Sen. John Barrasso

Maddy summarySRES 49 is a ceremonial Senate resolution designating the week beginning February 3, 2025, as "National Tribal Colleges and Universities Week." It recognizes Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), which serve over 230 federally recognized tribes and provide culturally grounded education to Native and non-Native students in underserved communities. The resolution calls for public observance through activities that highlight TCUs' role in preserving indigenous languages, supporting tribal communities, and preparing students for the workforce. This symbolic measure does not create new laws or allocate funding, but aims to raise national awareness of TCUs' contributions.

Maddy summaryS 333, the Homeowner Energy Freedom Act, repeals three specific sections of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that established energy efficiency programs for homeowners. These sections included a high-efficiency electric home rebate program and related funding mechanisms. The bill also rescinds unobligated funds from those repealed programs and makes a minor conforming change to another IRA section. This legislation directly affects homeowners who would have qualified for the repealed rebate programs, eliminating those specific federal energy efficiency incentives.

Maddy summaryThis bill permanently prohibits U.S. foreign assistance funds from being used for abortions, involuntary sterilizations, or related biomedical research. It amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Peace Corps Act to block funding for organizations supporting coercive abortion or sterilization programs. The law directly affects all U.S. government programs distributing foreign aid, including international health and development initiatives. It ensures funds cannot cover abortion services as family planning, lobbying on abortion, or programs involving coercion.

Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act This bill allows, beginning in 2028, for Medicare coverage and payment for multi-cancer early detection screening tests that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration and that are used to screen for cancer across many cancer types, if the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services determines such coverage is appropriate. Coverage is limited to those under a certain age (age 68 in 2028, increased by one year every year thereafter) and to one test every 11 months.

Maddy summaryThe WALL Act of 2025 appropriates $25 billion for constructing a physical barrier along the southern U.S. border. It implements new Social Security number requirements for tax credits like the child tax credit and earned income tax credit, with exceptions for individuals prohibited from working in the U.S. The bill also mandates E-Verify checks for eligibility for certain federal benefits, including housing assistance, and increases civil penalties for illegal entry and overstay. These provisions directly affect immigrants seeking tax benefits, housing assistance, and those who enter the country without authorization.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes tax credits for individuals and corporations who contribute to scholarship granting organizations that provide educational scholarships for eligible students. The individual tax credit is limited to 10% of adjusted gross income or $5,000, while corporate credits are capped at 5% of taxable income. The bill defines "eligible students" as those from households with income not exceeding 300% of the area median gross income, and specifies that scholarships can cover tuition, materials, tutoring, and educational therapies. The bill includes a $10 billion annual cap on tax credits, with a first-come, first-served allocation system, and requires scholarship organizations to meet specific financial and operational standards.

Maddy summaryS 303, the "Defund the CFPB Act," would eliminate all federal funding for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) by amending the 2010 law that created it. The bill specifically changes the funding provision to state the CFPB's budget must be "not more than $0," effectively cutting all financial support. This would directly prevent the CFPB from operating its consumer protection programs, which regulate financial products like mortgages, credit cards, and loans. As a result, consumers relying on the CFPB's enforcement and education efforts would no longer have this federal oversight mechanism.

Grizzly Bear State Management Act of 2025 This bill requires the Department of the Interior to remove the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem population of grizzly bears from the list of endangered and threatened wildlife.

Laken Riley Act This act requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain certain non-U.S. nationals ( aliens under federal law) who have been arrested for burglary, theft, larceny, shoplifting, assault of a law enforcement officer, or any crime that results in death or serious bodily injury to another person. The act also authorizes states to sue the federal government for decisions or alleged failures related to immigration enforcement. Under this act, DHS must detain an individual who (1) is unlawfully present in the United States or did not possess the necessary documents when applying for admission; and (2) has been charged with, arrested for, convicted of, or admits to having committed acts that constitute the essential elements of the above crimes. The act also authorizes state governments to sue for injunctive relief over certain immigration-related decisions or alleged failures by the federal government if the decision or failure caused the state or its residents harm, including financial harm of more than $100. Specifically, the state government may sue the federal government over a decision to release a non-U.S. national from custody; failure to fulfill requirements relating to inspecting individuals seeking admission into the United States, including requirements related to asylum interviews; failure to fulfill a requirement to stop issuing visas to nationals of a country that unreasonably denies or delays acceptance of nationals of that country; violation of limitations on immigration parole, such as the requirement that parole be granted only on a case-by-case basis; or failure to detain an individual who has been ordered removed from the United States.

Maddy summarySRES 35 is a ceremonial Senate resolution honoring Nellie Tayloe Ross, who became the first woman elected governor of a U.S. state when she took office as Wyoming's governor on January 5, 1925. The resolution recognizes her historic achievement, celebrates her contributions to women's leadership in government, and calls for the U.S. public to observe January 2025 as the 100th anniversary of her pioneering role. It has no legal effect or policy changes - it is solely a commemorative gesture by the Senate.