Rep. Lucy McBath

Maddy summaryHR 6857 requires all colleges and universities receiving federal funds to prominently display a link to the Department of Education’s civil rights complaint portal on their website homepage and to post annual Title VI awareness materials in high-traffic campus locations (like student centers) and on campus websites. The bill mandates these institutions to annually report discrimination complaints (based on race, color, or national origin) to the Department of Education’s Inspector General. It also requires the Department to provide monthly congressional briefings on complaint volumes and resolution timelines, while the Inspector General must audit institutions with the highest complaint rates and study why some complaints go to schools versus the federal office. This directly affects every federally funded higher education institution in the U.S. by changing how they handle and report civil rights complaints.

Maddy summaryAlyssa's Act of 2025 expands the Federal Clearinghouse on School Safety Evidence-based Practices to collect and analyze school safety data, including information on school shootings and emergency response effectiveness. The bill creates a National School Safety Data Center to track incidents, injuries, and response methods, while requiring emergency response maps for schools to meet specific digital standards for accessibility and real-time updates. It also establishes a program to develop and test panic alarm technology for schools, and mandates annual reports on school safety master plans developed by states and local educational agencies. The legislation requires coordination with the U.S. Secret Service's National Threat Assessment Center to align school safety practices with evidence-based approaches.

Maddy summaryHR 6789, the Federal Prisons Naloxone Access Act of 2025, requires federal prisons to maintain naloxone kits in all correctional facilities, including medical units, staff areas, and common spaces where incarcerated people gather. The bill mandates annual training for staff and incarcerated individuals on opioid overdose recognition and kit use, ensures proper storage and expiration checks, and requires detailed documentation of each kit administration. It also prohibits holding incarcerated people liable for good-faith naloxone use during an overdose and requires annual reports to Congress on kit availability, overdose incidents, training, and expired kits. The law authorizes $6 million for 2026 and $2 million annually through 2028 for implementation, including kit purchases and training.

Maddy summaryThe Shadow Docket Sunlight Act of 2025 requires the U.S. Supreme Court to publish written explanations and disclose individual justice votes when issuing orders related to preliminary injunctions or stays of such injunctions. It mandates that these explanations evaluate specific legal criteria, such as the likelihood of success on the merits and public interest, for both granting/denying injunctions and granting/denying stays. The law applies to cases within the Court’s appellate jurisdiction (excluding purely administrative orders) and directs the Federal Judicial Center to report annually on compliance. This bill directly affects the Supreme Court’s decision-making process for emergency relief cases, aiming to increase transparency without altering legal standards or jurisdiction.

Maddy summaryThe Protect America's Workforce Act cancels an executive order issued on March 27, 2025, that excluded certain groups from federal labor-management relations programs, making it legally unenforceable. It also ensures that all collective bargaining agreements between federal agencies and labor unions, which were active as of March 26, 2025, remain fully effective until their agreed terms expire. This directly affects federal agencies, labor unions, and the employees covered by these agreements. The bill prevents federal funds from being used to implement the canceled executive order while preserving existing labor agreements.

Maddy summaryThe Keeping All Students Safe Act prohibits the use of unlawful seclusion and restraint in schools receiving federal funding, including physical restraint that restricts breathing or blood flow, chemical restraint not prescribed for medical treatment, and mechanical restraint. The bill requires schools to use less restrictive interventions first, mandates that staff using physical restraint be trained and certified through State-approved programs, and requires immediate parent notification after any restraint incident. States must develop plans to monitor compliance, collect and report data on restraint incidents (disaggregated by race, disability status, and school type), and implement positive behavioral interventions. The bill provides $40 million annually for five years to support states in implementing these requirements and improving school climate through evidence-based approaches.

Maddy summaryThis concurrent resolution (HCONRES 65) is a symbolic congressional commendment of state and local governments that have affirmed reproductive rights as human rights. It recognizes efforts by jurisdictions like Carrboro, North Carolina; Austin, Texas; and Fulton County, Georgia, which passed resolutions or proclamations declaring abortion access a human right and condemning criminalization of pregnancy outcomes. The resolution urges states to repeal restrictive abortion laws and protect access to reproductive care, but it does not create new legal requirements or fund programs. As a procedural resolution, it has no binding effect on federal or state law.

Maddy summaryHR 6559, the Thiokol Memorial Gold Medal Act, authorizes the posthumous award of a Congressional Gold Medal to 30 workers who died in a 1971 industrial explosion at the Thiokol plant in Woodbine, Georgia. The bill specifically recognizes these employees - many African American women - who were manufacturing military supplies during the Vietnam War. The medal, designed by the Treasury Secretary, will be displayed at the Thiokol Memorial Museum, with bronze duplicates sold to offset costs. This is a commemorative measure, not a policy change, building on prior Georgia state honors for the workers' sacrifice.

Maddy summaryHR 6579, the Justice for Breonna Taylor Act, requires federal, state, and local law enforcement officers to provide notice of their authority and purpose before entering a premises with a warrant. This applies to all officers serving warrants, including those at the federal level and state/local agencies receiving Department of Justice funding. The law mandates this notice requirement starting in the first fiscal year after enactment, directly affecting law enforcement agencies that receive federal funding for policing. It changes the process for executing warrants by eliminating the ability to conduct no-knock entries without first informing occupants.

Maddy summaryThe Expanding Cybersecurity Workforce Act of 2025 establishes a new program under CISA to promote cybersecurity careers to underrepresented groups, including racial and ethnic minorities, veterans, formerly incarcerated individuals, people with disabilities, older adults (40+), and those from low-income or nontraditional educational backgrounds (like community colleges or HBCUs). The program requires CISA to tailor outreach to regional needs, partner with schools, unions, and community organizations, and report annually on workforce impact. It authorizes $20 million annually for fiscal years 2026-2031 to support these efforts, aiming to diversify the cybersecurity workforce through targeted recruitment and training.