Rep. Lori Trahan

Maddy summaryHR 1831 would award Billie Jean King a Congressional Gold Medal to honor her lifelong advocacy for equal rights in sports and society. The bill directs the Secretary of the Treasury to strike the medal and have it presented by congressional leaders, recognizing her pivotal role in advancing women's equality through tennis (including founding the Women’s Tennis Association and securing equal prize money) and her broader impact on society through initiatives like Title IX advocacy.

Maddy summaryThis bill changes how U.S. foreign aid is provided to international health organizations. It prevents U.S. agencies from denying aid to foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs) solely because they offer health services (like counseling or referrals) using their own funds, as long as those services follow local laws. It also stops applying stricter rules about how foreign NGOs can use their own funds for advocacy compared to U.S. NGOs receiving similar aid. The bill directly affects foreign health-focused NGOs that rely on U.S. foreign assistance funding.

Maddy summaryThe LOAN Act (HR 1731) makes significant changes to federal student financial aid programs. It doubles the maximum Federal Pell Grant amount for eligible students, expands Pell Grant eligibility to graduate students and "Dreamer" students (undocumented individuals who came to the U.S. as children), and restores the total semesters of Pell Grant eligibility from 12 to 18. The bill also eliminates interest capitalization on federal student loans, repeals origination fees, and creates automatic enrollment in income-driven repayment plans for borrowers who are delinquent or rehabilitating defaulted loans. Additionally, it establishes new refinancing programs for both federal and private student loans with interest rates capped at 5.0% for new loans.

Maddy summaryHR 1723, the Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act of 2023, amends the Foreign Assistance Act to remove restrictions on using U.S. foreign aid funds for abortion services. It explicitly allows U.S. foreign assistance programs to fund comprehensive reproductive health care, including abortion services, training, and equipment. This change directly affects U.S. international health programs and recipient countries, enabling them to integrate safe abortion care into broader reproductive health services. The bill aims to align U.S. policy with global health guidelines by making abortion services a standard part of reproductive health care funded through foreign assistance.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies federal highway funding rules to prioritize safety for cyclists and pedestrians. It allows states and local governments to receive 100% federal funding for projects that connect existing bike/pedestrian infrastructure or reduce safety risks for these users, instead of the usual lower federal share. The bill also requires projects to align with state safety plans focusing on vulnerable road users and includes specific "Proven Safety Countermeasures" for cyclists/pedestrians. These changes directly affect states administering federal highway funds and local governments seeking to improve non-motorized transportation infrastructure.

Maddy summaryHCONRES 23 is a non-binding resolution expressing Congress's support for recognizing March 10, 2023, as "Abortion Provider Appreciation Day." It honors abortion providers and clinic staff for delivering essential reproductive healthcare amid increased restrictions following the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade. The resolution condemns the Dobbs ruling, affirms Congress's commitment to protecting providers' safety, and emphasizes ensuring access to abortion care. As a symbolic gesture, it does not create new laws or change existing policies.

Maddy summaryThis bill authorizes a Congressional Gold Medal to honor the "Hello Girls" - female telephone operators who served in the Army Signal Corps during World War I. They provided critical battlefield communications in France (connecting 26 million calls), wore military uniforms, and faced combat risks, but were denied veteran benefits for 60 years due to being classified as civilian contractors. The medal recognizes their pioneering service, devotion, and the decades-long struggle to gain military recognition. The award follows similar recognition for other WWII women veterans and aims to correct the historical injustice they faced.

Maddy summaryThe SVB Act (HR 1602) repeals Title IV of the 2018 Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act, which had relaxed banking regulations. It directly affects banks previously subject to those relaxed rules, particularly smaller institutions that benefited from the 2018 changes. The bill’s key mechanism is restoring the pre-2018 regulatory framework, reversing the specific provisions that eased oversight. This returns banking oversight to the structure that existed before the 2018 law took effect, without creating new rules.

Maddy summaryThis bill removes federal restrictions that previously limited methadone prescribing for opioid use disorder, allowing certified addiction specialists and program employees to prescribe methadone through pharmacies for up to 30 days per electronic prescription. It directly affects patients with opioid use disorder who can now access treatment more flexibly outside traditional clinic settings, and healthcare providers who gain new prescribing authority. Key provisions include requiring electronic prescriptions, mandating patient informed consent about confidentiality differences, and permitting telehealth for counseling and ancillary services. The bill also requires annual reports to Congress tracking registered providers and patients served.

Informing New Factors and Options for Reproductive Care Act of 2023 or the INFO for Reproductive Care Act of 2023 This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to carry out a campaign to educate health care professionals (and health care professions students) about assisting patients to navigate legal issues related to abortions and other reproductive health care services.