Rep. Haley M. Stevens

Maddy summaryHR 4893, the Scientific Integrity Act, requires federal agencies that fund, conduct, or oversee scientific research to adopt policies preventing political interference in science. The bill mandates these agencies to prohibit suppression or distortion of research findings, establish Scientific Integrity Officers to enforce policies, and implement training and reporting systems. It directly affects scientists and engineers employed by or contracted with covered agencies (like the EPA or NIH), ensuring their work remains free from political pressure. Key mechanisms include annual public reporting on misconduct complaints, whistleblower protections, and requiring scientific conclusions to be based on evidence, not ideology.

Maddy summaryHR 4889, the Raise the Wage Act of 2023, would gradually increase the federal minimum wage for most workers to $15.50 per hour by 2027, with specific annual targets: $9.50 starting in 2023, rising to $11.00 after one year, $12.50 after two years, and $15.50 after four years. It would also phase out the separate lower minimum wage for tipped employees (starting at $6.00/hour) by aligning their pay with the regular minimum wage by 2028, while requiring employers to let workers keep all tips. The bill includes similar phased increases for workers under 20 and transitions toward fairer wages for workers with disabilities under special certificates, which would sunset after 2028. Future annual increases after 2028 would tie the minimum wage to the median hourly wage of all workers.

Maddy summaryHR 4157, the "Not Just a Number Act," requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to produce annual reports on veteran suicide rates and their connection to VA healthcare and benefits. The reports must break down suicide rates by age, gender, and race, and examine how engagement with VA services (like Vet Centers, healthcare enrollment, benefits claims, and housing loans) correlates with suicide trends. The bill also mandates a VA toolkit for state/local coroners to improve veteran suicide death reporting, and a study on creating a dedicated VA suicide prevention office. These measures aim to standardize data collection and identify effective prevention strategies, directly affecting VA operations, congressional oversight, and veteran care systems.

Maddy summaryHR 4796, the Reproductive Health Patient Navigator Act of 2023, establishes a federal grant program to fund organizations that help individuals access abortion services. Eligible entities - such as abortion funds, community groups, or local governments - would receive grants to provide services like connecting people to providers, coordinating travel/financing costs, offering culturally appropriate information, and ensuring data confidentiality. The bill includes strong legal protections, prohibiting states from restricting or penalizing navigators for assisting people seeking abortion services, even in states where abortion is illegal. It also allows affected navigators to sue states that violate these protections. The program is funded for fiscal years 2023 through 2027.

Maddy summaryHRES 608 is a non-binding House resolution recognizing the value of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts at colleges and universities. It affirms that DEI initiatives help create supportive learning environments where all students, faculty, and staff thrive, and specifically supports programs like implicit bias training and cultural competence resources. The resolution emphasizes that DEI efforts strengthen institutions’ ability to recruit diverse talent and align with academic freedom principles. It also notes concerns about state-level efforts to restrict DEI programs and states that such restrictions threaten campus inclusivity. As a symbolic resolution, it does not create new laws or funding but expresses congressional support for DEI work in higher education.

Maddy summaryH.J.Res. 25 would remove the 1979 deadline for states to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which was originally proposed in 1972. This bill directly affects states that ratified the ERA after the deadline (such as Nevada, Illinois, and Virginia in 2017-2018) by making their ratifications legally valid. The key provision states that the ERA is valid as part of the Constitution if ratified by three-fourths of states, regardless of the original deadline. The bill does not create new rights but aims to finalize the constitutional amendment process by eliminating the time limit.

This resolution condemns the 1994 attack on the Argentine Jewish Mutual Association Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and calls for the perpetrators, including Iranian and Hezbollah operatives, to be held accountable for their crimes.

Maddy summaryHR 4709, the U.S.-Israel Anti-Killer Drone Act of 2023, amends a reporting requirement in the National Defense Authorization Act to enhance U.S.-Israel cooperation on countering Iranian drone threats. The bill requires the Secretary of Defense to submit a report within 180 days detailing the status of joint efforts to develop and deploy counter-drone technologies, including assessments of current capabilities and proposed policy changes. It also increases funding for this cooperation from $40 million to $55 million annually. The bill directly affects U.S. and Israeli military operations by mandating formal coordination to address Iran’s growing arsenal of armed drones, which have been used against U.S. allies like Israel and Saudi Arabia. This is a procedural bill focused on improving existing coordination, not on new weapons or sanctions.

Maddy summaryThis bill, HR 1282 (Major Richard Star Act), expands benefits for certain military retirees by allowing them to receive both veterans' disability compensation and military retirement pay simultaneously. It specifically affects combat-related disabled retirees under Chapter 61 of the military retirement system who have fewer than 20 years of service. The key change removes the automatic reduction of military retirement pay when these retirees also receive disability compensation, as amended in Section 1413a(b)(3) of Title 10. Technical updates to the law’s structure and effective date (starting after enactment) complete the provisions.

Maddy summaryHRES 594 is a resolution recognizing the Older Americans Act of 1965 (OAA) nutrition program for its role in addressing hunger, malnutrition, and social isolation among seniors. The program provides meals, social interaction, and health checks to older adults (60+), particularly benefiting homebound individuals and those with chronic conditions. The resolution encourages Congress members to support local OAA programs by volunteering and advocating for sustained federal funding to meet growing demand. It emphasizes the program's proven cost-effectiveness in reducing Medicare/Medicaid costs through preventive health outcomes.