Essential Caregivers Act of 2025 This bill prohibits certain health care facilities from limiting the access of essential caregivers to residents of those facilities, including during designated emergency periods. Specifically, the bill generally prohibits Medicare skilled nursing facilities, Medicaid nursing facilities, Medicaid intermediate care facilities, and associated inpatient rehabilitation facilities from restricting the access of essential caregivers to residents of the facilities, including during emergency periods in which visitation rights are otherwise restricted. During emergency periods, facilities may restrict access for an initial period of up to seven days and for one additional maximum seven-day period (if the additional period is approved by the state health department). Facilities may restrict access for a total of 7 days (or 14 days with the approval of the state health department) during an emergency period. Essential caregivers must agree to comply with any safety protocols set by the facility, which may be no more stringent for caregivers compared to those for staff. Caregivers who fail to comply with these requirements may be denied access, subject to an appeals process.
Sponsored bills
University of Utah Research Park Act This bill confirms the use by the University of Utah of approximately 593 acres of specified nonfederal land in Salt Lake City, Utah, as a university research park and for related university purposes (including development of student housing and a transit hub) as a valid public purpose.
Maddy summaryThis bill amends the Southwest Forest Health and Wildfire Prevention Act of 2004 to add Utah as an eligible state for the Wildfire Research Institute program. It updates two specific sections of the law - adding Utah to the list of states that can establish such institutes and modifying a reference to include Utah alongside Colorado. The bill directly affects Utah by enabling it to participate in the existing federal research program. No new funding, regulations, or policy changes are introduced; it solely expands eligibility under current law.
Maddy summaryThe PERMIT Act (HR 3898) amends the definition of "navigable waters" under the Clean Water Act to exclude specific water features from federal regulation. It explicitly removes waste treatment systems, ephemeral streams (flowing only after rain), prior converted cropland, groundwater, and other features designated by regulators. This change directly affects federal agencies like the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers, reducing their jurisdiction over these excluded water bodies. The bill aims to streamline permitting by clarifying which waters fall under federal Clean Water Act oversight.
Maddy summaryThis bill allows groups of small businesses or self-employed individuals to form a single health plan that treats all members as one employer for coverage purposes. It directly affects small business associations and self-employed people who can join such groups to access pooled health coverage, provided they meet specific requirements (e.g., 51+ total employees, 2+ years in existence, no health-based discrimination). Key mechanisms include permitting modified community rating for premiums (based on pooled claims) while prohibiting health status-related discrimination in enrollment, premiums, or pre-existing condition coverage. The plan remains subject to federal ERISA rules, and self-employed members must meet defined criteria to participate as both employers and employees.
Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act This act provides for the award of Congressional Gold Medals to the members of the 1980 U.S. Olympic men's ice hockey team in recognition of the team's achievement at the 1980 Winter Olympic Games.
Maddy summaryHR 1623 (the SCREEN Act) requires online platforms that profit from hosting pornographic content to implement age verification technology, preventing minors from accessing such material. Covered platforms must publicly disclose their verification process and securely handle age data collected through these systems. The law applies specifically to platforms where pornographic content is a regular business activity, not all websites. It mandates that only adults can access pornographic content on these platforms, without banning the content itself.
Maddy summaryHR 6534 repeals Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act, which previously prohibited U.S. economic and military assistance to Azerbaijan. This change directly affects U.S. foreign aid programs by removing a longstanding restriction on providing aid to Azerbaijan. The bill cites congressional findings that Azerbaijan is a U.S. ally, has supported peace efforts in the South Caucasus, and reached a border agreement with Armenia. The repeal would allow the U.S. government to resume aid to Azerbaijan without legal barriers.
Maddy summaryHR 6475, the Preventing Child Trafficking Act of 2025, requires the Department of Justice's Office for Victims of Crime and the Administration for Children and Families' Office on Trafficking in Persons to implement the 2023 Government Accountability Office's recommendations for preventing child trafficking and supporting survivors. The bill mandates these agencies to collaborate using established best practices, develop measurable performance goals for child trafficking programs, and base these targets on existing grantee data. It directly affects federal agencies managing anti-trafficking programs and the children and survivors served by those programs. The bill requires a report to Congress within 180 days detailing how these implementation steps were carried out.
Maddy summaryThis bill designates the U.S. Postal Service facility at 35 South Main Street in Glendale, Utah, as the "Deputy Sheriff Brian Harris Post Office." It updates all official references in federal laws, maps, documents, and records to use this new name for the location. The bill has no policy provisions - it is a commemorative naming resolution with no direct impact on citizens or funding.