Rep. Greg Casar

Maddy summaryThe Climate Resilience Workforce Act establishes a coordinated federal system to build a workforce for climate resilience, directly affecting workers in climate-related sectors and prioritizing frontline communities (low-income, communities of color, Tribal communities) and populations facing employment barriers (undocumented individuals, formerly incarcerated people). Key mechanisms include grant programs for state and local climate resilience planning, job creation grants requiring 40% of jobs to go to frontline communities and populations facing barriers, and minimum labor standards including $15/hour wages (increasing annually), employer-paid health insurance, and protections against discrimination. The bill creates an Office of Climate Resilience, a Climate Resilience Equity Advisory Board, and a Center for the Climate Resilience Workforce to define climate resilience sectors and ensure equitable hiring practices. It also removes employment barriers through immigration status protections, criminal record reforms, and drug testing policy changes for climate resilience workers.

Maddy summaryThe MORE Act (HR 5601) would federally decriminalize cannabis by removing it from the Schedule I list of controlled substances under the Controlled Substances Act. It requires federal courts to expunge non-violent cannabis convictions and associated arrests, with a focus on addressing racial disparities in cannabis enforcement. The bill creates an Opportunity Trust Fund that would allocate 50% of funds to criminal justice programs, 20% to small business assistance for minority cannabis entrepreneurs, and 20% to community reinvestment grants for individuals impacted by the War on Drugs. It also prohibits federal agencies from denying benefits or security clearances based on cannabis use or past cannabis convictions, and establishes a Cannabis Justice Office to administer these programs.

Maddy summaryThe Preserving Access to Home Health Act of 2023 repeals a 2018 payment adjustment for Medicare home health agencies, restoring prior payment rates for 2024 and subsequent years. It requires the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) to analyze how home health agencies' financial performance affects access to care, including reviewing spending and utilization data across Medicare, Medicaid, and other payers. Starting in 2025, the bill mandates home health agencies to report detailed data on visit volumes and payments by payer source (Medicare, Medicaid, private insurers) through updated cost reports. This data will help MedPAC assess payment policy impacts on access to home health services for Medicare beneficiaries.

Maddy summaryThe WISE Act of 2023 aims to remove barriers for immigrant survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and other crimes who are eligible for protections under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA). Key provisions include reforming U visa eligibility to include civil violations related to abuse, eliminating annual U visa caps, and automatically granting work authorization to applicants within 180 days of filing. The bill also prohibits detention of these survivors while their applications are pending and expands protections for battered spouses, children, and abused derivative aliens seeking immigration relief. This directly affects non-citizen victims of violence who are navigating complex immigration processes to remain safely in the United States.

Maddy summaryHR 5008, the HEAL for Immigrant Families Act of 2023, would remove immigration status as a barrier to health insurance coverage for immigrants in the United States. The bill would make all lawfully present immigrants, including those with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status, eligible for Medicaid, CHIP, and Affordable Care Act health insurance subsidies. It would eliminate state-level restrictions on Medicaid eligibility for immigrants and allow individuals with federally authorized presence to access premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions. This legislation aims to address health coverage disparities that disproportionately affect immigrant communities, particularly Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and other communities of color.

Maddy summaryThe Social Security 2100 Act would significantly enhance Social Security benefits for millions of Americans by increasing monthly payments for retirees, disabled workers, widows/widowers, and children. Key provisions include raising the minimum benefit for long-term low earners, improving cost-of-living adjustments using a more accurate index, eliminating the 5-month waiting period for disability benefits, and extending child benefits to age 26. The bill also changes how Social Security taxes are calculated by applying them to income above $400,000 and establishes a unified Social Security Trust Fund to manage program finances. Most provisions would apply to benefits payable from 2025 through 2034, affecting all current and future Social Security beneficiaries.

Maddy summaryThe PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2023 requires private health insurance plans, Medicare, Medicaid, and other public health programs to cover pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention without cost-sharing, including the medication, related lab tests, and follow-up care. The bill also prohibits life, disability, and long-term care insurance companies from denying coverage or charging higher premiums to people taking PrEP. It establishes public education campaigns to increase awareness of PrEP and PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) and creates funding for state and community programs to expand access to HIV prevention services, particularly for populations disproportionately affected by HIV including Black, Hispanic/Latinx, and transgender individuals. The legislation specifically addresses current disparities in PrEP access, as data shows only 11% of Black/African American and 21% of Hispanic/Latinx individuals eligible for PrEP received prescriptions in 2022 compared to 82% of White individuals. Coverage requirements for most plans will take effect on January 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryThis bill adds Medicare coverage for "home resiliency services" to help vulnerable beneficiaries prepare for disasters. It covers medically necessary items like heat pumps for temperature-sensitive patients, solar batteries for medical equipment users (e.g., home ventilators), and energy-efficient cold storage for heat-sensitive medicines. Medicare will pay 100% of the cost for these services if the Secretary determines an individual is medically vulnerable during climate or manmade disasters, based on factors like chronic conditions, medical equipment reliance, and regional climate risks. It directly affects Medicare beneficiaries with chronic health needs who face heightened risks during extreme weather or infrastructure failures.

Maddy summaryThe Abortion Justice Act of 2023 would establish $350 million in federal grants to support abortion access, including coverage for transportation, lodging, childcare, and direct care services. It would require health care facilities receiving federal funds to provide abortion care and mandate comprehensive coverage for abortion services in all health insurance plans, including Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance. The bill would also remove barriers for immigrants seeking abortion care, clarify privacy protections for reproductive health information under HIPAA, and prohibit immigration enforcement within 2,000 feet of health care facilities. These provisions would directly affect people seeking abortion care, health care providers, and immigrant communities across the United States.

Maddy summaryThe LIFT the BAR Act removes barriers preventing lawfully present noncitizens from accessing federal benefits like food assistance, Medicaid, and school meals. It repeals specific 1996 welfare law provisions that excluded noncitizens and updates terminology to replace "alien" with "noncitizen" throughout federal law. The bill expands eligibility to include noncitizens in categories such as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, individuals with special immigrant juvenile status, and those with pending U-visa applications. This change ensures more noncitizens lawfully present in the U.S. can access essential services without being denied based on immigration status.