Rep. Joe Neguse

Maddy summaryThe Reforming Disaster Recovery Act establishes a new Long-Term Disaster Recovery Fund to provide grants for housing, infrastructure, and economic revitalization in areas most affected by catastrophic major disasters. This legislation creates a new Office of Disaster Management and Resiliency within the Department of Housing and Urban Development to coordinate recovery efforts and ensures that at least 70 percent of the funding benefits low- and moderate-income households. The bill also introduces a formula-based allocation system that includes a specific portion of funds for mitigation activities designed to reduce future disaster risks and requires strict reporting to prevent the duplication of benefits with other federal aid.

Maddy summaryThe Supporting VA Families Act grants unpaid parental leave to Department of Veterans Affairs employees. This provision allows employees to take four weeks of unpaid leave within a 12-month period for the birth of a child or for adoption and foster care placements. The leave is designed to supplement existing leave policies rather than replace them, ensuring employees can balance family needs with their work responsibilities. The act defines eligible employees and children according to existing federal definitions found in Title 5 of the United States Code.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a 17-member Commission on Presidential Capacity to Discharge the Powers and Duties of the Office. This commission, composed primarily of medical professionals and former high-ranking executive officials, would be activated by a concurrent resolution of Congress. Its duty would be to conduct a medical examination of the President to determine if they are mentally or physically unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office due to conditions such as illness, disability, or substance use. Following the examination, the commission would report its findings and a declaration on the President's capacity to Congress and the Vice President, with any refusal by the President to undergo examination taken into consideration.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows family caregivers who work less than 500 paid hours but provide over 500 hours of unpaid care to contribute the maximum amount to a Roth IRA without income limits. It directly affects unpaid caregivers of children or adults with special needs who are unemployed or severely underemployed. The law defines caregiving tasks to include daily activities like bathing, medication management, and transportation, and applies to taxable years starting after December 31, 2026.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows unpaid family caregivers to make additional retirement contributions to their Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) without being subject to the usual age restrictions. To qualify, an individual must provide at least 500 hours of unpaid care for a child or an adult with special needs while working fewer than 500 hours of paid employment in the same year. The law defines caregiving tasks to include daily activities like bathing, medication management, and transportation, and permits employers to accept a caregiver's written statement as proof of their status. These changes would take effect for retirement years beginning after December 31, 2026, helping family members who dedicate significant time to caring for relatives save for retirement.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct a study examining how accessible addiction and mental health care providers and services are for farmers and ranchers facing challenges like drought, extreme weather, market instability, and consumer misinformation. The study will investigate rural availability of trained providers, barriers such as financial and geographic obstacles, and successful state and local programs that could be expanded federally. It also explores options like funding for therapy sessions through existing networks and enhancing telehealth services in rural areas. The results will be reported to Congress within 180 days, with up to $1 million authorized annually for fiscal years 2026 through 2029 to support the study.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a presumption that certain illnesses are connected to military service for veterans who were stationed at the Pentagon Reservation between September 11 and November 19, 2001. It directly affects those veterans by allowing them to automatically qualify for disability benefits for covered diseases without needing to prove a direct link to their service. The bill specifies that illnesses like asthma, cancer, heart disease, skin conditions, and other respiratory or cardiovascular ailments diagnosed after service will be presumed service-connected. This applies to veterans assigned to the Pentagon during the immediate post-9/11 period, streamlining access to benefits under the existing veterans' health care system.

Love Lives On Act of 2025 This bill extends entitlement for various benefit programs and services for surviving spouses of deceased members of the Armed Forces or veterans. The bill provides that the remarriage of a surviving spouse must not bar the furnishing of dependency and indemnity compensation or special pension benefits to such spouse. Additionally, the Department of Defense may not terminate the payment of an annuity for a surviving spouse under the Survivor Benefit Plan solely because the surviving spouse remarries. The bill also expands the definition of a dependent under TRICARE to include a remarried widow or widower whose subsequent marriage has ended due to death, divorce, or annulment.

Maddy summaryHR 6618, the Wildfire Aerial Response Safety Act, requires the Federal Aviation Administration to study how private drones interfere with wildfire suppression efforts on federal lands managed by the Interior Department or Agriculture Department. The study will count drone incursions over the past five years and assess their impact on firefighting timelines, response delays, and government costs. It will also evaluate prevention methods like counter-drone technology, public education, and drone seizure techniques. The findings must be reported to Congress within 18 months of the bill's enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes safety and security standards for online platforms and delivery services that accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. It requires the Food and Nutrition Service to create rules for digital privacy, cybersecurity, fair working conditions including prevailing wages, and food safety for stores and wholesalers participating in the program. Retailers must report their compliance with these standards within 18 months of the rules being finalized, and noncompliance could result in losing authorization to accept SNAP benefits. The legislation aims to protect users and workers while ensuring food safety in the growing digital food assistance landscape.