Rep. Katie Porter

Maddy summaryHR 2757, the Puerto Rico Status Act, establishes a process for Puerto Rico to determine its political status through a plebiscite on November 2, 2025, offering three options: independence, sovereignty in free association with the United States, or statehood. If no option receives a majority in the initial vote, a runoff plebiscite would be held on March 8, 2026. The bill outlines transition processes for each option, including constitutional conventions, implementation steps, and provisions for citizenship, immigration, and economic benefits. It mandates bilingual voter education materials and requires oversight by the Elections Commission and the Attorney General to ensure fair representation of all options. This legislation directly affects Puerto Rico's residents by providing a structured process to choose their permanent political relationship with the United States.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands eligibility under federal health benefits programs to include employees of Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), alongside existing Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and urban Indian organizations. It amends the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to explicitly allow TCUs (defined under the Higher Education Act) to participate in the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program, enabling their employees to purchase coverage. Additionally, it creates a new "Tribal Insurance Administrative Account" under Title 5 to collect a capped administrative fee (max 3% of average premiums) from tribal employers using the FEHB Program, funding the program's administration. The changes directly affect tribal entities and TCUs seeking to provide federal health benefits to their employees.

Maddy summaryHCONRES 37 is a non-binding congressional resolution expressing that Congress views climate change as an emergency requiring a massive national mobilization. It states that human-caused climate change severely impacts U.S. economic well-being, health, safety, and national security, and urges the President to use existing authorities to accelerate climate action. The resolution does not create new laws or funding but emphasizes the need for urgent, equitable efforts to reduce emissions, address environmental injustice, and support vulnerable communities disproportionately affected by climate impacts. It cites rising global temperatures, extreme weather costs ($165 billion in U.S. disasters in 2022), and the Inflation Reduction Act as context, while clarifying it does not declare an actual national emergency.

This resolution recognizes and offers condolences to all who lost their lives, suffered injuries, and suffered losses during the 1992 Los Angeles riots. It also recognizes the continued need for police oversight, accountability, and reform since the beating of Rodney King.

Maddy summaryHRES 362 is a symbolic House resolution recognizing elementary and secondary school teachers' contributions to U.S. civic, cultural, and economic well-being. It specifically thanks teachers and encourages students, parents, school leaders, and officials to acknowledge National Teacher Appreciation Week (May 8-12, 2023). The resolution has no binding effect or policy changes - it solely promotes public appreciation for the teaching profession through a formal expression of gratitude. It directly affects teachers by affirming their societal value but does not alter laws, funding, or educational standards.

Maddy summaryHRES 351 is a symbolic resolution designating May as "National Menstrual Health Awareness Month" to address stigma around menstruation. It recognizes that stigma and lack of access to products/facilities impact women, girls, and people who menstruate in education, work, and health. The resolution supports normalizing menstruation, improving menstrual health education, and promoting access to products and private sanitation facilities. As a non-binding resolution, it does not create new laws but aims to raise awareness and advance gender equity through public acknowledgment.

Maddy summaryHR 3113, the Expanding Access to School Meals Act of 2023, would eliminate reduced-price breakfast and lunch programs in schools, requiring all meals to be either free or full price. It would expand eligibility for free school meals by raising the income threshold from 130% to 200% of the federal poverty level and creating direct certification for children receiving Medicaid benefits. The bill also allows schools to seek retroactive reimbursement for meals served to eligible students and increases the community eligibility program multiplier to 2.5. These changes would affect school meal programs nationwide, particularly benefiting low-income children who qualify for free meals under the revised standards.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows states to implement a statewide program under the National School Lunch Act, enabling all schools in the state to receive federal reimbursement for free meals without needing to individually verify student poverty levels. It removes the previous requirement that schools must meet a minimum percentage of low-income students (setting the threshold to zero) and simplifies eligibility by calculating student need across the entire state instead of per school district. Schools in participating states would no longer need to conduct individual student eligibility screenings for free meal programs, streamlining access. The policy directly affects public school districts and students in states that adopt this statewide approach, ensuring all enrolled students receive free meals without administrative barriers.

Maddy summaryThis bill removes a restriction that previously barred people in jail or prison while awaiting trial from receiving Medicaid health benefits. It directly affects individuals in custody pending legal proceedings by allowing states to provide Medicaid coverage for their medical care during this time. The bill also allocates $50 million in planning grants to help states develop systems to enroll these individuals, recruit healthcare providers who can serve them, and establish electronic billing for services provided in correctional facilities or through outpatient care. Key provisions require states to assess healthcare needs, eliminate policy barriers, and create plans to increase provider participation in Medicaid for this population.

Maddy summaryThe SAFE Banking Act of 2023 would protect banks and financial institutions that provide services to state-legal marijuana businesses and hemp-related businesses by preventing federal regulators from taking adverse actions against them solely for serving these businesses. It clarifies that income from state-legal marijuana businesses can be considered for mortgage applications, and requires regulators to update guidance on suspicious activity reports related to these businesses. The bill does not require financial institutions to serve these businesses, but ensures they won't face penalties for doing so. It extends similar protections to hemp-related businesses, which have faced banking challenges despite being federally legal under the 2018 Farm Bill.