Maddy summaryThis bill redefines who qualifies as a "Palestinian refugee" under U.S. policy, requiring individuals to have been displaced during the 1948 conflict and not accepted citizenship elsewhere. It mandates that U.S. funding for the UNRWA agency (which provides aid to Palestinian refugees) can only continue if the State Department certifies UNRWA is free from terrorist ties, anti-Israel rhetoric in its materials, and misuse of facilities for terrorism. The certification must confirm UNRWA uses vetted staff, avoids anti-Semitic or anti-Israel propaganda in education, and undergoes independent financial audits approved by Israel and the Palestinian Authority. U.S. contributions are also capped at levels matching the highest Arab League member country’s annual support and proportional to U.S. funding for other refugee programs. The bill requires annual reports to Congress on efforts to encourage other nations to withhold UNRWA funding until these conditions are met.
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 ends the federal requirement for foreign travelers to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination when flying to the U.S. or entering through land borders with Canada. It specifically repeals CDC and DHS orders that mandated vaccination proof for air travelers and land border crossings (including ferries). The bill prohibits federal funding for enforcing these requirements and states they "shall have no force or effect" upon enactment. It directly affects international travelers entering the U.S. by air or land, removing a specific health-related travel barrier.
Maddy summaryS 420, the COVID-19 Vaccination Non-Discrimination Act, bars federal funding from being provided to healthcare facilities that refuse treatment to patients based on their COVID-19 vaccination status. It directly affects hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes receiving federal funds through programs like Medicaid (Title XIX), Medicare (Title XVIII), and CHIP (Title XXI) under the Social Security Act. The bill’s key provision requires that any facility denying care due to vaccination status loses access to all federal funds authorized under those programs. This policy change mandates equal access to treatment regardless of vaccination status for all patients in federally funded healthcare settings.
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 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.
Maddy summaryThis proposed constitutional amendment (SJRES 13) would require the federal government to balance its annual budget, meaning spending could not exceed revenue unless Congress passes a specific exception with a two-thirds vote. It also sets a limit of 18% of GDP for total government spending, with similar supermajority requirements to exceed this cap. The bill would mandate the President to submit a balanced budget proposal to Congress each year and require a two-thirds vote for tax increases or debt limit hikes. As a proposed amendment, it would only take effect if ratified by three-fourths of state legislatures.
Maddy summaryThis joint resolution (SJRES 12) seeks congressional disapproval of the District of Columbia Council’s approval of the Revised Criminal Code Act of 2022 (D.C. Act 24-789). It directly affects D.C. residents and local government, as the resolution targets the District’s newly enacted criminal code. The mechanism is a formal congressional disapproval under the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, requiring passage by both chambers to block the D.C. law from taking effect. The resolution does not alter the D.C. code itself but aims to halt its implementation through federal action.
Maddy summarySRES 53 is a Senate resolution defining "sex" under federal law as biological sex at birth and specifying that terms like "woman," "girl," and "mother" refer exclusively to human females. It requires federal agencies to collect sex-disaggregated data based on biological sex at birth for compliance with antidiscrimination laws. The resolution aims to clarify legal interpretations in areas like athletics, shelters, and data reporting, though it does not create new laws or alter existing statutes. As a non-binding resolution, it has no legal effect but seeks to guide federal implementation of current laws.