Rep. Judy Chu

Maddy summaryThe People Over Long Lines Act (POLL Act) requires states to develop public plans ensuring voting wait times don't exceed 30 minutes at polling places for federal elections, particularly addressing documented disparities where voters in communities of color wait significantly longer than others. It establishes standards for minimum voting systems, poll workers, and resources based on factors like population demographics, voter turnout, and needs of disabled or limited English proficiency voters. The bill provides $500 million annually in federal funding to help states implement these changes, creates a private right of action allowing voters to sue states for violations with penalties including $50 per hour of wait time, and mandates remedial plans for states with excessive wait times. The law applies to federal elections starting in 2025, with states required to comply by January 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHR 5293, the Youth Voting Rights Act, would improve voting access for young people aged 18-29 through several concrete changes. The bill requires public colleges and universities to serve as voter registration agencies, establishes pre-registration for 16-year-olds, mandates on-campus polling locations for all institutions of higher education, and prohibits age-based restrictions on voting by mail. It also requires states to accept student ID cards as valid voter identification and provides grants to states for youth voter engagement programs. The bill would collect data on voting trends by age to help identify barriers to youth participation. These changes aim to address systemic barriers that have led to lower youth voter turnout and higher ballot rejection rates among young voters.

Maddy summaryThe Sustaining Our Democracy Act creates a federal program to provide states with annual funding to improve election administration and increase voting access. It allocates $2 billion each year from 2024-2033 through the State Election Assistance and Innovation Trust Fund to support activities like upgrading voting equipment, training election workers, and expanding voting access for underserved communities, people with disabilities, and voters on Indian lands. States must submit detailed plans for using funds, which cannot be used for activities that restrict voting access or target election officials. The Act establishes an Office of Democracy Advancement and Innovation to administer the program, monitor fund usage, and oversee compliance with its requirements.

Maddy summaryThe Unhoused Voter Opportunity Through Elections Act (HR 5294) protects voting rights for people experiencing homelessness by prohibiting states from denying voting access based on living in a "nontraditional abode" like shelters, public spaces, or locations where someone is considered homeless under federal law. Key provisions require election officials to make ballot drop boxes accessible to unhoused individuals, accept written attestations of residence instead of traditional proof, allow homeless shelters to be used as voting addresses, and mandate outreach to shelters about registration deadlines and election dates. The bill also creates a grant program to fund mobile voting centers and direct outreach services specifically for unhoused individuals. These changes would directly affect homeless individuals and election officials across all states, implementing concrete policy changes to improve voting access for a population often excluded from the electoral process.

Maddy summaryHR 5295, the Expanding the VOTE Act, modifies Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act to expand language access for voters. It requires states and localities to provide voting materials (including ballots and instructions) in the language of covered language minority groups, with new provisions for American Indian and Alaska Native languages requiring tribal government consultation for unwritten languages. The bill creates $15 million in grants to help jurisdictions provide voting materials in languages that don’t currently trigger Section 203 coverage, while mandating continued provision for those groups in future elections. It also directs a study to evaluate lowering population thresholds for language protections and expanding the definition of covered languages.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits landlords from charging renters application fees, tenant screening fees (including credit checks), and most late fees. It also bans the use of credit scores for tenant screening and requires landlords to disclose total monthly costs, past tenant litigation, ongoing maintenance issues, and 10 years of rent increases before a lease is signed. The law applies specifically to rental properties with federal housing assistance or federally backed mortgages (like FHA or VA loans). Key regulators - HUD, VA, USDA, or FHFA - will enforce these rules for covered properties.

Southeast Asian Deportation Relief Act of 2023 This bill prohibits the detention or removal of certain nationals of Vietnam, Cambodia, or Laos. Specifically, this protection from detention or removal shall apply to nationals of these countries who (1) entered the United States on or before January 1, 2008, (2) have continuously resided in the United States since entry, and (3) are subject to a final order of removal.  Such individuals shall also receive employment authorization.  The bill also directs the Department of Justice to grant motions to reconsider or reopen the case of any non-U.S. national who was ordered removed, deported, or excluded from the United States between April 24, 1996, and this bill's enactment and who otherwise satisfies the requirements for protection from detention or removal under this bill. For these individuals, the bill also waives certain requirements that typically apply to motions to reconsider or reopen, such as deadlines for filing such a motion.  Further, the Department of Homeland Security must provide individuals covered by the bill with notice of the bill's provisions. The notice must include instructions for filing a motion to reconsider and reopen removal proceedings.

This resolution calls on the Senate to remove the name of Richard B. Russell from the Russell Senate Office Building and revert to the building's original name—the Old Senate Office Building.

Maddy summaryHR 4277, the Saving America’s Pollinators Act of 2023, would immediately cancel all registrations for neonicotinoid pesticides (including imidacloprid and clothianidin) and ban their sale, use, and future registration. This directly affects farmers and crop producers who currently use these pesticides on over 150 million acres of crops like corn and soybeans, where seed coatings are widely applied. The bill also ends exemptions for seed-treated pesticides and requires the Environmental Protection Agency to revoke tolerances for pesticide residues in food within six months. Additionally, it mandates the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s newly established Center for Pollinator Conservation to monitor native bee populations and coordinate federal actions to reverse pollinator declines.

This resolution condemns racism and invidious discrimination as evil and antithetical to the U.S. Constitution and declares unconditional war on racism and invidious discrimination in America. (Invidious discrimination generally refers to discrimination based on a classification that is arbitrary or irrational and not related to a legitimate purpose.) The resolution also expresses the intention of the House of Representatives to pass legislation establishing a Cabinet-level Department of Reconciliation. The department shall be charged with developing and coordinating the implementation of a comprehensive national strategy to eliminate racism and invidious discrimination.