Rep. Jasmine Crockett

Maddy summaryHR 5293, the Youth Voting Rights Act, would improve voting access for young people aged 18-29 through several concrete changes. The bill requires public colleges and universities to serve as voter registration agencies, establishes pre-registration for 16-year-olds, mandates on-campus polling locations for all institutions of higher education, and prohibits age-based restrictions on voting by mail. It also requires states to accept student ID cards as valid voter identification and provides grants to states for youth voter engagement programs. The bill would collect data on voting trends by age to help identify barriers to youth participation. These changes aim to address systemic barriers that have led to lower youth voter turnout and higher ballot rejection rates among young voters.

Maddy summaryThe Sustaining Our Democracy Act creates a federal program to provide states with annual funding to improve election administration and increase voting access. It allocates $2 billion each year from 2024-2033 through the State Election Assistance and Innovation Trust Fund to support activities like upgrading voting equipment, training election workers, and expanding voting access for underserved communities, people with disabilities, and voters on Indian lands. States must submit detailed plans for using funds, which cannot be used for activities that restrict voting access or target election officials. The Act establishes an Office of Democracy Advancement and Innovation to administer the program, monitor fund usage, and oversee compliance with its requirements.

Maddy summaryHR 5277, the Prevent Homelessness Act of 2023, establishes a $100 million annual Housing Stabilization Fund at HUD to provide short-term financial assistance to extremely low-income families (earning less than 30% of area median income) and very low-income families (earning less than 50% of area median income) facing housing crises. The fund provides grants to local homeless service networks to cover immediate housing needs like rent arrears, utility payments, repairs for unsafe living conditions, legal assistance for evictions, and other short-term costs that prevent homelessness. Assistance is limited to 8 months within any 12-month period and must align with local homeless prioritization systems, with funding allocated based on areas with the highest concentrations of low-income and homeless populations. The bill authorizes $100 million annually from fiscal years 2025 through 2029, focusing on stabilizing housing for vulnerable families facing urgent financial hardship.

Maddy summaryThe Unhoused Voter Opportunity Through Elections Act (HR 5294) protects voting rights for people experiencing homelessness by prohibiting states from denying voting access based on living in a "nontraditional abode" like shelters, public spaces, or locations where someone is considered homeless under federal law. Key provisions require election officials to make ballot drop boxes accessible to unhoused individuals, accept written attestations of residence instead of traditional proof, allow homeless shelters to be used as voting addresses, and mandate outreach to shelters about registration deadlines and election dates. The bill also creates a grant program to fund mobile voting centers and direct outreach services specifically for unhoused individuals. These changes would directly affect homeless individuals and election officials across all states, implementing concrete policy changes to improve voting access for a population often excluded from the electoral process.

Maddy summaryHR 5295, the Expanding the VOTE Act, modifies Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act to expand language access for voters. It requires states and localities to provide voting materials (including ballots and instructions) in the language of covered language minority groups, with new provisions for American Indian and Alaska Native languages requiring tribal government consultation for unwritten languages. The bill creates $15 million in grants to help jurisdictions provide voting materials in languages that don’t currently trigger Section 203 coverage, while mandating continued provision for those groups in future elections. It also directs a study to evaluate lowering population thresholds for language protections and expanding the definition of covered languages.

Investing in Rural America Act This bill allows Farm Credit System (FCS) institutions to provide financing and technical assistance for essential community facility projects as part of the Department of Agriculture's Community Facilities Direct Loan & Grant Program. (This program provides funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas.) The FCS financing and technical assistance may be provided in order to make capital available to develop, build, maintain, improve, or provide other support for essential community facilities in rural communities (e.g., certain facilities that provide healthcare, community support, public safety, educational, or utility services).  Under the bill, the financing provided by an FCS institution may not exceed 15% of the institution’s total assets unless the FCS institution offers at least one non-FCS lending institution an interest in the financing under reasonable terms and conditions acceptable to the borrower. The FCS institution must also report the offer to the Farm Credit Administration (FCA). The FCA must submit an annual report to Congress on the activities undertaken by FCS institutions under this bill, including through the partnerships between FCS institutions and other lending institutions. The FCA must post the report on the agency's website.

Maddy summaryHR 4745, the Delivering for Rural Seniors Act of 2023, creates a pilot program to expand home delivery of food packages under the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) for low-income seniors in rural areas. The bill authorizes $10 million annually (2024-2026) for competitive grants to state agencies, which must prioritize rural service providers to cover costs like transportation, staffing, and outreach for home delivery. It requires grantees to report on delivery metrics, costs, and effectiveness annually. The program directly affects rural CSFP participants facing transportation barriers to accessing food assistance.

Maddy summaryHRES 661 is a symbolic resolution honoring the 60th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. It calls on Congress to address the unmet demands of the marchers, specifically decent housing, voting rights, and a fair wage. As a non-binding resolution, it does not create new laws but serves to commemorate the event and renew focus on these longstanding civil rights goals.

Maddy summaryThe Converting Our Waste Sustainably (COWS) Act of 2023 establishes a new federal program to help dairy and livestock producers reduce methane emissions and improve soil health. It directly affects eligible producers who currently use liquid manure lagoons or methane-capturing systems by offering cost-sharing (up to 90% federal funding) to adopt covered management measures like pasture-based grazing, solid manure separation systems, or composting practices. The program allocates $1.5 billion over five years (2024-2028), prioritizing projects near low-income communities and reserving funds for beginning, limited-resource, and socially disadvantaged farmers. Payments require producers to implement at least one approved measure for up to three years, with a $825,000 cap per entity over five years.

Maddy summaryHRES 645 is a non-binding House resolution recognizing August as "Chicano Heritage Month" to celebrate the contributions of Mexican Americans to U.S. history. It highlights historical figures like labor leaders Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, landmark court cases (e.g., *Mendez v. Westminster* ending school segregation), and cultural impacts such as Selena's influence on music. The resolution does not create new laws or policies but serves as a symbolic acknowledgment by the House to honor this heritage. It encourages the public and institutions to observe the month with events celebrating Mexican American contributions.