Rep. Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr.

Maddy summaryThis bill, HR 1097 (Everett Alvarez, Jr. Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2023), authorizes the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to Everett Alvarez, Jr., in recognition of his service as a U.S. Navy pilot and Vietnam War prisoner of war. It directly honors Alvarez, who was the first U.S. pilot shot down in the Vietnam War, spent over 8.5 years in captivity, and later served in the Peace Corps and Veterans Administration. The bill’s key mechanism is directing the U.S. Mint to strike a gold medal bearing his name and image, with bronze duplicates available for sale to cover costs. It does not create new policies or affect any group beyond the honoree.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new federal grant program to expand STEM education opportunities for girls and underrepresented minorities in K-12 schools. Qualified local educational agencies (those serving schools with at least 40% of students eligible for free/reduced lunch) can apply for up to $250,000 annually per school year to fund specific activities like mentorship programs, teacher training on addressing bias, summer STEM camps, parent engagement, and field trips to STEM workplaces. The program is authorized for $10 million yearly from 2025-2028, requiring grantees to supplement existing funding and submit annual evaluations tracking student engagement and academic progress in STEM. It directly affects schools serving underrepresented student populations by providing targeted resources to increase their participation in STEM fields.

Maddy summaryHRES 1618 is a non-binding resolution designating November 20-December 20, 2024, as "National Survivors of Homicide Victims Awareness Month." It expresses support for raising awareness about survivors of homicide victims and encourages communities to provide them with support services and resources. The resolution calls for promoting survivor-centered initiatives, addressing trauma through behavioral health services, and fostering community engagement to honor victims and support families affected by homicide.

Maddy summaryHRES 1617 is a non-binding resolution expressing the House of Representatives' view that the federal government should dramatically expand and strengthen the care economy. It calls for federal investments to address systemic gaps in care infrastructure, including universal access to affordable childcare, elder care, paid family leave, and mental health services, while prioritizing higher wages and union protections for care workers - particularly women of color and immigrants. The resolution emphasizes repairing historical inequities rooted in exclusion from labor protections and connecting care infrastructure to broader goals like climate justice and economic equity. It does not create new law but urges future legislation to adopt these principles as a foundation for policy. The resolution directly affects millions of care workers, families relying on care services, and communities facing systemic barriers to care access.

Maddy summaryHR 10291 would expand Medicare coverage to include specific fall prevention items like grab bars, non-slip mats, shower chairs, and bed rails for beneficiaries. It amends the Social Security Act to add these items to Medicare's list of covered medical equipment under Part B, directly benefiting seniors and others at risk of falls who need these safety aids at home. The bill also ensures payments for these items cannot be reduced by automatic budget cuts (sequestration) under federal law. This change takes effect 60 days after the bill becomes law, making these safety items more accessible to Medicare enrollees.

Maddy summaryThis bill extends Medicare payment adjustments for physicians and other practitioners through 2025 instead of ending in 2024. It specifically adds a 4.73% payment increase for services provided between January 1, 2025, and January 1, 2026. The legislation modifies existing Medicare payment rules to stabilize practice revenues during transition periods. It directly affects doctors and healthcare providers who bill Medicare for patient services. The key change is the extended timeframe and the defined 4.73% rate for the 2025-2026 period.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires Medicare providers to inform patients about breast reconstruction coverage before performing a mastectomy. Specifically, it mandates that providers must tell patients their Medicare coverage includes breast reconstruction surgery following a medically necessary mastectomy (covered under Medicare's existing national policy 140.2) and document this discussion in the patient's medical record. The requirement applies to all mastectomies performed on or after one year after the bill's enactment. It directly affects Medicare beneficiaries undergoing mastectomies and the healthcare providers who perform these procedures, ensuring patients are aware of existing coverage options. The bill does not change Medicare's coverage rules but ensures patients receive clear information about available benefits.

Maddy summaryHR 9774, the Health Care Affordability Act of 2024, would expand premium tax credits under the Affordable Care Act for households earning between 150% and 400% of the federal poverty level. It modifies the sliding scale calculation to reduce the percentage of monthly insurance premiums these households must pay, with the lowest out-of-pocket costs for those near 400% of poverty. This directly affects individuals and families purchasing health insurance through marketplace plans who qualify for these tax credits. The changes apply to tax years beginning after December 31, 2025.

Maddy summaryThis bill, the Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act of 2024, aims to lower drug costs by limiting how pharmaceutical companies can use patents to block cheaper biosimilar alternatives. It restricts reference product sponsors (brand-name drug makers) to asserting no more than 20 patents in lawsuits against biosimilar applicants (companies seeking to produce cheaper alternatives), with only 10 of those patents allowed to be newer ones (issued after a specific date). The bill also includes a provision increasing Medicare's Improvement Fund by $1.8 billion. These changes directly affect drug manufacturers, biosimilar developers, and patients seeking more affordable biologic medications.

Maddy summaryHR 8796, the "Stop Comstock Act," removes outdated restrictions from federal law that previously banned the distribution of materials related to contraception and abortion as "obscene" or "indecent." The bill amends Title 18 and the Tariff Act by deleting references to "indecent," "immoral," "unlawful abortion," and "procuring abortion" from provisions governing obscene materials. It clarifies that the law only prohibits "obscene materials" in commerce, eliminating broad restrictions on reproductive health information. This directly affects internet platforms, healthcare providers, and individuals sharing reproductive health resources by removing legal barriers to their distribution.