Rep. Maggie Goodlander

Maddy summaryHR 3791, the EMS Counts Act, requires the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to revise its job classification system to properly count dual-role firefighter/EMTs and firefighter/paramedics as EMS personnel. This directly affects how national workforce data on emergency medical services is collected, correcting a current undercount that excludes these workers. The bill mandates the Secretary of Labor to add specific occupational categories ("Firefighter/EMTs" and "Firefighter/Paramedics") to the BLS system within 120 days of enactment. A report detailing this change and past efforts to improve EMS counting must be submitted to Congress within 270 days. The law aims to ensure accurate data for federal agencies to better address EMS workforce needs during emergencies.

Maddy summaryThis bill directs the Department of Defense to study providing apartment or dormitory housing for civilian workers at four specific naval shipyards: Norfolk (VA), Pearl Harbor (HI), Portsmouth (ME), and Puget Sound (WA). The study must assess costs, recruitment/retention benefits, feasibility at each location, operational impacts, and rent deduction options. It requires a report to Congress within 18 months, but does not authorize or implement housing. The bill affects civilian shipyard workers at these facilities by triggering a federal review of potential housing solutions.

Maddy summaryHRES 473 is a non-binding House resolution calling on the U.S. government to urgently use diplomatic efforts to ensure food and medical supplies reach civilians in Gaza. It directly addresses the needs of approximately 2.2 million Palestinians facing acute hunger, including 10,000 children identified with acute malnutrition, following a border blockade that blocked aid from March to May 2025. The resolution specifically urges the White House and State Department to secure "immediate and secure delivery and disbursement" of aid and a lasting end to the conflict, citing collapsed bakeries, exhausted food rations, and a near-total health system collapse.

Maddy summaryHR 1816, the WOSB Accountability Act, changes how the federal government counts women-owned small businesses (WOSBs) for contracting goals. It removes self-certified WOSBs (businesses claiming to be women-owned without formal SBA review) from federal goal calculations, requiring formal certification by the Small Business Administration (SBA) or an approved entity instead. The bill creates a transition period for businesses already self-certified before the law takes effect, allowing them to count toward goals until SBA reviews their applications. It also mandates quarterly reports to Congress on certification applications, processing times, costs, and outreach efforts to track implementation. This focuses on improving accountability in meeting federal contracting goals for women-owned businesses.

Maddy summaryHR 1642, the Connecting Small Businesses with Career and Technical Education Graduates Act of 2025, requires Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) and Women’s Business Centers (WBCs) to help small businesses connect with career and technical education (CTE) programs. Specifically, SBDCs must provide small businesses with information on hiring CTE graduates and relevant programs, while WBCs must do the same for women-owned businesses. The bill also directs these centers to connect businesses with CTE programs to help students and graduates find jobs. This directly affects small businesses (and women-owned businesses for WBCs), CTE programs, and their graduates by creating formal pathways for hiring. The policy change mandates new duties for existing centers under the Small Business Act, without altering funding or creating new programs.

Maddy summaryHR 1634, the *ThinkDIFFERENTLY About Disability Employment Act*, requires the Small Business Administration (SBA) to partner with the National Council on Disability to improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities. It directs the SBA to assist individuals with disabilities in becoming entrepreneurs or finding jobs at small businesses, while also helping small businesses hire them and address accessibility needs. The SBA must establish memoranda of understanding for these activities, conduct outreach, and submit a detailed report to Congress within two years on progress and future plans. The bill uses existing SBA resources without authorizing new funding, focusing on coordination and reporting to expand employment pathways.

Maddy summaryHR 1621, the Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Reporting Act of 2025, requires the Small Business Administration (SBA) to submit a detailed report to Congress within 180 days of the bill's enactment. The report must assess challenges faced by entrepreneurs with disabilities in starting and running businesses, describe current SBA resources and outreach efforts, identify deficiencies in support, and provide recommendations for legislative improvements. This bill directly affects the SBA’s reporting obligations and does not authorize new funding (as stated in Section 2(b)). It focuses on gathering data to inform future policy, without creating new programs or altering existing ones. The summary covers the bill’s specific requirements for the SBA’s report, not potential outcomes.

Maddy summaryHR 787, the Plain Language in Contracting Act, requires federal agencies to write contracting notices for small businesses in clear, concise language that follows existing federal plain language guidelines. It mandates that these notices include key words to help small businesses easily identify and understand opportunities on the government's single point of entry for contracts (as defined in 41 U.S.C. § 1708). The Small Business Administration must issue implementing rules within 90 days of the bill's enactment. This law directly affects small businesses seeking government contracts and federal agencies publishing contracting notices, aiming to make the process more accessible.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires federal agencies to publicly explain why they cancel small business procurement bids and share plans for reissuing them or using the requirements elsewhere. It directly affects small businesses that prepared bids for cancelled solicitations by mandating agencies to provide written justifications for cancellations and share reissuance timelines. If an agency won't reissue a cancelled bid, the bill requires referring affected small businesses to agency staff who help identify similar future opportunities. All disclosure information must be posted on a central federal website within 180 days of the bill's enactment. The law does not create new funding but sets clear transparency requirements for existing contracting processes.

Maddy summaryHR 3694, the VALID Act of 2025, requires lenders to include specific information about VA loans in mortgage disclosures. It amends the National Housing Act to mandate that disclosures state the loan-to-value ratio and clarify that VA loans are available under Chapter 37 of Title 38 (veterans' benefits law), assuming prevailing interest rates. The bill also requires the Federal Housing Finance Agency to add a military service question to the Uniform Residential Loan Application form, placing it above the signature line within six months of enactment. This directly affects veterans and active-duty service members applying for VA-guaranteed mortgages, as well as the lenders processing those applications.