Rep. Jamaal Bowman

Maddy summaryThe Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to better serve children and youth who are deaf, hard of hearing, deafdisabled, blind, visually impaired, or deafblind. It requires states to identify and provide appropriate services to these students regardless of how they're classified in disability categories, ensures access to language instruction in the student's primary language (including American Sign Language), and mandates improved data collection about these students. The bill establishes the Anne Sullivan Macy Center on Visual Disability and Educational Excellence to support research, training, and program development for blind and visually impaired students. These changes aim to improve educational outcomes by addressing the unique language, communication, and learning needs of students with sensory disabilities through concrete policy changes to IDEA.

Guaranteed Income Pilot Program Act of 2023 This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish and implement a three-year pilot program to provide a guaranteed monthly income to individual taxpayers between the ages of 18-65. HHS must consult with the Internal Revenue Service and certain nonpartisan and nonprofit agencies or academic institutions with expertise in social science experimentation to develop and award income subsidies to eligible taxpayers and to conduct a study on the outcomes of the program.

Maddy summaryThe WIC for Kids Act expands eligibility for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) by adding new qualifying pathways. It allows children to qualify if they live in households where someone receives Head Start, Indian reservation food assistance, or Puerto Rico/Northern Mariana Islands nutrition block grants, and streamlines documentation by permitting states to use existing records. The bill extends certification periods for children from one to two years and automatically enrolls infants born to current WIC participants. This directly affects low-income families with children who qualify for related assistance programs but previously faced barriers to WIC access.

Maddy summaryHRES 702 is a symbolic House resolution (not a binding law) expressing the House's "sense" that the federal government should develop a "restaurant workers' bill of rights." It does not create new policies but calls for future legislation to address systemic issues affecting restaurant workers, including low wages, lack of healthcare access, discrimination, unsafe conditions, and inadequate leave. The resolution outlines five key areas for such future legislation: ensuring fair pay and economic security, paid leave and predictable schedules, safe workplaces, healthcare access (including reproductive care), and protections for organizing and voting. It specifically references existing bills (like the LIFT the BAR Act and EACH Act) as potential models for this future framework. The resolution directly affects the 12.5 million U.S. restaurant workers, who face disproportionate poverty, discrimination, and workplace hazards.

Maddy summaryThe Agricultural Worker Justice Act (HR 4978) improves working conditions for agricultural and meatpacking workers through several key provisions. It requires USDA to only purchase from entities paying prevailing wages (based on local rates and collective bargaining agreements), prohibits stock buybacks by USDA-funded companies, and creates a list of companies with labor violations that would be ineligible for USDA contracts. The bill establishes new safety standards for meatpacking plants including restrictions on line speeds (requiring safety inspections before increases), requirements for toilet facilities, and enhanced protections for workers reporting safety concerns. It also mandates a GAO report on racial disparities in meatpacking employment and authorizes $400 million for local food purchase programs. The bill directly affects meatpacking facilities, agricultural businesses receiving USDA funds, and the workers employed in these industries.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends the Higher Education Act to require all U.S. colleges and universities receiving federal financial aid to create detailed anti-harassment policies covering physical, online, and institution-sponsored settings. It mandates policies prohibiting harassment based on race, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), disability, religion, and other protected characteristics, including harassment via institutional email, computers, or electronic messaging. The bill also establishes a $50 million annual grant program to fund colleges developing prevention programs, victim support services, and training for students and staff on recognizing and addressing harassment. These policies and grants must comply with existing civil rights laws like Title IX but add specific requirements for reporting and prevention.

Maddy summaryThe Algorithmic Accountability Act of 2023 requires companies with over $50 million in annual revenue or that handle data for more than 1 million consumers to assess how their automated decision systems might negatively impact people before and after deployment. These companies must document potential biases related to protected characteristics like race, gender, and age, and submit annual summary reports to the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC will create a public repository with anonymized information about these systems to help consumers understand how automated decisions affect critical areas like housing, employment, and healthcare. The law aims to increase transparency around automated decision-making while requiring companies to implement measures for consumers to contest or appeal decisions.

Maddy summaryHR 5606, the Future Generations Protection Act, prohibits new fossil fuel infrastructure and exports to accelerate the transition to clean energy. It bans greenhouse gas emissions from new fossil fuel power plants, blocks approvals for new LNG terminals (with limited emissions-reduction exceptions), and prohibits hydraulic fracturing by 2027. The bill also bans most exports of domestically produced crude oil and natural gas, except for limited cases involving Canada and Mexico. These provisions directly affect energy companies, LNG developers, and oil/gas producers, aiming to reduce fossil fuel reliance while prioritizing environmental justice and worker transitions.

Ban All Neurotoxic Organophosphate Pesticides From Our Food Act or the BAN OPs From Our Food Act This bill prohibits any organophosphate pesticides in food. (The Environmental Protection Agency banned chlorpyrifos, a type of organophosphate pesticide, from food in February 2022.)

Maddy summaryHR 5610 establishes a 15-member Commission to examine historical discrimination against LGBTQ+ service members and veterans. The Commission will document policies targeting LGBTQ+ individuals in the military since WWII, gather testimonies from affected veterans, and analyze impacts on mental health, benefits access, and financial stability. It must hold public hearings, examine how discrimination affected racial minorities and women within the military, and recommend solutions like record corrections, improved benefits for LGBTQ+ veterans, and better diversity training. The Commission will submit a final report to Congress within one year, proposing concrete steps to address past harms and improve inclusion in the military.