Rep. John Garamendi

Maddy summaryThis bill increases the minimum insurance coverage required for commercial trucking companies from $750,000 to $5,000,000 per incident. It also establishes a five-year automatic adjustment mechanism to update these insurance requirements based on medical cost inflation. The changes directly affect motor carriers transporting property and aim to ensure carriers maintain adequate financial responsibility to cover potential crash damages. The new requirements will take effect one year after the bill is enacted.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates federal law to prohibit excluding military members from assignments or career fields based on their gender, affecting all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces. It requires the Secretary of Defense to submit annual reports detailing changes to occupational standards and data on involuntary reclassifications or separations, broken down by military job and gender. The legislation also modernizes how the military evaluates job requirements, mandating that standards be based on scientifically rigorous assessments of technical, tactical, cognitive, and physical abilities rather than gender. Additionally, it directs the Secretary of Defense to submit a full review of ground combat unit effectiveness to Congress and requires an independent audit of that review within 180 days.

Maddy summaryThe Maternal Vaccination Act amends the Public Health Service Act to expand a federal campaign focused on increasing vaccination rates among pregnant and postpartum individuals and their children. This legislation directly affects public health programs by updating language to explicitly include these populations and directing funding toward outreach efforts that address disparities among racial and ethnic minority groups. Key provisions modify existing sections of the Public Health Service Act to broaden the campaign's scope and increase the authorized funding amount from $15 million to $17 million per fiscal year for the period 2027 through 2031. The bill aims to improve vaccination equity by ensuring federal resources specifically target maternal and pediatric immunization efforts.

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 Kira Johnson Act establishes a federal grant program to support community-based organizations in improving maternal health outcomes for populations facing higher rates of maternal mortality and health disparities. It allocates $100 million annually from 2027 to 2031 for grants that fund programs addressing social determinants of health, culturally congruent care, and support for midwifery practices. The bill also creates a separate $5 million annual funding stream for training all maternity care employees on bias reduction, trauma-informed care, and respectful service delivery. Additionally, the legislation requires hospitals and health systems to establish compliance programs that allow patients to report bias and mandates regular public reporting on these efforts. A study by the National Academies and ongoing evaluation by the GAO will assess the effectiveness of these initiatives in improving patient experiences and health outcomes for pregnant and postpartum individuals from racial and ethnic minority groups.

Maddy summaryThe Data to Save Moms Act aims to improve maternal health outcomes by increasing funding and support for maternal mortality review committees across the United States. The bill provides $10 million annually from 2027 to 2031 to help these committees recruit more diverse community members, including people with personal experiences of maternal mortality or severe health complications, and to address barriers like transportation and compensation that prevent participation. It also requires committees to conduct outreach to racial and ethnic minority communities and publicly report on their review processes and diversity efforts. Additionally, the legislation directs the Health and Human Services Secretary to study maternal health data collection methods, conduct a specific study on American Indian and Alaska Native maternal health outcomes, and award grants to minority-serving institutions for research on maternal mortality disparities.

Maddy summaryThe Perinatal Workforce Act directs the Department of Health and Human Services to issue guidance encouraging hospitals, insurers, and maternity care providers to recruit and retain diverse healthcare professionals, including midwives, physician assistants, and perinatal health workers, while incorporating implicit bias and racism training into their practices. The bill authorizes $15 million annually from 2027 to 2031 for grants that establish or expand accredited education programs for perinatal health professionals, prioritizing schools that recruit students from racial and ethnic minority groups and those planning to practice in areas with maternal health disparities. Additionally, the legislation creates a separate grant program for nursing schools to provide scholarships to students pursuing careers in maternal and perinatal health, with similar diversity and training requirements. The act also requires the Secretary of HHS to conduct a study on respectful maternity care practices and mandates periodic reports from the Government Accountability Office on barriers to maternal health education and access to care.

Extending WIC for New Moms Act This bill amends the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) to extend the eligibility periods for breastfeeding and postpartum women. Specifically, a state program may elect to certify a breastfeeding woman for up to 24 months (currently 1 year) postpartum. The bill also expands the eligibility period for postpartum women to up to 24 months after termination of pregnancy (currently 6 months). The Department of Agriculture must submit a report to Congress evaluating the effect of these changes to the program on (1) maternal and infant health outcomes, (2) breastfeeding rates, and (3) qualitative evaluations of family experiences under WIC.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a federal task force to address maternal health disparities by coordinating efforts across multiple government agencies and community stakeholders to reduce preventable maternal deaths and serious health complications. The task force will include representatives from various departments such as Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, and Transportation, along with community leaders, patients, and healthcare providers focused on maternal health. Additionally, the bill authorizes $100 million over five years to provide grants to community organizations for addressing social determinants of maternal health including housing, transportation, nutrition, employment, and environmental conditions. These grants prioritize areas with high rates of maternal mortality and poverty, and recipients must submit annual reports on their activities and outcomes. The legislation defines key terms such as maternal mortality and social determinants of maternal health to guide implementation and reporting requirements.

Maddy summaryThe Energy Bills Relief Act aims to lower household energy costs and accelerate the development of low-cost, clean energy by modifying federal tax credits, expanding weatherization programs, and streamlining permitting processes. Key provisions include restoring tax incentives for renewable energy projects, increasing funding for low-income heating assistance, and requiring federal agencies to treat wind, solar, and storage projects with the same procedural fairness as oil and gas projects. The bill also establishes new incentives for upgrading the electricity grid, such as tax credits for transmission lines and grants for wildfire prevention measures, while creating mechanisms to ensure utilities serve public interests and protect consumers from price volatility.