Rep. Deborah K. Ross

Maddy summaryHRES 806 is a symbolic resolution designating October 2023 as "World Menopause Awareness Month" and expressing the House's support for improved global awareness and access to care during menopause. It highlights that menopause affects millions of women, with symptoms like hot flashes (experienced by 75% of U.S. women) and potential impacts on work productivity and health risks like heart disease. The resolution encourages the Health and Human Services, Defense, and Veterans Affairs secretaries to share menopause information, fund research, and update treatment tools to support women's health. It does not create new laws or funding but aims to raise awareness and guide existing agency efforts.

Maddy summaryHR 5976, the Youth Mental Health Research Act, establishes a new NIH research initiative led by the National Institute of Mental Health. The bill directs collaboration between three NIH institutes to coordinate research on youth mental health, focusing specifically on building community resilience for at-risk youth and improving how mental health services reach young people in schools, communities, and other settings where they live and work. It authorizes $100 million annually for fiscal years 2024 through 2028 to fund this research. The bill does not create direct services but aims to generate evidence to inform future mental health support strategies for young people.

Maddy summaryThe Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act (HR 6205) reallocates unused employment-based immigrant visas from fiscal years 1992-2021 to directly support foreign nurses and physicians seeking permanent residency in the U.S. It creates 40,000 new visas - 25,000 for nurses and 15,000 for physicians - available only to those with petitions filed within three years of the bill’s enactment. The bill includes expedited processing without fees, exempts these visas from country limits, and requires employers to attest that hiring foreign workers won’t displace U.S. workers. This policy change specifically targets healthcare staffing shortages by streamlining pathways for qualified foreign healthcare professionals.

Maddy summaryHRES 831 is a symbolic congressional resolution supporting October as "National Domestic Violence Awareness Month." It does not create new laws or allocate funding, but formally expresses the House of Representatives' support for the goals of raising awareness about domestic violence. The resolution urges Congress to continue highlighting domestic violence's impact and backing programs that prevent and address it. It directly affects public awareness efforts and serves as a non-binding statement of congressional support for victims and advocacy organizations.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the Department of Defense (DoD) to request state or EPA permit modifications for military facilities to mandate quarterly testing of PFAS chemicals in stormwater runoff and implement controls to reduce discharges. It directly affects DoD facilities, which use PFAS-containing firefighting foams, and the states or EPA issuing their stormwater permits. Key provisions include a one-year deadline for permit revisions (requiring quarterly PFAS monitoring and best management practices) and dedicating at least 1% of annual PFAS remediation funds for stormwater testing at military sites. The bill aims to reduce PFAS pollution from military operations into waterways through enforceable monitoring and control measures.

Maddy summaryThe SCEE Act (HR 5899) increases annual funding for the Southeastern Crescent Regional Commission from $5 million to $10 million per year (2024-2028) and expands eligible uses for economic development grants. It adds provisions to fund climate-adaptive infrastructure, housing projects meeting workforce needs, and workforce capacity programs. The bill also raises required matching funds for some grants from 80% to 90% and extends commission funding through 2032 with higher annual allocations ($50 million for 2024-2027, $60 million for 2028-2032). This directly affects designated states in the Southeastern Crescent region (as defined in Title 40, U.S. Code) by providing increased resources for local economic development initiatives.

Maddy summaryThis bill restores federal student loans for graduate and professional students by temporarily reinstating eligibility for Federal Direct Stafford Loans, which was previously terminated. It applies directly to graduate students who were excluded from these loans, preventing them from accumulating additional debt. The change is temporary, ending on or before June 30, 2023, and modifies specific provisions of the Higher Education Act without requiring additional rulemaking.

Transportation Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to establish a grant program for protection and advocacy (P&A) systems to advocate for individuals with disabilities to access transportation. (Each state has a designated P&A system that protects and advocates for the rights of individuals with disabilities.)  The bill directs DOT to select 10 P&A systems to receive five-year grants. Grant recipients must submit an annual report documenting the work they have done to address the barriers to accessing transportation for individuals with disabilities. Further, DOT must award one grant annually to a national organization with extensive knowledge of P&A systems to provide training and technical assistance to the systems.

Maddy summaryThe Rape Kit Backlog Progress Act of 2023 requires states and local governments receiving federal crime-fighting grants to conduct comprehensive inventories of all sexual assault kits (both tested and untested) and report key details to the Attorney General. It mandates that jurisdictions document victim consent for testing, upload DNA results to the national CODIS database, establish electronic tracking systems for victims, and implement victim notification protocols. States must submit these reports annually to maintain eligibility for federal grants, with the Attorney General publishing a public annual report on backlog status and compliance. This law directly affects state/local law enforcement agencies and prosecutors handling sexual assault cases, aiming to improve transparency and accountability in processing evidence.

Maddy summaryHRES 794 is a symbolic resolution recognizing October as "National Learning Disabilities Awareness Month." It does not create new policies, allocate funding, or directly affect students or schools. The resolution cites statistics about learning disabilities (e.g., 34% of students in special education have specific learning disabilities, and over 95% of affected 4th/8th graders were not reading proficient in 2022) to contextualize the recognition. The House formally acknowledges the importance of raising awareness about learning disabilities through this annual observance.