Rep. Joe Neguse

Maddy summaryThe SEEK HELP Act provides legal protections for individuals responding to opioid overdoses. It shields people who administer reversal drugs (like naloxone) in good faith from civil lawsuits, and protects those who call for help (e.g., 911) from drug possession charges related to the overdose. States can use federal funds to run public awareness campaigns about these protections and train law enforcement and healthcare workers. The bill also requires a federal report to assess how well these protections are working across states and their impact on overdose outcomes.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits life, disability, and long-term care insurers from denying coverage, canceling policies, or increasing premiums based solely on a person's status as a living organ donor. It directly protects living organ donors by preventing insurance discrimination unrelated to actual health risks. The bill also requires the Health and Human Services Secretary to update public educational materials about organ donation benefits, risks, and insurance impacts within six months of enactment. These materials will include information on the new insurance protections established by the bill. The law relies on state insurance regulators for enforcement of the insurance provisions.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes state-level judicial threat intelligence centers to improve safety for judges and court staff. It defines "eligible organizations" (nonprofits with judicial security expertise) and requires the State Justice Institute to fund these centers to provide security training, threat monitoring, coordinate with law enforcement, and develop standardized reporting systems. The centers will create resources for judicial officer safety, conduct security assessments, and track threats through a national database. State Justice Institute must submit annual reports detailing threat types and severity to congressional committees. The bill directly affects state and local judges, court staff, and the nonprofit organizations operating these centers.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and federal employee leave rules to clarify that recovery from organ donation surgery qualifies as a "serious health condition." It directly affects private-sector workers covered by the FMLA and federal civil service employees. The key change adds "including recovery from surgery related to organ donation" to the definitions of serious health conditions in both the FMLA and federal leave statutes. This ensures eligible employees can use their existing family and medical leave benefits to recover after donating an organ, without requiring new leave entitlements.

Maddy summaryHR 1522, the Federal Retirement Fairness Act, changes federal retirement rules to include temporary employees' service after January 1, 1988, in retirement benefit calculations. It directly affects temporary federal employees (including U.S. Postal Service workers) and Members of Congress who served after that date. The bill removes a previous cutoff date in retirement law, allowing their temporary service to count toward retirement eligibility. This means eligible temporary workers can now have their full service period considered when calculating retirement benefits.

Maddy summaryHR 4570 establishes an Interagency Task Force on Patents to improve information sharing between the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The task force will coordinate the sharing of FDA data on drug approvals, labeling, and scientific developments with USPTO patent examiners to help them assess prior art and patent validity for human drugs and biological products. This affects USPTO examiners who review patents and FDA officials who manage drug approval information. The bill requires the USPTO to submit a report within four years evaluating the task force's effectiveness, including which information-sharing methods are most useful and whether coordination with other agencies should expand.

Maddy summaryThis bill protects affordable housing projects that received tax credits before 2025 by preventing owners from selling only the non-low-income portions of buildings. It requires that both low-income and non-low-income portions be sold together at fair market value, with the housing credit agency factoring in rent restrictions for the low-income units. This applies to properties where tax credits were necessary for the project’s financial viability. The law directly affects developers and property owners managing federally subsidized affordable housing developments.

Maddy summaryThis bill mandates a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report to assess how effectively the federal government supports military voters under existing law. It requires the GAO to analyze ballot transmission, counting rates, rejection reasons, and assistance from military voting officers, while also studying ways to improve voter registration access for service members and their families. The report, due by September 2027, will be submitted to relevant congressional committees and focuses on gathering data to identify gaps in voting access for military personnel and their dependents. This is a procedural measure to inform future improvements, not a direct policy change.

Maddy summaryThe Innovate to Save Lives Act creates a new 10% federal tax credit for small businesses that spend money on research to combat specific drug threats. It directly affects small businesses conducting qualifying research focused on mitigating the effects of fentanyl, methamphetamine, or emerging drugs designated as threats. The credit applies to eligible research expenses related to discovering ways to treat drug use, prevent it, or reduce its harm, excluding most clinical research unless it follows NIH guidelines. The bill defines "fentanyl-related substances" by specific chemical structures and requires a government report five years after enactment to track the credit's use.

Maddy summaryHR 4571, the Combating Online Fentanyl Trafficking Act, authorizes up to 25% additional pay for Department of Justice employees with specialized computer expertise who work on fentanyl trafficking cases. It directly affects DOJ staff in roles requiring significant cyber skills to detect, prevent, or prosecute online fentanyl trafficking. The bill establishes a new incentive pay program, with special accounting rules ensuring this bonus doesn't count toward standard pay limits or retirement calculations. This is a funding mechanism for existing DOJ personnel, not a new law targeting fentanyl users or distributors.