Rep. Jamie Raskin

Maddy summaryThe Steel Modernization Act of 2024 provides financial assistance and tax credits to U.S. steel manufacturers adopting technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions from steel production. It requires recipients to produce "near-zero emissions intensity steel" by 2035, report emissions data, and implement community benefits plans that address local environmental and economic concerns. The bill also imposes a tariff on imported steel based on its emissions intensity, with revenues funding clean energy programs and administrative costs. This affects steel manufacturers, workers, and communities near steel facilities by promoting cleaner production while supporting domestic steel industry competitiveness.

Maddy summaryHR 8796, the "Stop Comstock Act," removes outdated restrictions from federal law that previously banned the distribution of materials related to contraception and abortion as "obscene" or "indecent."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.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires Medicare Advantage plans to implement electronic prior authorization systems by 2027 and publish detailed data on their approval and denial rates for medical services by 2026. It directly affects Medicare Advantage plans (private insurers offering Medicare coverage) and their enrollees (seniors 65+), mandating transparency about prior authorization decisions, processing times, and appeal outcomes. Key provisions include requiring plans to report annual statistics on request approvals/denials, average processing times, and use of technology, with this data published publicly by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The bill also sets timelines for plan responses to prior authorization requests and mandates reports to Congress on implementation and impacts.

Maddy summaryThe End Polluter Welfare Act of 2024 eliminates numerous subsidies and tax benefits for fossil fuel companies by repealing provisions that provide royalty relief, reducing royalty rates, and ending tax incentives for oil, natural gas, and coal production. The bill prohibits federal funding for fossil fuel projects by restricting international financial institutions, the Export-Import Bank, and the Department of Transportation from supporting fossil fuel infrastructure. It also repeals recent legislation that provided fossil fuel subsidies, including parts of the Fiscal Responsibility Act and Inflation Reduction Act. This comprehensive approach directly affects oil, gas, and coal producers by removing financial benefits that have historically supported the fossil fuel industry, while directing studies to identify and eliminate additional fossil fuel subsidies.

Maddy summaryHR 8220, the Occupational Therapy Mental Health Parity Act, requires the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to educate Medicare stakeholders about existing coverage rules for occupational therapy services treating mental health or substance use disorders. Specifically, within one year of enactment, the Secretary must clarify how current Medicare policies apply using specific medical codes (HCPCS). This bill does not change coverage rules but ensures providers and beneficiaries understand existing Medicare benefits for these services. It directly affects Medicare beneficiaries seeking mental health care and healthcare providers billing under Medicare.

Maddy summaryThe Telehealth Modernization Act of 2024 extends Medicare's temporary telehealth coverage rules permanently, removing the previous 2024 expiration date. It expands who can provide telehealth services by allowing more healthcare professionals (like certain nurse practitioners) to bill Medicare for these services, and ensures Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics can continue billing for telehealth under existing payment rules after 2024. The bill also explicitly permits audio-only telehealth calls for Medicare coverage and allows telehealth for hospice face-to-face visits and home dialysis assessments as clinically appropriate, without time limits. These changes directly affect Medicare beneficiaries, healthcare providers, and community health centers offering telehealth services.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program to better support low-income elderly, blind, and disabled individuals. It raises key financial thresholds: the resource limit for single individuals increases from $2,250 to $20,000 (adjusted annually for inflation), and the general income exclusion rises from $240 to $1,797 per month. The bill also removes a penalty that reduced benefits for married couples, excludes retirement accounts and tribal general welfare payments from resource calculations, and eliminates outdated requirements like dedicated accounts for past-due benefits. These changes directly affect SSI recipients by making it easier to qualify and maintain benefits without losing support due to minor income or resource fluctuations.

Maddy summaryHR 6780 establishes a 4-year Medicare demonstration program testing whether hospitals providing medically tailored home-delivered meals to specific patients improves health outcomes and reduces hospital readmissions. The program targets Medicare beneficiaries with diet-sensitive chronic conditions (like diabetes or heart failure) who are at high risk of readmission and meet specific discharge criteria, such as limited daily living activities. Selected hospitals must screen patients, provide at least two tailored meals daily for 12 weeks, and offer medical nutrition therapy, all without patient cost-sharing. The program requires hospitals to submit data for evaluation, with the goal of assessing impacts on hospital admissions, care costs, and patient satisfaction before reporting to Congress in 2027 and 2030.

Maddy summaryHR 6417 amends the existing "Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act" to ban imports of energy products (classified under Harmonized Tariff Schedule chapter 27) produced at any refinery using crude oil originating in Russia. This directly affects U.S. importers and companies bringing in such refined petroleum products. The key provision prohibits these imports regardless of where the refinery is located, targeting oil that has been "laundered" through foreign processing. The bill updates the existing law by adding this origin-based import ban as a new section.

Maddy summaryHR 6407, the Medical Nutrition Therapy Act of 2023, expands Medicare coverage to include medical nutrition therapy for more chronic conditions beyond current limits. It directly affects Medicare beneficiaries with conditions like obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, eating disorders, and others not previously covered under Part B. The bill amends Medicare rules to allow coverage for prevention, management, or treatment of these conditions by a wider range of providers, including registered dietitians and clinical psychologists. This change would make medically necessary nutrition services available for conditions listed in the bill, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and HIV, as determined by the Secretary.