Rep. Jared F. Golden

Maddy summaryHR 471, the Fix Our Forests Act, establishes a new system for identifying and managing high-risk wildfire areas called "firesheds" and creates a centralized Fireshed Center to coordinate wildfire risk management across federal agencies. The bill streamlines environmental reviews for wildfire risk reduction projects, allowing for faster implementation of hazardous fuels management activities in designated areas. It includes provisions for community wildfire risk reduction programs, water source protection, and specific initiatives for restoring white oak forests. The legislation also includes litigation reforms to expedite forest management projects and reduce delays from legal challenges. These provisions aim to reduce wildfire risk and improve forest health through more coordinated, data-driven management approaches.

Maddy summaryHR 1889, the *Cutting Red Tape on Child Care Providers Act of 2025*, prohibits states from creating regulatory barriers that restrict home-based child care providers from preparing fresh fruits and vegetables through simple methods like washing, peeling, or cutting. This directly affects home and family-based child care centers - serving roughly one-quarter of families, especially low-income, rural, and shift-work families - who face declining options due to complex food regulations. The bill amends the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to explicitly ban state restrictions on "simple food preparation" of minimally processed produce. It aims to reduce bureaucratic hurdles that currently make serving fresh food harder than offering pre-packaged snacks, without changing nutritional standards.

Maddy summaryThis bill strengthens the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by clarifying how to prove voting discrimination and expanding requirements for preclearance of voting changes. It establishes new standards for determining when voting practices dilute minority voting strength or deny/abridge voting rights, requiring plaintiffs to show specific conditions for vote dilution claims and including factors like historical discrimination and racial polarization in court analyses. The bill modifies the criteria for determining which states and political subdivisions must seek preclearance for voting changes, and adds new transparency requirements for jurisdictions to publicly disclose changes to voting qualifications, polling locations, and election districts. It directly affects states and local governments that implement voting policies, particularly those with a history of voting rights violations or that make changes to voting qualifications, procedures, or district boundaries. The bill aims to prevent discriminatory voting practices by providing clearer standards for courts and requiring greater transparency in voting rule changes.

Maddy summaryThe Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025 strengthens workers' organizing rights by making it an unfair labor practice for employers to threaten permanent replacement of striking workers, discriminate against workers who support unions, or require employees to attend employer campaigns unrelated to their job duties. It expands the definition of "employee" to make it harder for companies to classify workers as independent contractors and requires employers to post notices about workers' rights in conspicuous locations. The bill establishes a new electronic voting system for union elections, creates a 90-day bargaining period before mediation can be requested, and increases penalties for violations of labor laws. These changes are intended to make it easier for workers to form unions and negotiate better wages and working conditions.

Maddy summaryThe Keep America's Waterfronts Working Act of 2025 establishes a federal Task Force to identify and address challenges facing working waterfronts, which are properties used for commercial fishing, boating businesses, aquaculture, and other water-dependent coastal activities. It creates a $50 million annual grant program (2025-2029) to help coastal states, tribal governments, and Native Hawaiian organizations develop and implement working waterfronts plans that preserve access to coastal waters and protect these businesses from threats like sea level rise and conversion to incompatible uses. The bill also authorizes a preservation loan fund to provide low-interest loans for waterfront preservation, with special provisions for disadvantaged communities. Covered entities must develop plans identifying threatened waterfront areas, prioritizing preservation needs, and ensuring public access. The law aims to protect working waterfronts through coordinated federal and local planning efforts.

Maddy summaryHR 1787 authorizes the U.S. Mint to produce commemorative coins honoring baseball legend Roberto Clemente, including $5 gold, $1 silver, and half-dollar coins, with specific specifications for weight, size, and metal content. The bill requires the coins to feature Clemente's image and commemorative inscriptions, and mandates a surcharge ($35 for gold, $10 for silver, $5 for half-dollar) paid to the Roberto Clemente Foundation for its educational, youth sports, and disaster relief programs. All coins must be minted in 2027, sold at face value plus surcharge and production costs, and will be legal tender. The bill focuses solely on the coin program, not broader policy changes.

Safe Schools Improvement Act This bill requires states to direct their local educational agencies (LEAs) to establish policies that prevent and prohibit bullying and harassment of elementary and secondary school students. In particular, these policies must prohibit bullying and harassment based on race, color, national origin, disability, religion, or sex. Sex includes sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics (including intersex traits). Further, LEAs must provide (1) students, parents, and educational professionals with annual notice of the conduct prohibited in their disciplinary policies; (2) students and parents with grievance procedures that target such conduct; and (3) the public with annual data on the incidence and frequency of that conduct at the school and LEA level. The Department of Education must conduct and report on an independent biennial evaluation of programs and policies to combat bullying and harassment in elementary and secondary schools. The National Center for Education Statistics must collect state data to determine the incidence and frequency of the conduct prohibited by LEA disciplinary policies.

Federal Firearms Licensee Protection Act of 2025 This bill modifies criminal penalties for an offense involving the theft of a firearm from a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer, or from their business premises. Specifically, the bill does the following: increases from 10 to 20 years the maximum prison term, and creates a 3- or 5-year mandatory minimum prison term for an offense that occurs during the commission of a burglary or robbery. An attempt to commit an offense is subject to the same penalties as a substantive offense.

Maddy summaryHR 1757, the EMPSA Act, modifies Supplemental Security Income (SSI) rules to eliminate a "marriage penalty" for married individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities. It directly affects married adults with these disabilities who currently face reduced benefits due to their spouse's income. Key provisions include: (1) allowing eligibility based solely on the individual's own income/resources (excluding spouse's), (2) calculating benefits at the standard rate minus the individual's own income (not spouse's), and (3) excluding the spouse's income/resources from eligibility determinations. This change ensures married individuals with qualifying disabilities receive full SSI benefits without penalty for their spouse's financial situation.

Maddy summaryThe Hospice Recertification Flexibility Act extends the ability for hospice providers to use telehealth for patient recertifications (verifying ongoing eligibility for hospice care) until December 31, 2027, instead of ending in March 2025. It specifies that telehealth recertifications will not apply in certain cases starting January 1, 2026, such as when patients are in areas with a hospice enrollment moratorium or when providers are under enhanced oversight. The bill also requires hospice claims for telehealth recertifications on or after January 1, 2026, to include a specific modifier or code indicating the telehealth encounter. This change directly affects hospice providers and their patients by modifying how remote eligibility checks are processed under Medicare.