Rep. Michael Lawler

Partner with Korea Act This bill creates an E-4 treaty trader visa category for up to 15,000 nationals of South Korea each fiscal year who are coming to the United States solely to perform specialty occupation services, subject to various requirements. The 15,000 limit shall only apply to principal recipients of such visas and not their accompanying spouses or children. (A specialty occupation is one that requires the theoretical and practical application of highly specialized knowledge and a bachelor's degree or higher.)

Maddy summaryHR 2854 requires the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator to submit a report to Congress within 180 days of the bill's enactment. The report must detail progress toward reducing global malaria cases and deaths by 90% by 2030, including specific data on malaria incidence and mortality rates. This bill does not change funding or programs but mandates a standardized assessment of U.S. malaria reduction efforts, directly affecting USAID's reporting obligations. It focuses on tracking measurable outcomes of existing U.S. initiatives like the President’s Malaria Initiative. The summary is based solely on the bill's reporting requirement (Section 3), not on policy changes or advocacy.

Maddy summary# Summary of the National Apprenticeship Act of 2023 This proposed legislation establishes a comprehensive framework to modernize and expand apprenticeship programs in the United States, creating a National Apprenticeship System designed to address current workforce needs and increase opportunities for underrepresented populations. ## Key Provisions ### System Framework - Establishes clear quality standards for apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, and youth apprenticeship programs - Requires programs to meet specific criteria including: - Minimum 2,000 hours of on-the-job learning (with flexibility for some occupations) - Structured related instruction (minimum 144 hours per year for time-based programs) - Progressive wage scales - Safety training and equipment - Equal opportunity for participation ### Program Types - **Apprenticeship Programs**: Time-based, competency-based, or hybrid models for full-time workers - **Pre-apprenticeship Programs**: Designed to prepare individuals without meeting minimum qualifications for apprenticeship - **Youth Apprenticeship Programs**: For high school students, integrating academic and work-based learning ### Diversity & Inclusion Requirements - Requires programs to actively recruit and support nontraditional apprenticeship populations: - Women, minorities, individuals with disabilities - Long-term unemployed - Individuals impacted by the criminal or juvenile justice system - Foster and former foster youth - Individuals with barriers to employment ### Registration & Oversight - Requires formal registration of programs with a registration agency - Mandates annual performance data collection and reporting - Establishes procedures for program review, technical assistance, and deregistration ### Grant Program (Title II) - Authorizes $4 billion over five years ($400M-$800M annually) for competitive grants - Funds will support: - Creation and expansion of apprenticeship programs in high-demand sectors - Encouraging employer participation, particularly with small- and medium-sized businesses - Supporting intermediaries (national and local) - Strengthening educational alignment with secondary and postsecondary systems ### Evaluation Requirements - Mandates independent evaluations of grant programs - Requires collection of disaggregated data by program type and demographic factors - Focuses on measuring outcomes including: - Program completion rates - Employment rates in related fields - Wage growth - Increased participation of underrepresented groups ### Conforming Amendments - Repeals outdated sections of the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act of 1998 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to align with the new apprenticeship system This legislation represents a significant investment in workforce development, aiming to create a more inclusive, high-quality apprenticeship system that responds to 21st-century labor market needs while expanding opportunities for historically underrepresented groups.

Maddy summaryHR 2845, the Enhancing K-12 Cybersecurity Act, creates a centralized School Cybersecurity Information Exchange website managed by CISA to provide K-12 schools, school districts, and state education agencies with tailored cybersecurity resources, best practices, and funding opportunities. It establishes a voluntary registry for schools to report cyber incidents (like ransomware attacks) and requires CISA to publish annual, anonymized reports on incident trends. The bill also funds a K-12 Cybersecurity Technology Improvement Program to deploy protective tools, offer training, and prevent threats, with $10 million authorized annually for 2024-2025. This directly supports schools in strengthening digital security for students and staff, focusing on practical, accessible solutions rather than legislative changes.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the Department of Defense to provide free, regular cancer screenings for its firefighters during annual health check-ups. It mandates specific screenings: mammograms for female firefighters (biannually for ages 40-49, annually for 50+), colon cancer tests for those 40+ (stool tests or visual exams for 45+), and prostate screenings for male firefighters (annual for 50+, high-risk individuals like African American firefighters or those with family history, or as clinically needed). Firefighters can opt out of any screening, and the program tracks participation rates and cancer trends while removing personal identifiers from data shared with the CDC for research. The law focuses on early detection for cancers linked to firefighting risks, with no cost to firefighters.

Maddy summaryHR 2386, the Community Wood Facilities Assistance Act of 2023, amends two existing federal grant programs to support forest products manufacturing. It increases annual funding from $25 million to $50 million for fiscal years 2024-2028 and shifts focus from energy projects to construction, use, or retrofitting of facilities that process forest products. The bill raises the maximum grant amount from $3.5 million to $5 million per project and adjusts technical requirements, such as increasing thermal energy thresholds and adding market competitiveness as a consideration. This directly affects forest products manufacturers, sawmills, and rural communities seeking to expand or modernize wood-processing facilities.

Maddy summaryHR 1788, the "Goldie’s Act," strengthens USDA enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act. It requires annual inspections of all regulated animal businesses (like dealers, research facilities, and exhibitors) and mandates immediate, humane confiscation of animals suffering due to violations, while prohibiting owners from destroying animals during this process. The bill increases civil penalties to $10,000 per violation, requires hearing panels including veterinarians, and mandates that penalties consider business size and violation severity. It also requires USDA to share violation records with local animal control within 24 hours.

Maddy summaryHR 1756, the Dairy Pricing Opportunity Act of 2023, requires the U.S. Department of Agriculture to hold national hearings within 180 days of enactment to review the Federal milk marketing system, specifically focusing on the formula used to set the Class I skim milk price (the price for milk used in fluid products like milk and cheese). The bill mandates that the Secretary of Agriculture collect input from dairy producers and the industry on this pricing formula and other related matters during these hearings. It also amends federal law to require dairy processors to report detailed cost and yield information for all products made at their facilities, with the Secretary required to publish reports on this data every two years. This bill directly affects dairy producers, processors, and the regulatory framework governing milk pricing.

Maddy summaryThe Military Family Nutrition Act of 2023 amends the Food and Nutrition Act to exclude a military member's basic housing allowance (BAH) from income calculations when determining eligibility for nutrition assistance programs like SNAP. This change directly affects military families who receive BAH as part of their housing benefit but currently have that allowance counted as income, potentially disqualifying them from food assistance. The key provision adds a specific exclusion for BAH paid to or on behalf of uniformed service members under Title 37, U.S. Code. As a result, military families will have their housing costs subtracted from their income for program eligibility, making it easier for them to qualify for nutrition support.

Maddy summaryThe Healthy H2O Act establishes a federal grant program to help rural households and facilities improve drinking water quality by covering costs for point-of-use or point-of-entry water treatment systems, filter replacements, and related services. It directly assists eligible end users in rural areas - including homeowners, renters, child-care facilities, and small residential property owners - who have tested water containing health contaminants like lead, arsenic, or PFAS, while prioritizing private well users and limiting assistance to households with income below 150% of the median nonmetropolitan household income. Grants can fund certified treatment systems, installation by qualified professionals, maintenance, and water quality testing, administered by the Department of Agriculture with $10 million annually from 2024-2028. The program requires annual reports to Congress on progress, barriers to safe water access, and trends in treatment technology use to inform future improvements.