Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez

Maddy summaryThe Raise the Wage Act of 2025 gradually increases the federal minimum wage from $9.50 to $17.00 per hour over six years, with annual adjustments based on median wage growth. It raises the base wage for tipped workers from $6.00 to $17.00 per hour, phasing out their separate minimum wage structure by 2029. The bill also eliminates special minimum wage certificates for disabled workers after 2029, requiring employers to pay the standard minimum wage. These changes apply to most covered workers, including tipped employees and those under 20, with specific transition timelines for each group.

Maddy summaryHR 2727, the Pecos Watershed Protection Act, designates approximately 11,599 acres in New Mexico's Pecos Watershed as the Thompson Peak Wilderness Area and withdraws that federal land from new mining and mineral leasing. It directly affects federal land management in the Pecos Watershed by blocking new mining claims, mineral leasing, and mineral development on the designated wilderness area. The bill incorporates the area into the National Wilderness Preservation System under the Wilderness Act, maintaining existing grazing rights and state authority over fish and wildlife management. It also clarifies that nonwilderness activities outside the area (like logging or recreation) can continue without restriction based on proximity to the wilderness boundary.

Maddy summaryHR 2682, the STOP Bullying Act, requires each state to establish a state anti-bullying task force using federal grants. The task force must study bullying in K-12 schools, including policies, education efforts, and bullying-related violence or self-harm, and include specific members like teachers, students, parents, psychologists, and LGBTQ+ advocates. States must submit a public report with findings, recommendations for legislation or actions, and best practices for addressing bullying within one year. This bill directly affects all public K-12 schools and students across the country, particularly focusing on reducing bullying against marginalized groups like LGBTQ+ students, Jewish students, and students with disabilities. The law creates a structured process for states to develop evidence-based anti-bullying strategies but does not provide direct funding for school programs.

Maddy summaryThe Tax Fairness for Workers Act (HR 2671) would allow certain employees to deduct work-related expenses directly from their gross income. Specifically, it creates an above-the-line deduction for union dues (amending IRC Section 62(a)(1)) and reinstates a deduction for other out-of-pocket work costs like uniforms or tools (amending IRC Section 67(g)), effective for 2025 tax years. This directly affects union members and workers with significant job-related expenses who previously could not deduct these costs. The bill removes the prior limitation that barred these deductions, making them available without needing to itemize. The policy change simplifies tax filing for affected workers by treating these expenses as deductible business costs.

Maddy summaryThis bill, HR 2102 (Major Richard Star Act), allows veterans with combat-related disabilities to receive both full military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation simultaneously, without the previous offset that reduced retired pay. It directly affects veterans already eligible for both benefits due to combat-related injuries, removing the requirement that their retired pay be reduced by the disability compensation amount. The key provision amends Title 10 and Title 38 to eliminate the offset rule (sections 5304 and 5305 of Title 38) for these veterans. The change applies to payments starting after the bill’s enactment date, effective for all qualifying veterans. This is a policy change to increase financial support for affected veterans, not a new benefit.

Maddy summaryHR 2639, the Telehealth Access for Tribal Communities Act of 2025, permanently expands Medicare telehealth coverage for services provided by Indian health programs and urban Indian organizations. It allows these services to be delivered from any location within the U.S. (including patients' homes) starting April 1, 2025, and includes audio-only telehealth as a covered option. This directly affects tribal communities by removing location restrictions and expanding access to remote healthcare through their existing Indian health programs. The bill modifies Medicare rules to make these telehealth flexibilities permanent, ensuring continued coverage for eligible tribal patients.

Maddy summaryThis bill authorizes $250 million annually for four years to help schools on federally impacted lands (like tribal reservations and military bases) improve aging infrastructure. It creates two grant types: formula grants for schools with no bond capacity and competitive grants prioritizing schools with urgent safety issues like unsafe buildings or lack of clean water. Local schools must contribute 10-25% of project costs based on their "learning opportunity threshold," with the highest-priority schools receiving full federal funding. Funds can be used for construction, renovation, and repair to meet safety standards and improve learning environments. The bill addresses the significant infrastructure challenges reported by 65% of schools with facilities in poor condition.

Maddy summaryThe IDEA Full Funding Act (HR 2598) mandates specific annual federal funding levels for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), directly affecting schools and students with disabilities nationwide. It requires the federal government to appropriate either a fixed dollar amount or a specified percentage (increasing annually from 4.5% to 40%) of a calculated total - based on the number of eligible students and average per-pupil costs - starting in fiscal year 2026 through 2035. The bill sets clear, escalating funding targets, with the higher of two calculated amounts (dollar figure or percentage) becoming available for obligation each fiscal year. This establishes a binding financial commitment to address long-standing underfunding of special education services under IDEA.

Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act This bill requires the Department of Labor to address workplace violence in health care, social service, and similar sectors. Specifically, Labor must issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires certain employers to take actions to protect workers and other personnel from workplace violence. The standard applies to employers in the health care sector, in the social service sector, and in sectors that conduct activities similar to those in the health care and social service sectors. Among other elements, the standard must require each employer to (1) develop a workplace violence prevention plan, (2) promptly investigate incidents of workplace violence, and (3) provide relevant training and education to employees.  The bill requires certain hospitals and skilled nursing facilities to comply with this standard as a condition of Medicare participation.

Maddy summaryHR 2485, the Arts Education for All Act, requires states and school districts to integrate arts education into K-12 curricula and report on its availability. It mandates states to describe how they will support arts courses, increase certified arts educators (especially in high-need schools), and use arts to enhance teaching in core subjects like math and science (Section 202). Schools must track and report on arts course offerings, teacher qualifications, and student access - including disaggregated data by school poverty levels (Section 203). The bill also expands arts access in juvenile justice programs (Section 301) and funds research on effective arts education methods (Section 401). It directly affects public schools, arts educators, and youth in after-school and correctional settings.