Rep. Lloyd Smucker

Maddy summaryThis bill allows the Social Security Administration to reissue a new Social Security number to children under 14 if their card was lost or stolen, after a parent or guardian provides sworn evidence of the incident. It amends the Social Security Act to create a formal process for reissuing numbers when a child’s card was compromised during transmission. The Commissioner must issue a new number and document the loss/theft reason in the child’s records. This directly affects minors under 14 whose Social Security cards were lost or stolen before they turned 14.

Maddy summaryThe Claiming Age Clarity Act (HR 5284) requires the Social Security Administration to update its official terminology by January 1, 2027. It directs the replacement of specific terms: "early eligibility age" becomes "minimum monthly benefit age," "full retirement age" and "normal retirement age" become "standard monthly benefit age," and "delayed retirement credit" is eliminated, with "maximum monthly benefit age" used instead of age 70 references. This change applies to all Social Security Administration rules, regulations, guidance, and materials, both online and in print, affecting how the agency communicates retirement benefit rules to the public.

Maddy summaryHR 4313, the Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, extends Medicare's waiver allowing acute hospital care at home until 2030 (previously expiring in 2025). It requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a detailed study by September 2028 comparing home-based hospital care to traditional inpatient care. The study must analyze quality metrics (like readmission rates and patient outcomes), costs, staffing patterns, and patient demographics - including racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic data - across participating and non-participating hospitals. This bill directly affects Medicare beneficiaries receiving home-based care and hospitals operating under the waiver program.

Give Kids a Chance Act of 2025 This bill expands the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) authority with respect to research on rare pediatric diseases, including by permitting the FDA to take enforcement action against drug sponsors that fail to satisfy pediatric study requirements and by reauthorizing programs that support pediatric research.  Specifically, the bill modifies requirements relating to molecularly targeted pediatric cancer investigations to permit research on new drugs in combination with active ingredients that have already been approved, provided certain conditions are met; permits the FDA to take enforcement action against drug sponsors that fail to comply with pediatric study requirements, if such sponsors demonstrated a lack of due diligence in satisfying the requirement; renews the FDA’s authority to award priority review vouchers to sponsors of new products intended to treat rare pediatric diseases through September 30, 2029; and reauthorizes through FY2027 certain funding for the National Institutes of Health to support priority pediatric research.  The bill also provides statutory authority for the FDA’s interpretation of the orphan drug exclusivity period. The bill specifies, consistent with FDA regulations, that the seven-year market exclusivity period for drugs for rare diseases or conditions (i.e., orphan drugs) prohibits the approval of the same drug for the same approved use or indication with respect to the disease or condition. (In Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. v. Becerra , a court rejected the FDA’s interpretation and held that orphan drug exclusivity extends to all uses or indications for the disease or condition.)

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies the Higher Education Act to allow foreign institutions of higher education to offer distance learning courses that qualify for federal student aid. It sets three key requirements: distance education must not exceed 12.5% of a program, the institution must be evaluated by an outside accreditor, and students must physically attend instruction in the foreign country. The changes apply to foreign institutions seeking to provide hybrid programs where students receive aid under the Higher Education Act. The rules take effect after enactment, with a 3-month implementation period for the first qualifying semester.

Maddy summaryThe ADOPT Act of 2025 creates federal offenses to prevent exploitation in private domestic interstate adoptions. It prohibits unlicensed groups from acting as intermediaries between birth parents and adoptive parents, restricts certain adoption advertising, and caps payments to birth parents at $2,500 before consulting a licensed agency or attorney. The bill directly affects unlicensed adoption facilitators, birth parents, and prospective adoptive parents by requiring all adoption services to occur through licensed providers or exempt entities like attorneys and nonprofit agencies. Violations carry fines up to $100,000 for organizations or $50,000 plus 5 years in prison for individuals, with exemptions for public agencies, licensed child-placing organizations, and attorneys.

Maddy summaryHR 6231 extends and enhances the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC), a federal tax credit for employers hiring from specific target groups like veterans, SNAP recipients, and summer youth workers. The bill extends the program through 2030 (from 2025), increases the credit rate to 50% for certain wages (up from 40%), adds automatic inflation adjustments to the $6,000 wage cap, and expands eligibility to include military spouses and removes age limits for SNAP recipients. Key provisions also modify credit calculations for veterans, agricultural workers, and long-term assistance recipients, while requiring federal agencies to promote hiring from target groups in critical sectors like healthcare and construction. This bill directly affects employers who hire from these designated groups, making the tax credit more valuable and accessible.

Maddy summaryThis bill would require Medicare to cover early detection screening tests for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias starting January 1, 2028. It defines eligible tests as FDA-cleared genomic blood tests, blood product analyses, or equivalent medical imaging methods (like protein expression or whole genome sequencing) that detect pre-symptomatic or early-stage conditions. Medicare beneficiaries would receive this coverage without cost-sharing for these specific screenings. The bill amends Medicare coverage rules to explicitly include these tests under Section 1861(nnn) of the Social Security Act.

Maddy summaryHR 5981, the VA Billing Accountability Act, requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to stop billing veterans for care or medications if the VA delayed sending payment notices due to its own errors. Specifically, it creates a two-year window (ending two years after enactment) where veterans won’t have to pay if they received care or medications but weren’t notified of required payments more than 180 days later for VA facilities or more than 18 months for non-VA care. The bill also sets strict deadlines for VA to send billing notices and mandates that veterans receive clear options to apply for waivers or set up payment plans if notices are late. This directly affects veterans who received delayed billing notices due to VA administrative errors, ensuring they aren’t charged for delays the VA caused. The law terminates after two years, with the VA required to review billing procedures within 180 days of enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires all new passenger vehicles manufactured for sale in the U.S. to include AM radio as standard equipment (not an optional add-on) by 2027-2028, depending on manufacturer size. It mandates that AM radio receivers must be easily accessible to drivers and allows compliance through digital AM broadcast technology. During a transition period, manufacturers must clearly label vehicles without AM radio but cannot charge extra for this feature. The bill also mandates a GAO study on AM radio's role in emergency alerts and includes a 10-year sunset provision for the rule. It preempts state laws regarding AM radio access in vehicles.