Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a federal grant program to increase the supply and quality of childcare for children under age 5, particularly benefiting providers serving young children and those with disabilities. It provides states, tribes, and tribal organizations with funding for facility improvements (like renovations to meet health/safety standards), business support for new providers, and professional development for childcare staff. Grants prioritize addressing geographic shortages, supporting inclusive care, and helping providers obtain licenses or achieve quality ratings. States must first conduct community needs assessments to target funds where childcare access is most limited, ensuring resources address local gaps in supply and quality.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryThe Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Defense and Enhancement Act creates a confidential list of drugs critical to public health and national security, requiring manufacturers to report on supply chain dependencies and develop continuity plans. It authorizes $5 billion to boost domestic manufacturing capacity for these critical drugs and their ingredients through contracts with U.S. companies, prioritizing generic drugs and drugs not currently manufactured in the U.S. Federal agencies must prioritize purchasing domestically manufactured drugs from the critical list, with $1 billion annually allocated for this purpose. The bill also mandates annual transparency reports on supply chain reliance and includes oversight of foreign investment in the U.S. pharmaceutical industry.
Maddy summaryThis bill amends the Thye-Blatnik Act to change how land appraisals are calculated for agricultural programs. It replaces "fair appraised value" with "highest fair appraised value, including historical fair appraised values" as determined by the Secretary of Agriculture. The change directly affects landowners participating in USDA agricultural programs where land valuation impacts payments or eligibility. The key mechanism requires the Secretary to use the highest historical appraisal value, not just current value, when assessing land for these programs. This is a technical adjustment to appraisal standards without altering program benefits or eligibility criteria.
Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new student loan forgiveness program for public servants who take out federal loans after the law passes. It forgives 15% of the loan balance after 2 years of public service, increasing to 30% after 10 years, based on the loan amount when they started the job. Borrowers must submit an employment certification form to qualify, and the program also cancels interest accrued during the application review period. It directly affects public servants (like teachers, firefighters, and government workers) with new federal student loans who work full-time in qualifying roles for the required years.
Maddy summaryThe Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act (S 3502) limits how consumer credit reports can be shared during mortgage applications. It prevents credit reporting agencies from sending these reports to third parties solely based on a mortgage-related request, unless the third party has the homebuyer's explicit authorization or is directly involved in the loan (like the mortgage lender, loan servicer, or their bank holding the homebuyer's account). This directly affects homebuyers applying for residential mortgages by restricting unauthorized sharing of their credit data. The bill amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to add these privacy protections without creating new government programs or altering existing mortgage processes.
Maddy summaryThe Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act of 2024 establishes a pilot program allowing qualified individuals or organizations (defined as "Good Samaritans") to remediate historic mine residue at abandoned hardrock mine sites without facing liability for their actions. The Environmental Protection Agency would grant up to 15 permits for projects that address pollution from abandoned mines, with applicants required to demonstrate they meet specific eligibility criteria (not being responsible owners/operators, having no role in creating the residue, and possessing adequate resources). The program includes liability protection for permitted activities, requires detailed remediation plans with baseline condition assessments, public notice, and environmental reviews, and establishes a fund for long-term operations and maintenance. This 7-year pilot program would directly affect communities near abandoned mine sites and qualified remediation groups seeking to address environmental contamination.
Maddy summaryThe Mapping Housing Discrimination Act (S 5534) provides federal grants to universities and minority-serving institutions to digitize and map historic housing discrimination records dating back to 1850. It directly affects educational institutions (via competitive grants) and local governments (through required partnerships for digitizing deeds), focusing on records showing racial covenants, discriminatory language in property agreements, or laws permitting housing bias against protected classes. Key mechanisms include standardized data collection for a national public database, mandatory metadata reporting, and funding for tools to identify discriminatory clauses in historical documents. The database will include spatial datasets of documented discrimination patterns, making all collected records freely available online. The bill does not alter current fair housing laws but creates a centralized resource for historical analysis.
Maddy summaryThe Parity Enforcement Act of 2024 strengthens enforcement of mental health and substance use disorder parity requirements in health insurance. It directly affects insurance companies and the companies that manage their plans (like third-party administrators and pharmacy benefit managers), making them liable for violations alongside plan sponsors and insurers. The bill adds new provisions to federal health laws, allowing the Secretary to assign liability percentages between these entities and expanding enforcement to cover parity violations. This changes how violations are addressed by holding additional parties accountable for failing to meet parity rules.
Maddy summaryThis bill authorizes the posthumous award of a Congressional Gold Medal to Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman elected to Congress (1968-1982) and the first African American to seek a major party's presidential nomination (1972). The bill directs the Secretary of the Treasury to design and strike a gold medal featuring Chisholm's image and name, which will be presented to her family by congressional leaders. After presentation, the medal will be displayed at the Smithsonian Institution for public viewing and research. The bill also authorizes the production and sale of bronze duplicates to cover costs. This is a commemorative measure honoring Chisholm's historic contributions to American politics and civil rights.
Maddy summaryThe Forgotten Heroes of the Holocaust Congressional Gold Medal Act (S. 91) authorizes the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal to 60 diplomats who risked their careers and safety to save Jewish lives during the Holocaust. These diplomats, representing countries including Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, and others, issued visas and provided safe passage to Jews fleeing Nazi persecution despite strict orders from their home governments. The medal will be presented collectively to the next of kin of each diplomat, along with representatives from their home countries, and then permanently displayed at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The act recognizes these individuals' bravery without implying they represent all who performed similar humanitarian acts during the Holocaust. The medal serves as a permanent tribute to their sacrifice and will be available for public display and research.