Rep. Ted Lieu

Maddy summaryThis bill requires most employers to provide workers with earned paid sick leave. Employees would earn 1 hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked, up to 56 hours per year, which can be used for their own illness, medical care, caring for family members (including children, parents, spouses, domestic partners, or other family-like relationships), or addressing domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking situations. The bill prohibits employers from retaliating against workers who use this leave and requires employers to inform employees about their rights. It ensures that workers who leave and return to the same employer within a year can reinstate their unused sick leave. This law would not override more generous state or local paid leave policies.

Maddy summaryHR 7524, the Older Workers’ Bureau Act, establishes a new bureau within the Department of Labor to address workplace challenges for older workers. The bureau will conduct research on issues like age discrimination, wage disparities, retirement readiness, and access to workplace flexibility for workers aged 55 and older, and administer grant programs to combat structural ageism and improve employment opportunities. It requires annual reports on federal programs supporting older workers and prioritizes grants for organizations serving disadvantaged older workers in areas lacking targeted training. The act authorizes $10 million annually for these research and grant activities starting in fiscal year 2028. This directly affects older workers (55+) and organizations providing services to them, focusing on concrete policy research and program coordination.

Maddy summaryHR 7564, "Jaime’s Law," amends federal law to require background checks for ammunition transfers between unlicensed individuals. It mandates that unlicensed people cannot directly buy or receive ammunition; instead, they must go through a licensed dealer who conducts background checks and provides required notices. The bill specifically exempts transfers between family members, law enforcement, temporary safety-related transfers, and certain sporting activities. It does not create a national ammunition registry and leaves state laws intact.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes the United States-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative to accelerate joint development and integration of defense technologies between the two countries. It directs the U.S. Secretary of Defense, with Israel’s agreement, to identify Israeli-origin technologies for rapid adoption into U.S. military systems, focusing on areas like counter-drone systems, missile defense (including "Golden Dome for America"), AI, cyber defense, and directed energy. The initiative requires annual congressional reporting on progress, partnerships with industry, and technology transitions, while authorizing $150 million annually for fiscal years 2027-2029. It aims to strengthen bilateral defense innovation and streamline the use of Israeli technologies within U.S. military programs.

Maddy summaryHRES 1058 is a non-binding House resolution recognizing the federal government’s duty to develop a Transgender Bill of Rights. It calls for specific policy changes, including amending civil rights laws to explicitly prohibit discrimination based on gender identity in employment, housing, and public accommodations; protecting access to gender-affirming medical care; and streamlining legal recognition of gender identity on federal documents like passports and voter registration. The resolution also proposes expanding protections for transgender and nonbinary individuals in healthcare, education, immigration, and correctional facilities, while emphasizing community-led policy development. As a resolution, it does not create new law but sets a framework for future legislative action.

Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026 This bill provides FY2026 appropriations for various agencies and offices within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), except for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and management and oversight activities of the Office of the Secretary. Specifically, the bill provides appropriations to DHS for  the Federal Protective Service, the Office of Inspector General, the Transportation Security Administration, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Secret Service, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers, and the Science and Technology Directorate. The bill does not provide appropriations for some agencies and activities that have been funded in prior DHS appropriations acts, including ICE, CBP, and management and oversight activities of the Office of the Secretary.

Maddy summaryThe Firearm Safety Act of 2025 removes an existing exemption that prevents the Consumer Product Safety Commission from regulating firearms as consumer products. By amending the Consumer Product Safety Act, the bill allows the commission to apply its standard safety rules to guns, similar to how it regulates other household items. This change directly affects manufacturers and sellers of firearms by potentially subjecting them to federal safety standards and testing requirements. The legislation does not alter existing gun laws or create new bans, but rather changes the regulatory framework under which firearm safety is overseen.

Maddy summaryHR 7497 establishes a new grant program to fund trauma-informed mental health support in schools, authorizing $50 million annually from 2027-2031. It directly affects students, teachers, school staff, and community mental health providers by requiring grantees to develop collaborative services between schools and local mental health systems. Key provisions include funding evidence-based staff training on trauma-informed practices, creating school-community partnerships, and ensuring culturally competent services for students - including those with disabilities. The bill mandates that funds supplement, not replace, existing resources and requires grantees to coordinate with agencies like child welfare and juvenile justice through formal interagency agreements.

Maddy summaryHR 7480, the FAIR Act, sets pay adjustments for federal employees in 2027. It increases base pay by 3.1% for most federal workers under standard pay systems and for employees paid according to local civilian wages in high-cost areas. Additionally, it raises locality pay adjustments by 1% for 2027. The bill directly affects all federal employees covered by these pay systems through concrete, formula-based adjustments.

Maddy summaryThe AI Grand Challenges Act of 2026 establishes a National Science Foundation program to award cash prizes for solving specific, measurable AI research challenges across 15 priority areas like national security, health, energy, and cancer breakthroughs. It requires the NSF Director to create prize competitions with minimum $1 million awards per winner (including a mandatory $10 million cancer-focused competition), targeting U.S.-based entities or citizens. Key mechanisms include publishing clear problem statements and success metrics on Challenge.gov, consulting public and federal agencies on challenge selection, and reporting annual results to Congress. The bill directly affects U.S. researchers, companies, and organizations developing AI solutions for federally identified challenges.