Rep. Joe Courtney

Maddy summaryHR 4986, the Student Loan Interest Elimination Act, would eliminate interest accrual on most existing Federal student loans starting July 1, 2024, without requiring borrower action, while allowing borrowers to opt out if desired. The bill would also enable refinancing of non-Federal direct loans into Federal Direct Consolidation Loans with no interest, no origination fees, and preservation of previous loan forgiveness benefits. New loans made on or after July 1, 2024, would have interest rates based on borrower income relative to area median income (0-4%), and the bill terminates interest-subsidized loans after June 30, 2024. The bill establishes an Education Affordability Trust Fund, financed by loan repayments, to support these changes and fund additional Pell Grants and college affordability programs.

Maddy summaryThe COTA Act amends the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to require workforce programs to provide career guidance for high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand jobs - including skilled trades - and to run public awareness campaigns about these programs. It adds two specific requirements: (1) helping students explore career paths in skilled trades and emerging fields, and (2) using social media and other outreach to promote career and technical education. These changes directly affect state and local workforce development programs that receive federal funding under the WIOA. The law mandates concrete policy shifts in how these programs guide job seekers and publicize opportunities, without altering funding or creating new federal mandates.

Maddy summaryThe COREY Safety Act of 2023 requires colleges and universities to report accident statistics that cause serious physical injury or death, expanding the Clery Act's scope beyond crime data. It mandates detailed reporting on accident types - including transportation incidents, slips/falls, overdoses, and choking - broken down by category and location. Institutions must also publicly list the closest Level I and Level II trauma centers on campus websites and in safety reports. These changes, effective after a two-year implementation period, aim to improve transparency and data collection for campus safety decisions.

Maddy summaryThis bill authorizes the U.S. President to sell up to two nuclear-powered attack submarines (Virginia-class) from the U.S. Navy inventory to Australia over a 15-year period to support the AUKUS security partnership. It requires Australia to cover all costs, including repairs performed at U.S. shipyards, and mandates detailed certifications to Congress on national security impacts, U.S. industrial capacity, and Australia's ability to operate the submarines. The bill also requires annual reports for 15 years on submarine transfers, defense service exports, and production schedules. This directly affects Australia's naval capabilities and U.S.-Australia defense cooperation under the AUKUS framework.

Maddy summaryThis bill directs the U.S. Treasury to mint commemorative coins marking the Marine Corps' 250th anniversary in 2025. It authorizes three coin types: $5 gold coins (max 50,000), $1 silver coins (max 400,000), and half-dollar coins (max 750,000), with surcharges of $35, $10, and $5 respectively. The surcharge proceeds will fund the Marine Corps Heritage Center's educational programs, with no net cost to taxpayers as the Treasury must recover all minting costs through the surcharges. The coins can only be issued during 2025, and the Treasury must ensure all costs are covered before distributing funds to the Heritage Foundation.

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 summaryH.J.Res. 25 would remove the 1979 deadline for states to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which was originally proposed in 1972. This bill directly affects states that ratified the ERA after the deadline (such as Nevada, Illinois, and Virginia in 2017-2018) by making their ratifications legally valid. The key provision states that the ERA is valid as part of the Constitution if ratified by three-fourths of states, regardless of the original deadline. The bill does not create new rights but aims to finalize the constitutional amendment process by eliminating the time limit.

Maddy summaryThis bill, HR 1282 (Major Richard Star Act), expands benefits for certain military retirees by allowing them to receive both veterans' disability compensation and military retirement pay simultaneously. It specifically affects combat-related disabled retirees under Chapter 61 of the military retirement system who have fewer than 20 years of service. The key change removes the automatic reduction of military retirement pay when these retirees also receive disability compensation, as amended in Section 1413a(b)(3) of Title 10. Technical updates to the law’s structure and effective date (starting after enactment) complete the provisions.

Child Care Investment Act of 2023 This bill increases the employer-provided child care tax credit, the amount excludable from gross income for dependent care flexible spending accounts, and makes the household and dependent care tax credit refundable. Among other provisions, the bill increases the rate of the employer-provided child care tax credit from 25% to 50% and increases the maximum credit amount from $150,000 to $500,000. It also increases (1) the pre-tax deduction for dependent care flexible spending accounts from $5,000 to $10,000, plus an additional $2,000 for each eligible dependent; and (2) the rate of the household and dependent care tax credit and makes such credit refundable.

Maddy summaryThis bill repeals a temporary restriction on deducting personal property damage from disasters (like storms or fires) for individual taxpayers. It sets a $50,000 annual limit on such deductions for tax years 2018-2025, except for losses from federally declared disasters, which remain fully deductible. The bill also extends the deadline for filing claims for these losses by one year after the bill's enactment. It directly affects individuals who suffered property damage in non-disaster events during the specified years, allowing them to deduct losses up to the $50,000 cap.