Sen. Pete Ricketts

Maddy summaryThis bill would allow federal law enforcement officers, including retired officers, to purchase firearms that have been retired from federal service. It requires the General Services Administrator to create a program where officers can buy these surplus weapons within six months of retirement, provided they are in good standing with their agency. The firearms would be sold at salvage value, which reflects their age and condition, and the program must be established within one year of the bill's enactment. The legislation defines eligible officers and firearms using existing legal definitions while excluding certain machineguns that were not lawfully possessed before specific federal restrictions took effect.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a sanctions framework that would impose economic penalties on the Chinese government and Communist Party if they threaten Taiwan's security. It requires the President to identify threats and then blocks property, restricts financial transactions, and prohibits investments in sanctioned Chinese entities. The legislation also allows for increased import duties on Chinese goods and bans the trading of Chinese securities on U.S. exchanges. Key provisions include targeting Chinese officials, state-owned banks, and companies that support China's military-industrial capacity, while providing the President authority to waive sanctions for national security reasons.

Living Donor Protection Act of 2025 This bill prohibits life insurance, disability insurance, and long-term insurance carriers from denying or otherwise restricting coverage for living organ donors. Specifically, carriers may not deny, cancel, vary premiums, or otherwise impose conditions on policies based on an individual's status as a living organ donor. The bill also expressly specifies that recovery from organ-donation surgery constitutes a serious health condition that entitles eligible employees to job-protected medical leave. In addition, the Department of Health and Human Services must update educational materials on living organ donation to include information about the benefits and risks of living organ donation and the impact of donation on insurance access, particularly with respect to the bill's changes.

Maddy summaryThis bill, known as the ELEVATE Act of 2026, modifies the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to adjust registration requirements for emerging growth companies and allow draft filings for confidential review. It requires emerging growth companies to include financial data from no more than two preceding fiscal years instead of the standard three years, reducing the amount of historical financial information they must disclose when going public. Additionally, the bill permits companies to submit draft registration statements to the Securities and Exchange Commission for confidential review before public filing, with the requirement that these drafts be made public no later than 10 days before the security is listed on an exchange. The legislation also establishes legal protections ensuring that information provided during confidential review remains confidential and is not disclosed by the Commission. These changes directly affect companies seeking to list their securities on national exchanges for the first time, particularly smaller or newer businesses classified as emerging growth companies.

Maddy summaryThis bill directs the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study on workforce housing within one year of enactment. The study will identify barriers middle-income households face in securing affordable housing, pinpoint areas with the highest unaffordability, and list federal programs currently unavailable to this group due to income limits. The GAO will also propose a clear federal definition for workforce housing and analyze how to modify or create new housing programs to include this category. The bill defines middle-income households as those earning between 80 and 120 percent of the median family income in their area.

Maddy summaryThis bill directs the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study on ways to improve housing options for elderly and disabled individuals. The study will examine potential barriers to housing access and analyze the effects of providing capital advances to two specific federal housing programs: the Section 202 program for elderly supportive housing and the Section 811 program for disabled persons. The report must be completed within one year of the bill's enactment and will focus on identifying practical solutions rather than implementing new policies.

Maddy summaryThis bill, known as the Rural Housing Regulatory Relief Act, would exempt certain federal housing assistance programs from the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements when used to build or modify homes on infill sites. It directly affects rural communities and housing agencies that currently must complete environmental reviews before approving construction projects on existing developed land. The exemption applies specifically to assistance under the Housing Act of 1949 and defines infill sites as locations with access to existing water, sewer, and road infrastructure, while excluding greenfield sites and areas at high risk for wildfires or flooding. Additionally, the bill requires the Secretary of Agriculture to submit a report to Congress within five years evaluating whether the exemption reduced review times and administrative costs, and to assess its impact on affordable housing in rural America.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development to create simplified application forms for rural communities seeking federal economic development grants. It defines rural communities as incorporated municipalities, Tribal areas, or territories with populations of 10,000 or fewer people or those outside metropolitan statistical areas. The legislation mandates that the Assistant Secretary gather input from rural stakeholders on reducing application length, minimizing required documentation, standardizing forms across programs, and eliminating repetitive information requests. Additionally, the bill requires the agency to publicly share sample successful applications, decision-making criteria, and standardized guidance to help rural applicants navigate the grant process.

Maddy summaryThis resolution designates February 21-28, 2026, as "National FFA Week" to honor the National FFA Organization’s work in agricultural education. It recognizes FFA’s role in developing leadership and career skills for students (with over 1 million members nationally) and celebrates the 50th anniversary of Alaska’s State FFA Association, which has 19 chapters and 493 members. As a symbolic resolution, it has no legal effect but formally expresses Senate support for FFA’s mission.

Maddy summaryThis bill, known as the TAP Promotion Act, would allow representatives from recognized veterans service organizations to join presentations that inform service members about benefits they can access after leaving the military. These presentations are part of the Transition Assistance Program, which helps veterans prepare for civilian life, and the law requires that they be standardized and approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs before being used. The bill also mandates that the presentations include information on how veterans service organizations can help with filing benefit claims, while prohibiting any effort to encourage members to join a specific organization. Additionally, the Department of Veterans Affairs must submit an annual report to Congress detailing which organizations participated in these sessions and how many service members attended.