Rep. Alma S. Adams

Maddy summaryHR 2584, the SAVE Act, creates a new federal criminal offense for assaulting or intimidating hospital employees while they're performing their duties, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, with enhanced penalties for using weapons, causing injury, or during public emergencies. The bill authorizes $25 million annually in federal grants to hospitals for violence prevention programs, including staff training, security technologies like panic buttons and video surveillance, and coordination with law enforcement. It defines "hospital" broadly to include various medical facilities such as long-term care hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, and critical access hospitals. The legislation directly affects hospital workers and medical facilities by establishing federal criminal penalties for violence against employees and providing funding to improve workplace safety. The law aims to address the rising problem of workplace violence against healthcare workers, which the bill states has increased since 2011.

Maddy summaryHR 2630, the Safe Step Act, requires group health plans and health insurance issuers to establish a clear, transparent process for patients or their doctors to request exceptions to medication step therapy protocols. These protocols typically force patients to try cheaper drugs first before covering more expensive alternatives. The bill mandates that plans must approve exceptions when prior treatments failed, delay would cause serious harm, a treatment is unsafe, or a patient is stable on a previously approved drug, with strict 72-hour (or 24-hour in emergencies) decision timelines. It also requires plans to publish the exception process online and limit documentation requests to only necessary medical information. This law directly affects health insurers, employers offering health plans, and patients using step therapy for prescription drugs.

Maddy summaryHJRES 54 proposes a constitutional amendment stating that only natural persons (human beings) have rights protected by the U.S. Constitution, explicitly denying constitutional rights to corporations, limited liability companies, and other artificial entities. It would require governments to regulate or restrict corporate political contributions and spending to ensure equal access to elections, mandate public disclosure of all political spending, and clarify that campaign finance rules do not violate the First Amendment. This amendment directly affects corporations and other artificial entities by removing their constitutional standing in legal challenges and subjecting their political activities to stricter government oversight. If passed, it would fundamentally change how corporations interact with election laws and constitutional protections, though it preserves press freedom under Section 3. The bill is a proposed amendment requiring ratification by 3/4 of state legislatures to become part of the Constitution.

Maddy summaryThe School Meals Expansion Act (HR 2567) amends the National School Lunch Act to make it easier for schools to provide free meals to all students. It lowers the income threshold to 25% (from a higher previous rate) and increases the eligibility multiplier to 2.5 for school years starting July 1, 2023. This means school districts with 25% or more students from low-income families can now qualify for full federal funding to offer free meals to all students without requiring individual applications. The bill directly affects local school districts that choose to participate in the community eligibility program under the National School Lunch Act.

Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2023 This bill increases the number of residency positions eligible for graduate medical education payments under Medicare for qualifying hospitals, including hospitals in rural areas and health professional shortage areas. Current law provides for an increase of up to 200 positions per fiscal year beginning in FY2023, with a total increase of 1,000 positions; each hospital may receive up to 25 additional positions. Current law also provides for an additional increase of up to 200 positions for FY2026, with at least 100 of these positions for psychiatry or related specialties; each hospital may receive up to 10 additional positions. The bill provides for an additional increase of 2,000 positions per fiscal year from FY2025-FY2031; during this period, each hospital may receive up to 75 additional positions in total under the bill and current law. Additionally, one-third of the positions that are made available under the bill must be allocated to hospitals that are already operating above applicable resident limits. The bill also requires the Government Accountability Office to report on strategies to increase the diversity of the health professional workforce, including with respect to representation from rural, low-income, and minority communities.

Maddy summaryHR 1826 (PSA Screening for HIM Act) requires health insurance plans and issuers to cover prostate cancer screenings without out-of-pocket costs for men aged 40 and over who are at high risk of prostate cancer. This directly affects African-American men and men with a family history of prostate cancer (defined as having a first-degree relative diagnosed with or who died from prostate cancer). The bill mandates coverage for evidence-based screenings under the same requirements as other preventive services, effective for plan years starting January 1, 2024. It aims to address disparities in prostate cancer outcomes by removing financial barriers to early detection for high-risk groups.

Maddy summaryThe Women's Health Protection Act of 2023 would protect access to abortion services by prohibiting states from imposing restrictions that are more burdensome than those for comparable medical procedures. The bill would ensure people can obtain abortion services before fetal viability without unnecessary limitations like mandatory waiting periods or biased counseling, and after viability when necessary to protect the patient's life or health. It would preempt state laws that conflict with these protections and allow for civil enforcement actions to challenge restrictive state laws. This bill directly affects people seeking abortion services (including transgender and nonbinary individuals who can become pregnant), health care providers, and states that have implemented abortion restrictions.

Maddy summaryHR 1509 reauthorizes annual federal funding for the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI), which helps establish grocery stores and healthy food access in underserved communities. The bill mandates increasing annual funding from $25 million in fiscal year 2024 up to $50 million per year starting in 2028. This funding supports projects like new supermarkets in "food desert" areas, directly benefiting residents in low-income neighborhoods with limited grocery options. The initiative provides grants and loans to developers, aiming to improve nutrition access without changing existing program rules.

Maddy summaryHR 1465, "Violet’s Law," requires federal research facilities to establish standards for placing eligible animals (dogs, cats, primates, guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits) no longer needed for research with animal rescue organizations, sanctuaries, shelters, or individuals. Federal departments and agencies operating such facilities must create these placement standards within one year of the law's enactment. The law mandates that animals must be vet-certified as healthy (free of infectious disease or physical issues) before placement and prohibits facilities from using animals for commercial trade, breeding, or public exhibitions. This policy directly affects federal research facilities and aims to provide permanent homes for research animals through defined, safe pathways.

This bill provides specified funds to the 1890 Scholarships Program for FY2025 and each succeeding year for student scholarships. The bill also permanently reauthorizes the 1890 Scholarships Program. This National Institute of Food and Agriculture program provides grants to 1890 Institutions (i.e., historically Black colleges and universities that belong to the U.S. land-grant university system) for students who intend to pursue a career in the food and agricultural sciences.