Rep. Alma S. Adams

Maddy summaryThe No Tax Breaks for Union Busting Act would deny tax deductions for employers who spend money to influence employees' decisions about union activities, such as union elections or collective bargaining. It defines "labor organization activities" broadly to include union elections, labor disputes, and collective actions. The bill requires employers to report such spending on tax returns and prevents them from deducting these expenses from taxable income. This would apply to employers using tactics like captive audience meetings, outside consultants, or other efforts to sway workers' union decisions. The policy aims to remove tax incentives for employers to interfere with workers' rights under labor law.

Maddy summaryHR 2672, the Religious Workforce Protection Act, extends temporary nonimmigrant status for religious workers whose applications for permanent residency (green cards) are delayed due to visa backlogs. It directly affects religious workers (such as pastors or missionaries) who are principal or derivative beneficiaries of pending immigrant petitions under specific visa categories, allowing them to maintain their work status beyond the usual 5-year limit while their green card applications are processed. Key provisions include granting extensions until a final decision is made on their adjustment of status application, modifying rules to allow limited job flexibility for these workers, and exempting them from a 1-year foreign residence requirement if they left the U.S. due to the prior 5-year cap. The bill aims to prevent religious workers from losing their legal status during lengthy immigration processing.

Maddy summaryHR 2680, the Expanding Access to School Meals Act of 2025, ends reduced-price breakfast and lunch programs under federal law and expands free meal eligibility. It raises the income threshold for free lunch eligibility from 130% to 224% of the federal poverty level (Sec. 201) and allows schools to directly certify children receiving Medicaid benefits as eligible for free meals without additional applications (Sec. 202). The bill also permits schools to request retroactive reimbursement for meals served to eligible children starting the first day of the school year (Sec. 203) and increases the community eligibility program multiplier to 2.5 for schools serving high-poverty areas (Sec. 204). These changes directly affect public school students from low-income families and school districts receiving federal meal reimbursement funds.

Maddy summaryThe Tax Fairness for Workers Act (HR 2671) would allow certain employees to deduct work-related expenses directly from their gross income. Specifically, it creates an above-the-line deduction for union dues (amending IRC Section 62(a)(1)) and reinstates a deduction for other out-of-pocket work costs like uniforms or tools (amending IRC Section 67(g)), effective for 2025 tax years. This directly affects union members and workers with significant job-related expenses who previously could not deduct these costs. The bill removes the prior limitation that barred these deductions, making them available without needing to itemize. The policy change simplifies tax filing for affected workers by treating these expenses as deductible business costs.

Maddy summaryHR 2195, the Feed Hungry Veterans Act of 2025, would expand eligibility for food assistance under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to more veterans. It adds four new qualifying categories to the existing rules: veterans with a "catastrophically disabled" determination under military disability law, veterans under 65 receiving a pension, and veterans meeting specific combined disability rating thresholds. The bill amends the Food and Nutrition Act to include these new groups in SNAP eligibility, directly affecting veterans who currently may not qualify under existing disability rating criteria. The changes would take effect on October 1, 2030.

Maddy summaryThis bill, HR 2102 (Major Richard Star Act), allows veterans with combat-related disabilities to receive both full military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation simultaneously, without the previous offset that reduced retired pay. It directly affects veterans already eligible for both benefits due to combat-related injuries, removing the requirement that their retired pay be reduced by the disability compensation amount. The key provision amends Title 10 and Title 38 to eliminate the offset rule (sections 5304 and 5305 of Title 38) for these veterans. The change applies to payments starting after the bill’s enactment date, effective for all qualifying veterans. This is a policy change to increase financial support for affected veterans, not a new benefit.

Maddy summaryThe IDEA Full Funding Act (HR 2598) mandates specific annual federal funding levels for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), directly affecting schools and students with disabilities nationwide. It requires the federal government to appropriate either a fixed dollar amount or a specified percentage (increasing annually from 4.5% to 40%) of a calculated total - based on the number of eligible students and average per-pupil costs - starting in fiscal year 2026 through 2035. The bill sets clear, escalating funding targets, with the higher of two calculated amounts (dollar figure or percentage) becoming available for obligation each fiscal year. This establishes a binding financial commitment to address long-standing underfunding of special education services under IDEA.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new Medicare payment model (the "Comprehensive Alternative Response for Emergencies Model") that allows Medicare Part B to cover ground ambulance services provided in response to emergency medical calls *without* a full transport. It directly affects Medicare beneficiaries receiving emergency ambulance care and ambulance providers, ensuring they are paid for services like dispatch and initial response that don't include transport. The model requires payment rates to align with standard transport payments, mandates compliance with state protocols, and operates for a 5-year test period. A report by the Comptroller General will evaluate the model's impact on beneficiary access, outcomes, and regional differences after 4 years.

Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act This bill requires the Department of Labor to address workplace violence in health care, social service, and similar sectors. Specifically, Labor must issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires certain employers to take actions to protect workers and other personnel from workplace violence. The standard applies to employers in the health care sector, in the social service sector, and in sectors that conduct activities similar to those in the health care and social service sectors. Among other elements, the standard must require each employer to (1) develop a workplace violence prevention plan, (2) promptly investigate incidents of workplace violence, and (3) provide relevant training and education to employees.  The bill requires certain hospitals and skilled nursing facilities to comply with this standard as a condition of Medicare participation.

Maddy summaryThis resolution (HRES 269) is a symbolic statement honoring historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and reaffirming the federal government's existing commitment to them. It does not create new laws or funding but formally recognizes HBCUs' role in educating nearly 300,000 students annually, producing 50% of Black teachers and 80% of Black judges, and contributing $16.5 billion to the economy. The resolution requests that federal agencies receive copies to align with ongoing support for HBCUs, though it does not alter any existing policies or resources. It directly affects HBCUs by affirming their national significance and the government’s longstanding partnership with them.