Rep. Kathy Castor

Maddy summaryHRES 419 designates May 17, 2025, as "DIPG Awareness Day" to raise public awareness about diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), a fatal pediatric brain cancer with a median survival of 9 months and less than 1% 5-year survival rate. The resolution encourages public and private funding sources to prioritize research for DIPG and other pediatric cancers by considering mortality rates and life-years lost when allocating grants. It does not create new laws but symbolically urges greater attention to this unmet medical need.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits businesses from charging different prices for substantially similar consumer products or services based on the gender they're marketed to, such as charging more for women's razors or grooming services compared to identical men's versions. It defines "substantially similar" as having no meaningful differences in materials, use, or design (excluding minor color variations), and makes violations enforceable by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) under existing laws. State attorneys general can also sue businesses for violations to stop the pricing difference or recover damages for affected residents. The law directly affects consumers who face gender-based price discrimination and businesses selling comparable products or services.

Maddy summaryHR 3376 creates the Water Affordability, Transparency, Equity, and Reliability Trust Fund, funded by increasing the corporate tax rate from 21% to 24.5% starting in 2025, with annual funding capped at $35 billion or 1/20th of 20-year infrastructure needs. The bill allocates funds to clean water programs (42%), safe drinking water programs (42.5%), household water well systems (1%), colonias assistance (0.5%), and Indian health services (3%), requiring specific prioritization of low-income and minority communities for many programs. It mandates an EPA study on water affordability, discriminatory practices, and civil rights violations in water service, including data collection on service disconnections affecting vulnerable populations. The bill also includes provisions for lead service line replacement, PFAS contamination response, and job training grants for water system operators with specific requirements to prioritize low-income communities.

Saving Our Veterans Lives Act of 2025 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to implement a program to provide, upon request, a firearm lockbox (or voucher for such item) to eligible individuals. Currently, there is a pilot program under which certain veterans may be prescribed a lockbox by a VA clinician. The VA must also provide information with respect to the benefits of and options for secure firearm storage. The VA must develop an informational video on the secure storage of firearms as a suicide prevention strategy and publish the video on its website. Additionally, the VA must publish information to inform individuals who participate in the lockbox program that such lockboxes are not for resale. The VA must also implement a public education campaign to educate eligible individuals about the availability of lockboxes under the program and that participation in the program does not affect the rights of an individual with respect to the lawful ownership of a firearm.

Maddy summaryHR 3316, the Stop Mental Health Stigma in Our Communities Act of 2025, requires the HHS Secretary to develop a national outreach strategy and conduct two systematic reviews targeting mental health disparities in Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities. The strategy mandates culturally tailored materials to reduce stigma, increase awareness of mental health services, and engage community members, funded at $3 million annually from 2026-2030. It also directs a year-long review of AANHPI youth mental health crises (including suicide rates) and a review of AANHPI behavioral health workforce shortages, both requiring disaggregated data reporting. The bill directly affects AANHPI individuals - particularly youth and underserved subgroups - by mandating federal action to address systemic barriers like language gaps and underrepresentation in care.

Maddy summaryHR 3277, the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act, requires group health plans and health insurance issuers to cover medically necessary outpatient and inpatient treatments for congenital anomalies or birth defects primarily affecting the eyes, ears, teeth, mouth, or jaw. This includes reconstructive procedures, dental/orthodontic support during treatment, and follow-up care, but excludes purely cosmetic surgery not tied to a medical diagnosis. Cost-sharing (like copays) for these services must not be stricter than for other medical benefits. The law takes effect for plan years beginning January 1, 2026, and mandates insurers to provide notice about this coverage to beneficiaries.

Maddy summaryHR 3243, the Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act of 2025, bans the provision of paid conversion therapy aimed at changing a person's sexual orientation or gender identity, and prohibits advertising such therapy as effective, safe, or without risk. It directly affects LGBTQ+ individuals and their families who might be targeted by these practices, as professionals have determined conversion therapy is ineffective and harmful. The law treats violations as deceptive acts under consumer protection laws, empowering the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general to enforce it through civil actions. It explicitly excludes legitimate gender transition support and non-discriminatory counseling from the ban.

Maddy summaryThis joint resolution recognizes the critical role of U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) in national security and honors their service and sacrifices. It specifically supports the annual SOF Week event (scheduled May 5-8, 2025), which brings together the global SOF community. The resolution expresses congressional support for SOF personnel and their families but does not create new policies, funding, or legal obligations.

Maddy summaryThe HOME Act of 2025 prohibits landlords and sellers from charging "unconscionably excessive" rental or home sale prices during a federally declared affordable housing crisis. The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) must determine crisis periods using metrics like mortgage rates, median home prices, and disaster declarations, with restrictions limiting crisis periods to 30 days (renewable). Violations are enforced by HUD and state attorneys general, with penalties funding affordable housing through the Housing Trust Fund. The law also requires HUD to monitor housing markets, investigate excessive investor purchases, and review anti-competitive practices in rental markets.

Maddy summaryHRES 378 is a non-binding House resolution urging the Department of Homeland Security to create a humanitarian parole program for Cameroonian immigrants fleeing violence and instability in Cameroon. It directly affects Cameroonian nationals currently in the U.S. or seeking entry who face risks like deportation to a country with ongoing armed conflicts, including the Anglophone Crisis and Boko Haram insurgency, which have displaced over 600,000 people internally and 70,000 externally. The resolution cites existing U.S. authority under Section 212(d)(5)(A) of the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish such a program, noting Cameroon’s TPS designation is set to expire. It emphasizes the need for humanitarian relief amid reports of severe human rights abuses against Cameroonian returnees and systemic discrimination against Black immigrants in U.S. immigration enforcement. The resolution does not create new law but formally requests DHS action.