Rep. Jahana Hayes

Maddy summaryThe Victims of Agent Orange Act of 2025 provides U.S. government assistance to Vietnamese residents affected by Agent Orange exposure during the Vietnam War (1961-1975), their children, and Vietnamese Americans with exposure-related health issues. It directs USAID to fund medical care, caregiver support, home repairs, and environmental cleanup of contaminated sites in Vietnam, prioritizing military bases and heavily sprayed areas. The Department of Health and Human Services must also conduct health assessments and establish treatment centers for Vietnamese Americans in the U.S. affected by Agent Orange. The bill requires implementation within 18 months of enactment and mandates quarterly progress reports to Congress.

Maddy summaryHRES 344 is a congressional resolution requesting documents related to potential changes at the Administration for Community Living (ACL). It directs the President and Health and Human Services Secretary to provide unredacted records - including communications, legal opinions, and meeting notes - within 14 days about: (1) proposed ACL elimination, (2) downsizing or staff dismissals, (3) HHS’s March 2025 "Transformation" plan affecting ACL, and (4) whether reduced staff could still enforce key laws like the Older Americans Act. This resolution serves as an oversight tool for Congress to review the process, not as a policy change. It does not alter ACL’s structure or affect any constituents directly.

Maddy summaryHRES 341 is a symbolic House resolution expressing support for Earth Day, not a substantive bill. It urges the President to issue an Earth Day proclamation, encourages Americans to address environmental challenges (like climate change and litter), and calls for rejoining the Paris Agreement - though these are non-binding recommendations with no legal force. The resolution references historical environmental legislation (like the Clean Air Act) but does not create new policies, allocate funds, or change regulations. It directly affects no specific group, as it solely serves to affirm environmental values through symbolic recognition. (Note: The document header incorrectly lists "Federal Water Pollution Control Act" as the bill text, but this is a formatting error; the actual resolution is about Earth Day.)

Maddy summaryThe Hunger-Free Future Act of 2025 amends the SNAP program to require that any update to the thrifty food plan must not increase food insecurity. It mandates that adjustments to the diet cost must continue following existing rules while explicitly ensuring updates do not worsen food insecurity, defined as households lacking adequate food due to insufficient money or resources. This directly affects SNAP beneficiaries by setting a new standard for how the program's cost calculations are reviewed. The bill changes the procedural requirement for SNAP re-evaluations without altering benefit amounts or eligibility rules.

Hot Foods Act of 2025 This bill expands the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to permit the use of SNAP benefits to purchase hot foods or hot food products ready for immediate consumption.

Maddy summaryThe Save Our Small Farms Act of 2025 amends crop insurance and disaster assistance programs to better support small and diversified farms. It creates a streamlined application process for small-scale producers, including those using urban production systems, direct-to-consumer models, and diversified farming operations. The bill establishes a revenue-based coverage option using IRS Schedule F tax forms, provides premium discounts (25% for first year, 50% for subsequent years) for farmers transitioning to whole farm insurance plans, and creates a new single index insurance policy to protect against weather-related income losses. The bill specifically targets support for beginning farmers, socially disadvantaged producers, veteran farmers, and those participating in the revenue-based option, with special considerations for farms with less than $350,000 in adjusted gross income.

Maddy summaryHR 2357, the Food Secure Strikers Act of 2025, removes a restriction that previously barred workers on strike from receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. The bill amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to eliminate language making workers ineligible for SNAP "as a result of being on strike," ensuring striking workers are not automatically denied food assistance during labor disputes. This change directly affects workers participating in strikes who would otherwise lose access to SNAP benefits. The key mechanism updates the eligibility rules to prevent SNAP ineligibility solely due to strike participation.

Maddy summaryHR 2948, the Safer Neighborhoods Gun Buyback Act of 2025, authorizes $360 million annually from 2025-2027 to fund gun buyback programs across the country. The bill creates a grant program for states, local governments, tribal governments, and eligible gun dealers to collect firearms from individuals using "smart prepaid cards" that cannot be used to purchase guns. Participants would pay 125% of a gun's market value (with possible increases for modified weapons) and must destroy all collected firearms and ammunition within 30 days. The program requires criminal background checks on all collected weapons and prohibits reselling any guns obtained through the initiative, with a new federal criminal provision making it illegal to use these cards for firearm transactions.

Maddy summaryThe DRIVE Act of 2025 requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to set mileage reimbursement rates for veterans at the federal government's current standard rate for employees using personal vehicles on official business, replacing the previous fixed rate of 41.5 cents per mile. It also mandates that the VA process and pay these reimbursements within 90 days of a veteran's valid request. This directly affects veterans who travel for VA medical appointments or services using their personal vehicles. The bill aligns veteran travel reimbursements with federal employee standards and ensures timely payments.

Maddy summaryThe Neighborhood Homes Investment Act creates a new tax credit for developers who build or rehabilitate affordable homes in distressed communities. The credit is calculated as the lesser of (1) the difference between development costs and sale price, (2) 40% of development costs, or (3) 32% of the national median home price. It applies only to homes sold to qualified homeowners with income up to 140% of area median income in designated "qualified census tracts" (areas with high poverty rates, low median home values, and low median family income). Developers must meet quality standards and repay the credit if the home is sold within 5 years of the affordable sale. This credit aims to address the "value gap" that prevents housing development in distressed communities by incentivizing affordable home construction and rehabilitation.