Maddy summaryHR 82, the Social Security Fairness Act of 2023, repeals two provisions that reduce Social Security benefits for certain government workers. It eliminates the Government Pension Offset (GPO), which cuts spousal or survivor benefits for people with pensions from jobs not covered by Social Security (like federal or state government roles), and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), which lowers retirement benefits for those with similar pensions. The law takes effect for benefits paid after December 2023, requiring the Social Security Administration to adjust benefit calculations to remove these reductions. This change directly affects public-sector employees who previously had their Social Security benefits reduced due to their government pensions.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryThis bill renames a U.S. Postal Service facility in Corpus Christi, Texas (located at 802 North Tancahua Street) as the "Captain Robert E. 'Bob' Batterson Post Office." It affects only the official naming of this specific post office and all related federal references. The bill requires that any future federal document, map, or record referencing the location must use the new name. It does not create new policies, allocate funding, or impact postal services. This is a purely commemorative measure with no substantive policy changes.
Maddy summaryThe Women’s Suffrage National Monument Location Act (HR 1318) authorizes the placement of a monument on the National Mall to honor the women’s suffrage movement and the 19th Amendment. The bill specifies that the monument must be located within a designated area on the National Mall known as the "Reserve," bypassing standard requirements for monument locations under existing law. This legislation sets the physical site for a monument already authorized by previous law (Public Law 116-217), without creating new policy or altering commemorative regulations beyond the location.
Maddy summaryHR 40 would establish a 15-member commission to study the legacy of slavery and systemic discrimination against African Americans in the United States, and develop proposals for reparations. The commission would examine historical and ongoing effects of slavery, discriminatory policies (including redlining and educational disparities), and recommend remedies through education and potential reparations. Composed of members appointed by the President, House Speaker, and Senate President pro tempore, the commission would have 18 months to submit a report to Congress, with $20 million authorized for its work. This legislation creates a study process but does not provide reparations directly.
Washington, D.C. Admission Act This bill provides for the establishment of the State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth, and its admission into the United States. The state is composed of most of the territory of the District of Columbia (DC), excluding a specified area that encompasses the U.S. Capitol, the White House, the U.S. Supreme Court building, federal monuments, and federal office buildings adjacent to the National Mall and the U.S. Capitol. The excluded territory shall be known as the Capital and serve as the seat of the government of the United States, as provided for in Article I of the Constitution. The state may not impose taxes on federal property except as Congress permits. The bill provides for the DC Mayor to issue a proclamation for the first elections to Congress of two Senators and one Representative of the state. The bill eliminates the office of Delegate to the House of Representatives. The bill applies current DC laws to the state. DC judicial proceedings and contractual obligations shall continue under the state’s authority. The bill also provides for specified federal obligations to transfer to the state upon its certification that it has funds and laws in place to assume the obligations. These include maintaining a retirement fund for judges and operating public defender services. The bill establishes a commission that is generally comprised of members who are appointed by DC and federal government officials to advise on an orderly transition to statehood.
Maddy summaryThis bill amends Medicaid rules to require education about renal medullary carcinoma (a rare kidney cancer) for individuals with Sickle Cell Disease. It adds "renal medullary carcinoma" to the list of conditions Medicaid must cover through patient education, alongside existing topics like stroke. The change applies to services provided after the bill's enactment date. It directly affects Medicaid beneficiaries diagnosed with Sickle Cell Disease by expanding their access to targeted cancer risk education.
Maddy summaryHR 126, the VOTE Act, creates a 2025 pilot program to provide voter registration information to 12th-grade students in public high schools. The Election Assistance Commission will fund eligible school districts to develop initiatives (like workshops or materials) that explain how to register to vote in elections for public office. School districts must consult with local election officials when designing these programs and report on their effectiveness to the Commission. The bill does not register students but aims to increase civic engagement by ensuring seniors receive clear, accessible voting information before graduation.
Maddy summaryHR 122, the Original LAW Act, proposes a phased increase to the federal minimum wage, starting at $10.59 per hour in 2026 and rising to $26.59 per hour by 2030. It establishes an automatic adjustment mechanism where the Secretary of Labor must set the minimum wage every seven years starting in 2031, ensuring it equals 40% above the Federal supplemental poverty threshold for a renter family of four with two children. This bill directly affects all workers covered under the Fair Labor Standards Act who earn the federal minimum wage. The law requires the wage to be adjusted annually based on poverty threshold data published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, aiming to align wages with living costs.
Maddy summaryThe Fair Lending for All Act establishes a new Office of Fair Lending Testing within the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to proactively test creditors for compliance with the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA). It expands ECOA protections to explicitly prohibit discrimination based on ZIP code, census tract, public assistance income, sexual orientation, gender identity, and marital status, while replacing "applicant" with "person" throughout the law. The bill adds criminal penalties for violations, including fines up to $50,000 or 1 year in prison for individuals and up to $100,000 per violation for patterns of discrimination, with personal liability for executives. It also requires the Bureau to review loan application processes for ECOA compliance and updates mortgage data collection to include protected characteristics like sexual orientation and gender identity. This directly affects creditors (banks, lenders) and consumers seeking credit.
Maddy summaryThe Housing Fairness Act of 2025 requires the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to conduct nationwide testing to identify discrimination in housing rentals, home purchases, and mortgage lending based on race, religion, sex, disability, family status, or national origin. It increases annual funding for fair housing enforcement programs to $42.5 million (2024-2028) and allocates $5 million annually for grants to study housing discrimination causes and test solutions. The bill mandates biennial reports on testing results and study findings to inform future policy actions, while prohibiting fund use for political activities. These provisions directly affect renters, homebuyers, lenders, and fair housing enforcement organizations.