Maddy summaryS 457, the "Protecting Our Kids from Child Abuse Act," creates a federal civil liability for gender-transition procedures performed on minors under 18. It allows affected individuals to sue pediatric gender clinics, medical practitioners, and affiliated institutions (like hospitals or universities) for bodily injury or mental health harm caused by these procedures, with a 30-year window from age 18 to file claims. The bill also prohibits federal funding for pediatric gender clinics or any gender-transition procedures on minors. Key exceptions include medical treatments for ambiguous biological characteristics, infections, or imminent life-threatening conditions. This legislation directly affects minors receiving such medical interventions, the healthcare facilities providing them, and the providers involved.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryThis bill provides tax relief to new car dealers who sold inventory due to supply chain disruptions between March 2020 and January 2022. It allows dealers using the LIFO tax accounting method to avoid recognizing income from those sales in the year they occurred, instead deferring tax consequences until they replace the sold vehicles. Dealers have until 2026 to repurchase similar vehicles; if they fail to fully replace the inventory within this window, they must pay back the tax plus interest. The relief directly affects new car dealers who held LIFO inventory during the specified period and are subject to IRS tax rules.
Maddy summaryS 444 requires the U.S. Senate to approve any World Health Organization (WHO) pandemic preparedness treaty before it becomes binding on the United States. The bill mandates that agreements resulting from the WHO’s pandemic treaty negotiations (currently led by the International Negotiating Body) must be treated as treaties under the U.S. Constitution, requiring Senate ratification with a two-thirds vote. It directly affects U.S. foreign policy implementation by ensuring congressional oversight of international pandemic agreements. The bill responds to concerns about WHO’s pandemic management and aims to prevent executive agreements from bypassing Senate review.
Maddy summaryThis bill modifies pension plan rules under ERISA to give participants more control over their individual retirement accounts. It directly affects workers in 401(k)-style plans who have accounts allowing self-directed investment choices. The key provision requires plan managers to offer a broad range of investment options but prohibits them from favoring or disfavoring specific investments based on anything other than risk and return. It specifically protects "self-directed brokerage windows" by preventing regulators from restricting the types of investments available in these platforms, while clarifying that standard diversification and prudence rules don't apply when participants make their own investment decisions.
Maddy summaryS 438, the Natural Gas Export Expansion Act, modifies the Natural Gas Act to create an expedited process for approving natural gas exports to most countries. It directly affects U.S. natural gas exporters and foreign buyers in nations not subject to U.S. sanctions or national security designations. Key provisions include adding "any other nation not excluded" to export definitions, establishing a faster approval pathway (with no order required for Canada/Mexico), and requiring exclusions for nations under U.S. sanctions or designated by the President/Congress for security reasons. The bill aims to simplify export approvals but maintains restrictions for specific countries.
Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits the IRS from requiring financial institutions to report new types of account activity, such as deposits, withdrawals, balances, or transaction details. It directly affects banks and other financial institutions that might otherwise be mandated to share this data. The law blocks any new reporting requirements but allows existing programs (in place when the bill passes) to continue. It does not change current IRS data collection practices under existing laws. The bill aims to limit the scope of financial data the government can access from financial institutions.
Maddy summaryThis bill amends federal law to add a new aggravating factor for death penalty cases involving the killing of law enforcement officers or first responders. Specifically, it makes it a capital offense if someone kills or targets a police officer, firefighter, or other first responder while they are performing official duties, because of their duties, or due to their status as a public official. The change applies to cases where the victim was engaged in preventing, investigating, or prosecuting crimes, or providing emergency services. This policy shift directly affects defendants convicted of such killings by expanding the circumstances under which the death penalty could be sought.
Maddy summaryThe Hearing Protection Act (S 401) reclassifies firearm silencers as firearms under federal tax law, requiring them to be taxed at 10% like other firearms starting 90 days after enactment. It mandates the destruction of all existing federal silencer registration records within one year and preempts state laws that tax, regulate, or require registration of silencers. The bill directly affects silencer owners, manufacturers, and dealers by changing federal tax treatment, eliminating federal registration requirements, and overriding conflicting state regulations. Key provisions include updated definitions for silencers, new marking requirements for manufacturers, and removal of federal registration barriers.
Maddy summaryThe Build the Wall Now Act (S 422) requires the immediate resumption of border barrier construction along the U.S.-Mexico border that was underway or planned before January 20, 2021, prohibiting cancellation of existing contracts and directing use of previously appropriated funds for this purpose. The bill mandates honoring agreements with states, local governments, and tribes related to border barrier construction and amends existing law to change definitions of border barriers and construction requirements. It grants the Secretary of Homeland Security broad waiver authority to bypass numerous environmental, historical, and other legal requirements that would otherwise apply to border barrier construction. This legislation directly affects border communities, environmental regulations, and the Department of Homeland Security's operations along the southern border.
Maddy summaryThis joint resolution (SJRES 7) seeks congressional disapproval of a 2023 rule defining "Waters of the United States" (WOTUS), which would have changed how federal agencies regulate wetlands and waterways. It targets a rule jointly issued by the Army Corps of Engineers, EPA, and other agencies (88 Fed. Reg. 3004, Jan. 18, 2023), directly affecting landowners, developers, and environmental regulators by altering jurisdiction over water resources. If passed, the resolution would nullify the rule under a specific disapproval process in Title 5 of U.S. Code, preventing it from taking effect. The resolution does not create new regulations but aims to block an existing federal rule. This is a procedural step, not a new law.