Rep. Robert Menendez

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a 70% tax credit for eligible small businesses to cover costs of installing diaper changing stations and dispensers in restrooms. It applies to businesses with annual gross receipts under $5 million or fewer than 100 full-time equivalent employees. To qualify, businesses must ensure both men’s and women’s restrooms at each location have accessible diaper changing stations (free to use) and diaper dispensers. The credit is capped at $10,000 per business location annually and applies to expenses like station installation, labor, and restroom renovations meeting the "family bathroom requirement." The credit begins for tax years starting after December 31, 2025.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the 988 Suicide Prevention Lifeline to establish a dedicated "Press 3" option (via IVR) for LGBTQ+ youth seeking crisis support, directly affecting LGBTQ+ youth who face a four times higher suicide risk than peers. It mandates that at least 9% of funds allocated for the lifeline's services be reserved specifically for these specialized LGBTQ+ youth services. The bill amends existing law to formalize this dedicated resource, building on current services that handled over 1.5 million contacts from LGBTQ+ youth in 2025. This creates a concrete policy change for accessing tailored crisis support without altering other lifeline operations.

Maddy summaryThe FAMILY Act would establish a national paid family and medical leave insurance program that provides wage replacement benefits for workers needing time off for caregiving or medical reasons. It defines "qualified caregiving" to include caring for a family member with a serious health condition, personal medical needs, or recovery from violence (including domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking). Benefits would be calculated based on earnings, with a minimum monthly benefit of $580 and maximum of $4,000, administered by a new Office of Paid Family and Medical Leave within the Social Security Administration. Eligible individuals would need to have worked for at least 8 quarters in the previous year and file an application with required documentation, while existing state paid leave programs would continue to operate alongside this federal program.

Saving the Civil Service Act This bill generally prohibits changes to the classification of positions in the competitive service and excepted service unless certain conditions are met. (Competitive service positions are subject to competitive examination while excepted service positions are appointed under one of five schedules. Competitive service positions have notice and appeal requirements for adverse actions that are not applicable to most excepted positions, including those of a confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating character under Schedule C.) On October 21, 2020, President Donald Trump issued an executive order that placed executive agency positions that are of a confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating character, and that are not normally subject to change as a result of a presidential transition, under a new Schedule F in the excepted service. The order was subsequently revoked by President Joe Biden. The bill prohibits executive agency positions in the competitive service from being placed in the excepted service, unless such positions are placed in a schedule in the excepted service as in effect on September 30, 2020. The bill also prohibits positions in the excepted service from being placed in any schedule other than the aforementioned schedules. Additionally, agencies may not (1) transfer occupied positions from the competitive or excepted service into Schedule C without the consent of the Office of Personnel Management, or (2) transfer employees in the excepted service to another schedule or transfer employees in the competitive service to the excepted service without employee consent.

Maddy summaryHRES 715 is a symbolic resolution supporting the designation of the week of September 15, 2025, as "National Latino Gastronomic Cuisine Week." It expresses congressional recognition of Latino culinary traditions' cultural significance, economic contributions, and role in fostering inclusivity, but does not create new laws or allocate funding. The resolution encourages federal agencies and community groups to promote awareness through events and educational initiatives. As a non-binding resolution, it focuses solely on celebration and acknowledgment, not policy implementation.

Maddy summaryThe Azerbaijan Sanctions Review Act of 2025 requires the President to review within 180 days whether 53 specific Azerbaijani officials meet criteria for sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act. These officials include military commanders, security service heads, and judges implicated in human rights violations related to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The review must include a detailed justification and determine if sanctions should be imposed on individuals linked to alleged war crimes, arbitrary detention, and torture of Armenians. The bill mandates this assessment without imposing new sanctions, focusing instead on evaluating existing legal authority for action.

Maddy summaryThe FAIR Act of 2025 would prohibit companies from requiring pre-dispute arbitration agreements or waivers that prevent individuals from joining class or collective lawsuits in employment, consumer, antitrust, or civil rights cases. This directly affects workers, consumers, and small businesses who currently face forced arbitration for issues like workplace discrimination, product defects, or unfair business practices. The bill makes such agreements unenforceable while allowing voluntary arbitration after disputes arise and leaving collective bargaining agreements unaffected. It applies to all disputes occurring after the law takes effect, without changing how voluntary arbitration works post-dispute.

Maddy summaryHR 5309, the Congressional Tribute to Constance Baker Motley Act of 2025, authorizes a posthumous Congressional gold medal for Constance Baker Motley, a pioneering civil rights attorney and judge. The bill directs the Treasury Secretary to strike the medal with her image and name, to be presented to her son, Joel W. Motley III, and her niece, Constance Royster. It also permits the sale of bronze duplicates at cost to cover expenses, with proceeds going to the U.S. Mint fund. This is a commemorative measure with no substantive policy changes, honoring Motley’s legacy as the first African-American woman appointed to a federal judgeship.

Maddy summaryHR 5340 prohibits the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and public housing agencies from sharing tenant records with immigration authorities for immigration enforcement purposes. It directly affects all HUD housing program participants (including renters and applicants, regardless of immigration status) by requiring HUD to obtain written consent or a language-proficient request from the individual before disclosing their records. Key provisions include banning disclosure without consent, preventing HUD from forcing public housing agencies to share records, and mandating a 90-day compliance report to Congress detailing record security and past sharing practices. The bill aims to protect housing privacy by ensuring immigration enforcement cannot access sensitive tenant information held by HUD without explicit individual authorization.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to extend eligibility to school support staff, including paraprofessionals, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, and clerical staff. It allows these employees to qualify for FMLA leave if they work 60% of their expected monthly hours (instead of the standard 1,250 hours), based on their school’s assigned schedule. Employers must maintain records of expected hours for each staff member. The change directly benefits part-time and seasonal education support staff who previously faced barriers to FMLA coverage.