Rep. Jonathan L. Jackson

Maddy summaryThe ACCESS Act of 2024 creates a federal grant program to help clinics and health care providers expand abortion and reproductive health services in states where abortion is legal (outside of life or health exceptions). It authorizes $200 million annually for fiscal years 2024-2028 to fund specific capacity-building activities, including facility expansions, hiring clinical staff, telehealth services, and culturally appropriate patient resources. Priority is given to providers in states experiencing the highest increases in out-of-state patients seeking abortion care. The bill directly supports health care entities serving patients who travel across state lines for services, aiming to reduce wait times and improve access for vulnerable communities.

Maddy summaryThe Complete Streets Act of 2024 requires states to establish programs that help local governments, transit agencies, and other eligible entities design and build transportation infrastructure accommodating all users, including pedestrians, cyclists, and public transit riders. States must provide technical assistance and grants for complete streets projects, with 5% of certain transportation funds allocated to these programs. The bill establishes design standards requiring features like protected bike lanes, accessible sidewalks, and appropriate lighting for all transportation projects, applying to new projects on Federal-aid highways within metropolitan areas. It mandates that states develop complete streets policies and prioritization plans to improve safety and accessibility, particularly in underserved communities, with compliance required by 2026 or 2029 for different project types.

Maddy summary# Summary of the Clean Electricity and Transmission Acceleration Act of 2023 This comprehensive legislation establishes significant reforms across environmental policy, energy infrastructure, and community engagement frameworks. Key provisions include: 1. **Environmental Justice Framework**: - Creates an Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights at EPA - Establishes a White House Environmental Justice Interagency Council - Prohibits disparate impact discrimination under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act - Requires community impact reports for Federal actions affecting environmental justice communities 2. **NEPA Reforms**: - Mandates 90-day public comment periods for environmental justice communities - Requires translation of documents into languages spoken by 5%+ of affected communities - Requires assessment of cumulative impacts, including historical pollution - Requires climate change impact assessments using social cost of carbon - Establishes searchable digital archives of NEPA documents 3. **Community Engagement Requirements**: - Creates "Senior Community Engagement Officers" and "Tribal Community Engagement Officers" at all federal agencies - Requires community benefits agreements for major projects - Establishes grants for capacity building in environmental justice communities - Creates an E-NEPA permitting portal for public access to documents 4. **Energy Policy Provisions**: - Includes reforms for FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) environmental justice liaison - Establishes requirements for intervenor funding at FERC - Contains provisions for transmission planning and infrastructure 5. **Tribal Consultation**: - Strengthens tribal consultation requirements for projects affecting tribal lands - Requires government-to-government relationships with tribal nations The legislation represents a significant shift toward integrating environmental justice considerations throughout the federal permitting and review process, with specific requirements for meaningful community engagement, transparency, and consideration of cumulative impacts on vulnerable populations. It also establishes new funding mechanisms and administrative structures to support these environmental justice goals.

Maddy summaryHRES 882 is a non-binding resolution passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on November 21, 2023, declaring support and gratitude to food banks, food pantries, and community-based organizations addressing food insecurity. It recognizes these groups' work in serving over 5 billion meals annually, rescuing wasted food (nearly 118 billion pounds yearly), and supporting vulnerable populations including 44.2 million people in food-insecure households in 2022. The resolution specifically acknowledges their role in providing emergency aid, nutrition education, and disaster response, while highlighting that 55% of food-insecure households did not access federal nutrition programs. It does not create new policies or funding but formally commends these organizations' contributions to reducing food insecurity and improving community health.

Maddy summaryThe Stronger Communities through Better Transit Act establishes a new federal grant program to improve public transportation service. It provides funding to urban areas, states, and Indian tribes to cover up to 50% of public transit operating costs (up to 80% in persistent poverty areas and 100% for Indian tribes), with requirements to report on service frequency, access to jobs, and conduct community surveys. The program mandates that a majority of funds must benefit underserved communities and areas of persistent poverty, defined as census tracts with high poverty rates or minority populations. Recipients must maintain their transit funding levels and report on improvements in access to essential services. The bill authorizes $20 billion annually for fiscal years 2024-2027.

Maddy summaryThe Supporting Urban and Innovative Farming Act of 2023 establishes a new USDA office to provide technical assistance for urban and innovative agricultural operations, including rooftop farms, hydroponics, and community gardens. It authorizes competitive grants with mandatory annual funding starting at $15 million in 2024 (rising to $50 million by 2028) to support projects improving fresh food access in underserved areas, prioritizing microgrants for individual urban farmers and initiatives serving disadvantaged communities. The bill requires the USDA to collect and report data on urban farming locations, demographics, and production methods like vertical farming and aquaponics. These provisions directly affect urban farmers, community organizations, and local governments working to expand food production in cities.

Maddy summaryHR 5780, the Land-Grant Research Equity and Accountability Act, requires states to annually match federal research funds provided to eligible land-grant universities (1862 and 1890 institutions) with state or private funds equal to non-Federal contributions. It mandates that states submit annual attestations to the USDA confirming whether they can meet this matching requirement, with these reports published by the USDA and submitted to Congress yearly. The bill directly affects land-grant universities and their state governments by creating a formal process for tracking and reporting funding commitments. Key mechanisms include the annual state attestation, USDA publication of these reports, and mandatory outreach to state legislatures about matching obligations. This focuses on transparency and accountability in funding for agricultural research and extension programs.

Maddy summaryHRES 967 would amend House rules to allow Members who have recently given birth to vote by proxy for up to six weeks after childbirth. Specifically, a new rule permits a Member to designate another Member as their proxy during this period to cast votes on their behalf. The proxy cannot be used to count the Member's presence for quorum purposes in the House or its committees. This change directly affects female Members during their postpartum leave, with no other proxy voting allowed under the amendment.

CONtinuity in Necessary Evaluative Crisis Treatment Act of 2024 or the CONNECT Act of 2024 This bill requires the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to award grants to certain crisis centers for providing follow-up care to individuals who receive suicide prevention and crisis intervention services.

Maddy summaryThe BOP Release Card ID Act of 2024 requires the Bureau of Prisons to issue a photo identification card meeting federal standards to U.S. citizen prisoners released from federal custody. The card must be valid for at least 18 months and accepted by federal programs like Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, and SNAP, as well as for entry into federal buildings. The bill also directs the Attorney General to provide guidance to states on issuing similar cards for state prisoners, with annual reports to Congress on progress.