Sen. John Barrasso

Accelerating the Development of Advanced Psychology Trainees Act or the ADAPT Act This bill provides for Medicare coverage of services that are furnished by advanced psychology trainees. It also requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to issue guidance for states on coverage options for such services under Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

Maddy summary# Summary of the Recreation and Public Land Management Act This comprehensive legislation establishes new regulations and improvements for managing recreation on public lands, with a focus on special recreation permits, filming rights, and community access. ## Key Provisions ### Special Recreation Permits for Outfitting and Guiding - **Transitional permits**: 2-year permits for new or additional outfitting/guiding services - **Long-term permits**: 5-10 year permits for successful providers (requiring 2 transitional permits, satisfactory performance, and 50% use of allocated days) - **Visitor-use day management**: Allows surrender of unused days for temporary reassignment - **Permit adjustments**: Based on performance reviews (125% increase for satisfactory performance, up to 100% for less satisfactory) - **Online applications**: Mandated for submission within 3 years of enactment ### Permit Process Improvements - **Simplified processing**: Elimination of duplicative processes and reduced costs - **Environmental reviews**: Utilization of tiering to existing programmatic reviews - **Exemptions**: No needs assessments required for permit issuance - **Group permits**: Special recreation permits for organized group activities with nominal effects ### Filming and Photography Regulations - **De minimis use authorization**: For groups of 6-8 people meeting specific criteria - **No permits required**: For small groups (under 6 people) meeting requirements - **No fee**: For de minimis use authorizations - **Permit required**: For groups over 8 people or activities not meeting criteria ### Volunteer Program Enhancements - **Amended Volunteers in the National Forests Act** to include Bureau of Land Management - **Promotion of volunteer opportunities**: To supplement projects carried out by Secretaries - **No liability insurance required**: For volunteers participating under the program ### Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program - **Grants for land acquisition**: To create or enhance access to parks in urban areas - **Priority for underserved communities**: Projects engaging and empowering underserved communities - **Matching requirement**: 100% cash or in-kind match (waivable in certain circumstances) - **Eligible uses**: Outdoor recreation facilities and park development in qualifying areas ### Other Provisions - **Cost recovery reform**: For special recreation permit administration - **Liability provisions**: Insurance requirements and exculpatory agreements - **Aquatic resource assistance**: For vessel inspections and decontamination - **Recreation budget crosscut**: Annual report on outdoor recreation funding This legislation aims to streamline recreation management, improve access to public lands, support community engagement, and modernize permitting processes across federal lands managed by the Department of the Interior and Department of Agriculture.

Maddy summarySCONRES 2 is a symbolic congressional resolution commending Iranian protesters who risked their safety to demonstrate against the Iranian regime's human rights abuses, particularly following the death of Mahsa Amini after her arrest by morality police for alleged hijab violations. It specifically highlights protests in over 133 cities where demonstrators, including women removing headscarves, have faced violent crackdowns, with reports of over 500 deaths and 19,000 arrests. The resolution condemns the regime's brutality, supports internet freedom tools to bypass censorship, and urges the administration to impose human rights sanctions on officials responsible for repression. As a non-binding resolution, it expresses congressional support for protesters but does not enact new laws or policies.

Maddy summaryS 2459 (the EMPOWER Act) prevents Medicare from imposing federal supervision requirements for outpatient physical and occupational therapy that differ from existing state laws. It modifies Medicare payment rules (Social Security Act sections 1834(v)(1) and 1861(p)) to ensure federal oversight aligns with state regulations, directly affecting therapists and clinics providing these services. The bill also mandates a GAO study on how a 15% payment differential for therapy assistants impacts access in rural and underserved areas, requiring a report with recommendations by December 2025. The changes take effect July 1, 2024.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits the Department of Defense from using military funds to cover travel, lodging, meals, or transportation expenses related to abortions for service members or their dependents, except in cases where the pregnancy endangers the mother’s life, results from rape, or results from incest. It also terminates a 2022 Department of Defense memo that allowed access to abortion-related care and bans using medical convalescent leave or administrative absences for abortion-related travel under the same limited exceptions. The bill directly affects active-duty military personnel, veterans, and their dependents who might seek abortion care. It modifies existing travel and leave regulations under U.S. Code titles 37 and 10 to restrict these benefits, aligning with existing federal law that limits abortion funding. The policy change removes prior allowances for abortion-related travel expenses and leave under military benefits programs.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 2405) requires Medicare Part D prescription drug plans to ensure seniors can access most covered drugs at any network pharmacy starting in 2026, unless a drug qualifies as a "limited access drug" (e.g., requiring special handling or FDA restrictions). Plans must document why a drug is designated "limited access," report details like dispensing channels to the government annually, and share this information with pharmacies upon request. It also mandates an annual report to Congress on how plans use "limited access" designations and their impact on senior access. The law directly affects Medicare beneficiaries, drug plans, and pharmacies participating in Medicare Part D.

Maddy summaryS 2430 amends the 1986 Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act to exclude certain air emissions from animal waste at farms from emergency notification requirements. This bill directly affects agricultural operations that handle animal waste, removing a requirement to report specific airborne emissions to emergency planners and the public. The key provision adds a new exception (B) to the notification rules, explicitly excluding "air emissions from animal waste (including decomposing waste) at a farm" as defined under related environmental law. This change simplifies reporting obligations for farms while maintaining other emergency planning requirements under the Act.

Maddy summarySRES 269 is a symbolic Senate resolution designating July 22, 2023, as "National Day of the American Cowboy." It does not create new laws or affect specific groups, but encourages the general public to observe the day through ceremonies and activities. The resolution highlights the cultural significance of cowboys, citing their embodiment of values like honesty and work ethic, their economic contributions through ranching, and their role in American traditions and media. This is a ceremonial designation with no direct policy impact or funding changes.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a framework for qualifying news organizations to form groups to negotiate with large online platforms about fair payment for their content. It allows these groups to jointly deny platforms access to their content during negotiations and use binding arbitration to determine fair compensation based on the content's market value. The bill provides antitrust immunity for these negotiations, requires platforms to pay based on the value of news content rather than platform benefits, and includes transparency requirements for how funds support journalism. It defines specific eligibility criteria for news organizations and platforms, and sets a 6-year expiration for the law.

Maddy summaryS 2323, the Access to Genetic Counselor Services Act of 2023, requires Medicare to cover genetic counseling services provided by licensed genetic counselors starting January 1, 2024. It establishes that these services must be paid at 85% of the physician rate for equivalent services and mandates a new billing modifier to identify genetic counselor services. The bill directly affects Medicare beneficiaries seeking genetic counseling and genetic counselors who can now bill Medicare directly under defined licensing or federal criteria. Key provisions include amending Medicare payment rules to treat genetic counselor services similarly to nurse practitioner services for reimbursement purposes. The law does not change who can provide genetic counseling but ensures Medicare covers it when delivered by qualified genetic counselors.