Rep. Andrea Salinas

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 FACTS Act (HR 5625) creates a pilot program to fund partnerships between schools and public health agencies to prevent synthetic opioid misuse among students. It authorizes $50 million annually to support evidence-based prevention programs, including professional development for school staff, student workshops, and community outreach. The bill requires schools to collect data on synthetic opioid prevalence and mandates that school health centers stock naloxone. It also amends national surveys to track youth opioid use patterns and establishes an interagency task force to coordinate prevention efforts. These provisions aim to address the growing crisis of synthetic opioid misuse among young people through education, data collection, and prevention programs.

Maddy summaryThis bill provides federal retirement benefits to educators at tribal schools. It makes employees of tribally controlled schools eligible for the same federal retirement pension (FERS) and Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) as other federal employees. The Bureau of Indian Affairs will pay the government's share of these contributions. This directly affects educators working at tribal schools operating under specific federal contracts or grants, such as those under the Indian Self-Determination Act or Tribally Controlled Schools Act.

Maddy summaryThe STORE Act of 2023 amends the Emergency Food Assistance Act to improve how infrastructure grants are distributed to food banks and pantries. It increases annual funding from $15 million to $25 million (2024-2028), prioritizes support for Tribal, low-income, and remote communities, and allows grants to cover mobile delivery services, home delivery, and refrigeration equipment. The bill also requires a report assessing national cold storage and refrigerated truck shortages for emergency food organizations. This directly affects food banks serving underserved areas by expanding their access to funding for critical refrigeration and distribution infrastructure.

Maddy summaryHR 5566, the *Supreme Court Tenure Establishment and Retirement Modernization Act of 2023*, establishes an 18-year term limit for all Supreme Court justices. It requires the President to nominate one new justice every two years (during first and third years after presidential elections), with Senate confirmation within 90 days, and prohibits lifetime appointments. Current justices are automatically retired in order of service length as new justices are appointed, while retired justices may temporarily fill vacancies through a randomized process. The bill directly affects all sitting and future Supreme Court justices by restructuring appointments and retirement timelines.

Maddy summaryThe Better CARE for Animals Act of 2023 amends the Animal Welfare Act to strengthen enforcement of animal welfare standards. It gives the Attorney General authority to bring civil cases for violations, including seeking penalties up to $10,000 per day per violation and injunctions to remove or relocate animals. The bill also requires the Secretary of Agriculture and Attorney General to coordinate through a new Memorandum of Understanding, focusing on repeat violators. These changes directly affect dealers, exhibitors, and enforcement agencies by expanding civil enforcement tools and clarifying jurisdiction over rule violations.

Maddy summaryHR 5062 creates a new grant program under the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to help specialty crop producers (like fruit, vegetable, and nut farmers) adopt automation and mechanization. The program awards grants to cover costs for specific equipment (such as drones, precision irrigation tools, and robotic harvesters) and required training to operate them. Recipients must provide at least 50% matching funds from non-federal sources. The grants aim to increase efficiency and reduce labor needs for targeted farm tasks, directly benefiting commercial specialty crop operations in the U.S.

Maddy summaryThe Healthy Soils Healthy Climate Act of 2023 (HR 5043) creates federal incentive payments for farmers to adopt soil health practices - such as cover cropping, crop rotation, and improved soil management - that increase soil organic carbon levels. It prioritizes payments for small producers, rural farmers, and socially disadvantaged farmers, requiring the Department of Agriculture to establish region-specific protocols for measuring soil health improvements and carbon sequestration. The bill allocates $100 million annually for these payments and mandates biennial studies to evaluate the impact of these practices on soil carbon, crop resilience, and data collection challenges across different regions. Additionally, it funds research at land-grant universities to study soil health science, including how practices affect crop yields and carbon storage permanence.

Maddy summaryHR 5059 would allow eligible states to receive their emergency food assistance funding as cash instead of in-kind commodities, enabling them to directly purchase food from private suppliers. Currently, the federal government buys and distributes food to states; this bill would let states elect to use cash for their own purchases in the commercial marketplace. The bill defines "eligible states" based on criteria from the 2018 Agriculture Improvement Act and applies only to states that choose this option. This change provides states with greater flexibility in sourcing food for emergency feeding programs.

Maddy summaryHR 5044, the Timber Innovation for Building Rural Communities Act, creates a federal platform to track carbon emissions and storage from forests and wood products, using data from USDA programs. It establishes grant programs to fund wood-building projects in rural areas with high unemployment, support wood-based construction education at colleges, and pilot innovative wood infrastructure projects like mass timber buildings in rural communities. The bill prioritizes projects that boost local jobs, reduce wildfire risks, and demonstrate economic benefits from wood products, requiring matching funds from non-federal sources. These grants, totaling up to $10 million annually per program, aim to strengthen rural economies tied to forestry while promoting wood as a carbon-friendly building material.