Rep. Deborah K. Ross

Maddy summaryThe PREP Civics and Government Act (HR 1133) amends the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 to explicitly include "civics and government" as a subject within the humanities. This change allows the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities to fund educational programs focused on civics and government through existing grant programs. The bill directly affects the Foundation’s funding priorities and organizations applying for humanities grants, such as schools, museums, and community groups offering civics education. It does not create new funding but expands eligibility for current humanities grants to cover civics and government content.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates seven specific creeks in North Carolina with new names honoring individuals (Noah Styron Creek, Hunter Parks Creek, etc.), including their exact geographic coordinates. It updates all federal references in laws, maps, and documents to use these new names. The bill has no policy impact beyond renaming geographic features and affects no groups or programs. As a purely procedural naming resolution, it does not alter laws or regulations.

Maddy summaryHR 724, the Arctic Refuge Protection Act, repeals the existing oil and gas program for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska and designates approximately 1.56 million acres of the refuge's coastal plain as federal wilderness. This bill directly affects the Arctic Refuge by permanently prohibiting oil and gas leasing and development in that specific area. The key mechanism is adding the designated land to the National Wilderness Preservation System under the Wilderness Act, requiring it to be managed for its natural conditions. This change legally protects the area from future fossil fuel extraction activities.

Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection and Pollution Prevention Act This bill withdraws approximately 234,328 acres of federal land and waters in a specified area in the Rainy River Watershed of Superior National Forest in Minnesota from entry, appropriation, and disposal under the public land laws; location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and operation of the mineral leasing, mineral materials, and geothermal leasing laws. The area is adjacent to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Mining Protection Area. Land or interest in land within such area that is acquired by the United States shall be immediately withdrawn in accordance with this bill. The Forest Service is authorized to permit the removal of sand, granite, iron ore, and taconite from national forest system lands within such area if the removal is not detrimental to the water quality, air quality, and health of forest habitat within the Rainy River Watershed.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits the federal government from issuing oil and gas leases for exploration, development, or production on the outer Continental Shelf off the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington. It amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to specifically block the Secretary of the Interior from authorizing such leasing in those coastal areas. The direct effect is on the Department of the Interior, which would no longer be permitted to conduct lease sales in these regions. The bill does not create new programs or funding but changes existing leasing authority.

This resolution urges states that have not yet expanded Medicaid under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to do so. It also expresses support for H.R. 31, which establishes a demonstration program to allow local governments to provide health benefits to the Medicaid expansion population in states that have not expanded Medicaid.

Maddy summaryThis bill directs the Joint Committee of Congress on the Library to obtain a statue of Shirley Chisholm and place it permanently in the U.S. Capitol within two years of enactment. It authorizes the Architect of the Capitol to handle the agreement for the statue under the Committee's terms, with necessary funding approved as needed. The bill does not change laws or affect specific people or groups; it is a procedural measure to honor Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress, through a permanent Capitol display.

Maddy summaryHR 1082, the Military Sexual Trauma Retirement Equity Act, amends U.S. Code provisions to expand retirement benefits for military personnel and survivors affected by military sexual trauma. It replaces all references to "combat-related" with "trauma-related" in disability retirement eligibility, specifically including military sexual trauma as a qualifying condition under the Secretary of Veterans Affairs' determination. This change directly affects retired service members with trauma-related disabilities from military sexual trauma and their survivors, allowing them to access special retirement compensation previously limited to combat-related injuries. The bill makes a technical definitional adjustment to ensure these veterans receive equitable treatment under existing retirement benefit programs.

Maddy summaryHR 1088, the Shirley Chisholm Congressional Gold Medal Act, authorizes a posthumous Congressional Gold Medal to honor Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman elected to Congress (1968) and the first Black candidate for a major party's presidential nomination (1972). The bill directs the Treasury Secretary to design and strike a gold medal featuring Chisholm's image, which will be presented by Congress and then permanently displayed at the Smithsonian Institution. Duplicate bronze medals may be sold to the public to cover production costs, with proceeds deposited into the U.S. Mint fund. This bill commemorates Chisholm's legacy and achievements without creating new laws or affecting any current policies.

Maddy summaryThis bill authorizes a posthumous Congressional gold medal for Constance Baker Motley, a pioneering civil rights attorney and federal judge. It directs the Treasury to strike a gold medal featuring her image and name, to be presented to her son, Joel Motley III, and niece, Constance Royster. The medal is a commemorative tribute recognizing her historic contributions to civil rights and her service as the first African-American woman appointed to a federal judgeship. No new policies or programs are created; the bill solely honors her legacy through a commemorative medal.