Rep. Diana DeGette

Maddy summaryHR 4811 requires oil, gas, and geothermal companies conducting hydraulic fracturing (fracking) operations to test nearby underground drinking water sources before, during, and after activities. It mandates testing at specific intervals (e.g., before starting operations, every 6 months during operations, and annually for five years post-operation) and submitting results to the EPA within two weeks. Companies must test using EPA-certified labs for contaminants linked to fracking, with results stored in a public, searchable EPA database by ZIP code. The requirement does not apply if no accessible drinking water source exists within one mile of the site. The bill amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to establish these testing and reporting obligations.

Maddy summaryHR 4796, the Reproductive Health Patient Navigator Act of 2023, establishes a federal grant program to fund organizations that help individuals access abortion services. Eligible entities - such as abortion funds, community groups, or local governments - would receive grants to provide services like connecting people to providers, coordinating travel/financing costs, offering culturally appropriate information, and ensuring data confidentiality. The bill includes strong legal protections, prohibiting states from restricting or penalizing navigators for assisting people seeking abortion services, even in states where abortion is illegal. It also allows affected navigators to sue states that violate these protections. The program is funded for fiscal years 2023 through 2027.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates new NIH funding to support early-career pediatric researchers, prioritizing underrepresented groups (including women and racial minorities) and institutions serving these populations. It establishes the NIH Pediatric Research Consortium to coordinate pediatric research across NIH institutes, set priorities (like childhood cancer and mental health), and require annual reports on funded projects and researcher demographics. The funding supplements, rather than replaces, existing pediatric research budgets. Directly affects early-career pediatric researchers, NIH institutes, and research institutions participating in the consortium.

Protecting Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act of 2023 or the Protecting PAHPA Act of 2023 This bill extends through FY2028 and modifies various programs and activities that support public health preparedness and response. The bill also addresses matters concerning shortages of drugs and medical devices and recalls of drugs. For example, the bill modifies activities of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority; grants to support preparedness and response activities of health departments, hospitals, and public health laboratories; programs to facilitate the response of volunteer health providers and other professionals during disasters and emergencies; efforts related to the management and operation of the Strategic National Stockpile; federal partnerships and initiatives for collaborating and coordinating during public health and other emergencies and with the development of medical countermeasures and diagnostic testing capacity; and requirements for collecting and reporting public health and health care data and information. Additionally, the bill makes various changes to address and mitigate shortages of drugs and devices, including by (1) setting out a process to safely extend the expiration date of certain medical countermeasures and other life-saving drugs, and (2) expanding requirements for drug manufacturers to notify the Food and Drug Administration concerning potential shortages. Further, the bill expands the authority of the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to order the recall of controlled substances to cover all drugs.

Maddy summaryH.J.Res. 25 would remove the 1979 deadline for states to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which was originally proposed in 1972. This bill directly affects states that ratified the ERA after the deadline (such as Nevada, Illinois, and Virginia in 2017-2018) by making their ratifications legally valid. The key provision states that the ERA is valid as part of the Constitution if ratified by three-fourths of states, regardless of the original deadline. The bill does not create new rights but aims to finalize the constitutional amendment process by eliminating the time limit.

Maddy summaryThis bill, HR 1282 (Major Richard Star Act), expands benefits for certain military retirees by allowing them to receive both veterans' disability compensation and military retirement pay simultaneously. It specifically affects combat-related disabled retirees under Chapter 61 of the military retirement system who have fewer than 20 years of service. The key change removes the automatic reduction of military retirement pay when these retirees also receive disability compensation, as amended in Section 1413a(b)(3) of Title 10. Technical updates to the law’s structure and effective date (starting after enactment) complete the provisions.

Maddy summaryHCONRES 56 is a non-binding congressional resolution recognizing that climate change disproportionately harms children's health, economic opportunities, and rights. It expresses Congress's view that U.S. leadership is urgently needed to address the climate crisis and calls for a national climate recovery plan. The resolution specifically demands a science-based plan to phase out fossil fuels, protect natural carbon sinks, and reduce atmospheric CO2 to below 350 parts per million by 2100. This resolution does not create new laws or allocate funds but formally states congressional support for a comprehensive climate strategy prioritizing children's well-being.

Maddy summaryThe Federal Death Penalty Prohibition Act would ban the federal government from imposing or carrying out the death penalty for any violation of federal law after the bill's enactment. It would require federal courts to resentence all individuals currently under a federal death sentence to a non-death penalty. This bill directly affects federal criminal defendants and inmates on federal death row, but does not impact state-level death penalty cases. The law would take effect immediately upon passage, ending federal death penalty sentencing for future cases and changing current death row sentences.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires national parks to reduce disposable plastic products, primarily targeting plastic water bottles and food containers sold to visitors. Park directors must eliminate these sales where feasible after considering factors like operational costs, waste reduction, infrastructure for refill stations, and impacts on park vendors. Each park must also implement visitor education about water availability and report biennially on progress, including visitor satisfaction and safety metrics. The law directly affects all national park units, concessionaire businesses, and park visitors. It mandates a phased, practical approach without banning all plastics immediately.

Maddy summaryThe DISCLOSE Act of 2023 would increase transparency in political spending by requiring organizations making campaign-related disbursements over $10,000 to disclose the names and addresses of their major donors, including the top five funders for political communications. It would close loopholes allowing foreign nationals to secretly fund election activities through corporations or other entities by expanding the definition of prohibited foreign contributions. The bill would mandate "stand by every ad" disclosure requirements for political communications across all media, including audio, video, and internet ads, requiring clear identification of funders. It would also require reporting of disbursements related to Federal judicial nominations, which currently aren't subject to disclosure requirements. These provisions would apply to corporations, labor organizations, and certain nonprofits that engage in political activity.