Rep. Josh Gottheimer

Maddy summaryHR 269, the Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg Congressional Gold Medal Act, authorizes a single gold medal to be awarded to Jens Stoltenberg in recognition of his service as NATO Secretary General from 2014 to 2024. The bill cites his leadership in expanding NATO membership, increasing defense spending by member nations (including 23 countries meeting the 2% target by 2024), strengthening partnerships with Indo-Pacific nations, and coordinating international support for Ukraine after Russia’s 2022 invasion. This commemorative act does not create new policy or affect any laws, as it solely provides a symbolic honor through a gold medal. The medal will be struck by the U.S. Mint, with bronze duplicates available for sale to cover costs.

Maddy summaryHR 298 removes legal restrictions on U.S. defense exports and security assistance to the Republic of Cyprus. The bill amends two key laws: it eliminates provisions in the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act that previously prohibited certain defense articles for Cyprus, and it deletes requirements in the Foreign Assistance Act regarding security assistance and sales to Cyprus. These changes directly affect U.S. defense contractors and security agencies by removing barriers to selling defense equipment and providing security aid to Cyprus. The bill does not create new programs but modifies existing legal frameworks to allow greater flexibility in U.S. defense and security engagement with Cyprus.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies tax incentives to increase affordable housing near military installations. It excludes military housing allowances (payments under 37 U.S.C. § 403) from income calculations when determining eligibility for low-income housing tax credits, directly helping service members and their families qualify for affordable housing. It also designates buildings within 15 miles of large military installations (valued over $2.833 billion) as "difficult development areas" for tax credit purposes, encouraging developers to build in these areas. The bill does not require such housing to be occupied solely by military members. These changes apply to tax credit determinations made after the bill's enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases healthcare affordability for low- and middle-income people by expanding eligibility for premium tax credits under the Affordable Care Act. It removes the previous 400% of poverty level cap for subsidy eligibility and replaces it with a new sliding scale based on income tiers, ranging from 0% to 8.5% of household income for coverage costs. The scale adjusts linearly across income levels, with households earning 300-400% of poverty paying 6.0%-8.5% of income (up from the prior fixed 400% cap), while lower-income households pay progressively less. These changes apply to tax years beginning after December 31, 2025, directly affecting individuals purchasing health insurance through marketplace plans.

Preserving Safe Communities by Ending Swatting Act of 2025 This bill makes it a crime to intentionally convey false or misleading information in circumstances where the information may reasonably be expected to cause an emergency response and the information indicates the occurrence of criminal conduct or a threat to health or safety (commonly referred to as swatting ).

Maddy summaryThe ESCRA Act (HR 306) targets fraudulent credit repair practices by prohibiting credit repair organizations from charging upfront fees before delivering results, requiring them to provide consumers with a credit report showing successful changes at least six months after service. It bans misleading claims about services and mandates clear disclosures (e.g., "credit repair organizations don’t provide services you can’t do yourself for free") while requiring written contracts detailing all communications. The bill also sets strict rules for submitting disputes to credit bureaus, including labeling communications as "submitted by a credit repair organization" and preventing "jamming" (repeated disputes without justification). These changes directly affect credit repair companies and consumers, aiming to reduce scams in the credit repair industry.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows disabled veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities to use HOV lanes as single-occupant vehicles. It requires a special license plate, transponder, or other identification approved by the transportation authority. Disabled veterans meeting VA disability rating thresholds (defined in the bill) can use HOV lanes without paying tolls, bypassing standard occupancy rules. The law amends federal transportation code to add this exception for disabled veterans under specific identification and disability criteria.

Maddy summaryThis resolution symbolically recognizes Russian actions in Ukraine as genocide, based on documented atrocities including mass killings, attacks on civilians and infrastructure, deliberate deprivation of necessities, and forced transfers of Ukrainians. It directly affects Ukraine as the targeted group and calls on the U.S. government to support Ukraine with allies and back international tribunals. The resolution condemns Russia for these acts, urges U.S. action to prevent further genocide, and supports holding Russian leaders accountable. As a symbolic resolution (not a law), it has no legal force but expresses congressional stance. It aligns with the Genocide Convention's definition of genocide through specific evidence cited in the text.

Maddy summaryHR 82, the Social Security Fairness Act of 2023, repeals two provisions that reduce Social Security benefits for certain government workers. It eliminates the Government Pension Offset (GPO), which cuts spousal or survivor benefits for people with pensions from jobs not covered by Social Security (like federal or state government roles), and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), which lowers retirement benefits for those with similar pensions. The law takes effect for benefits paid after December 2023, requiring the Social Security Administration to adjust benefit calculations to remove these reductions. This change directly affects public-sector employees who previously had their Social Security benefits reduced due to their government pensions.

Maddy summaryThis bill (HR 7607) renames a specific U.S. Postal Service facility in Cape May County, New Jersey, to honor George Henry White. The building at Block 1025, Lots 18 & 19, at the northeast corner of US Route 9 South and Main Street in Middle Township will officially be called the "George Henry White Post Office Building." All official U.S. government references to this location - such as in laws, maps, or documents - will be updated to reflect the new name. This is a procedural designation with no policy changes, solely updating the building's official title.