Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán

Maddy summaryHR 4889, the Raise the Wage Act of 2023, would gradually increase the federal minimum wage for most workers to $15.50 per hour by 2027, with specific annual targets: $9.50 starting in 2023, rising to $11.00 after one year, $12.50 after two years, and $15.50 after four years. It would also phase out the separate lower minimum wage for tipped employees (starting at $6.00/hour) by aligning their pay with the regular minimum wage by 2028, while requiring employers to let workers keep all tips. The bill includes similar phased increases for workers under 20 and transitions toward fairer wages for workers with disabilities under special certificates, which would sunset after 2028. Future annual increases after 2028 would tie the minimum wage to the median hourly wage of all workers.

Maddy summaryHR 4157, the "Not Just a Number Act," requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to produce annual reports on veteran suicide rates and their connection to VA healthcare and benefits. The reports must break down suicide rates by age, gender, and race, and examine how engagement with VA services (like Vet Centers, healthcare enrollment, benefits claims, and housing loans) correlates with suicide trends. The bill also mandates a VA toolkit for state/local coroners to improve veteran suicide death reporting, and a study on creating a dedicated VA suicide prevention office. These measures aim to standardize data collection and identify effective prevention strategies, directly affecting VA operations, congressional oversight, and veteran care systems.

Maddy summaryThe CHIPP Act (HR 4771) permanently extends federal funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which provides health coverage to low-income children in families that earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but cannot afford private insurance. It removes previous expiration dates (like 2029) from CHIP funding provisions, ensuring continuous support for states administering the program. The bill also permanently extends related programs, including pediatric quality measures funding with automatic inflation adjustments, and modifies eligibility rules to allow states to expand coverage for children in higher-income households. This affects all 50 states that run CHIP programs and the millions of children and families who rely on this coverage.

Maddy summaryHR 4785, the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act of 2023, requires oil and gas companies conducting hydraulic fracturing operations to disclose detailed chemical information to state agencies or the EPA. Specifically, companies must provide a pre-operation list of chemicals (including CAS numbers and volumes) and a post-operation report of chemicals actually used, which states must then make publicly available online. The bill also mandates immediate disclosure of proprietary chemical formulas to medical personnel during emergencies, without requiring prior written consent. It explicitly excludes natural gas storage from the definition of hydraulic fracturing. This bill directly affects oil and gas operators and state environmental agencies managing disclosure requirements.

Maddy summaryThis bill, the CLOSE Act (HR 4782), removes a loophole that allowed oil and gas facilities to aggregate emissions from multiple sources when calculating pollution levels under federal law. It requires the EPA to add hydrogen sulfide - a pollutant linked to health harm - directly to the list of hazardous air pollutants within 180 days of the bill becoming law. The EPA must then, within a year, define specific categories of oil and gas wells and other sources that emit hydrogen sulfide. This change directly affects oil and gas operators by subjecting hydrogen sulfide emissions from their facilities to stricter federal pollution controls.

Maddy summaryThe FRESHER Act of 2023 requires the Secretary of the Interior to study stormwater runoff impacts from oil and gas operations on environmental contamination and groundwater resources. The study must analyze measurable contamination levels, groundwater conditions, and aquifer vulnerability to contamination in affected areas. The Secretary must complete the study and submit a report to Congress within one year of the bill’s enactment. This bill does not impose new regulations on the oil and gas industry but mandates a federal review to inform future environmental policy decisions.

Maddy summaryThe CLEANER Act of 2023 requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to evaluate within one year of enactment whether waste from oil, gas, and geothermal energy production - such as drilling fluids and produced waters - is hazardous. If determined hazardous, these wastes must be listed and regulated under existing hazardous waste rules, with potential modifications to address their unique properties while ensuring health and environmental protection. For non-hazardous waste from these sources, the EPA must establish new facility requirements, including groundwater monitoring, location standards, and financial assurance for cleanup. This bill directly affects oil, gas, and geothermal energy producers and facilities handling such waste.

Maddy summaryHR 4811 requires oil, gas, and geothermal companies conducting hydraulic fracturing (fracking) operations to test nearby underground drinking water sources before, during, and after activities. It mandates testing at specific intervals (e.g., before starting operations, every 6 months during operations, and annually for five years post-operation) and submitting results to the EPA within two weeks. Companies must test using EPA-certified labs for contaminants linked to fracking, with results stored in a public, searchable EPA database by ZIP code. The requirement does not apply if no accessible drinking water source exists within one mile of the site. The bill amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to establish these testing and reporting obligations.

Maddy summaryHR 4796, the Reproductive Health Patient Navigator Act of 2023, establishes a federal grant program to fund organizations that help individuals access abortion services. Eligible entities - such as abortion funds, community groups, or local governments - would receive grants to provide services like connecting people to providers, coordinating travel/financing costs, offering culturally appropriate information, and ensuring data confidentiality. The bill includes strong legal protections, prohibiting states from restricting or penalizing navigators for assisting people seeking abortion services, even in states where abortion is illegal. It also allows affected navigators to sue states that violate these protections. The program is funded for fiscal years 2023 through 2027.

Protecting Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act of 2023 or the Protecting PAHPA Act of 2023 This bill extends through FY2028 and modifies various programs and activities that support public health preparedness and response. The bill also addresses matters concerning shortages of drugs and medical devices and recalls of drugs. For example, the bill modifies activities of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority; grants to support preparedness and response activities of health departments, hospitals, and public health laboratories; programs to facilitate the response of volunteer health providers and other professionals during disasters and emergencies; efforts related to the management and operation of the Strategic National Stockpile; federal partnerships and initiatives for collaborating and coordinating during public health and other emergencies and with the development of medical countermeasures and diagnostic testing capacity; and requirements for collecting and reporting public health and health care data and information. Additionally, the bill makes various changes to address and mitigate shortages of drugs and devices, including by (1) setting out a process to safely extend the expiration date of certain medical countermeasures and other life-saving drugs, and (2) expanding requirements for drug manufacturers to notify the Food and Drug Administration concerning potential shortages. Further, the bill expands the authority of the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to order the recall of controlled substances to cover all drugs.