Freedom to Decide Act This concurrent resolution expresses the sense of Congress to (1) affirm that federal law authorizes the distribution of medication abortion, including by mail, as stated in a 2022 Department of Justice memorandum; and (2) condemn restrictions on the access and coverage of reproductive health care, including medication abortion.
Maddy summaryHR 2584, the SAVE Act, creates a new federal criminal offense for assaulting or intimidating hospital employees while they're performing their duties, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, with enhanced penalties for using weapons, causing injury, or during public emergencies. The bill authorizes $25 million annually in federal grants to hospitals for violence prevention programs, including staff training, security technologies like panic buttons and video surveillance, and coordination with law enforcement. It defines "hospital" broadly to include various medical facilities such as long-term care hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, and critical access hospitals. The legislation directly affects hospital workers and medical facilities by establishing federal criminal penalties for violence against employees and providing funding to improve workplace safety. The law aims to address the rising problem of workplace violence against healthcare workers, which the bill states has increased since 2011.
Maddy summaryHR 2630, the Safe Step Act, requires group health plans and health insurance issuers to establish a clear, transparent process for patients or their doctors to request exceptions to medication step therapy protocols. These protocols typically force patients to try cheaper drugs first before covering more expensive alternatives. The bill mandates that plans must approve exceptions when prior treatments failed, delay would cause serious harm, a treatment is unsafe, or a patient is stable on a previously approved drug, with strict 72-hour (or 24-hour in emergencies) decision timelines. It also requires plans to publish the exception process online and limit documentation requests to only necessary medical information. This law directly affects health insurers, employers offering health plans, and patients using step therapy for prescription drugs.
Supporting Women with Career Opportunities in Policing Services Act of 2023 or the Supporting Women COPS Act of 2023 This bill establishes a Task Force on Women in Law Enforcement to (1) study state hiring standards for law enforcement officers, (2) develop national hiring standards for law enforcement officers, and (3) develop recommendations for retention and promotion of female officers. It also incentivizes states to adopt the recommendations of the task force.
Survivor Benefits Fairness Act This bill adjusts the effective date of a reduction or discontinuance of compensation, dependency and indemnity compensation, or pension payments by the Department of Veterans Affairs to the last day of the month during which a marriage, remarriage, or death of a payee occurs.
Maddy summaryThis bill allows Medicaid coverage for incarcerated individuals during the 30 days preceding their release from public institutions. It directly affects people transitioning from prisons or jails back into communities by extending health coverage during this critical period. The key mechanism amends the Social Security Act to remove a Medicaid exclusion for this 30-day window. Additionally, it requires an 18-month report analyzing correctional healthcare standards, current discharge practices, and the potential impact of this coverage extension on post-release health access.
Maddy summaryThis bill creates a 2-year pilot program to establish or improve state-based nursing workforce centers. It provides $1.5 million annually (2024-2025) for up to six state or regional centers, requiring non-Federal matching funds (1:4 ratio). These centers will analyze nursing workforce data - including education, retention, and shortages - and develop strategies to recruit, retain, and diversify nurses, especially in rural and underserved areas. The program mandates annual reports to Congress on outcomes and best practices for addressing nursing shortages. It directly affects states, nursing schools, healthcare employers, and nursing workforce centers through federal grants and data-driven planning.
Helping Kids Cope Act This bill establishes programs within the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to support pediatric behavioral health care. Specifically, HRSA must award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to eligible health care providers for (1) integrating and coordinating pediatric behavioral health care within communities, and (2) pediatric mental health and substance use disorder workforce training. Additionally, HRSA must award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to hospitals or rural health clinics that predominately treat individuals under age 21 for expanding their capacity to provide pediatric behavioral health services. Recipients may use awards for constructing or modernizing sites of care and enhancing digital infrastructure, telehealth capabilities, or other improvements to patient care infrastructure.
Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2023 This bill increases the number of residency positions eligible for graduate medical education payments under Medicare for qualifying hospitals, including hospitals in rural areas and health professional shortage areas. Current law provides for an increase of up to 200 positions per fiscal year beginning in FY2023, with a total increase of 1,000 positions; each hospital may receive up to 25 additional positions. Current law also provides for an additional increase of up to 200 positions for FY2026, with at least 100 of these positions for psychiatry or related specialties; each hospital may receive up to 10 additional positions. The bill provides for an additional increase of 2,000 positions per fiscal year from FY2025-FY2031; during this period, each hospital may receive up to 75 additional positions in total under the bill and current law. Additionally, one-third of the positions that are made available under the bill must be allocated to hospitals that are already operating above applicable resident limits. The bill also requires the Government Accountability Office to report on strategies to increase the diversity of the health professional workforce, including with respect to representation from rural, low-income, and minority communities.
Maddy summaryHR 1839, the Combating Illicit Xylazine Act, makes the illicit use and distribution of xylazine a federal crime by adding it to the Controlled Substances Act. The bill broadly defines xylazine to cover numerous chemical variants and prohibits human use or non-licit distribution, while preserving legitimate veterinary and pharmaceutical uses. It requires tracking xylazine in drug supply chains and mandates two reports to Congress within 1 and 4 years on its prevalence, sources, and whether it should be rescheduled. The bill directly affects individuals distributing or using xylazine illicitly, including as an additive to drugs like fentanyl, and aims to address its public health risks. Congress declared illicit xylazine an "emerging drug threat" under existing law.
