Rep. Josh Gottheimer

Maddy summaryHR 4904, the PHASE Act of 2025, mandates a federal study on physical pedestrian safety measures in areas with high crash rates, then creates a $5 million annual grant program for cities, tribes, and municipalities to fund pedestrian infrastructure. Grants support specific upgrades like accessible sidewalks, enhanced crosswalks, improved lighting, and traffic signal modifications that comply with ADA standards. The bill directly affects local governments seeking to reduce pedestrian injuries and fatalities through infrastructure changes. It requires a congressional briefing on study results within two years of enactment.

Maddy summaryHR 4891, the Secure Our Embassies Act, requires the State Department to improve coordination among security personnel at overseas diplomatic posts. It directly affects Regional Security Officers (RSOs), Diplomatic Technology Officers (DTOs), and others by mandating role-specific counterintelligence and security training to address cyber threats, insider risks, and regional security challenges. The bill also requires the Secretary of State to submit a report within 180 days detailing current training standards, planned improvements, and resource needs for implementing these security protocols. This focuses on concrete policy changes to enhance embassy security through better training and interdepartmental collaboration.

Maddy summaryThe Wildfire Emergency Preparedness Act of 2025 establishes a national training plan for structural firefighters to respond to wildfires and wildland-urban interface fires, with $5 million annually for training grants. It creates an Under Secretary of Agriculture for Fire Coordination to improve federal-state-local coordination in wildfire response and authorizes $20 million annually for research on firefighter health, including PFAS exposure in firefighting equipment. The bill also provides $100 million for supplemental grants to fire departments and EMS organizations for wildfire response equipment and training, and sets criteria for mental health support for first responders. It requires reports to Congress on training effectiveness and coordination challenges within one year of enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill adjusts health insurance subsidies by modifying the premium tax credit structure under the Internal Revenue Code. It replaces previous income thresholds with a sliding-scale formula, increasing subsidies for households earning between 150% and 400% of the federal poverty level - reducing their required premium payments as income rises within these tiers. The changes apply to tax years beginning after December 31, 2025, directly affecting middle-income individuals and families purchasing coverage through health insurance marketplaces. It also repeals specific provisions from a prior reconciliation law related to health care.

Maddy summaryThe Protect Our Hospitals Act (HR 4807) repeals a specific provision (Section 71115 of Public Law 119-21) that altered Medicaid provider tax rules. This bill restores the prior tax structure for Medicaid providers, including hospitals and clinics that accept Medicaid, returning them to the tax treatment that existed before the change. As a result, these providers will no longer be subject to the modified tax rules enacted by the repealed provision. The bill does not affect Medicaid eligibility, benefits, or coverage - it solely reverts a tax policy change without introducing new requirements.

Maddy summaryHR 4828 expands federal privacy law by adding biometric information, license plate numbers, workplace addresses, school addresses, and GPS coordinates to the list of "restricted personal information" under Title 18, U.S. Code. This directly affects businesses and organizations that collect personal data, requiring them to apply the same strict privacy safeguards to these newly protected data types. The bill modifies an existing legal definition rather than creating new requirements or enforcement mechanisms. It applies to any entity subject to current privacy regulations for restricted data. The key change clarifies which specific information categories receive enhanced protection under federal law.

Maddy summaryThis bill removes a barrier preventing most low-income students from accessing SNAP benefits. It amends the Food and Nutrition Act to explicitly allow students enrolled at least half-time in recognized higher education programs to qualify for SNAP, reversing a prior exclusion. The key change eliminates the previous requirement that students meet specific exceptions (now deleted) and adds a new eligibility category under Section 3(m)(5). This directly affects low-income undergraduate and graduate students at colleges and training programs who were previously ineligible. The changes take effect January 2, 2026.

Maddy summaryThis bill authorizes $50 million annually for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to conduct research on firearms safety and gun violence prevention, beginning in fiscal year 2026 through 2031. The funding is in addition to existing CDC appropriations and would support studies under the Public Health Service Act. It does not create new regulations or directly affect individuals, but aims to expand research into causes and prevention strategies for gun violence. The bill focuses solely on enabling CDC research, without proposing policy changes or restrictions.

Maddy summaryHR 4796, the Restoring Essential Healthcare Act, repeals a provision that blocked Medicaid payments to certain healthcare providers during a specific period. It directly affects Medicaid beneficiaries who received care from these providers between the enactment of the prior law (Public Law 119-21) and this bill's enactment. The key provision retroactively restores Medicaid payments for services already provided during that blocked period, treating the payment restriction as if it never existed. This change ensures eligible individuals and providers receive reimbursement for covered care delivered during the prohibited timeframe.

Maddy summaryHRES 613 is a symbolic House resolution expressing support for designating July as "Disability Pride Month." It directly affects people with disabilities by raising public awareness of their contributions and challenges, referencing CDC data showing 70 million U.S. adults live with disabilities. The resolution calls on the public and organizations to celebrate Disability Pride Month in July and actively work to prevent discrimination against people with disabilities, aligning with the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This is a non-binding gesture focused on recognition, not policy change.