Rep. Sam T. Liccardo

Maddy summaryThe CONNECT for Health Act of 2025 expands Medicare telehealth coverage by removing geographic restrictions that limited where patients could receive care, expanding the types of health care providers who can offer telehealth services, and eliminating the requirement for an in-person visit before receiving telemental health services. The bill includes specific provisions to support telehealth use for Native American health facilities, rural health clinics, and Federally Qualified Health Centers. It requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to collect and publish data on telehealth usage and impacts, and to develop resources to improve accessibility for people with disabilities and limited English proficiency. Program integrity measures are added to monitor telehealth billing practices and prevent fraud while maintaining coverage for telehealth services during public health emergencies.

Maddy summaryThe Women's Health Protection Act of 2025 would protect access to abortion services across the United States by prohibiting states from imposing restrictions that are more burdensome than those on comparable medical procedures. The bill directly affects people seeking abortion care and health care providers by banning restrictions such as mandatory in-person visits, requirements for specific tests, limitations on telemedicine, and rules based on a patient's reason for seeking abortion. It prohibits state laws that single out abortion for unnecessary restrictions while allowing post-viability abortions when necessary to protect a patient's life or health. The bill preempts conflicting state laws and provides enforcement mechanisms through private lawsuits and actions by the Attorney General.

Maddy summaryHR 3993, the Preserving Great Americans’ Legacies Act of 2025, prohibits the U.S. Navy from renaming specific naval vessels currently named after eight historically significant individuals. The bill directly affects Navy vessels bearing the names of Cesar Chavez, Medgar Evers, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Dolores Huerta, Thurgood Marshall, Harvey Milk, Lucy Stone, and Harriet Tubman. It permanently blocks any future name changes for these vessels, regardless of existing legal provisions allowing such changes. The law applies immediately upon enactment and ensures these vessels retain their current names.

Maddy summaryThis bill codifies existing protections for designated roadless areas within the National Forest System by prohibiting new road construction, road reconstruction, and logging in these areas. It directly affects National Forest lands already identified as "inventoried roadless areas" under the current Roadless Rule, which covers roughly 58 million acres. The key mechanism requires the Secretary of Agriculture to enforce these prohibitions, maintaining current protections without expanding restrictions to other lands or altering existing multiple-use management. The bill does not create new protected areas but legally solidifies the existing regulatory framework to preserve ecological and recreational values.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires private firearm transfers between individuals to go through a licensed dealer who must conduct a background check. It applies to most private sales but includes exceptions for transfers between family members (like parents and children), law enforcement, emergencies preventing harm, and temporary loans at shooting ranges or for hunting. Dealers must provide background check notices in both English and Spanish. The law aims to prevent prohibited individuals from obtaining firearms through private transactions while maintaining existing state authority on firearm laws.

Maddy summaryHR 3884, the Telemental Health Care Access Act of 2025, expands Medicare coverage for mental and behavioral health services provided via telehealth. It removes geographic restrictions that previously limited telehealth mental health coverage to rural areas, allowing beneficiaries nationwide to access these services through telehealth. The bill amends the Social Security Act to explicitly include "mental and behavioral health services furnished through telehealth" under Medicare coverage rules. This change directly affects Medicare beneficiaries seeking remote mental health care, making it easier to receive these services regardless of location. The policy change applies to all Medicare Part B beneficiaries using telehealth for qualifying mental or behavioral health services.

Maddy summaryHRES 473 is a non-binding House resolution calling on the U.S. government to urgently use diplomatic efforts to ensure food and medical supplies reach civilians in Gaza. It directly addresses the needs of approximately 2.2 million Palestinians facing acute hunger, including 10,000 children identified with acute malnutrition, following a border blockade that blocked aid from March to May 2025. The resolution specifically urges the White House and State Department to secure "immediate and secure delivery and disbursement" of aid and a lasting end to the conflict, citing collapsed bakeries, exhausted food rations, and a near-total health system collapse.

Maddy summaryThis bill directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to conduct a study on the financial costs of extreme heat events. The study will quantify economic impacts including health costs (emergency care, hospitalizations), property damage, insurance claims, labor productivity losses, infrastructure disruptions, energy expenses, and agricultural losses. NOAA must coordinate with multiple federal agencies (like Health, Agriculture, and Energy Departments) and publish findings on HEAT.gov within 4 years. The bill does not create new regulations or directly affect citizens; it solely authorizes a data-gathering study to inform future policy.

Maddy summaryThis bill repeals key provisions of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), which previously shielded gun manufacturers and dealers from civil lawsuits. It allows gun trace data from the federal Firearms Trace System to be used as evidence in civil court cases involving gun violence. Victims of gun violence (or their families) who sue gun manufacturers, dealers, or distributors in state or federal court can now access and rely on this trace information. The bill directly changes the legal landscape by removing a major barrier to holding gun industry entities accountable in civil cases. It does not alter criminal proceedings or affect gun ownership rights.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a federal interagency committee within NOAA to coordinate heat-health response across 15+ departments (including HHS, EPA, and FEMA) and requires a 5-year strategic plan to improve data sharing, research, and public communication about extreme heat. It creates the National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) to centralize heat-related data and forecasts, making it openly available for public use. The law mandates $5 million annually for 2025-2029 to fund these efforts, directly affecting federal agencies, state/local governments, Tribal nations, and communities facing heat risks. Key provisions include standardizing heat definitions, requiring agency coordination, and building public health preparedness tools to reduce heat-related illness and death.