Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse

Maddy summaryThis bill authorizes the U.S. Treasury to mint three commemorative coins in 2026 to honor Golda Meir (Israel’s first female Prime Minister) and mark the 75th anniversary of U.S.-Israel relations. It specifies $5 gold, $1 silver, and half-dollar coins bearing her image and inscriptions like "Golda Meir, Israel 75, 2026," with surcharges of $35, $10, and $5 per coin respectively. All surcharge revenue will fund Kiryat Sanz Laniado Hospital in Israel, while the coins - minted only in 2026 - will be sold as collectibles with no net cost to the U.S. government.

Maddy summaryThe Food Labeling Modernization Act of 2023 would require standardized front-of-package nutrition labels showing calories, added sugars, sodium, and saturated fat to help consumers quickly understand a product's nutritional value. It would mandate specific disclosures for whole grain content, fruit, vegetable, and yogurt content, and require labeling of artificial colors, flavors, and noncaloric sweeteners. The bill revises requirements for terms like "natural" and "healthy" to better reflect actual product content and mandates clearer formatting for ingredient lists to improve readability. These changes would apply to most packaged foods sold in the U.S., with implementation beginning three years after enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires federal agencies (Attorney General, Homeland Security, and Treasury) to create a strategy within 120 days to prevent trafficking of machinegun conversion devices - parts that can convert standard firearms into machineguns. The strategy must cover detecting and intercepting these devices at borders, coordinating with state/local law enforcement, tracing devices used in crimes, and addressing domestic production (including 3D printing). Agencies must report the strategy to Congress within 120 days and provide biennial updates. Additionally, the annual firearms trafficking report must include data on crimes involving these devices and whether they originated domestically or abroad.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a national technical assistance center to support the direct care workforce and family caregivers, with $1 billion authorized for grants in 2024. It funds projects that recruit, train, and advance direct care professionals who provide services to older adults and people with disabilities, requiring at least 30% of grant projects to focus on career advancement pathways. The bill mandates that grant recipients provide supportive services like transportation, childcare, and workplace accommodations, while requiring training on culturally competent care, abuse prevention, and person-centered planning. It also requires that grant funds supplement, not replace, existing funding for these purposes and includes reporting requirements to track outcomes. The bill directly affects direct care workers, family caregivers, older adults, and people with disabilities who rely on home and community-based services.

Maddy summaryThis bill strengthens penalties for individuals or organizations charging veterans unauthorized fees when assisting with VA benefit claims. It directly affects veterans who might be targeted by unscrupulous representatives and the representatives themselves who attempt to charge such fees. The key provision adds a new subsection (b) to Section 5905, making it illegal to solicit, charge, or receive any fee for preparing or submitting VA claims - except as allowed under specific other sections. Violations can result in fines, up to one year in prison, or both.

Maddy summaryThe Veteran Education Empowerment Act (S 498) creates a federal grant program to help colleges and universities establish or improve dedicated Student Veteran Centers. It authorizes up to $500,000 per institution over four years for centers that provide veterans, active-duty service members, and reservists with a physical space, centralized support services, benefits counseling, and mental health resources. Eligible schools must demonstrate significant veteran enrollment and include veteran staff, peer mentoring, and programs addressing transition challenges like academic credit transfer and workforce readiness. The bill requires grantees to report on outcomes like retention rates and center usage, with the Department of Education later publishing best practices online.

Maddy summaryThe Caring for Survivors Act of 2023 (S 414) increases monthly payments for surviving spouses of veterans. It changes how dependency and indemnity compensation is calculated, replacing a fixed amount with 55% of another veterans' compensation rate, and ensures survivors whose veterans died before January 1, 1993, receive the higher of the old or new payment amount. The bill also modifies rules for survivors of veterans who were totally disabled at death, reducing the required continuous disability rating period from 10 to 5 years, with payments adjusted proportionally for shorter periods. These changes directly affect surviving spouses of veterans, particularly those with veterans who died prior to 1993 or who had shorter disability ratings before death. The bill takes effect six months after enactment.

Maddy summaryThis symbolic Senate resolution expresses the chamber's position that the United States should support Ukraine's victory in the war against Russia, including restoring Ukraine to its internationally recognized 1991 borders. It calls for Ukraine's integration into NATO and the global community to secure four specific outcomes: Russian reparations for Ukraine, international rebuilding assistance, accountability for Russian leaders, and justice for victims of Russian war crimes. As a non-binding resolution, it has no legal effect but formally states the Senate's stance on these policy goals.

Maddy summaryThe Love Lives On Act of 2023 restores survivor benefits for veterans' spouses who remarried before age 55 and before the bill's enactment, which they previously lost due to remarriage. It removes an expiration date for the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship for surviving spouses and expands access to military commissaries and exchanges for remarried surviving spouses. The bill also extends TRICARE coverage to include remarried widows or widowers whose subsequent marriage ended.

Presidential Audit and Tax Transparency Act This bill requires the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to conduct an examination to determine the correctness of a Presidential income tax return as rapidly as practicable after it is filed. The IRS must disclose and make publicly available (on the internet) an initial report, periodic reports, and a final report on the examination of such tax returns. The final report must include the date on which the IRS examination of the return was completed, a list of audit materials, and a description of each proposed adjustment to a return and any controversy relating to its examination. This disclosure of tax return information is an exception to the general rule of confidentiality of taxpayer returns. The bill defines Presidential income tax return as any relevant income tax return of (1) a president while the president is in office, (2) the spouse of a president, (3) a corporation or partnership controlled by a president or a president's spouse, and (4) the estate of a president or a president's spouse. The bill imposes additional disclosure requirements by presidents and presidential candidates under the Ethics in Government Act of 1978.