Rep. Morgan McGarvey

Maddy summaryHR 40 would establish a 15-member commission to study the legacy of slavery and systemic discrimination against African Americans in the United States, and develop proposals for reparations. The commission would examine historical and ongoing effects of slavery, discriminatory policies (including redlining and educational disparities), and recommend remedies through education and potential reparations. Composed of members appointed by the President, House Speaker, and Senate President pro tempore, the commission would have 18 months to submit a report to Congress, with $20 million authorized for its work. This legislation creates a study process but does not provide reparations directly.

Washington, D.C. Admission Act This bill provides for the establishment of the State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth, and its admission into the United States. The state is composed of most of the territory of the District of Columbia (DC), excluding a specified area that encompasses the U.S. Capitol, the White House, the U.S. Supreme Court building, federal monuments, and federal office buildings adjacent to the National Mall and the U.S. Capitol. The excluded territory shall be known as the Capital and serve as the seat of the government of the United States, as provided for in Article I of the Constitution. The state may not impose taxes on federal property except as Congress permits. The bill provides for the DC Mayor to issue a proclamation for the first elections to Congress of two Senators and one Representative of the state. The bill eliminates the office of Delegate to the House of Representatives. The bill applies current DC laws to the state. DC judicial proceedings and contractual obligations shall continue under the state’s authority. The bill also provides for specified federal obligations to transfer to the state upon its certification that it has funds and laws in place to assume the obligations. These include maintaining a retirement fund for judges and operating public defender services.  The bill establishes a commission that is generally comprised of members who are appointed by DC and federal government officials to advise on an orderly transition to statehood.

Maddy summaryThis bill, HR 1097 (Everett Alvarez, Jr. Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2023), authorizes the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to Everett Alvarez, Jr., in recognition of his service as a U.S. Navy pilot and Vietnam War prisoner of war. It directly honors Alvarez, who was the first U.S. pilot shot down in the Vietnam War, spent over 8.5 years in captivity, and later served in the Peace Corps and Veterans Administration. The bill’s key mechanism is directing the U.S. Mint to strike a gold medal bearing his name and image, with bronze duplicates available for sale to cover costs. It does not create new policies or affect any group beyond the honoree.

Maddy summaryThe INNOVATE Act establishes a new "fifth mission" for the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to foster innovation in healthcare, directly affecting veterans, VHA operations, and private sector partners. It creates an Office of Innovation with authority to partner with private entities - especially early-stage businesses - through streamlined hiring (bypassing civil service rules for up to 250 staff), an Innovation Acceleration Fund, and agreements granting access to VHA data, facilities, and expertise (with fee discounts for veteran-owned businesses). Key provisions include advance market commitments guaranteeing purchases of vet-specific healthcare technologies (e.g., for PTSD, toxic exposure, or prosthetics) and new "other transactional" agreements for research without standard procurement rules. The bill aims to accelerate development of healthcare solutions benefiting veterans while modeling innovation for broader U.S. healthcare systems.

Maddy summaryThe White Oak Resilience Act establishes a voluntary coalition of federal agencies, states, private groups, and landowners to coordinate nationwide efforts restoring white oak forests. It creates a "White Oak Restoration Initiative Coalition" to address policy barriers, recommend improvements, and coordinate cross-boundary projects, while directing the USDA and Interior Departments to conduct assessments and launch 5 pilot restoration projects on federal lands. The bill also creates a dedicated fund through the National Forest Foundation to support white oak reforestation, nursery expansion, and seedling research, and requires a national strategy to address tree seedling shortages affecting restoration. This primarily affects federal land managers, private forest landowners, and tree nurseries by streamlining existing resources to improve white oak regeneration and resilience.

Maddy summaryHR 9812, the Health Care Workforce Investment Act, aims to address national shortages of healthcare professionals by providing federal grants to states. States must create "Workforce Improvement Plans" through State Health Care Workforce Councils, which will establish investment funds to support healthcare training programs (including high school vocational programs) and offer scholarships to students. These scholarships require recipients to work in healthcare for one year per scholarship year in the state where they trained, with a focus on underserved areas. The bill mandates reporting on program outcomes, scholarship use, and workforce metrics to ensure funds target areas with the greatest healthcare workforce needs.

Maddy summaryThe Steel Modernization Act of 2024 provides financial assistance and tax credits to U.S. steel manufacturers adopting technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions from steel production. It requires recipients to produce "near-zero emissions intensity steel" by 2035, report emissions data, and implement community benefits plans that address local environmental and economic concerns. The bill also imposes a tariff on imported steel based on its emissions intensity, with revenues funding clean energy programs and administrative costs. This affects steel manufacturers, workers, and communities near steel facilities by promoting cleaner production while supporting domestic steel industry competitiveness.

Maddy summaryThe Pharmacists Fight Back Act (HR 9096) sets new rules for Pharmacy Benefits Managers (PBMs) working with federal health care programs like Medicare Part D and Medicaid. It requires PBMs to reimburse in-network pharmacies at a rate covering the drug's actual cost plus a small fee (capped at $25), and to reduce patient cost-sharing by at least 80% of rebates received from drug manufacturers. The bill bans PBMs from steering patients to specific pharmacies, charging patients more than pharmacies are paid, or using rebates to lower pharmacy payments after claims are processed. It also mandates public reporting of drug pricing data to improve transparency, ensuring patients and pharmacies receive fairer treatment under federal health programs.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires Medicare Advantage plans to implement electronic prior authorization systems by 2027 and publish detailed data on their approval and denial rates for medical services by 2026. It directly affects Medicare Advantage plans (private insurers offering Medicare coverage) and their enrollees (seniors 65+), mandating transparency about prior authorization decisions, processing times, and appeal outcomes. Key provisions include requiring plans to report annual statistics on request approvals/denials, average processing times, and use of technology, with this data published publicly by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The bill also sets timelines for plan responses to prior authorization requests and mandates reports to Congress on implementation and impacts.

Maddy summaryHR 7038, the Guaranteed Income for Foster Youth Act, creates a federal program providing automatic $12,000 annual cash benefits to former foster youth who exited care after age 16 but before age 27. Eligible youth aged 18-27 receive benefits for up to five years with no requirements to prove need, and states must enroll them automatically upon turning 18. Benefits are disregarded for other federal program eligibility, and states must offer financial literacy education while reporting detailed data on participants (including race, disability status, and housing). The program takes effect October 1, 2025, with states required to submit annual reports on outcomes.