Rep. Joe Neguse

Maddy summaryThis bill clarifies when accidental radiation exposure during nuclear medicine procedures must be reported. It requires the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to revise regulations to specify that unintended irradiation from extravasation (leakage of radioactive material) must be reported if it exceeds 0.5 Sv (50 rem) to either 5 cubic centimeters of tissue or 10 square centimeters of skin. This directly affects hospitals and clinics performing nuclear medicine treatments using radioactive materials. The change sets clear, measurable thresholds for mandatory reporting, replacing ambiguous prior standards. The revised rule takes effect 18 months after the bill's enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies HIPAA privacy rules to strengthen consent requirements for sharing mental health and substance use disorder records. It requires covered entities (like hospitals and insurers) to set a minimum 2-year expiration on patient consent for such disclosures and send written notice 30 days before expiration. The law directly affects patients with mental health or substance use conditions, as well as their caregivers or personal representatives who provide consent. Key provisions mandate clear consent timelines and advance notice, aiming to prevent indefinite sharing of sensitive health information without renewed patient agreement.

Maddy summaryThe 988 Lifeline Location Improvement Act of 2023 establishes a federal advisory committee to study how location information is transmitted for 988 calls. The committee, composed of representatives from telecom providers, mental health organizations, crisis centers, and government agencies, will examine privacy concerns, technical standards, and funding needs for improving location data accuracy during 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline calls. It must submit a report within one year to Congress and the FCC with recommendations for potential policy changes. This bill does not enact new requirements but directs a study to address challenges in connecting callers to local crisis services. The committee will terminate 30 days after submitting its report.

Maddy summaryThe Brittany Clardy Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls Act establishes a new Office within the Department of Justice to address the disproportionate rates of missing and murdered Black women and girls in the U.S. The Office will collect and analyze data on these cases - including case resolution times, Amber Alert usage, and trafficking links - and create a public dashboard for tracking. It also creates a grant program for community organizations to provide culturally appropriate prevention services, law enforcement training, and victim support. The Office must submit biennial reports to Congress with findings and recommendations to improve the criminal justice response to these cases. This bill directly affects Black women and girls facing violence, law enforcement agencies, and community organizations providing related services.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies retirement savings rules to help caregivers who temporarily leave the workforce. It allows eligible individuals to make "catch-up" contributions to retirement accounts (like IRAs or 401(k)s) as if they were age 50, even if they're younger, based on how long they've been out of work providing care. Specifically, the age threshold is reduced by the number of years spent in "qualified unemployment periods" (defined as at least one year caring for dependents with no earned income, after age 18). To qualify, individuals must self-attest under penalty of perjury that they meet these conditions. The change applies to taxable years after the bill's enactment.

Maddy summaryThe Relief for Survivors of Miners Act of 2023 helps survivors of miners who died from black lung disease (pneumoconiosis) qualify for benefits by creating rebuttable presumptions: if a miner worked at least 10 years in coal mining or was totally disabled by the disease at the time of death, the government must prove the death wasn’t caused by the disease. It restores older rules allowing survivors to claim benefits if the miner was disabled by black lung disease before death. The bill also establishes a program to cover up to $4,500 in attorneys’ fees and $3,000 in medical expenses for contested claims taking over a year to resolve, paid from the Black Lung Benefits fund and later reimbursed by the mining operator. These changes directly affect surviving family members of miners who died from black lung disease and simplify the process for securing benefits.

Maddy summaryThis bill reauthorizes and extends funding for programs addressing substance use disorders and opioid addiction, including residential treatment for pregnant and postpartum women, first responder training, and community recovery initiatives. It increases funding levels for these programs, adds xylazine to Schedule III of controlled substances, and requires a study on remote monitoring for patients prescribed opioids. The bill also expands Medicaid coverage requirements for medication-assisted treatment and mandates reporting on mental health condition data alongside substance use disorder data, directly affecting individuals with substance use disorders, healthcare providers, and state and tribal governments.

Maddy summaryHR 6720 creates a grant program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide stabilization payments to farmworkers, meat processing workers, and grocery workers affected by natural or other disasters designated by the Secretary. Eligible entities - such as labor unions or membership organizations representing these worker groups - can apply for funding to support affected workers. The program is authorized to spend up to $50 million, with the Secretary required to report on its outcomes within four years. This bill directly affects workers in specific food industry sectors during disaster events, offering financial stabilization through grants administered by the Agricultural Marketing Service.

Maddy summaryHR 6713, the Corporate Crime Database Act of 2023, requires the Bureau of Justice Statistics to create a public database tracking federal enforcement actions against corporate offenses. It mandates federal agencies to submit data on corporate violations (including alleged violations by businesses or employees acting in their roles), detailing entities involved, offenses, laws broken, agencies involved, and case outcomes. The database, to be published online within one year of enactment, will be searchable and updated regularly, including historical cases. Agencies must begin submitting data within 180 days, and the Bureau will issue annual reports analyzing trends and recommending improvements to corporate enforcement.

Research and Development Tax Credit Expansion Act of 2023 This bill modifies the refundable research tax credit for new and small businesses to (1) provide for an inflation adjustment to the limit on credit refundability; (2) allow refundable amounts to cover all payroll taxes paid by such businesses; and (3) extend eligibility for the credit to small businesses with less than $10 million in gross receipts (currently, less than $5 million). The bill also increases the rate of the alternative simplified tax credit for such businesses.