Sen. Todd Young

Maddy summaryThis bill amends the Small Business Act to require the Small Business Administration (SBA) to provide guidance and support to small businesses on using artificial intelligence (AI). Specifically, it adds a new provision directing the SBA to help small businesses evaluate AI for operations - including best practices, planning for disruptions, protecting data and intellectual property, improving cybersecurity, and ensuring regulatory compliance. The guidance will include training and outreach on integrating AI into business workflows. The bill does not authorize new funding for these activities.

Maddy summaryThis is a Senate resolution (SRES 573), not a legislative bill, expressing the Senate's position on U.S. leadership in religious freedom. It reaffirms the U.S. commitment to promoting religious freedom globally, encourages the Secretary of State to use diplomatic tools to address foreign violations, and supports existing roles like the Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom. The resolution does not create new laws or change policies but serves as a symbolic statement urging continued U.S. engagement on this issue. It directly affects U.S. diplomatic efforts and messaging toward countries with religious freedom concerns, such as China and Nicaragua, as cited in the resolution's background.

Maddy summaryThe Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2025 requires the Comptroller General of the United States to audit the Federal Reserve System's Board of Governors and Federal Reserve banks within 12 months of the law's enactment. The audit must be completed within that timeframe, and a detailed report of findings, conclusions, and recommendations must be submitted to Congress within 90 days of completion. This report will be shared with congressional leaders and made available to any member of Congress who requests it. The bill directly affects the Federal Reserve System by imposing new transparency requirements for its operations and financial activities.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates the Innovation Voucher Grant Program to provide small businesses with grants covering up to 75% of costs (up to $75,000 total) for purchasing technical assistance and services from eligible research institutions like universities or nonprofit labs. Small businesses (as defined by the Small Business Act) directly benefit by accessing advanced research capabilities, expertise, and infrastructure to develop new products or services. The program requires competitive applications, mandates post-project reporting on innovation outcomes, and authorizes $10 million annually from 2026-2030 to fund grants, with no more than 5% of funds used for administrative costs.

Maddy summaryThe Digital Trade Promotion Act of 2025 authorizes the President to negotiate digital trade agreements with trusted international partners, focusing on key provisions like free cross-border data flows, prohibitions on discriminatory taxes for digital services, and protection against forced technology transfers. These agreements would directly benefit U.S. businesses, workers, and small-to-medium enterprises in the digital economy by removing trade barriers for digital goods and services. The bill also establishes congressional oversight requirements, including 60-day notice before negotiations begin, a detailed report before signing, and a 30-day review period during which Congress can disapprove an agreement via a joint resolution. It emphasizes aligning digital trade rules with U.S. values like privacy, cybersecurity cooperation, and an open internet, without creating new domestic regulations.

Maddy summarySRES 536 is a non-binding Senate resolution designating December 2, 2025, as "World Nuclear Energy Day." It commemorates nuclear energy's role in clean power generation, highlighting historical milestones like the first nuclear chain reaction (1942) and the first commercial nuclear plant (1957). The resolution celebrates nuclear energy's contributions to U.S. electricity (18% of generation, 43% carbon-free), job creation (over 70,000 direct jobs), and national security, without creating new laws or affecting any group. It serves as a symbolic recognition of the industry's achievements.

Maddy summaryThe PBM Price Transparency and Accountability Act requires pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to be more transparent about drug pricing and ensure accurate payments to pharmacies. It establishes national average drug acquisition cost benchmarks for Medicaid, prohibits PBMs from keeping excessive profits through "spread pricing," and mandates detailed reporting of drug pricing, rebates, and fees. The bill affects Medicaid programs, Medicare Part D plans, and the PBMs that negotiate drug prices on behalf of insurers. It includes enforcement mechanisms like civil penalties for non-compliance and requires PBMs to report detailed pricing information to the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates two pathways to help high school students earn college credit while in high school and graduate early. The "early college fast track pathway" allows students to take college-level courses (like AP, IB, or dual enrollment) that count toward a degree, while the "early high school graduation pathway" lets students graduate in 3 years without needing remedial college courses and provides a scholarship for college. States would receive federal grants to implement these pathways, requiring them to align high school curriculum with college requirements, create statewide credit transfer agreements, and ensure credit transfer between institutions. The bill also changes Pell Grant rules to allow eligible high school students in these pathways to receive Pell Grants without counting toward the usual 12-semester limit. It requires states to track participation and outcomes, particularly for historically underrepresented students.

Maddy summaryThe Back the Blue Act of 2025 creates new federal criminal offenses for killing or assaulting law enforcement officers, judges, and certain public safety personnel (including firefighters and first responders) while they are on duty or because of their official status. It increases penalties for these crimes, including minimum 10-year prison terms for killing officers and longer sentences for assaults causing serious injury, with the death penalty possible for killings. The bill also adds a "flight to avoid prosecution" provision for those fleeing to evade charges for killing officers, expands law enforcement officers' rights to carry firearms in certain circumstances, and limits federal habeas corpus relief for individuals convicted of killing law enforcement officers. This legislation directly affects law enforcement officers, judges, and public safety personnel, as well as individuals who commit violence against them.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases the tax exclusion for capital gains when selling a primary residence. It doubles the exclusion amount from $250,000 (for single filers) to $500,000 and from $500,000 (for married couples) to $1,000,000. The bill also adds an inflation adjustment for amounts after 2025, tying future increases to the cost-of-living adjustment. It directly affects homeowners who sell their primary residence and would otherwise owe tax on profits exceeding the previous limits. The changes apply to sales after the bill's enactment date.