Rep. Rashida Tlaib

Maddy summaryThe FRESHER Act of 2023 requires the Secretary of the Interior to study stormwater runoff impacts from oil and gas operations on environmental contamination and groundwater resources. The study must analyze measurable contamination levels, groundwater conditions, and aquifer vulnerability to contamination in affected areas. The Secretary must complete the study and submit a report to Congress within one year of the bill’s enactment. This bill does not impose new regulations on the oil and gas industry but mandates a federal review to inform future environmental policy decisions.

Maddy summaryThe CLEANER Act of 2023 requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to evaluate within one year of enactment whether waste from oil, gas, and geothermal energy production - such as drilling fluids and produced waters - is hazardous. If determined hazardous, these wastes must be listed and regulated under existing hazardous waste rules, with potential modifications to address their unique properties while ensuring health and environmental protection. For non-hazardous waste from these sources, the EPA must establish new facility requirements, including groundwater monitoring, location standards, and financial assurance for cleanup. This bill directly affects oil, gas, and geothermal energy producers and facilities handling such waste.

Maddy summaryHR 4811 requires oil, gas, and geothermal companies conducting hydraulic fracturing (fracking) operations to test nearby underground drinking water sources before, during, and after activities. It mandates testing at specific intervals (e.g., before starting operations, every 6 months during operations, and annually for five years post-operation) and submitting results to the EPA within two weeks. Companies must test using EPA-certified labs for contaminants linked to fracking, with results stored in a public, searchable EPA database by ZIP code. The requirement does not apply if no accessible drinking water source exists within one mile of the site. The bill amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to establish these testing and reporting obligations.

Maddy summaryHR 4760 imposes a new federal fuel tax on private jet aviation, increasing the rate to 35.9 cents per gallon plus $1.589 per gallon (up from previous rates), directly affecting private jet operators and manufacturers. The tax revenue funds a new "Funding to Support Clean Communities Trust Fund," which allocates 100% of these revenues to clean air initiatives, including air monitoring in disadvantaged communities and public transit improvements within 20 miles of airports. Exceptions apply for emergency uses like disaster evacuations or medical aid, and the fund requires at least 50% of spending to target environmental justice communities disproportionately impacted by air pollution. The tax and fund mechanisms take effect January 1, 2024, with annual inflation adjustments for the tax rate.

Maddy summaryThe People's Response Act establishes a new Division on Community Safety within the Department of Health and Human Services to fund community-based approaches to safety that are disconnected from traditional law enforcement and criminal justice systems. It creates four grant programs totaling $13 billion over five years: one for community-led organizations serving disproportionately impacted communities (especially Black and Indigenous communities), one for local governments to conduct safety needs assessments, one for states to support statewide implementation, and one for hiring and training first responders who provide non-carceral crisis response. These grants require recipients to use "qualified approaches to community safety" that avoid collaboration with carceral institutions and prioritize organizations led by or serving communities most affected by the criminal legal system. Recipients must report on outcomes including racial disparities in arrests, incarceration, and how funds are used to address safety needs through community-led initiatives.

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 summaryThe SHADE Act creates a federal grant program to plant trees in historically disadvantaged neighborhoods, primarily targeting redlined areas (former HOLC "hazardous" zones) and overburdened areas (where at least 35% of households are low-income, or 40% identify as minority/tribal, or 40% are limited English proficiency). Eligible entities - like cities, tribes, or nonprofits - must submit applications with 5-year plans, community input strategies, and evidence of housing policies preventing displacement. Grants cover tree planting, maintenance for 5 years, and training, with $50 million annually authorized through 2034. The bill directly affects communities facing environmental inequities by linking tree planting to neighborhood revitalization efforts.

Strengthening Efforts to End Violence Against Children Act of 2023 This bill modifies the framework for providing foreign aid to programs that support vulnerable children by expanding the goals of these programs and requiring additional reports. Specifically, aid may be provided to programs that (1) support family care for vulnerable children and extend protective services to children living outside of family care; (2) promote the protection of children from violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect through preventative and responsive programming; and (3) provide lifesaving protection and interventions for vulnerable children in emergency settings. The bill also requires the President, among other reporting requirements, to develop and submit to Congress a strategy for coordinating, implementing, and monitoring assistance programs for children in adversity, submitting a review to Congress every 4 years afterwards.

Maddy summaryHR 4812, the Food for Thought Act of 2023, provides federal grants to eligible colleges and universities to offer free on-campus meals to low-income students. The bill targets institutions with high Pell Grant enrollment (at least 30% of undergrads), prioritizing community colleges, minority-serving institutions, and those in areas with high need. Participating schools must provide 1-10 free meals weekly to students facing food insecurity, with priority given to those with greatest financial need, and must report on student outcomes like retention and graduation rates. Grants cover meal costs, campus food pantries, and SNAP enrollment support, with funds allocated for 5 years and requiring detailed reporting on program impact.

Maddy summaryHR 4592, the Cumulative Impacts Act of 2023, requires federal environmental agencies to consider the combined pollution burden from multiple sources when issuing or renewing permits for industrial facilities. It directly affects major polluting facilities seeking permits and overburdened communities disproportionately impacted by existing pollution. The bill mandates that permit decisions must include a "cumulative impacts analysis" evaluating health risks from combined pollution sources, sensitive populations, and existing environmental stressors in the area. Agencies must deny permits if they cannot ensure "a reasonable certainty of no harm" to community health, shifting the burden of proof to polluters and regulators. This applies to permits under the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act, requiring new analyses for major sources and stricter oversight of persistent polluters.