Rep. Nikema Williams

Maddy summaryThe Health Access Innovation Act of 2025 establishes a federal grant program to fund community-based organizations in medically underserved areas. These organizations, which must address health disparities and serve communities disproportionately affected by them, will use funds to expand culturally and linguistically appropriate care, support community health workers (like promotores de salud), and address social barriers to health. The program authorizes $50 million in 2026, increasing to $70 million by 2029, with 5% of funds allowed for administrative costs. Priority is given to groups that operated health programs during recent public health emergencies.

Maddy summaryThe FAMILY Act would establish a national paid family and medical leave insurance program that provides wage replacement benefits for workers needing time off for caregiving or medical reasons. It defines "qualified caregiving" to include caring for a family member with a serious health condition, personal medical needs, or recovery from violence (including domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking). Benefits would be calculated based on earnings, with a minimum monthly benefit of $580 and maximum of $4,000, administered by a new Office of Paid Family and Medical Leave within the Social Security Administration. Eligible individuals would need to have worked for at least 8 quarters in the previous year and file an application with required documentation, while existing state paid leave programs would continue to operate alongside this federal program.

Saving the Civil Service Act This bill generally prohibits changes to the classification of positions in the competitive service and excepted service unless certain conditions are met. (Competitive service positions are subject to competitive examination while excepted service positions are appointed under one of five schedules. Competitive service positions have notice and appeal requirements for adverse actions that are not applicable to most excepted positions, including those of a confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating character under Schedule C.) On October 21, 2020, President Donald Trump issued an executive order that placed executive agency positions that are of a confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating character, and that are not normally subject to change as a result of a presidential transition, under a new Schedule F in the excepted service. The order was subsequently revoked by President Joe Biden. The bill prohibits executive agency positions in the competitive service from being placed in the excepted service, unless such positions are placed in a schedule in the excepted service as in effect on September 30, 2020. The bill also prohibits positions in the excepted service from being placed in any schedule other than the aforementioned schedules. Additionally, agencies may not (1) transfer occupied positions from the competitive or excepted service into Schedule C without the consent of the Office of Personnel Management, or (2) transfer employees in the excepted service to another schedule or transfer employees in the competitive service to the excepted service without employee consent.

Maddy summaryThe George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2025 would establish a National Police Misconduct Registry to track officer complaints, disciplinary actions, and misconduct records across all law enforcement agencies. It would require law enforcement agencies to implement body-worn camera programs with specific recording and retention policies, ban chokeholds and no-knock warrants in drug cases, and reform qualified immunity to make it easier to hold officers accountable for misconduct. The bill mandates comprehensive data collection on use of force incidents, requiring agencies to report detailed information about stops, searches, and force used, disaggregated by race, ethnicity, gender, and other demographics. These provisions would directly affect all Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies that receive federal grant funding, with requirements for policy changes, training, and data reporting.

Maddy summaryThe FAIR Act of 2025 would prohibit companies from requiring pre-dispute arbitration agreements or waivers that prevent individuals from joining class or collective lawsuits in employment, consumer, antitrust, or civil rights cases. This directly affects workers, consumers, and small businesses who currently face forced arbitration for issues like workplace discrimination, product defects, or unfair business practices. The bill makes such agreements unenforceable while allowing voluntary arbitration after disputes arise and leaving collective bargaining agreements unaffected. It applies to all disputes occurring after the law takes effect, without changing how voluntary arbitration works post-dispute.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes advance funding for key tribal programs starting in fiscal year 2026. It requires the Department of the Interior and Indian Health Service to include in each year's budget request sufficient funding for the *next* fiscal year's operations, specifically for accounts like "Operation of Indian Programs," "Contract Support Costs," and "Indian Health Services." The bill mandates annual reports by July 31 each year, assessing resource sufficiency and including workload estimates for the following fiscal year. These changes directly affect tribal programs administered by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Indian Education, and Indian Health Service, ensuring funding for future needs is planned and requested in advance.

Maddy summaryHR 5309, the Congressional Tribute to Constance Baker Motley Act of 2025, authorizes a posthumous Congressional gold medal for Constance Baker Motley, a pioneering civil rights attorney and judge. The bill directs the Treasury Secretary to strike the medal with her image and name, to be presented to her son, Joel W. Motley III, and her niece, Constance Royster. It also permits the sale of bronze duplicates at cost to cover expenses, with proceeds going to the U.S. Mint fund. This is a commemorative measure with no substantive policy changes, honoring Motley’s legacy as the first African-American woman appointed to a federal judgeship.

Maddy summaryHR 5340 prohibits the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and public housing agencies from sharing tenant records with immigration authorities for immigration enforcement purposes. It directly affects all HUD housing program participants (including renters and applicants, regardless of immigration status) by requiring HUD to obtain written consent or a language-proficient request from the individual before disclosing their records. Key provisions include banning disclosure without consent, preventing HUD from forcing public housing agencies to share records, and mandating a 90-day compliance report to Congress detailing record security and past sharing practices. The bill aims to protect housing privacy by ensuring immigration enforcement cannot access sensitive tenant information held by HUD without explicit individual authorization.

Maddy summaryHRES 697 is a symbolic House resolution recognizing suicide as a preventable public health issue and supporting the designation of September as "National Suicide Prevention Month" and September 10, 2025, as "World Suicide Prevention Day." It does not create new laws or allocate funds but formally expresses congressional support for these designations to raise awareness. The resolution cites statistics showing suicide as a leading cause of death across age groups, including among veterans and adolescents, and emphasizes mental health as equally important as physical health. It acknowledges the need for diverse prevention strategies without specifying new policies or programs. This resolution is purely declarative, aiming to bolster public awareness rather than enact concrete changes.

Maddy summaryThis bill directs the U.S. President to identify Pakistani officials responsible for undermining democracy and human rights within 180 days of enactment, then impose Global Magnitsky sanctions on them. It targets senior government, military, or security officials found to have committed gross human rights violations or interfered with democratic processes, such as during Pakistan’s 2024 elections or through constitutional changes. Sanctions would include asset freezes and travel bans, with exceptions for humanitarian aid, UN obligations, and national security activities. The bill expires on September 30, 2030, and aims to pressure Pakistan to uphold democratic norms, human rights, and judicial independence.