Rep. Kevin Mullin

Maddy summaryThis bill protects living organ donors from insurance discrimination by prohibiting life, disability, and long-term care insurers from denying coverage, raising premiums, or altering policy terms solely because someone donated an organ while alive. It also updates the Family and Medical Leave Act to include recovery from organ donation surgery as a qualifying health condition, allowing donors to take protected leave for this purpose. Additionally, the bill requires the Health and Human Services Secretary to update public educational materials about living donation benefits, risks, and insurance protections within six months of enactment. These changes directly affect living organ donors, insurers, employers, and healthcare systems by ensuring fair access to insurance and workplace leave.

Maddy summaryHR 2878 (CARE Act of 2023) requires federally funded research facilities (like those receiving NIH grants) to develop and publicly post adoption policies for dogs, cats, and rabbits no longer used in biomedical research. Key provisions mandate facilities to assess each animal’s health for adoption suitability, make reasonable efforts to place them through shelters, adoption organizations, or private arrangements, and publicly track adoption rates and outcomes. The bill directly affects over 240,000 companion animals used annually in U.S. research, ensuring transparency by requiring facilities to publish annual records on adoption numbers and euthanasia. It also provides legal immunity to facilities following these adoption policies, except for gross negligence.

Maddy summaryHRES 335 is a symbolic resolution condemning two mass shootings in Louisville, Kentucky: one at the Old National Bank on April 10, 2023 (killing 5 people), and another at Chickasaw Park on April 15, 2023 (killing 2 people). It honors the victims' memories, expresses condolences to their families and the affected community, and reaffirms the House's commitment to supporting all gun violence victims. The resolution does not propose new laws or policies but serves as a formal statement of condemnation and solidarity. It directly affects the victims' families, Louisville residents, and the broader community impacted by these tragedies.

Maddy summaryThe PSLF Payment Completion Fairness Act (HR 2949) amends the Higher Education Act to clarify eligibility for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. It revises Section 455(m)(1)(B) by removing the phrase "is employed" and related text, replacing it with "has been" to focus solely on payment completion. This change ensures borrowers qualify for loan forgiveness once they've made 120 qualifying payments, regardless of current employment status. The bill directly affects federal student loan borrowers working in public service jobs who are seeking loan forgiveness under the PSLF program.

Maddy summaryThe PREPARE Act establishes a new pre-disaster mitigation loan program for small businesses through the Small Business Administration (SBA). It authorizes $25 million annually from 2024 to 2028 to provide loans of up to $500,000 per business, enabling small businesses to fund projects that protect their property and operations from disaster damage (e.g., flood barriers or structural reinforcements). The SBA must conduct targeted outreach to businesses in economically distressed areas, offer technical assistance, and require borrowers to maintain insurance during loan terms. Annual reports will track program outcomes, including project types, cost savings avoided, and regional impacts, to evaluate effectiveness.

Maddy summaryThe Election Mail Act (HR 2987) establishes new requirements for handling mail-in ballots in federal elections to improve reliability and accessibility. It requires the Postal Service to process absentee ballots on the same day received, place postmarks indicating mailing dates on ballot envelopes, and treat election mail as first-class mail with free postage for completed ballots. The bill also mandates states to use intelligent mail barcodes on return envelopes, affix specific tags for ballot visibility, and adopt a uniform 7-day deadline for accepting mailed ballots postmarked on or before election day. These changes apply to federal elections, with most provisions taking effect for the 2024 election cycle. The bill includes additional provisions for the Postal Service to consult with Indian Tribes about voting barriers on tribal lands.

Maddy summaryThe Child Care for Working Families Act establishes a federal entitlement program providing subsidized child care for working families with children under age 6 who are not yet in kindergarten. It creates a sliding fee scale where families at or below 85% of State median income pay no copayment, while higher-income families pay up to 7% of their income based on income thresholds. The bill requires states to develop quality rating systems for child care providers and ensures providers receive sufficient funding to meet quality standards, including wages equivalent to elementary educators. It prioritizes access for underserved populations including children with disabilities, infants and toddlers, children experiencing homelessness, and families in low-income communities. The program is funded with $20 billion for fiscal year 2024 and subsequent years through 2029.

Maddy summaryThe RAP Act of 2023 (HR 2952) would prevent prosecutors and plaintiffs from using a defendant’s creative or artistic works - such as poems, songs, art, or films - as evidence in court, unless specific exceptions apply. It requires the government to prove by clear evidence that the work was meant literally (not figuratively), directly relates to the specific facts of the case, is relevant to disputed facts, and has unique value beyond other evidence. If admitted, courts must redact the work to limit its presentation and provide jury instructions about its restricted use. This bill directly affects defendants in both criminal and civil cases who create artistic expression, aiming to protect their creative works from being misused in legal proceedings.

Maddy summaryThe Combating Child Labor Act strengthens penalties for employers violating child labor laws under the Fair Labor Standards Act. It increases criminal fines to $500,000 or up to 10 years in prison for willful violations causing death or serious injury to children under 18, and raises civil penalties for such violations up to $700,000 per incident. The bill also requires the Department of Labor to publish an annual report detailing child labor violations, including employer names, types of violations, and trends by industry or region. This report will help track enforcement efforts and identify high-risk areas, directly affecting employers who violate child labor rules and the Department of Labor’s oversight role.

Performing Artist Tax Parity Act of 2023 This bill modifies the above-the-line tax deduction for the expenses of performing artists (including commissions paid to managers or agents) to provide for a phaseout of such deduction for taxpayers whose adjusted gross income exceeds $100,000 ($200,000 for joint return filers). The $100,000 phaseout threshold is adjusted for inflation annually for taxable years beginning after 2023.