Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act of 2025 This bill increases certain payment adjustments under the Medicare physician fee schedule for services furnished between April 1, 2025, and January 1, 2026.
Maddy summaryHR 838, the A PLUS Act, allows states to consolidate federal education funds into a single funding stream under a "declaration of intent," reducing administrative paperwork. States must submit a plan detailing which programs they’ll combine (excluding special education funds), how they’ll use the money to improve student achievement, and how they’ll report progress to parents and the public. The bill requires states to ensure federal funds "supplement, not supplant" state education spending and maintain accountability through annual public reports on student performance data. This directly affects states managing federal education programs, aiming to simplify compliance while keeping public oversight of how funds are used.
American Music Fairness Act of 2025 This bill establishes that the copyright holder of a sound recording shall have the exclusive right to perform the sound recording through an audio transmission. (Currently, the public performance right only covers performances through a digital audio transmission in certain instances, which means that nonsubscription terrestrial radio stations generally do not have to get a license to publicly perform a copyright-protected sound recording.) Under the bill, a nonsubscription broadcast transmission must have a license to publicly perform such sound recordings. The Copyright Royalty Board must periodically determine the royalty rates for such a license. When determining the rates, the board must base its decision on certain information presented by the parties, including the radio stations' effect on other streams of revenue related to the sound recordings. Terrestrial broadcast stations (and the owners of such stations) that fall below certain revenue thresholds may pay certain flat fees, instead of the board-established rate, for a license to publicly perform copyright-protected sound recordings.
Maddy summaryHR 899 would end the U.S. Department of Education by December 31, 2026, terminating its federal agency status. This bill directly affects all federal education programs and operations currently managed by the Department, such as student aid and school funding. The key mechanism is a fixed termination date, requiring the transfer of the Department's responsibilities to other federal agencies without specifying new administrative structures. The bill focuses solely on ending the agency's existence, not altering education policy or funding mechanisms.
Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from treating pregnancy as an illness when approving or regulating abortion drugs. It specifically bans using this framework for approvals under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act or for risk management strategies. The bill also nullifies existing approvals of abortion drugs (like mifepristone) that relied on treating pregnancy as an illness. This directly affects how the FDA regulates abortion medications, changing the basis for their safety and efficacy evaluations.
Maddy summaryHR 772, the Rural ER Access Act, removes a Medicare rule requiring off-campus emergency departments to be within 35 miles of a main hospital campus. Specifically, it directs the Health and Human Services Secretary to revise Medicare regulations (42 CFR §413.65(e)(3)(i)) to eliminate this location requirement. This change directly affects rural hospitals and healthcare organizations seeking to establish or expand off-campus emergency departments. The key mechanism is updating the Medicare eligibility criteria, allowing such facilities to qualify for billing without the previous geographic restriction, potentially increasing access to emergency care in rural areas.
Maddy summaryThis bill amends Medicare rules to clarify when rural hospitals can apply for specific payment rates. It changes Section 1820 of the Social Security Act to allow hospitals to submit applications for redesignation (reapplying for payment rates) before the bill's enactment date, with those applications still valid after the law takes effect. The change directly affects rural hospitals seeking to qualify for enhanced Medicare reimbursement under existing programs. It does not create new funding or services but streamlines administrative timing for hospitals already pursuing these designations.
Maddy summaryHR 809 bans members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and entities controlled by the CCP from purchasing any public or private real estate in the United States. The law applies to all U.S. states, territories, and possessions, including Puerto Rico and Guam. The President must take necessary actions to enforce this prohibition, directly affecting CCP-affiliated individuals and organizations seeking U.S. property investments. It creates a specific restriction on real estate transactions without altering broader foreign ownership rules.
Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act This bill imposes sanctions against foreign persons (individuals and entities) who assist the International Criminal Court (ICC) in investigating, arresting, detaining, or prosecuting certain individuals. The bill categorizes as protected persons (1) any U.S. individual, U.S. entity, or person in the United States, unless the United States is a state party to the Rome Statute of the ICC and provides formal consent to ICC jurisdiction; and (2) any foreign person that is a citizen or lawful resident of a U.S. ally that is not a state party to the Rome Statute or has not consented to ICC jurisdiction. If the ICC attempts to investigate, arrest, detain or prosecute a protected person, the President must impose visa- and property-blocking sanctions against the foreign persons that engaged in or materially assisted in such actions, as well as against foreign persons owned by, controlled by, or acting on behalf of such foreign persons. The President must also apply visa-blocking sanctions to the immediate family members of those sanctioned. Upon enactment, the bill rescinds all funds appropriated for the ICC and prohibits the subsequent use of appropriated funds for the ICC.
Maddy summaryHR 719, the "No Abortion Coverage for Medicaid Act," would prohibit federal Medicaid funds from covering abortions under any Medicaid demonstration projects or waivers, with limited exceptions. It specifically blocks federal financial assistance for abortion services or related expenses (like travel) in Medicaid programs, except in cases of rape or incest, life-threatening pregnancy conditions, or treatment for miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy. This bill directly affects Medicaid recipients in states participating in federal demonstration projects, preventing them from using Medicaid funds for abortion services except under the narrow exceptions listed. The bill aims to permanently align Medicaid funding with the longstanding Hyde Amendment restrictions.
