Rep. Ami Bera

Maddy summaryHR 6428 requires the Secretary of State to submit regular reports on U.S. and Chinese educational exchange programs. Specifically, it mandates that within 180 days of enactment and every five years thereafter, the State Department must report on participation in U.S. programs like Fulbright, the Mandela Washington Fellowship, and the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange, including detailed metrics such as participant demographics, changes in perceptions of the U.S., and program funding. The report must also track Chinese exchange program participation by country and analyze how both nations' programs affect U.S. strategic interests. This bill directly affects the State Department (which must compile and submit the reports) and Congress (which receives the reports for oversight). The requirement applies to specific U.S. exchange programs funded by the Department of State, focusing on measurable outcomes rather than altering program operations.

Love Lives On Act of 2025 This bill extends entitlement for various benefit programs and services for surviving spouses of deceased members of the Armed Forces or veterans. The bill provides that the remarriage of a surviving spouse must not bar the furnishing of dependency and indemnity compensation or special pension benefits to such spouse. Additionally, the Department of Defense may not terminate the payment of an annuity for a surviving spouse under the Survivor Benefit Plan solely because the surviving spouse remarries. The bill also expands the definition of a dependent under TRICARE to include a remarried widow or widower whose subsequent marriage has ended due to death, divorce, or annulment.

Maddy summaryThe PREDICT Act prohibits federal government officials, including Members of Congress, their spouses and dependents, high-ranking executive branch employees, and political appointees from trading on prediction markets tied to political events. This restriction applies to any agreement or transaction where payment depends on whether a specific political event occurs, does not occur, or happens to a certain degree. If a covered individual violates this rule, they must pay a 10% fee and forfeit any profits from the transaction, with penalties paid from personal funds rather than government salaries or allowances. The Office of Government Ethics will issue guidance on undefined terms and publish details of any fines on a public website.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes the SECURE Health Act to strengthen the global health workforce by creating a coordinated federal strategy to train, support, and protect frontline health workers worldwide. It requires the President to develop a five-year Global Health Workforce Strategy, appoint a dedicated coordinator within the State Department, and form an interagency task force to align health investments across federal agencies. The legislation mandates detailed annual reporting on funding for health worker salaries, training, and protection measures, while also calling for an independent global report every two years to track progress. Additionally, the bill emphasizes integrated funding approaches that support multiple health needs rather than single-disease programs and requires host countries to contribute to salary support plans to ensure long-term sustainability.

Maddy summaryThis bill, known as the Breakfast After the Bell Act of 2026, provides additional funding to schools that serve breakfast to students after the school day begins. It directly affects local educational agencies and schools that participate in breakfast programs using specific service models, such as serving meals in classrooms or at kiosks outside cafeterias. Under the bill, schools would receive an extra 10 cents for each breakfast served that meets the program requirements, with funds flowing from the state educational agency to the individual school. Eligibility is limited to schools either receiving special assistance payments or having at least 40 percent of enrolled students identified as eligible for free or reduced-price meals in the prior school year. The legislation amends the existing Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to establish this new reimbursement category.

Save Our Sequoias Act This bill provides for the conservation of giant sequoia trees ( Sequoiadendron giganteum ) in California. Specifically, it provides statutory authority for the Giant Sequoia Lands Coalition and outlines the coalition's duties. The coalition must submit a Giant Sequoia Health and Resiliency Assessment and annually update it. The information from the assessment must be made available so the information can be integrated into certain other plans. The coalition must also create and maintain a website that contains the assessment, educational materials, searchable information about individual giant sequoia groves, and a searchable database to track the status and costs of reforestation and rehabilitation activities. In addition, the bill declares an emergency on certain public lands and allows officials to carry out protection plans during the emergency to respond to the threat of wildfires, insects, and drought. The emergency expires after seven years. The Department of the Interior must develop and implement a Giant Sequoia Reforestation and Rehabilitation Strategy. Finally, the bill establishes a variety of programs and funds to support the conservation of giant sequoias.

Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025 This bill imposes sanctions on certain foreign persons (individuals and entities) that are involved in Iran's petroleum sector as well as certain associated persons. The bill also requires or authorizes actions to facilitate the enforcement of sanctions on Iran. Specifically, the bill requires the President to impose visa- and property-blocking sanctions on any foreign person that, after the bill's enactment, knowingly engages in any transaction related to the processing, export, or sale of oil, condensates, gas, liquefied natural gas, or other petrochemical products in whole or in part from Iran. The President must also impose sanctions on certain foreign persons associated with a sanctioned individual or entity. For example, the President must sanction the subsidiaries and corporate officers of a sanctioned business. The bill provides certain exceptions to these sanctions, including specifying that sanctions do not apply to the importation of goods or to conducting or facilitating transactions for humanitarian assistance. The Department of State must establish an interagency working group that shall seek to establish a multilateral contact group to coordinate international efforts to enforce sanctions on Iran. The bill expands the State Department rewards program to authorize a reward payment to any individual who furnishes information leading to the identification of a person (1) subject to sanctions under this bill, or (2) that has attempted or is attempting to evade sanctions under this bill.

Maddy summaryThis bill grants the Secretary of Homeland Security the authority to move unspent money between different accounts within the department during a government funding shutdown. The provision specifically allows transfers of funds from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to other DHS accounts, but prohibits moving money to the Office of the Secretary, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or Customs and Border Protection. Additionally, the bill prevents the use of transferred funds to hire new employees during a lapse in appropriations. This measure aims to provide flexibility in managing existing resources while maintaining restrictions on certain departments and hiring activities.

This concurrent resolution directs the President to terminate the use of U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities against Iran or any part of the Iranian government or military unless a declaration of war or authorization to use military force for such purpose has been enacted. The resolution specifies that it shall not be construed to prevent the United States from defending itself from imminent attack.

Maddy summaryHRES 1107 is a House resolution urging the President to issue a proclamation flying the U.S. flag at half-staff to honor Rev. Jesse Jackson. The resolution recognizes his civil rights leadership, including founding the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and his presidential campaigns in 1984 and 1988, which advanced racial equality and economic justice. This symbolic gesture directly affects the President (as the one who would issue the proclamation) and the public, who would observe the flag at half-staff.