Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez

Maddy summaryThis bill ratifies a water rights settlement agreement between the Navajo Nation, the State of New Mexico, and other parties for the Rio San José Stream System. It establishes a $223.27 million trust fund (with $200.27 million from federal funds) to support water infrastructure projects, water rights management, and environmental compliance on Navajo Nation lands. The agreement resolves longstanding water rights claims for the Navajo Nation, confirms their water rights in the Rio San José Stream System and Rio Puerco Basin, and includes protections for allottee water rights. The settlement becomes effective on the "Enforceability Date" after certain conditions are met, including court approval and fund deposits.

Maddy summaryThe Ohkay Owingeh Rio Chama Water Rights Settlement Act of 2025 resolves water rights claims for the federally recognized Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo in New Mexico's Rio Chama Stream System. It establishes a $745 million Trust Fund to support water infrastructure, land acquisition, and management, with specific guidelines for how these funds can be used for projects like bosque restoration and water rights management. The bill includes a waiver of claims by the Pueblo in exchange for recognized water rights, while preserving certain environmental and cultural rights through specific reservations. The settlement becomes effective on an "Enforceability Date" when specific conditions are met, including court approval and fund deposits.

Maddy summaryHR 1330 establishes the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino, authorizing its location within the National Mall's "Reserve" area. The bill requires the Smithsonian Board to coordinate with federal agencies managing potential museum sites, including notifying relevant congressional committees before land transfers. It mandates that the museum's exhibits and programs accurately represent the diverse cultures, histories, and viewpoints of Hispanic and Latino communities in the U.S., seeking input from a broad range of community experts. The Smithsonian must also submit regular reports to Congress detailing compliance with these representation requirements.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a final settlement of water rights for the Pueblo of Acoma, Pueblo of Laguna, Pueblo of Jemez, and Pueblo of Zia in New Mexico. It ratifies agreements that recognize specific water rights in the Rio San José Stream System and Jemez River Stream System, creating trust funds to support water infrastructure and management. The bill provides $296 million for Acoma, $464 million for Laguna, $290 million for Jemez, and $200 million for Zia, with additional state contributions for water projects. It includes mechanisms to waive certain claims in exchange for these water rights and establishes procedures for environmental compliance and dispute resolution. The settlement becomes effective on the "Enforceability Date" when specific conditions are met, including court approval and fund deposits.

Maddy summaryThis bill proposes a constitutional amendment stating that only "natural persons" (living humans) have rights protected by the U.S. Constitution, explicitly denying constitutional rights to corporations, LLCs, and other artificial entities. It would require governments to regulate campaign contributions and spending to prevent money from influencing elections, banning the view that spending to influence elections constitutes protected speech under the First Amendment. The amendment would not affect the constitutional right to a free press. This change would directly impact how corporations and other non-human entities can legally challenge laws or regulations in court.

Rural Obstetrics Readiness Act This bill creates and expands federal grant programs within the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to increase capacity to provide emergency obstetric health services in rural areas or areas without practitioners or facilities specializing in obstetric services.  Specifically, HRSA must establish a program for providing grants to certain hospitals or consortiums that include hospitals in rural areas or areas with maternal health care professional shortages for training, developing a workforce, and purchasing equipment relating to obstetric emergencies. In addition, the bill requires HRSA’s Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health Capacity program to provide grants for training on emergency obstetric services for practitioners in rural health care facilities without dedicated obstetric units. HRSA must also establish a pilot program to provide grants to government entities for developing or improving telehealth access programs to support urgent maternal health care in rural facilities without a dedicated obstetric unit.

Maddy summaryThis bill restricts access to Treasury payment systems (including the Bureau of the Fiscal Service) to only Treasury employees with a "fully successful" performance rating and at least one year of civil service, or contractors/outsiders with security clearances, required privacy/cybersecurity training, ethics agreements, and no conflicts of interest. It treats non-government users accessing these systems as government employees for ethics rules and defines specific actions (like stopping payments) as "personal and substantial participation" in government matters. The Treasury Inspector General must investigate any unauthorized access within 30 days and report to Congress, detailing the breach, security risks, and any halted payments. The bill directly affects Treasury staff, contractors, and any external entities accessing federal payment systems.

Maddy summaryHR 965, the Housing Unhoused Disabled Veterans Act, amends the U.S. Housing Act of 1937 to exclude certain disability benefits from income calculations for housing assistance. Specifically, it removes benefits received under Chapters 11 or 15 of Title 38 (veterans' disability compensation) from income counts for the Section 8 supported housing program and eligibility for other housing assistance. This change directly helps disabled veterans receiving these benefits by making them more likely to qualify for HUD-administered housing programs. The bill applies to veterans renting residential units on Department property under HUD housing assistance programs established after the bill's enactment.

Maddy summaryThis proposed bill (HR 220) would expand VA healthcare benefits to cover infertility treatments like in vitro fertilization (IVF) and fertility preservation services for veterans with infertility or at risk of infertility (e.g., due to medical treatments), and their partners. It limits VA coverage to three successful IVF cycles or ten attempts, requires consent from veterans, partners, and donors, and allows use of donated eggs or embryos. Partners would receive travel reimbursement as if they were veterans, and temporary rules during implementation will immediately allow partners to access care without marriage requirements. The bill clarifies VA isn’t required to cover maternity care beyond existing rules and defers full implementation until VA issues final regulations within one year of enactment.

Maddy summaryHR 1153, the Rural Physician Workforce Production Act of 2025, provides additional Medicare payments to hospitals training medical residents in rural areas to address physician shortages. Hospitals can receive payments equal to the difference between rural training costs (based on 2015 GAO data adjusted for inflation) and standard graduate medical education payments, for residents spending at least 8 weeks in rural settings. It specifically supports hospitals with residency programs where over 50% of training occurs in rural locations, regardless of specialty or training site. This bill directly affects eligible hospitals, including critical access and rural emergency hospitals, by incentivizing rural physician training through updated Medicare funding mechanisms.