Rep. Shomari Figures

Lulu’s Law This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission to issue an order explicitly permitting the transmission of wireless emergency alerts to mobile phones in the event of a shark attack.  (Under current regulations, authorized government authorities are permitted to send wireless emergency alerts regarding public safety emergencies, including severe weather, missing children, and other threats to life or property.)

Maddy summaryThis bill directs the Secretary of Agriculture to create a pilot grant program that funds Food is Medicine initiatives, which connect community organizations with healthcare providers to help people manage diet-related diseases through nutrition-focused services. The program would provide grants for activities such as medically tailored grocery deliveries, cooking classes, and emergency food operations, with priority given to projects using local foods and involving nutrition professionals. Funding of up to $20 million is authorized for fiscal years 2027 through 2031, and the Secretary must submit reports to Congress on how the program affects participant health outcomes and system costs.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands the Commodity Futures Trading Commission's ability to cooperate with foreign regulatory bodies by formally defining what constitutes a foreign futures authority and updating related legal definitions to include swaps and commodities. It authorizes the Commission to accept assistance from U.S. federal agencies and allows for temporary exchanges of staff with foreign governments without requiring reciprocal arrangements. The legislation also establishes rules for reimbursable or non-reimbursable agreements with foreign entities and requires detailed foreign officials to follow U.S. ethics standards while prohibiting them from holding management positions at the Commission.

Maddy summaryThis resolution formally supports the goals and ideals of Social Work Month and World Social Work Day, which are observed on March 17, 2026. It recognizes the contributions of social workers across various settings including healthcare, schools, child welfare agencies, and disaster relief efforts. The measure acknowledges the profession's role in addressing mental health, addiction, poverty, and social justice while encouraging awareness of social workers' integral role in community well-being.

Maddy summaryThe Maternal Vaccination Act amends the Public Health Service Act to expand a federal campaign focused on increasing vaccination rates among pregnant and postpartum individuals and their children. This legislation directly affects public health programs by updating language to explicitly include these populations and directing funding toward outreach efforts that address disparities among racial and ethnic minority groups. Key provisions modify existing sections of the Public Health Service Act to broaden the campaign's scope and increase the authorized funding amount from $15 million to $17 million per fiscal year for the period 2027 through 2031. The bill aims to improve vaccination equity by ensuring federal resources specifically target maternal and pediatric immunization efforts.

Maddy summaryThe Save Struggling Hospitals Act adjusts Medicare reimbursement rates for hospitals in low-wage areas to help them remain financially viable. It directly affects hospitals located in regions where the average hospital wages fall below the 25th percentile nationally. The bill increases the area wage index for these struggling hospitals by half the difference between their current index and the 25th percentile threshold, starting with discharges on or after October 1, 2019. These adjustments are designed to be budget neutral, meaning the increased payments to low-wage hospitals are offset by reductions elsewhere without decreasing payments to hospitals in the top 75th percentile or reducing any hospital's payment by more than 5 percent from the previous year.

This bill designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 819 West Washington Boulevard in Los Angeles, California, as the "Jerry T. Hodges Jr. Post Office Building".

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 summaryThis bill authorizes federal grants to establish a national education protection and advocacy program that supports organizations enforcing the rights of students with disabilities under key federal laws. The program would provide funding to existing protection and advocacy systems to monitor educational settings, advocate for safe conditions, and pursue legal remedies for violations of student rights. Grants would be distributed based on state populations with minimum amounts guaranteed for each state and territory, and recipients would not be required to provide matching funds. The legislation requires systems receiving funds to submit annual reports and use the grants to supplement rather than replace existing services.

Maddy summaryThe Kira Johnson Act establishes a federal grant program to support community-based organizations in improving maternal health outcomes for populations facing higher rates of maternal mortality and health disparities. It allocates $100 million annually from 2027 to 2031 for grants that fund programs addressing social determinants of health, culturally congruent care, and support for midwifery practices. The bill also creates a separate $5 million annual funding stream for training all maternity care employees on bias reduction, trauma-informed care, and respectful service delivery. Additionally, the legislation requires hospitals and health systems to establish compliance programs that allow patients to report bias and mandates regular public reporting on these efforts. A study by the National Academies and ongoing evaluation by the GAO will assess the effectiveness of these initiatives in improving patient experiences and health outcomes for pregnant and postpartum individuals from racial and ethnic minority groups.