Rep. Dwight Evans

Maddy summaryHR 5384, the MORE Act, changes rules for health profession opportunity grants under the Social Security Act. It requires the Secretary to give preference to grant applicants who partner with specific entities: state/local government/social service providers, colleges/apprenticeship programs, and healthcare employers/unions. This directly affects applicants seeking federal grants to support health workforce training programs. The policy change takes effect on October 1, 2025. The bill modifies selection criteria without altering grant funding levels or creating new programs.

Maddy summaryThe Pathways to Health Careers Act creates federal grants to help low-income individuals (with family income up to 200% of the Federal poverty level) enter health profession careers. It funds training programs that include adult basic education, career coaching, child care, transportation, and legal assistance for people with arrest or conviction records. The bill specifically supports two demonstration projects: one helping individuals with criminal records enter health careers, and another focused on training doulas and midwives for pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care. Programs must provide structured career pathways to recognized health profession credentials and include support services like case management. The bill requires evaluations to assess effectiveness in addressing workforce shortages and improving participant outcomes.

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.

Equal COLA Act This bill applies a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for annuities paid under the Federal Employees Retirement System that is equal to the increase in inflation, regardless of the amount of the increase. Specifically, for any year in which the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has increased over the previous year, the COLA amount shall be increased by the change in the CPI from the previous year.  Current law applies an adjustment equal to the change in CPI only if the change is 2% or less. If the change is between 2% and 3%, the adjustment is limited to 2%. If the change is more than 3%, the adjustment is limited to 1% less than the change.

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.

Federal Adjustment of Income Rates Act or the FAIR Act This bill modifies pay rates for federal employees in 2026. Specifically, the bill increases rates under the statutory pay systems and for prevailing rate employees by 3.3% and increases locality pay by 1%.

Maddy summaryThis resolution (HRES 712) is a symbolic designation, not a law, expressing the House's support for September 14, 2025, to be recognized as "National Food is Medicine Day." It highlights the role of nutritious food in health and recommends that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) continue research on using food as a healthcare tool to prevent and manage chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease. The resolution urges HHS to collaborate with the USDA and scale food-as-medicine programs in partnership with healthcare providers and communities. It does not create new programs or funding but formally advocates for integrating nutrition-focused care into healthcare systems.

Maddy summaryHRES 714 is a resolution expressing the House of Representatives' support for designating the week of September 14-20, 2025, as "National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week." It aims to raise public awareness about the importance of adult education, workforce skills, and family literacy programs. The resolution highlights statistics showing millions of U.S. adults lack basic literacy, numeracy, or English-language skills, which impact employment, health, and educational outcomes for families. It encourages public support for these programs but does not create new policies or direct funding.

Maddy summaryThe George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2025 would establish a National Police Misconduct Registry to track officer complaints, disciplinary actions, and misconduct records across all law enforcement agencies. It would require law enforcement agencies to implement body-worn camera programs with specific recording and retention policies, ban chokeholds and no-knock warrants in drug cases, and reform qualified immunity to make it easier to hold officers accountable for misconduct. The bill mandates comprehensive data collection on use of force incidents, requiring agencies to report detailed information about stops, searches, and force used, disaggregated by race, ethnicity, gender, and other demographics. These provisions would directly affect all Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies that receive federal grant funding, with requirements for policy changes, training, and data reporting.

Maddy summaryThe National Infrastructure Bank Act of 2025 would establish a government-owned bank to finance infrastructure projects across the United States, aiming to address a $3.69 trillion financing gap identified by the American Society of Civil Engineers. The bank would provide loans up to $5 trillion for transportation, energy, environmental, and community development projects, with specific criteria focused on economic growth, environmental benefits, and serving disadvantaged communities. It would be governed by a 25-member Board of Directors with diverse regional and expertise qualifications, and would operate with tax exemptions and capital requirements to ensure financial stability. The bill also establishes regional economic accelerator planning groups to coordinate infrastructure development and create a pipeline of projects for the bank to finance.