Maddy summaryThe End the Vaccine Carveout Act changes the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (NVICP) to allow individuals to sue vaccine manufacturers or administrators directly in court for vaccine-related injuries or deaths, without first needing to file a claim under the NVICP. It removes time limits for filing NVICP claims and repeals rules that previously let people choose between the program and a lawsuit for the same injury. The bill also specifically excludes COVID-19 vaccines from the definition of "covered countermeasure," meaning they are no longer protected by the same emergency liability shield that applied to other pandemic vaccines. This affects vaccine manufacturers, providers, and individuals who experience vaccine-related harm, shifting liability from the NVICP to the court system for most cases.
Sponsored bills
Veterans' Assuring Critical Care Expansions to Support Servicemembers Act of 2025 or the Veterans' ACCESS Act of 2025 This bill addresses the administration of the Veterans Community Care Program (VCCP) and other Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care matters. Among other provisions regarding the VCCP, the bill establishes in statute access standards that determine when a veteran is eligible to receive non-VA care through the VCCP, requires the VA to notify veterans regarding their eligibility for care within two business days after the VA is aware the veteran is seeking care, and extends the deadline for the submittal of claims under the VCCP by health care entities and providers. The VA must address its mental health treatment programs by establishing a standardized screening process to determine whether a veteran satisfies criteria for priority or routine admission to a mental health residential rehabilitation treatment program or a program for residential care for mental health and substance abuse disorders, tracking the performance of medical facilities and Veterans Integrated Service Networks in meeting the requirements for mental health treatment screenings and timely admission to treatment programs under such screenings, and establishing an appeal process for when a veteran is denied admission to a covered treatment program or is accepted into a program but not offered bed placement in a timely manner. Additionally, the VA must establish an online self-service module for veterans to request and manage appointments, track referrals, and appeal and track decisions related to requests for care.
Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2025 This bill reauthorizes programs and activities that combat international trafficking; establishes a new program to help victims of trafficking; and updates various elements of the federal framework to combat international trafficking. Specifically, this bill reauthorizes through FY2029 programs and activities at various federal departments and agencies to combat international trafficking and reduce the prevalence of modern slavery. The bill also reauthorizes International Megan’s Law through FY2029. Among its provisions, the law requires sex offenders to provide certain information about their intended travel outside of the United States. Additionally, the bill authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services to carry out a new program to help victims of trafficking integrate or reintegrate into society. The bill requires the Department of State's Trafficking in Persons Report to include information about trafficking in persons for the purposes of organ removal. With respect to country rankings for anti-trafficking efforts, the bill narrows the types of countries that are listed on the Tier 2 Watch List and increases the length of time a country may remain on the Tier 2 Watch List after being downgraded to the lowest ranking and then reinstated to the watch list. (The Tier 2 Watch List refers to countries that are making efforts to meet international standards for combatting human trafficking but still have a significant number of severe trafficking cases.) Finally, the bill requires counter-trafficking strategies, activities, and efforts to be further incorporated into U.S. foreign assistance.
Maddy summaryThe AFIDA Improvements Act of 2025 amends the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act to require foreign owners with at least a 1% interest in U.S. agricultural land (either directly or through other companies) to report their ownership. It creates new enforcement duties for the Farm Production and Conservation Business Center to validate reported data and ensure compliance with these requirements. The bill also mandates the Secretary of Agriculture to share foreign ownership reports with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States and update the Farm Service Agency's handbook on foreign investment disclosures to include recommendations from a 2024 Government Accountability Office report. Additionally, it directs an analysis of an electronic reporting system for these disclosures and requires a report on implementation steps.
Maddy summaryThis bill clarifies that Russian-origin americium-241 (Am-241) sealed sources - which have similar properties to eligible materials - can be disposed of at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) once they meet safety standards. It directly affects the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), which recovers these materials globally, and international facilities supplying them. The key provision amends a 2005 law to explicitly include foreign-origin radiological materials meeting WIPP criteria under disposal pathways for defense-related waste. This change aims to accelerate the removal of materials that could potentially be misused in radiological threats, reducing security risks without altering WIPP operations.
Maddy summaryThe GOLDEN DOME Act of 2025 establishes a comprehensive homeland missile defense system designed to protect U.S. citizens and critical infrastructure from ballistic, hypersonic, cruise, and unmanned system threats. The bill creates a new Golden Dome Direct Report Program Manager with significant authority to accelerate development, testing, and deployment of integrated missile defense capabilities across all domains (land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace). It requires a holistic strategy with all-domain awareness, mandates accelerated testing schedules including live-fire exercises, and allocates specific funding for components like space-based sensors, interceptors, and command and control systems. The legislation also includes provisions to protect the space industrial base and secure critical supply chains for missile defense systems.
Maddy summaryThis bill mandates a 90-day government review to determine if CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) meets criteria for designation as a foreign terrorist organization under U.S. law. The review, led by the Secretary of State with input from the Attorney General and Treasury Secretary, would assess CAIR's ties to terrorism based on findings cited in the bill, including alleged connections to Hamas, the Holy Land Foundation, and individuals convicted of terrorism-related offenses. The bill does not immediately designate CAIR as a terrorist group but requires a formal evaluation and a congressional report on the outcome. This process directly affects CAIR by triggering an official government assessment of its status, though no immediate action is taken by the bill itself.
Maddy summaryThe Caring for Survivors Act of 2025 increases monthly dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses of veterans. It changes the calculation method from a fixed $1,154 to 55% of a specific veteran compensation rate, effective six months after enactment. The bill also reduces the required continuous disability rating period for survivors from 10 years to 5 years, and provides a proportional payment for cases where the rating period is shorter than 10 years. Surviving spouses of veterans who died before January 1, 1993, receive the greater of their current benefit or the new calculation. This directly affects surviving spouses eligible for benefits under Title 38, U.S. Code, particularly those with veterans who died prior to 1993.
Maddy summaryHR 3981 would grant a federal charter to the Veterans Association of Real Estate Professionals (VAREP), a California-based nonprofit already recognized as a veterans service organization under IRS rules. This charter would formalize VAREP's status as a federally chartered entity under Title 36 of the U.S. Code, requiring it to maintain its tax-exempt status under the IRS Code to keep the charter. The bill outlines VAREP's purposes, including advocating for veterans' homeownership, providing financial literacy education, offering housing counseling, and connecting real estate professionals with veterans' needs, while prohibiting political activities, stock issuance, or profit distribution. This is a procedural bill focused on organizational structure, not policy changes.
Maddy summaryHR 3848, the CLOUD Aircraft Act, requires the Department of Defense to study equipping all military fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft operating in highly trafficked domestic airspaces (near commercial airports) with collision detection systems. The study must assess the feasibility and cost of adding both air-to-air systems (to prevent mid-air collisions with other aircraft) and air-to-ground systems (to avoid terrain collisions). The Secretary of Defense must submit a report with findings and recommendations to Congress within 180 days of the bill's enactment. This bill directly affects military aircraft operating in controlled airspace around major airports but does not mandate any equipment installation.