Rep. Mike Carey

Jobs and Opportunity with Benefits and Services (JOBS) for Success Act of 2025 This bill reauthorizes the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program through FY2030, establishes new metrics for measuring states’ performance within the program, and makes other changes to the program’s requirements. Under current law, states participating in TANF are required to meet certain minimum participation rates, or percentages of beneficiaries engaged in work. The bill eliminates minimum participation rates and replaces them with metrics tied to employment outcomes, such as former beneficiaries’ rates of unsubsidized employment and earnings at particular points in time. The Department of Health and Human Services must publish a website with information on each state’s performance.  The bill also requires states to create an individual opportunity plan for each beneficiary and to meet with each work-eligible beneficiary at least every 90 days to review the individual’s progress under their plan. (Under current law, individual plans are optional.) Further, the bill prohibits states from using TANF funds to provide benefits to families with monthly incomes that exceed twice the poverty line. Finally, the bill requires states to spend at least 25% of their TANF grant funds on certain activities, including work supports, education and training, and apprenticeships. The bill also lowers the percentage of TANF funds that a state may spend on administrative costs to 10%, with an exception for costs related to case management necessary to assist in the development of individual opportunity plans.

Maddy summary# Summary of the SHIPS for America Act This comprehensive legislation focuses on strengthening the U.S. maritime industry, shipbuilding capacity, and maritime workforce to enhance national security and economic competitiveness. ## Key Areas of Focus 1. **Shipbuilding & Maritime Infrastructure** - Establishes a United States Center for Maritime Innovation to accelerate adoption of commercial technologies - Creates a National Shipbuilding Research Program - Requires an annual survey of anticipated commercial vessel construction - Includes provisions for streamlined environmental reviews of maritime infrastructure 2. **Workforce Development** - Establishes the United States Merchant Marine Career Retention Program to maintain mariner qualifications - Creates Centers of Excellence for Domestic Maritime Workforce Training and Education - Implements military-to-maritime transition programs - Establishes a Maritime Career and Technical Education Advisory Committee 3. **Education & Training** - Expands educational assistance for merchant mariners - Creates eligibility for Naval Postgraduate School for merchant mariners - Establishes maritime education programs from K-12 through higher education - Provides for international exchanges for mariners and naval architects 4. **National Security & Strategic Readiness** - Requires reports on National Defense Reserve Fleet utilization - Includes measures to de-risk the maritime sector from Chinese influence - Enhances shipbuilding capacity for national security needs - Establishes programs to ensure sufficient mariner workforce for national defense 5. **Funding Mechanisms** - Authorizes appropriations from the Maritime Security Trust Fund - Includes funding for workforce programs, education, and shipbuilding initiatives - Establishes specific funding levels for various programs over multiple fiscal years The legislation aims to create a sustainable domestic maritime industrial base that supports both commercial shipping and national defense requirements, with a particular emphasis on developing and retaining a skilled U.S. maritime workforce.

Maddy summaryHR 3137 extends federal tax credits for biodiesel production and use through 2026, directly affecting biodiesel producers, refiners, and businesses that purchase or use biodiesel. The bill updates tax code provisions to keep the biodiesel credit active until 2026 (instead of expiring in 2024) and prevents double benefits by disallowing credits for fuel already covered under a separate clean fuel production credit. It also extends related credits for second-generation biofuels until 2027 and applies to fuels sold or used after December 31, 2024. The changes maintain existing tax incentives without altering eligibility or creating new requirements.

Maddy summaryHR 3112, the Better CARE for Animals Act of 2025, strengthens enforcement of the federal Animal Welfare Act by requiring dealers and exhibitors to hold valid licenses for animal sales or transport (Section 4). It expands enforcement authority by allowing the Attorney General to sue violators for up to $10,000 per day, seize animals, and seek injunctions (Section 20), while clarifying that courts can address violations of related rules and regulations. The bill directly affects animal dealers, exhibitors, the USDA, and the Department of Justice, creating clearer pathways for holding violators accountable. Key provisions include updating definitions, broadening inspection powers to cover all regulations, and directing penalty funds toward temporary animal care costs during legal proceedings.

Maddy summaryThis bill extends renewal periods for state Medicaid waivers providing home and community-based services from five to ten years. It directly affects states administering these waivers, allowing them longer planning horizons without frequent reauthorization. Key provisions amend specific sections of the Social Security Act to replace "five-year periods" with "10-year periods" for waiver extensions and renewals starting after the bill's enactment. The change aims to provide greater stability for states managing Medicaid programs serving people with disabilities and elderly individuals in community settings.

Maddy summaryHR 2980 establishes a new Energy Cybersecurity University Leadership Program under the Department of Energy to support graduate students and postdoctoral researchers studying cybersecurity for energy infrastructure. The program provides competitive grants for scholarships, fellowships, and research at colleges and universities, including hands-on training at national labs and utility companies. It specifically aims to increase participation from historically Black colleges, Tribal Colleges, and minority-serving institutions. The bill directly affects advanced students and researchers in cybersecurity and energy fields, focusing on building workforce capacity through education and practical experience.

Maddy summaryHR 2972, the EITC for Older Workers Act of 2025, removes the age limit preventing workers over 65 from claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). It amends the tax code to eliminate the requirement that recipients must be "not attained age 65," directly affecting low-to-moderate income workers aged 65 and older who were previously ineligible. The change takes effect for tax years beginning after December 31, 2025, allowing these workers to access the credit for earned income. This is a direct policy change to expand eligibility under the existing EITC program.

Maddy summaryThe Advancing Water Reuse Act creates a 30% tax credit for businesses investing in qualifying water recycling systems. It directly affects industrial, manufacturing, data center, and food processing facilities that replace freshwater use with recycled water from municipal sources, as well as projects building municipal water recycling infrastructure to serve these sectors. The credit covers 30% of the cost for eligible equipment, such as new onsite recycling systems or municipal infrastructure upgrades. This policy is available for projects completed by December 31, 2032, with specific rules allowing businesses to claim the credit even if equipment is later transferred to water utilities.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases the federal tax credit for rehabilitating historic buildings. It raises the standard credit rate from 20% to 30% for qualifying small projects (with a $3.75 million expenditure cap) and further increases the cap to $5 million for projects in rural areas. The bill also allows taxpayers to transfer all or part of this credit to another taxpayer, creating a new market for the credit. These changes apply to properties placed in service after the bill's enactment date. The bill directly affects developers and owners of historic properties seeking tax incentives for rehabilitation projects.

This joint resolution nullifies requirements for persons effectuating decentralized financial (DeFi) transactions to report certain information regarding digital asset sales to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Specifically, the joint resolution nullifies the requirements included in the rule titled Gross Proceeds Reporting by Brokers That Regularly Provide Services Effectuating Digital Asset Sales and issued by the IRS on December 30, 2024. Decentralized finance refers to the suite of financial activities and services that are facilitated by cryptocurrency and intended to be conducted without any sort of reliance on traditional financial tools or intermediaries.