Sen. Mike Rounds

Maddy summaryS 449, the Expediting Forest Restoration and Recovery Act of 2025, streamlines forest restoration projects by modifying environmental review rules for the U.S. Forest Service. It directs the Forest Service to use categorical exclusions (avoiding full environmental reviews) for hazardous fuel and insect/disease risk reduction projects in designated "insect and disease treatment areas," provided the areas are suitable for timber production or lack timber harvest prohibitions. The bill also requires states to prioritize wildfire/insect risk reduction in these areas and mandates annual public reporting on treated acreage. This primarily affects Forest Service operations and state agencies managing projects under the "Good Neighbor Authority" program, which allows states to use timber sale revenue for additional restoration work.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief Act to allow Indian tribal governments to directly request fire management assistance grants from FEMA for wildfires, rather than requiring state authorization. It specifically adds tribal governments as eligible recipients in the law and permits their chief executives to submit requests directly to FEMA, bypassing state governors. The bill also requires the President to issue new regulations within one year, clarifying that tribal governments can receive assistance either directly or through state-authorized requests, while preserving existing eligibility pathways. This change directly affects tribal governments facing wildfire disasters by streamlining access to federal disaster aid.

Maddy summaryS 480, the Timber Harvesting Restoration Act of 2025, requires forest supervisors managing National Forest System units where timber sales are below two-thirds of the maximum allowable volume to create plans to increase sales. Within 180 days of enactment, supervisors must submit reports identifying actionable steps, after consulting with industry, tribes, states, and other stakeholders. The Secretary of Agriculture will review progress one year later; if sales reach 75% of the allowable volume, no further reports are needed, but if not, supervisors must submit new plans and may receive additional resources like staff or expedited environmental reviews. This directly affects National Forest units with low timber sales volumes, aiming to boost timber harvests through structured reporting and performance tracking.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to exempt certain family-owned assets from financial need calculations for college students. Specifically, it removes the net value of a family farm (where the family resides) or a small business (with 100 or fewer full-time equivalent employees) owned and controlled by the family from being counted as assets when determining federal financial aid eligibility. The change applies to need analysis for award years starting after the bill's enactment date. This policy directly affects students from qualifying family farms or small businesses when applying for federal student aid under Title IV programs.

Maddy summaryS 481, the "Securing our Border Act," directs funding to enhance border security by requiring 100% scanning of vehicles at all southern border ports by 2034 using nonintrusive inspection systems, and allocates funds for constructing a border wall along the southwest U.S. border. It also creates new bonus programs for U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents, including up to $15,000 for recruitment, retention bonuses up to 15% of pay, and relocation bonuses up to 15% of annual pay. The bill amends immigration procedures to require returning migrants from neighboring countries to contiguous territory or processing asylum claims, rather than immediate release. These provisions directly affect CBP operations, border patrol staffing, and migrants crossing the southern border, with specific deadlines and reporting requirements for funding use.

Maddy summaryThis bill would require federal agencies to submit detailed reports about new regulations to Congress before they take effect. Major rules (defined as those with an annual economic effect of $100 million or more, or significant effects on competition, employment, or public safety) would need congressional approval via a joint resolution before taking effect, with Congress having 70 days to act. Nonmajor rules would have a different, shorter review process. The bill would also require agencies to publish cost-benefit analyses and other supporting documentation, and would mandate that rules be reviewed and potentially reapproved after 10 years.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires mandatory country of origin labeling for beef products, including ground beef, so consumers can see where their beef comes from. It updates existing labeling rules under the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to specifically include beef (and ground beef) alongside other meats. The law directs the U.S. Trade Representative and Agriculture Secretary to find a World Trade Organization-compliant way to reinstate this labeling within a year of enactment. It directly affects beef producers, retailers, and consumers by changing how beef packaging must identify its country of origin.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends federal securities laws to expand regulatory exemptions for retirement plans used by charities and educational institutions. It specifically updates definitions to include 403(b) plans (common for nonprofit employees) under exemptions from certain registration and oversight rules, provided they meet three conditions: (1) they follow federal retirement law (ERISA), (2) the employer acts as a fiduciary for investment choices, or (3) they are governmental plans. This change directly affects employees of qualifying charities and educational institutions who participate in these 403(b) plans, reducing compliance burdens for their retirement plans. The policy change streamlines regulatory requirements without altering retirement benefits or funding.

Maddy summaryS 427 (TAILOR Act of 2025) requires federal banking regulators (like the Federal Reserve and FDIC) to adjust rules based on each financial institution’s specific risk level and business model, rather than applying uniform regulations. It directly affects all federally regulated banks, particularly community banks, by limiting unnecessary regulatory burdens like costly reporting. Key provisions include tailoring rules to minimize costs (e.g., reducing reporting requirements for community banks eligible under the Community Bank Leverage Ratio, as specified in Section 3), documenting this tailoring in rulemaking notices, and submitting annual reports to Congress on implementation. The bill aims to modernize supervision while preserving flexibility for institutions serving local communities.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends federal law to explicitly include "conspiracy" as a punishable offense under computer crime statutes (Section 1030 of Title 18). It updates language that previously only covered "attempted" violations to now include "conspiracy to commit" those violations. The change directly affects federal prosecutors and courts handling cybercrime cases, allowing charges for planning or organizing cyberattacks even if the crime wasn't completed. The bill makes no new policy changes but clarifies existing legal standards for prosecuting cybercrime conspiracies.