Rep. Don Bacon

Maddy summaryThis bill amends the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and federal employee leave rules to clarify that recovery from organ donation surgery qualifies as a "serious health condition." It directly affects private-sector workers covered by the FMLA and federal civil service employees. The key change adds "including recovery from surgery related to organ donation" to the definitions of serious health conditions in both the FMLA and federal leave statutes. This ensures eligible employees can use their existing family and medical leave benefits to recover after donating an organ, without requiring new leave entitlements.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends federal transit grant rules to incentivize local housing policies near transit. It defines "pro-housing policies" as actions removing regulatory barriers (like eliminating parking minimums or streamlining approvals for multi-family housing) and adds a 1-point scoring boost in grant evaluations for projects demonstrating such policies within walking distance of transit. Local governments and developers seeking federal transit capital grants can earn this boost by documenting these policies, with HUD consulted to assess expected housing outcomes. The policy directly affects how transit projects are scored for funding, aiming to align housing production with transit access.

Maddy summaryHR 4335, the Abraham Accords Defense Against Terror Act, streamlines U.S. defense exports to countries that have normalized relations with Israel (via the Abraham Accords) and cooperate with the U.S. on countering Iran and Iran-aligned threats in the Middle East and North Africa. The bill authorizes the Secretary of State to identify qualifying countries and fast-tracks approval for military sales, leases, or transfers to them, requiring a 15-day congressional notification with specific safeguards. Key safeguards include ensuring sensitive U.S. technology isn’t shared with China or Russia and mandating regular strategy reports to Congress on implementation, threat assessments, and pending defense deals over $25 million. This directly affects participating Middle Eastern nations and U.S. defense export processes, aiming to accelerate security cooperation without altering Israel’s military edge. The bill focuses on procedural changes to expedite defense cooperation, not on new funding or policy outcomes.

Maddy summaryHR 1522, the Federal Retirement Fairness Act, changes federal retirement rules to include temporary employees' service after January 1, 1988, in retirement benefit calculations. It directly affects temporary federal employees (including U.S. Postal Service workers) and Members of Congress who served after that date. The bill removes a previous cutoff date in retirement law, allowing their temporary service to count toward retirement eligibility. This means eligible temporary workers can now have their full service period considered when calculating retirement benefits.

Maddy summaryThis bill (HR 4564) amends federal law to expand who can administer epinephrine in schools during emergencies. It replaces "school personnel" with "trained personnel" and allows non-employee volunteers (like parents or community members) to be treated as trained if they meet requirements and their state attorney general certifies the program. The bill also updates terminology from "auto-injectable epinephrine" to "epinephrine delivery systems" to include all administration methods. It directly affects schools, non-employee staff/volunteers, and state health authorities responsible for certification. The changes aim to make emergency allergy response more flexible while maintaining state oversight.

Maddy summaryThis bill mandates a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report to assess how effectively the federal government supports military voters under existing law. It requires the GAO to analyze ballot transmission, counting rates, rejection reasons, and assistance from military voting officers, while also studying ways to improve voter registration access for service members and their families. The report, due by September 2027, will be submitted to relevant congressional committees and focuses on gathering data to identify gaps in voting access for military personnel and their dependents. This is a procedural measure to inform future improvements, not a direct policy change.

Maddy summaryThe Innovate to Save Lives Act creates a new 10% federal tax credit for small businesses that spend money on research to combat specific drug threats. It directly affects small businesses conducting qualifying research focused on mitigating the effects of fentanyl, methamphetamine, or emerging drugs designated as threats. The credit applies to eligible research expenses related to discovering ways to treat drug use, prevent it, or reduce its harm, excluding most clinical research unless it follows NIH guidelines. The bill defines "fentanyl-related substances" by specific chemical structures and requires a government report five years after enactment to track the credit's use.

Maddy summaryHR 4477, the PRICE Act, creates a new federal grant program to improve affordable manufactured housing communities. It provides funds for infrastructure, repairs, safety upgrades, and community services in communities that are affordable to low- and moderate-income residents (at or below 120% of area median income) and either owned by residents or committed to remaining affordable. Eligible projects include replacing homes (excluding pre-1976 units), weatherization, accessibility modifications, and resident services like eviction prevention. The program prioritizes projects that preserve long-term affordability for low-income residents and is open to community groups, local governments, tribes, and nonprofit housing organizations.

Maddy summaryHR 1919, the "Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act," prohibits the Federal Reserve from developing, testing, or issuing any central bank digital currency (CBDC) or similar digital assets. It specifically bans the Fed from offering direct financial products to individuals, maintaining individual accounts, or issuing CBDCs directly or indirectly through intermediaries like banks. The bill also blocks the Fed from using any digital asset for monetary policy and clarifies that physical currency's privacy protections remain intact. This policy directly affects the Federal Reserve System's ability to create or manage digital monetary tools.

Maddy summaryThe CARE for Kids Act of 2025 expands eligibility for free school meals under the National School Lunch Act by adding new categories of children who automatically qualify. It includes children in kinship care with legal documentation (e.g., grandparent caregivers with custody or consent affidavits), children receiving adoption or kinship guardianship payments, and children living in low-income housing with older caregivers or under Native American housing programs. The bill also requires schools to honor meal eligibility when a child transfers between districts, extending coverage by one year if the child began living with a qualifying caregiver within the prior 12 months. These changes directly affect school districts, caregivers, and children in specific vulnerable situations who previously faced barriers to meal assistance.