Rep. Andrea Salinas

Maddy summaryThis bill expands legal protections for domestic violence and stalking survivors by broadening key definitions. It adds current and former dating partners to the definition of "intimate partner" and includes children of dating partners in domestic violence protections. The bill also creates a new federal definition for "misdemeanor crime of stalking," requiring a course of harassment causing fear for specific people (including intimate partners, family, or shared-residence individuals) or their pets/service animals. Convictions under this new definition would trigger firearm restrictions, with specific safeguards for due process in court proceedings. These changes directly affect survivors in dating relationships and their children, strengthening federal protections for vulnerable individuals.

Maddy summaryHR 4152, the Safe Storage Saves Lives Act, requires gun sellers to offer a compatible gun lock with every firearm sale. It directly affects licensed gun retailers, who must make such locks available at the point of purchase. The bill amends federal law to mandate that sellers provide a secure storage device compatible with the firearm, with violations subject to $1,000 civil penalties. Funds from these penalties must be used for distributing free/reduced-cost locks or public awareness campaigns about safe storage.

Maddy summaryThe Equal Dignity for Married Taxpayers Act amends the Internal Revenue Code to replace gendered terms like "husband and wife" with gender-neutral language such as "married couple" or "spouses" throughout tax law. This bill affects all married couples filing federal taxes by making the tax code consistent for all married couples regardless of gender. It makes over 30 specific changes to tax code sections, including replacing "his spouse" with "the individual's spouse" and updating references to marital status. The bill does not alter tax rates, deductions, or credits - it only updates language to be more inclusive. This is a technical language update to ensure the tax code treats all married couples equally without gendered references.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to better serve LGBTQI older adults (ages 60+). It adds specific definitions for "LGBTQI" and "HIV" in the law, redesignates "minority" to explicitly include LGBTQI individuals, and creates an Office of LGBTQI Inclusion within the Administration on Aging. The bill establishes a National Resource Center on LGBTQI Aging to provide training, technical assistance, and educational resources to organizations serving this community. It also requires the collection and analysis of data on discrimination against LGBTQI older adults in long-term care settings.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits defendants in federal criminal cases from using a victim's LGBTQ identity (sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression) as a defense to excuse or reduce punishment for violent crimes. It amends federal law to ban arguments that claim a "nonviolent sexual advance" or inaccurate perception of someone's LGBTQ status justified the defendant's actions. The law allows limited admission of past trauma evidence under standard federal rules but requires the Attorney General to annually report on federal prosecutions involving bias-motivated violence against LGBTQ individuals. This directly affects defendants in federal court cases where such defenses were previously used, aiming to end the practice of treating LGBTQ victims' identities as justification for violence.

Maddy summaryThe PRIDE Act of 2025 updates the Internal Revenue Code by replacing gender-specific terms like "husband and wife" with gender-neutral terms such as "married couple" or "spouse" across over 30 tax code provisions. This change affects all married couples filing federal taxes and the IRS, as it modernizes tax law language to be inclusive of all married individuals regardless of gender. The bill makes specific textual amendments to sections dealing with filing status, deductions, credits, and estate tax provisions without creating new tax benefits. It ensures tax law language does not assume the gender of spouses, making the tax code more equitable for all married couples. This is a language update to existing tax law, not a change in tax policy or benefits.

Maddy summaryThe Women's Health Protection Act of 2025 would protect access to abortion services across the United States by prohibiting states from imposing restrictions that are more burdensome than those on comparable medical procedures. The bill directly affects people seeking abortion care and health care providers by banning restrictions such as mandatory in-person visits, requirements for specific tests, limitations on telemedicine, and rules based on a patient's reason for seeking abortion. It prohibits state laws that single out abortion for unnecessary restrictions while allowing post-viability abortions when necessary to protect a patient's life or health. The bill preempts conflicting state laws and provides enforcement mechanisms through private lawsuits and actions by the Attorney General.

Maddy summaryHR 4101, the Cancer Drug Parity Act of 2025, requires group health plans and insurance plans to provide equal cost-sharing (like deductibles and copays) for oral anticancer drugs as for intravenous or injected cancer drugs. This directly affects insured cancer patients prescribed oral medications, ensuring they face no higher out-of-pocket costs than for IV treatments when medically necessary. The law prohibits plans from changing benefits to increase costs for oral drugs or applying stricter limits on them compared to IV drugs. It takes effect for plan years starting January 1, 2026, and mandates a GAO study to assess the law’s impact on patient costs within two years of enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits state officials from blocking abortion access for patients traveling from other states, including restricting providers who offer legal abortions in their state to out-of-state patients. It protects people traveling across state lines for legal abortions, those assisting such travel, and the interstate transport of FDA-approved abortion medication. Violations can be challenged by the Justice Department or affected individuals through civil lawsuits seeking injunctions and damages. The law applies broadly across all states, territories, and tribal nations, defining "abortion service" to include both medical procedures and related care.

Maddy summaryHR 4104 would expand access to Medicaid, CHIP, and Affordable Care Act (ACA) health coverage for immigrants lawfully present in the U.S., including those with deferred action or pending immigration applications. It removes state-level barriers to Medicaid/CHIP eligibility for lawfully present individuals, treats Federally authorized presence as "lawfully present" for ACA subsidies, and allows states to choose to cover undocumented individuals through Medicaid or CHIP. The bill also extends these changes to Medicare Part A and Part B, ensuring lawfully present immigrants qualify for coverage and subsidies under existing programs. These provisions apply to all federally funded health programs and take effect in 2026 for most ACA-related changes.