Rep. Yassamin Ansari

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to restore full staffing levels within 30 days of enactment, including reinstating employees terminated between January 20, 2025, and the bill's passage. It mandates the immediate reinstatement of specific NOAA programs, including the discontinued "Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters" product and two environmental databases tracking ocean currents and marine buoys. The bill allocates $6.756 billion in funding for NOAA's operations through fiscal year 2026 to support these staffing and program restorations. It directly affects NOAA employees, state/local emergency response efforts, and the public relying on NOAA's weather forecasting and disaster data for safety planning.

Maddy summaryThe SUN Act (HR 4998) requires the President to submit a detailed report to Congress within 15 days whenever National Guard members are deployed domestically for non-disaster purposes under specific laws. The report must include the legal basis for the deployment, evidence of reduced violence, input from local law enforcement, total costs, and a certification that the deployment won’t interfere with disaster response capabilities. It applies to all domestic uses of the National Guard except for responses to natural disasters under the Stafford Act. The bill aims to enhance congressional oversight of military deployments on U.S. soil.

Maddy summaryThis bill (HJRES 115) terminates a presidential emergency declaration made on August 11, 2025, which claimed a "crime emergency" in Washington, D.C. It directly affects the District of Columbia by ending federal restrictions that prevented D.C. from using $1 billion in locally-raised funds for public safety, law enforcement, fire services, and schools. The resolution cites that the emergency declaration was legally flawed - section 740 of the DC Home Rule Act does not permit federalizing the Metropolitan Police Department - and notes that D.C. violent crime has reached a 30-year low. The bill formally ends the emergency under the DC Home Rule Act, restoring D.C.'s authority over its own budget and public safety resources.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends the Food and Nutrition Act to clarify that Social Security benefits (income under Title II of the Social Security Act) are not counted when determining eligibility for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits. It directly affects seniors receiving Social Security who rely on SNAP for food assistance, ensuring their Social Security payments do not reduce their SNAP benefits. The key change adds Social Security income to the list of non-countable resources under SNAP rules. The amendment takes effect 90 days after the bill is enacted.

Maddy summaryHR 4966 prohibits grocery stores from selling items at "grossly excessive prices," defined as 120% or more above the average market price over the previous six months (with exceptions for unavoidable cost increases like supply chain issues). It bans using facial recognition or personal data to set different prices for individual customers (e.g., adjusting prices based on shopping history) and requires clear signage if facial recognition is used. Stores over 10,000 square feet must replace electronic shelf labels with physical price tags. The Federal Trade Commission enforces these rules, allowing consumers to seek $3,000 per violation or actual damages, with penalties for willful violations.

Maddy summaryHR 4919 designates the U.S. Postal Service facility at 765 West Old Route 66 in Ash Fork, Arizona, as the "Fayrene Hume Post Office." The bill updates all federal references to this location to reflect the new name. This is a purely administrative naming change with no policy or funding impact, directly affecting the postal facility and related federal documents.

Maddy summaryThis resolution expresses the House of Representatives' opposition to any presidential pardon, commutation, or other clemency for Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted in 2021 for conspiring to traffic minors for sexual abuse alongside Jeffrey Epstein. It highlights her 20-year prison sentence for facilitating the grooming and abuse of children, emphasizing that clemency would deny justice to victims. The resolution is non-binding but formally states that her conviction and sentence were warranted, and that her ongoing imprisonment is the only available measure of justice for survivors.

Maddy summaryHR 4917, the Expanding the VOTE Act, amends the Voting Rights Act to increase language access for voters. It expands the definition of "voting materials" to include digital formats and requires states to provide language assistance (both written and oral) for minority language groups, with special provisions for American Indian and Alaska Native languages when written translations aren't feasible. The bill creates grants to help jurisdictions provide voting materials in languages that don't currently trigger Section 203 coverage, and mandates a study on lowering population thresholds for language assistance requirements. This directly affects states, local election jurisdictions, and voters who speak minority languages, including those in communities not currently covered by existing language access rules.

Maddy summaryHR 4912, the Help America Run Act, amends federal campaign finance law to allow candidates to use campaign funds for essential personal expenses like childcare, elder care, and health insurance premiums (excluding current officeholders for health insurance). This directly affects everyday Americans - particularly working parents, caregivers, and those relying on employer health insurance - who face economic barriers to running for office. The bill’s key provision expands permissible campaign expenditures to cover these services when necessary for campaign activities or holding federal office. It aims to reduce financial hurdles for non-wealthy candidates, addressing findings that Congress underrepresents working-class individuals and women. The change would take effect upon the bill’s enactment.

Youth Voting Rights Act This bill expands voting access for youth. Specifically, the bill establishes a private right of action to enforce the Twenty-Sixth Amendment, which prohibits denying or abridging the right to vote based on age. Further, the bill authorizes the Department of Justice to enforce the Twenty-Sixth Amendment against age-based restrictions for voting by mail. Additionally, the bill directs each state to designate as voter registration agencies all offices within public institutions of higher education (IHEs) that provide assistance to students, implement a preregistration process to allow minors who are 16 years or older to register to vote in federal elections that take place when or after the preregistered individual turns age 18, and ensure the availability of polling places on campuses of IHEs (with the availability of waivers). The bill prohibits durational residency requirements for voting in all federal elections. Currently, this prohibition applies only to voting for the offices of President and Vice President. States and local jurisdictions with voter identification requirements must treat IHE-issued student identification cards as voter identification. The Election Assistance Commission (EAC) must make grants to states to increase the involvement of individuals under age 18 in public election activities. The Government Accountability Office must report to Congress on trends related to voter registration, absentee voting, and provisional voting. The EAC must also collect and make publicly available certain data from states.