Rep. Janice D. Schakowsky

Maddy summaryHJRES 123 is a congressional disapproval resolution targeting a specific rule by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). It seeks to nullify CMS's June 2025 rule titled "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; Marketplace Integrity and Affordability," which was published in the Federal Register (90 Fed. Reg. 27074). If passed, the resolution would block this rule from taking effect under procedures outlined in Title 5, U.S. Code. The bill directly affects the CMS regulation governing the Affordable Care Act's health insurance marketplace, not the broader law itself.

Maddy summaryHJRES 122 proposes a constitutional amendment that would grant Congress and states explicit authority to regulate campaign contributions and spending intended to influence elections. It would allow for reasonable, viewpoint-neutral limits on how much money candidates and others can raise or spend, as well as enable public financing systems to reduce private wealth's influence in campaigns. The amendment would permit distinguishing between individuals and corporations in campaign finance rules, potentially banning corporate spending to influence elections. It explicitly states this amendment would not affect the freedom of the press.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the 988 Suicide Prevention Lifeline to establish a dedicated "Press 3" option (via IVR) for LGBTQ+ youth seeking crisis support, directly affecting LGBTQ+ youth who face a four times higher suicide risk than peers. It mandates that at least 9% of funds allocated for the lifeline's services be reserved specifically for these specialized LGBTQ+ youth services. The bill amends existing law to formalize this dedicated resource, building on current services that handled over 1.5 million contacts from LGBTQ+ youth in 2025. This creates a concrete policy change for accessing tailored crisis support without altering other lifeline operations.

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.

Maddy summaryThe TICKET Act requires ticket sellers and resellers to clearly show the total price (including all fees) before purchase, ban selling tickets before having them in hand, and mandate refunds for canceled or postponed events. It prohibits misleading claims like "official" tickets unless authorized, and forces clear refund policies for consumers. The law applies to all event ticket sellers - both primary issuers and secondary platforms - for concerts, sports, and theater events with over 200 seats. Key changes include upfront price transparency, a ban on speculative sales, and standardized refund rules for cancellations or postponements. The Federal Trade Commission will enforce these rules and report on related laws within six months.

Equal COLA Act This bill applies a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for annuities paid under the Federal Employees Retirement System that is equal to the increase in inflation, regardless of the amount of the increase. Specifically, for any year in which the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has increased over the previous year, the COLA amount shall be increased by the change in the CPI from the previous year.  Current law applies an adjustment equal to the change in CPI only if the change is 2% or less. If the change is between 2% and 3%, the adjustment is limited to 2%. If the change is more than 3%, the adjustment is limited to 1% less than the change.

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 summaryHRES 717 is a resolution honoring Juan López, a Honduran Catholic leader and human rights advocate assassinated in Tocoa on September 14, 2024. The resolution commemorates his murder one year later and calls for an international commission to investigate his killing and support for land and environmental defenders in Honduras' Bajo Aguán region. It specifically requests U.S. government collaboration to strengthen anti-corruption efforts in Honduras and protect communities facing threats from land exploitation projects. The resolution directly affects Honduran activists, particularly women defending water resources and forests, and aims to address ongoing violence against human rights defenders.

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 Azerbaijan Sanctions Review Act of 2025 requires the President to review within 180 days whether 53 specific Azerbaijani officials meet criteria for sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act. These officials include military commanders, security service heads, and judges implicated in human rights violations related to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The review must include a detailed justification and determine if sanctions should be imposed on individuals linked to alleged war crimes, arbitrary detention, and torture of Armenians. The bill mandates this assessment without imposing new sanctions, focusing instead on evaluating existing legal authority for action.