Rep. Abigail Davis Spanberger

Maddy summaryThis bill prevents health insurance plans from charging extra out-of-pocket costs for prenatal services when a pregnancy ends in miscarriage or stillbirth before delivery. Specifically, if a plan covers prenatal care as part of a bundled childbirth payment and a loss occurs, the plan cannot require additional deductibles, coinsurance, or copayments for those prenatal services beyond what would have been charged for a full birth. It applies to group and individual health plans covering such bundled payments, effective January 1, 2025. The law directly affects pregnant individuals experiencing pregnancy loss and their health insurance providers.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires Medicaid to cover non-invasive prenatal genetic screening for all pregnant women, regardless of age, expanding current coverage. It mandates that providers give specific, detailed informed consent before offering the screening, including disclosure of test limitations, potential interferences, predictive values based on individual risk factors, and the need for follow-up diagnostic testing. Medicaid payments will not be made for screenings conducted without this required consent. The law directly affects pregnant Medicaid beneficiaries and healthcare providers offering prenatal genetic screening services.

Maddy summaryHRES 753 is a non-binding resolution commemorating the fifth anniversary of Jamal Khashoggi's murder in 2018 and calling for accountability from the Saudi government. It urges Saudi Arabia to ensure accountability for those responsible for his killing, release wrongfully detained individuals (including human rights defenders), lift travel bans on dissidents, and respect freedoms of assembly, association, and press. The resolution acknowledges U.S. sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act targeting 17 Saudi officials linked to Khashoggi's murder. As a symbolic congressional statement, it does not impose new legal obligations but expresses support for accountability and human rights.

Maddy summaryThis resolution commemorates October 2023 as Filipino American History Month, honoring the contributions and cultural heritage of Filipino Americans to the United States. It directly recognizes the Filipino American community - now the third-largest Asian American and Pacific Islander group - with a population of approximately 4.5 million - and highlights their historical roles, including WWII service and community leadership. The resolution has no legal effect or funding provisions; it is purely ceremonial, urging the public to observe the month through educational programs and activities. It follows prior congressional recognitions of Filipino American History Month since 2009.

Maddy summaryThis resolution supports designating September 2023 as "National Recovery Month" to raise awareness about substance use disorder recovery. It cites pandemic-related challenges like increased overdoses (over 110,000 fatal drug/alcohol overdoses in 2022) and barriers to treatment. The resolution makes no policy changes but symbolically acknowledges recovery efforts, stigma reduction, and peer support communities. It is a non-binding congressional statement, not a law affecting specific groups or programs.

Maddy summaryThis bill directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to create and implement a standardized graphic symbol indicating when language interpretation services and translated materials are available for healthcare. It affects healthcare providers, insurers, public health departments, and other entities serving people with limited English proficiency. The symbol must be simple, widely understood, and work across printed and digital formats, with research and community testing to guide its design. The Secretary must finalize the symbol within 18 months and develop an education plan to promote its use, while allowing it to replace current notice requirements if testing shows it improves access.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires federal agencies to adjust contract prices to reimburse contractors for paying employees during government funding lapses (e.g., shutdowns). It covers costs for furloughed, laid-off, or reduced-hour workers, or for restoring paid leave used during the lapse, with a weekly cap of $1,442 per employee. Directly affecting federal contractors and their employees who experienced work disruptions due to funding gaps, it mandates agencies to make these adjustments promptly after enactment. Contractors must provide proof of costs, and the Office of Federal Procurement Policy must report on implementation to Congress within a year.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to review all veteran suicides occurring between 2018-2023 (the five years before enactment) for veterans who received VA care. The review must analyze demographics, medications (including those with strong safety warnings like "black box" labels), prescribing patterns, mental health diagnoses, and facility-level data. The VA must complete the review within 18 months and publicly submit a detailed report to Congress and the public within 30 days of completion. This law directly affects veterans' families, VA healthcare providers, and policymakers by mandating transparency around suicide risk factors and prescribing practices.

This concurrent resolution (1) recognizes the 133 years of significant and meaningful contributions the 1890 Institutions (i.e., historically Black universities established under the Second Morrill Act of 1890) have made to the United States, (2) supports the efforts of the Department of Agriculture and other federal agencies to build stronger partnerships with such institutions, and (3) commits to working in a bipartisan way to address the past funding and program inequities of such institutions.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates automatic continuing appropriations to prevent government shutdowns. If Congress fails to pass annual spending bills by October 1st, federal programs automatically continue at the previous fiscal year's funding level for up to 14 days, with extensions possible every 14 days until a full spending bill is enacted. During these automatic funding periods, congressional staff and federal employees face strict limits on official travel (except for returning to Washington, D.C., or responding to national security events), and campaign funds cannot cover travel for federal office duties. The bill directly affects all federal agencies, programs, and congressional staff during funding gaps, aiming to maintain government operations without congressional action.