Rep. Mike Thompson

American Teacher Act This bill establishes grants to increase the minimum salary of public elementary and secondary school teachers. It also authorizes a national campaign regarding the value of the teaching profession. First, the bill directs the Department of Education (ED) to award four-year grants to state educational agencies (SEAs) and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies to establish a minimum annual salary of $60,000 (to be adjusted annually for inflation) for these teachers. Second, the bill directs ED to award grants to eligible SEAs to provide cost-of-living adjustments to the annual base salary of teachers. Finally, the bill authorizes ED to carry out a national campaign to (1) increase awareness about the importance of teachers and the value of the teaching profession, (2) encourage secondary school and college students to consider teaching as a professional career, and (3) diversify the pool of individuals who enter the teaching profession.

Maddy summaryTim's Act establishes pay parity for Federal wildland firefighters employed by the Department of Agriculture, Department of the Interior, and Tribal Firefighters. It creates special base pay rates that increase General Schedule base rates by specific percentages (1.5% to 42%) based on job grade, and provides incident response premium pay at 450% of hourly rate for qualifying wildfire incidents. The bill also establishes rest and recuperation leave after firefighting operations, requires a public cancer database tracking environmental exposure, and creates a mental health support program for firefighters. Additionally, it addresses retirement benefits, disability annuities, and creates a casualty assistance program for families of firefighters injured or killed in the line of duty.

Maddy summaryHR 1918, the Farewell to Foam Act of 2025, prohibits the sale of most foam food containers, packaging peanuts, and foam coolers starting January 1, 2028. It directly affects restaurants, grocery stores, food vendors, manufacturers, and retailers who sell these items, excluding medical coolers used for drugs or medical products. The bill imposes escalating civil penalties for violations: $250 for the second offense, $500 for the third, and $1,000 for fourth or subsequent violations, with reduced penalties for small businesses under specific revenue thresholds. Enforcement is led by the EPA Administrator, with states allowed to enforce under federal guidelines.

Congressional Trade Authority Act of 2025 This bill requires congressional approval for a presidential import adjustment due to a national security threat from an import and limits the adjustments to certain goods that are essential to national security. Specifically, the bill limits the President's authority for such import adjustments to goods related to the development, maintenance, or protection of military equipment, energy resources, or critical infrastructure essential to national security. The bill specifies that the term national security (1) means the protection of the United States from foreign aggression, and (2) does not otherwise include the protection of the general welfare of the United States. The bill requires the President to submit a proposal to Congress to adjust imports. Congress must then approve the proposal with a joint resolution before an import adjustment takes effect. Under current law, the President determines whether any adjustment of an import is necessary and must submit to Congress the reasons for any action taken or not taken. Currently, there is a congressional disapproval mechanism to override presidential actions related to petroleum imports. The bill also requires the Department of Defense (currently, the Department of Commerce) to investigate the effect of these imports on national security and submit a report before the President determines whether an adjustment to an import is necessary, establishes requirements for a process to grant requests to exclude certain goods from import adjustments, and  applies retroactively to any proposed action taken up to six years before the enactment of this bill.

Maddy summaryHR 471, the Fix Our Forests Act, establishes a new system for identifying and managing high-risk wildfire areas called "firesheds" and creates a centralized Fireshed Center to coordinate wildfire risk management across federal agencies. The bill streamlines environmental reviews for wildfire risk reduction projects, allowing for faster implementation of hazardous fuels management activities in designated areas. It includes provisions for community wildfire risk reduction programs, water source protection, and specific initiatives for restoring white oak forests. The legislation also includes litigation reforms to expedite forest management projects and reduce delays from legal challenges. These provisions aim to reduce wildfire risk and improve forest health through more coordinated, data-driven management approaches.

Protecting Americans’ Social Security Data Act This bill prohibits political appointees and special government employees from accessing Social Security data systems that contain personally identifiable information about Social Security beneficiaries. Specifically, political appointees and special government employees may not access systems maintained by the Social Security Administration (SSA) that issue or record Social Security account numbers, that are used to determine eligibility for or to pay Social Security benefits, or that otherwise contain personally identifiable information about individuals receiving or applying for benefits.  The bill also establishes a civil right of action for an individual whose information was negligently accessed or disclosed in violation of these provisions. The individual may bring suit against the United States if the violator was a U.S. employee or officer, or against the violator if they were not a U.S. employee or officer. Such a claim must be brought within two years of the affected individual’s discovery of the violation. Upon a finding of liability, defendants are liable for specified monetary damages.  If an individual is criminally charged or subject to proposed disciplinary or adverse action by a federal or state agency for having accessed or disclosed information in violation of these provisions, SSA must notify the individual whose information was accessed or disclosed of the violation as soon as practicable.  Finally, the bill requires the SSA Office of the Inspector General to investigate and report to Congress on any unauthorized access to or disclosure of information in a beneficiary data system.

Maddy summaryHR 1876, the "Keeping Our Field Offices Open Act," prevents the Social Security Administration (SSA) from closing, consolidating, or restricting access to its field offices, hearing offices, or resident stations for 180 days after enactment, with exceptions for emergencies. The bill requires the SSA Commissioner to submit a detailed report to Congress by January 2029, analyzing closure criteria, transportation burdens for elderly/disabled users, cost-benefit impacts, and plans to replace lost services. For future closures, it mandates 120 days of public notice, two public hearings, and a final report to Congress, while ensuring total office numbers don’t fall below 2025 levels. This directly affects SSA field offices, their users (including elderly and disabled individuals), and employees. The bill’s key mechanism is a procedural safeguard to ensure transparency and minimize disruption before any office changes take effect.

Maddy summaryThis bill strengthens the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by clarifying how to prove voting discrimination and expanding requirements for preclearance of voting changes. It establishes new standards for determining when voting practices dilute minority voting strength or deny/abridge voting rights, requiring plaintiffs to show specific conditions for vote dilution claims and including factors like historical discrimination and racial polarization in court analyses. The bill modifies the criteria for determining which states and political subdivisions must seek preclearance for voting changes, and adds new transparency requirements for jurisdictions to publicly disclose changes to voting qualifications, polling locations, and election districts. It directly affects states and local governments that implement voting policies, particularly those with a history of voting rights violations or that make changes to voting qualifications, procedures, or district boundaries. The bill aims to prevent discriminatory voting practices by providing clearer standards for courts and requiring greater transparency in voting rule changes.

Maddy summaryThe Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025 strengthens workers' organizing rights by making it an unfair labor practice for employers to threaten permanent replacement of striking workers, discriminate against workers who support unions, or require employees to attend employer campaigns unrelated to their job duties. It expands the definition of "employee" to make it harder for companies to classify workers as independent contractors and requires employers to post notices about workers' rights in conspicuous locations. The bill establishes a new electronic voting system for union elections, creates a 90-day bargaining period before mediation can be requested, and increases penalties for violations of labor laws. These changes are intended to make it easier for workers to form unions and negotiate better wages and working conditions.

Maddy summaryThe American Apprenticeship Act (HR 1783) provides federal grants to states to fund pre-apprenticeship programs that prepare individuals for registered apprenticeships in industries with low apprenticeship participation (less than 10% of available roles). States must apply with detailed plans for partnering with employers, aligning with existing workforce laws, and prioritizing underserved groups like minorities, veterans, and people with disabilities. Grants cover tuition, materials, and related instruction costs for these preparatory programs, with federal funding covering 20-50% of costs, and $15 million authorized annually for 2026-2031. The bill directly affects state workforce agencies, community organizations running pre-apprenticeship programs, and workers entering targeted sectors like healthcare and advanced manufacturing.