Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez

Maddy summaryThe PAST Act of 2025 amends the Horse Protection Act to ban harmful practices known as "soring," which deliberately cause pain to horses to exaggerate their gait for shows. It specifically prohibits devices like action devices (e.g., boots causing friction) and weighted shoes on Tennessee Walking Horses, Racking Horses, and Spotted Saddle Horses at events. The bill increases penalties, including escalating disqualifications for repeat offenses (180 days → 1 year → 3 years) and raises fines for violations to $5,000 per offense. It also requires stricter licensing for inspectors and mandates public posting of violation records to help event organizers enforce rules.

Maddy summaryThe American Dream and Promise Act of 2025 would create pathways to permanent residency for certain immigrant youth who entered the U.S. as children (Dream Act component) and for individuals from countries with Temporary Protected Status or Deferred Enforced Departure (American Promise Act component). To qualify, applicants must meet continuous physical presence requirements (since January 1, 2021 for Dream Act applicants, and for 3+ years for American Promise applicants), pass background checks, and satisfy educational or employment criteria. Conditional permanent resident status would be granted initially, with the option to convert to full permanent residency after meeting additional requirements like earning a degree, serving in the military for two years, or demonstrating three years of earned income. The bill includes fee exemptions for low-income applicants, establishes a grant program to assist applicants with legal help, and creates specific procedures for background checks and appeals.

Maddy summaryHR 1638, the CROWN Act of 2025, prohibits discrimination based on hair texture or hairstyle that is commonly associated with race or national origin, particularly affecting Black individuals who wear natural or protective styles like braids, locs, cornrows, twists, or Afros. The bill explicitly expands protections under existing federal civil rights laws (including the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Fair Housing Act) to cover hair-based discrimination in federally funded programs, housing, public accommodations, employment, and equal rights. It requires schools, employers, and other entities receiving federal funds to eliminate grooming policies that disproportionately target these hairstyles. The law clarifies that such discrimination violates federal law and provides enforcement through existing civil rights mechanisms.

Maddy summaryHRES 165 is a symbolic resolution expressing the U.S. House of Representatives' support for designating February 28, 2025, as Community Arts Education Day. It highlights community arts education's role in fostering creativity, cultural understanding, and community engagement across diverse settings. The resolution does not create new laws, funding, or obligations - it serves only as a formal acknowledgment of the practice's value. As a procedural resolution, it has no direct policy impact but aims to raise awareness of arts education's benefits.

Maddy summaryHR 1567 requires the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study assessing the feasibility of establishing the African Burial Ground International Memorial Museum and Educational Center at New York City's African Burial Ground National Monument. The study will examine factors like available collections (including DNA samples from remains), potential locations (such as 22 Reade Street), community involvement, financial planning, and collaboration opportunities with institutions like the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The Secretary must submit a report to Congress within three years, detailing findings on costs, location options, and recommendations for the museum's potential development. This bill does not create the museum but sets the process for evaluating its future establishment.

Maddy summaryEthan's Law requires gun owners to store firearms securely in homes where minors live or where residents are legally prohibited from owning guns. It makes it unlawful to leave firearms unsecured if a minor or ineligible person could access them, with fines of $500 per violation and harsher penalties if injury or death occurs. The bill creates a federal grant program to help states implement similar secure storage laws and treats unsafe storage as negligence in legal cases. It directly affects households with children or residents who cannot legally possess firearms, aiming to reduce accidental shootings and unauthorized access.

Maddy summaryThis bill changes how women-owned small businesses (WOSBs) are counted in federal contracting goals. It excludes businesses that self-certify as WOSBs (without formal SBA approval) from government-wide and agency goals until they receive official certification from the Small Business Administration (SBA) or an approved entity. Businesses that self-certified before the effective date and applied for formal certification by that date will be treated as certified during the SBA’s review period. The SBA must issue implementing regulations within one year and provide quarterly reports to Congress on certification applications, processing timelines, and outreach efforts.

Maddy summaryHR 1568 would establish the African Burial Ground International Memorial Museum and Educational Center at the National Historic Landmark site in Lower Manhattan, New York City, honoring the approximately 20,000 enslaved Africans buried there. The museum would examine African cultural traditions brought to the U.S. by enslaved people, explore the institution of slavery through exhibits and educational programs, and be associated with the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The National Park Service would operate the museum, with the Secretary of the Interior managing the facility in consultation with an advisory council composed of federal, state, and local officials. The bill authorizes $15 million for fiscal year 2025 and additional funding for subsequent years to support the museum's construction, operation, and educational programs. The museum would be located on property adjacent to the National Monument established at the burial ground site.

Maddy summaryHRES 160 designates January 2025 as "National Mentoring Month" to highlight the positive impact of mentoring relationships on young people. The resolution emphasizes how mentoring improves academic performance, mental health, career readiness, and social skills - particularly for underserved youth - and addresses the "mentoring gap" where one in three young people lacks a supportive adult outside their family. It calls for expanding mentoring programs in schools, communities, and workplaces without creating new laws or funding. As a symbolic resolution, it aims to raise public awareness and encourage participation in existing mentoring initiatives.

Maddy summaryThis resolution (HRES 146) is a formal, non-binding statement of recognition by the U.S. House of Representatives honoring the Harlem Renaissance - a pivotal cultural, social, and political movement in American history. It commemorates the movement's role in reshaping African American identity, advancing civil rights, and fostering artistic expression from the 1910s through the mid-1930s, highlighting contributions in literature, music, visual arts, and social thought. The resolution specifically recognizes figures like Langston Hughes, Duke Ellington, and organizations such as the NAACP, while supporting efforts to preserve Harlem's cultural legacy. It has no policy impact or direct effect on individuals or communities, serving solely as a symbolic tribute to historical significance.