Maddy summaryS 1393, the Sunlight in Workplace Harassment Act, requires publicly traded companies (covered issuers) to publicly report annual data on workplace harassment and discrimination settlements and judgments via their Form 10-K filings. Companies must disclose total numbers and dollar amounts for cases involving sexual abuse, harassment, or discrimination based on protected characteristics (like sex, race, disability, or sexual orientation), resolution times, and their prevention measures - while protecting victim privacy by omitting names and allowing victims to opt out of certain disclosures. This applies to settlements involving employees or executives and covers both internal resolutions and legal outcomes. The bill aims to increase transparency about corporate handling of such incidents without mandating new legal standards.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryThis concurrent resolution (SCONRES 9) expresses Congress's non-binding sense that climate change constitutes an emergency requiring urgent federal action. It urges the President to use existing authorities (like the National Emergencies Act) to mobilize resources for rapid climate mitigation, building on the Inflation Reduction Act's $369 billion climate investments. The resolution emphasizes addressing disproportionate impacts on frontline communities, advancing environmental justice, and accelerating the transition to renewable energy. It does not create new laws or declare a formal emergency but calls for leveraging current powers to scale climate action.
Maddy summarySJRES 4 is a joint resolution that removes the 1972 deadline for states to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which was originally proposed in House Joint Resolution 208. It declares that the ERA is valid as part of the U.S. Constitution if ratified by three-fourths of states (38), regardless of the expired deadline. The resolution directly affects the ERA ratification process, making it possible for states to complete ratification without time constraints. As of 2023, 38 states had already ratified the ERA, and this resolution would finalize its inclusion in the Constitution if enacted.
Maddy summaryThe Child Care for Working Families Act establishes a new federal program to provide affordable, high-quality child care for working families with children under age 6. It requires states to implement a sliding fee scale (with no copayment for families earning up to 85% of state median income) and develop a tiered quality system for child care providers, with payment rates that support staff wages comparable to elementary educators. The bill prioritizes access for underserved populations including children with disabilities, children experiencing homelessness, children in foster care, and children from low-income families, while requiring states to improve child care quality and supply through dedicated funding streams. States must submit detailed plans demonstrating how they will meet these requirements to receive federal funding, which will be provided through a combination of direct child care assistance and quality improvement activities.
Maddy summaryThis bill clarifies what counts as a "conviction" for immigration purposes under U.S. law. It excludes dismissed, expunged, or deferred cases, probation without judgment, and appeals from being treated as convictions that could lead to deportation. It also allows sentencing courts to recommend against deportation for certain immigrants with past convictions, after notifying immigration authorities. The law would directly affect immigrants facing removal based on older or resolved legal cases that no longer qualify as "convictions" under this definition.
Maddy summaryThe Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal Act (S 1376) would prohibit businesses from requiring customers, employees, or small businesses to agree to private arbitration for future employment, consumer, antitrust, or civil rights disputes. It also bans agreements that prevent people from joining class or collective lawsuits in these areas. The bill makes such forced arbitration clauses unenforceable and ensures courts - not arbitrators - decide if the law applies. This directly affects individuals and small businesses in disputes involving workplace discrimination, product issues, unfair competition, or civil rights violations, allowing them to seek justice collectively in court.
Maddy summaryThe Closing the Meal Gap Act of 2023 would change how food assistance benefits are calculated by replacing the "thrifty food plan" with a "low-cost food plan" that better reflects actual food costs for families. The bill establishes a specific family diet for calculating benefits (a 4-person household with defined age groups), requires reevaluation of the food cost calculations by 2029 and every 5 years thereafter, and adjusts benefits for Hawaii and Alaska to reflect regional food costs. It also eliminates a cap on shelter expenses and includes Puerto Rico in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), with specific transition provisions for Puerto Rico to join the program.
Maddy summaryThe Election Worker Protection Act of 2023 provides federal grants to states for recruiting and training election workers (including poll workers and election volunteers) with specific requirements for cultural competence and diversity in recruitment efforts. It also funds physical security services and social media threat monitoring for election workers to protect them from threats. The bill establishes new criminal penalties for intimidating, threatening, or harassing election workers while they perform their duties, and creates a grant program to help protect election workers' personally identifiable information from public disclosure. These provisions apply to workers involved in federal elections and require states to submit reports on how the funds are used.
Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits states from restricting or interfering with lawful reproductive health care services (including abortion, contraception, and related care) provided by health care providers like doctors, nurses, and pharmacists in states where such services are legal. It creates federal enforcement mechanisms, allowing the Attorney General, providers, or affected individuals to sue states or officials enforcing violating laws and seek court orders to stop such restrictions. The bill also blocks federal funding for states pursuing legal actions against providers offering lawful reproductive care and allocates $40 million for legal defense grants to providers and $40 million for security grants to protect facilities and patients. It explicitly prevents health insurance companies from denying coverage or suing providers solely for offering lawful reproductive services.
Maddy summaryThis bill would designate approximately 1.3 million acres of public land across Utah's Colorado Plateau and Great Basin regions as wilderness areas, protecting them from development and extractive industries. It specifically creates 77 wilderness areas across eight designated regions including the Grand Staircase-Escalante, Moab-La Sal Canyons, Henry Mountains, and San Rafael Swell areas. The bill maintains existing recreational uses like hiking, camping, and fishing while allowing continued livestock grazing under certain conditions and protecting water rights and Tribal cultural resources. It withdraws the designated lands from mining, mineral leasing, and other forms of development under federal law. The Bureau of Land Management would manage these areas according to wilderness preservation standards under the Wilderness Act.