Rep. Scott H. Peters

Maddy summaryHRES 1109 is a symbolic resolution commemorating the 1913 Woman Suffrage Procession in Washington, DC, where suffragists led by Alice Paul and Inez Milholland marched to demand voting rights for women. It honors the participants' courage during a protest that drew 500,000 spectators despite violent opposition, highlighting how this event advanced the national push for the 19th Amendment. The resolution does not create new laws but reaffirms support for voting rights equality, connecting the 1913 march to ongoing efforts to protect democratic access. It specifically acknowledges the intersectional struggles of women of color in the suffrage movement. As a commemorative resolution, it has no binding policy effect.

Maddy summaryThe SPEED and Reliability Act of 2024 creates a new process for designating major electricity transmission projects as "national interest high-impact transmission facilities." To qualify, projects must transmit at 345+ kilovolts, add or increase capacity by 750+ megawatts, and cross multiple states or the outer continental shelf. The bill streamlines permitting by directing the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to issue construction permits within 90 days for qualifying projects, while exempting them from standard National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews. This directly affects transmission project sponsors (like utilities), project states, and local authorities by accelerating approvals for large-scale infrastructure needed to address grid congestion and reliability.

Maddy summaryThis is a commemorative resolution (HRES 1100) passed by the U.S. House of Representatives to mark Duke University's 100th anniversary. It formally celebrates Duke's founding in 1924, recognizes its historical milestones (including medical advancements, desegregation, and athletic achievements), and encourages North Carolina residents to participate in anniversary events. The resolution directs the House Clerk to provide five copies to Duke University President Vincent E. Price. As a symbolic gesture with no policy impact, it directly affects Duke University and its community through recognition, not legislative action.

Maddy summaryHR 7770, the Rosie the Riveter Commemorative Coin Act, authorizes the U.S. Mint to produce and sell three commemorative coins honoring women who worked on the U.S. home front during World War II. It specifies $5 gold coins (max 50,000), $1 silver coins (max 400,000), and half-dollar coins (max 750,000), all to be issued between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2025. Each coin sale includes a surcharge ($35 for gold, $10 for silver, $5 for half-dollar), with all surcharge funds directed to the Rosie the Riveter Trust for maintaining the Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park and educational programs. The coins will feature designs reflecting the legacy of diverse women workers and must meet specific weight, diameter, and composition standards.

Maddy summaryHR 6727 establishes the United States Foundation for International Conservation, a nonprofit organization that will provide grants to support long-term management of protected and conserved areas in eligible countries. The Foundation requires a 2:1 cost match from other sources, demands host country and community consent through binding agreements, and prioritizes areas with high biodiversity or species of significant importance. It will be governed by a Board of Directors including government officials and private sector experts, operate for 10 years with $1 million authorized for 2024 and $100 million annually from 2025-2035, and must follow international conservation standards while prohibiting funding for countries supporting terrorism or violating human rights.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a federal grant program to fund projects restoring native kelp forests, directly affecting eligible entities like fishing industry members, tribes, universities, nonprofits, and state/local governments. It requires projects to address the greatest kelp declines, focus on ecosystem resilience (including natural predator-prey relationships), integrate Indigenous knowledge, and avoid commercial harvesting. The program allocates $5 million annually (2024-2028), with at least $750,000 reserved for tribal projects, and mandates that federal funds cover up to 85% of project costs (with possible waivers). Grants prioritize areas identified in tribal or government restoration plans and require monitoring plans to measure project effectiveness.

Maddy summaryHR 5247, the Expedited Hiring for VA Trained Psychiatrists Act of 2023, allows the Veterans Health Administration (VA) to hire psychiatrists who complete VA-residency programs without following standard civil service hiring rules. The bill permits immediate appointment after residency completion (or before, if the process begins early) for positions that have remained unfilled for at least 35 days. This directly affects VA psychiatrists completing specific residency programs and streamlines their hiring into VA clinical roles.

Maddy summaryThe Protecting Students on Campus Act of 2024 requires colleges and universities receiving federal funds to prominently display links to file discrimination complaints (based on race, color, or national origin) on their websites and post annual awareness materials about Title VI rights in high-traffic campus locations. It mandates schools to submit annual reports detailing discrimination complaints received, their analysis, and actions taken. The bill also prevents the Department of Education’s civil rights office from dismissing complaints resolved through school internal processes. These requirements aim to improve transparency and accessibility for students reporting discrimination, directly affecting all institutions of higher education receiving federal funding.

Maddy summaryThe Fair Representation Act would require states to use ranked choice voting for elections of Senators and Representatives, allowing voters to rank candidates in order of preference rather than selecting just one candidate. It would mandate multi-member districts for states with six or more representatives (with 3-5 representatives per district) and establish nonpartisan redistricting criteria prioritizing population equality, voting rights protections, and minimizing partisan gerrymandering. The bill would provide federal funding to help states implement these changes, with requirements applying to elections held in 2026 or later for Senators and after the 2030 census for Representatives. This legislation aims to create more representative congressional elections by reducing the impact of gerrymandering and expanding voter choice.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends budget scoring rules to require the Congressional Budget Office to account for long-term savings from preventive health programs when evaluating legislation. It directs the CBO to assess if a bill reduces future government costs through evidence-based preventive health services (like screenings or vaccinations) and include those savings in budget projections. The change affects how Congress scores the fiscal impact of health-related bills, requiring them to consider savings over 20 years (not just the current budget cycle). It does not create new programs but changes the budget analysis process for preventive health measures.