Sen. Jack Reed

Maddy summaryThis resolution (SRES 418) expresses the U.S. Senate's support for designating September 20-27, 2025, as "National Estuaries Week." It does not create new laws or funding but aims to raise public awareness about the ecological and economic importance of estuaries. The resolution highlights estuaries' role in supporting jobs, economic output, and coastal protection, while acknowledging ongoing threats like pollution and habitat loss. It is a symbolic gesture directed at the public, government officials, and organizations working to protect estuaries.

Maddy summaryS 2927, the Mobile Cancer Screening Act, creates a federal grant program to fund new mobile cancer screening units targeting rural and underserved communities. It provides up to $2 million per grant to eligible entities like community health centers and hospitals for purchasing vehicles, imaging equipment, and digital tools to expand access to screenings - particularly for lung and breast cancer. The program prioritizes areas with high cancer mortality rates, requires a 1:3 matching contribution from recipients, and mandates a report to Congress on screening outcomes by 2031. This directly aims to increase early cancer detection (when 5-year survival rates reach 63%) by addressing low current screening rates (4.5% for lung cancer in 2022).

Maddy summaryS 2919, the PCAOB Enforcement Transparency Act of 2025, requires the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) to hold public hearings for its enforcement actions unless the Board specifically orders otherwise. This bill directly affects the PCAOB and the public by making enforcement proceedings more transparent. The key change amends the Sarbanes-Oxley Act to mandate open public hearings for PCAOB enforcement actions and clarifies that determinations must be published after any sanction stay is lifted. The bill does not change substantive enforcement rules but increases public access to the process.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases civil penalties for securities law violations across multiple securities laws, including the Securities Act of 1933, Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Investment Company Act of 1940, and Investment Advisers Act of 1940. It raises base penalty amounts for first and second tier violations and establishes a new third tier for violations involving fraud, deceit, manipulation, or reckless disregard of regulations, with penalties capped at $1 million for individuals or $10 million for entities, or 3 times the financial gain, or victim losses. For repeat offenders convicted of securities fraud within the past five years, it creates a "fourth tier" with penalties three times the standard amount. The bill also clarifies that each violation of an injunction or bar is a separate offense, with continuing violations treated as daily offenses.

Maddy summaryS 2913, the Protecting Students with Disabilities Act, prevents federal funding from being used to restructure or eliminate offices within the Department of Education that administer disability-related programs. The bill specifically prohibits using funds to: (1) dismantle or merge offices serving students with disabilities (under IDEA) or adults with disabilities (under the Rehabilitation Act), (2) change staff roles that could undermine these programs, or (3) outsource these services to outside organizations. It directly affects the Department of Education’s disability program offices and the students and adults who rely on their services. The bill maintains existing program structures by restricting how federal funds can be allocated, ensuring compliance with current laws like IDEA and the Rehabilitation Act.

Maddy summaryThis resolution (SRES 400) expresses the U.S. Senate's support for designating September 14-20, 2025, as "National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week." It does not create new laws or allocate funding but aims to raise public awareness about adult education and family literacy programs. The resolution highlights statistics on adult literacy gaps (e.g., 59 million adults lacking basic skills) and encourages broader community support for these programs. It calls on public, private, and nonprofit entities to increase access to adult education and family literacy services. The bill directly affects awareness and advocacy efforts, not policy implementation.

Maddy summaryThe Protect America’s Workforce Act (S 2837) directly affects federal employees and their labor unions by reversing two executive orders that limited their collective bargaining rights. It nullifies Executive Orders 14251 and 14343, which had excluded certain federal workers from labor-management programs, and prohibits federal funding for any efforts to implement those orders. The bill ensures that all existing collective bargaining agreements between federal agencies and employee unions remain fully enforceable through their original terms, as long as they were in effect as of March 26, 2025. This preserves current workplace agreements without creating new obligations or altering existing labor-management processes.

Maddy summaryThe Billionaires Income Tax Act (S 2845) would require high-net-worth individuals with at least $1 billion in assets or $100 million in annual income (or $500 million/$50 million for married filing separately) to pay taxes annually on investment gains rather than deferring taxes until assets are sold. It implements "mark-to-market" taxation for tradable assets like stocks and closes loopholes that allow tax-free transfers of assets to heirs, eliminating strategies like "buy, borrow, die." The bill targets "applicable taxpayers" by requiring annual tax payments on investment gains and modifies special tax provisions for investments in small business stock and qualified opportunity funds. The law would apply to individuals meeting either the asset or income test for three consecutive years, with specific rules for married couples and trusts.

Maddy summarySRES 393 designates September 25, 2025, as "National Lobster Day" and encourages Americans to observe the day with appropriate ceremonies and activities. The resolution recognizes lobster's cultural significance, economic role in coastal communities, and its status as a sustainable seafood choice. It does not create new laws or affect specific groups but formally acknowledges the industry's contributions through a symbolic national observance. This procedural resolution was introduced by Senators King, Shaheen, Collins, and others.

Maddy summarySRES 394 designates September 2025 as "National Literacy Month" through a Senate resolution. It calls on federal, state, local, schools, libraries, nonprofits, businesses, and the public to observe the month with literacy-focused programs. The resolution does not create new laws, funding, or policy requirements. It references statistics on literacy challenges (e.g., adult illiteracy costs) but serves solely as a symbolic recognition of literacy's importance.