Rep. Ayanna Pressley

Maddy summaryThe No Tax Breaks for Union Busting Act would deny tax deductions for employers who attempt to influence employees' decisions about union activities, including unfair labor practices like firing workers for organizing or using captive audience meetings. It targets expenses related to union-busting tactics, such as consulting fees and other costs used to sway workers' opinions about collective bargaining. Employers would need to report these expenses on tax returns and would no longer be able to deduct them from taxable income. The bill aims to prevent employers from using tax-deductible expenses to influence union elections, aligning with existing rules that deny tax deductions for political spending. It would apply to expenses incurred in taxable years beginning 240 days after enactment.

Maddy summaryHR 5433, the Child Care Stabilization Act, provides $16 billion annually from 2024 to 2028 to stabilize the child care sector through grants administered by the Health and Human Services Secretary. It directly affects licensed child care providers by offering stable funding to cover operating costs, while supporting higher wages for early educators without raising family fees. Key provisions include expanding access to high-quality, affordable care - especially for infants/toddlers, rural communities, and children with disabilities - and addressing shortages in underserved areas. The funding builds on existing American Rescue Plan resources, aiming to strengthen the child care workforce and increase available options for working families.

Maddy summaryHR 5428, the No Tax Breaks for Union Busting (NTBUB) Act, prevents employers from deducting certain expenses related to influencing workers' decisions about union representation. It targets spending on tactics like anti-union meetings, workplace surveillance, or consultants during organizing campaigns, making these costs non-deductible for tax purposes. Employers must report such expenses on their tax returns, including details about the activities and amounts spent. The bill aims to remove tax incentives for employer interference in union elections, aligning with federal labor law protections for workers' collective bargaining rights.

Electronic Currency And Secure Hardware Act or the ECASH Act This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to support the development of an electronic dollar. The electronic dollar must be payable to the bearer; considered legal tender; an obligation of the United States; placed into circulation by Treasury; able to be directly used by the public; and capable of instantaneous, offline transactions using hardware devices not involving a third-party intermediary. The bill also provides for privacy requirements applicable to any hardware device used for electronic dollar transactions. Merchants who accept physical currency and the federal government must accept electronic dollars as a form of payment.   The bill also establishes the Electronic Currency Innovation Program to direct the development and implementation of electronic currency, the Digital Dollar Council to coordinate Treasury's activities with other government entities, and the Monetary Privacy Board to review and evaluate the electronic dollar program. Finally, the bill provides for the establishment of a Treasury Electronic Currency Innovation Fund Account to carry out related programs.

No Biometric Barriers to Housing Act of 2023 This bill prohibits owners of certain federally assisted rental units from using facial recognition, physical biometric recognition, or remote biometric recognition technology in any units or in any building or on any grounds containing such a unit for the purpose of surveillance or any other use that has an adverse effect on a tenant's fair access to affordable housing that is free from bias and discrimination. Within one year, the Department of Housing and Urban Development must report on any known use of such technology in federally assisted rental units in the preceding five years.

Maddy summaryThis resolution supports designating August as National Black Business Month to honor the economic contributions of Black-owned businesses across the U.S. It recognizes that Black businesses, which contributed $83.6 billion in receipts in 2023 and employed over 1.3 million people, continue to face barriers like limited access to capital and higher loan denial rates. The resolution does not create new laws or programs but symbolically acknowledges their historical and current impact on the economy. It is a non-binding House resolution passed to raise awareness, not to mandate policy changes.

Maddy summaryHR 5322, the Time Off to Vote Act, requires most private employers (with 25+ employees) to provide two consecutive hours of paid leave for employees to vote in federal elections. Employers must grant this leave upon request, can schedule it during early voting periods if permitted by state law, and cannot include lunch breaks in the leave period. The bill prohibits retaliation against employees who take this leave and ensures it does not affect accrued employment benefits. Violations could result in civil penalties up to $10,000 per offense, enforced by the Department of Labor.

Maddy summaryHR 5293, the Youth Voting Rights Act, would improve voting access for young people aged 18-29 through several concrete changes. The bill requires public colleges and universities to serve as voter registration agencies, establishes pre-registration for 16-year-olds, mandates on-campus polling locations for all institutions of higher education, and prohibits age-based restrictions on voting by mail. It also requires states to accept student ID cards as valid voter identification and provides grants to states for youth voter engagement programs. The bill would collect data on voting trends by age to help identify barriers to youth participation. These changes aim to address systemic barriers that have led to lower youth voter turnout and higher ballot rejection rates among young voters.

Maddy summaryHR 5295, the Expanding the VOTE Act, modifies Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act to expand language access for voters. It requires states and localities to provide voting materials (including ballots and instructions) in the language of covered language minority groups, with new provisions for American Indian and Alaska Native languages requiring tribal government consultation for unwritten languages. The bill creates $15 million in grants to help jurisdictions provide voting materials in languages that don’t currently trigger Section 203 coverage, while mandating continued provision for those groups in future elections. It also directs a study to evaluate lowering population thresholds for language protections and expanding the definition of covered languages.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits landlords from charging renters application fees, tenant screening fees (including credit checks), and most late fees. It also bans the use of credit scores for tenant screening and requires landlords to disclose total monthly costs, past tenant litigation, ongoing maintenance issues, and 10 years of rent increases before a lease is signed. The law applies specifically to rental properties with federal housing assistance or federally backed mortgages (like FHA or VA loans). Key regulators - HUD, VA, USDA, or FHFA - will enforce these rules for covered properties.