided between the law's enactment and this bill's effective date. Payments for those services will now be made retroactively, as if the restriction had never existed. This directly affects Medicaid programs and the healthcare providers previously excluded from receiving these payments.
Maddy summaryThis bill requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to publicly release the full unclassified report titled "U.S. Telecommunications Insecurity 2022" within 30 days of the bill's enactment. The report was prepared for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) under a DHS contract. This mandates transparency about the findings of that specific report, directly affecting DHS and CISA by requiring them to make the document publicly available. The bill focuses solely on the disclosure of the existing report, not on new security measures or policy changes.
Maddy summaryThe Adjunct Faculty Loan Fairness Act of 2025 expands federal student loan forgiveness eligibility to include more adjunct faculty members. It amends the Higher Education Act to allow loan forgiveness for adjunct, contingent, or part-time faculty who teach at least 9 credit hours per semester (or equivalent weekly hours) at colleges, vocational schools, or Tribal Colleges, provided they are not full-time employees elsewhere. The bill directly affects non-tenured faculty in temporary teaching roles who meet these specific teaching hour requirements. This change modifies existing loan forgiveness criteria to explicitly include these faculty members under the Higher Education Act.
Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits federal courts from excluding potential jurors based on disability or age. It amends jury selection rules to replace the term "infirmity" with "disability that cannot be reasonably accommodated" and explicitly states that people cannot be disqualified from serving on federal juries due to disability if reasonable accommodations would allow them to serve. The law requires courts to consider reasonable accommodations for qualified jurors with disabilities or age-related needs. This directly affects individuals with disabilities and older adults who may have been excluded from federal jury service under previous rules.