Rep. Derek Kilmer

Maddy summaryThe Summer Meals Act of 2024 amends the National School Lunch Act to improve access to summer meals for children, primarily affecting public schools, community organizations, and low-income families. Key changes include reducing the required integration of summer education and meals from 50% to 40%, expanding meal service to include after-school hours, weekends, and school holidays for non-school sites, and creating a $10 million annual grant program to support mobile meal trucks and transportation in underserved areas. The bill authorizes grants for service institutions that serve both breakfast and lunch or offer educational programs, with priority given to those increasing participation at congregate feeding sites. These provisions aim to simplify program administration and reach more children during summer breaks in hard-to-access communities.

Maddy summaryThis bill (HR 9391) designates the U.S. Postal Service facility at 108 North Main Street in Bucoda, Washington, as the "Mayor Rob Gordan Post Office." It updates all official references to this location to reflect the new name, affecting only the postal facility's official designation. The bill is purely ceremonial and does not change any postal services, policies, or obligations.

Maddy summaryThis bill transfers approximately 1,082.63 acres of land in Washington State to the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, holding it in trust for their benefit. The land, depicted on a specific map and previously managed by Olympic National Park, becomes part of the Tribe's reservation and is exempt from standard federal valuation requirements. The bill explicitly prohibits this land from being considered "Indian lands" for gaming regulations under federal law. It also confirms the transfer does not affect the Tribe's existing treaty rights under the Treaty of Point No Point.

Maddy summaryHR 9371, the Quinault Indian Nation Land Transfer Act, transfers approximately 72 acres of land from the U.S. Forest Service to the U.S. Department of the Interior for the Quinault Indian Nation. The land, located in Washington State, will be held in trust by the federal government for the tribe and officially declared part of the Quinault Indian Reservation. The bill explicitly prohibits gaming on this land under federal law and states that the transfer does not affect the tribe's existing treaty rights under the Treaty of Olympia. It also requires standard environmental disclosures for hazardous materials but does not obligate the government to clean up contamination. This transfer directly affects the Quinault Indian Nation by expanding its reservation land under federal trust management.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a 5-year pilot program to provide midwife services through TRICARE, the military healthcare system, for service members and their families. It requires the Secretary of Defense to begin the pilot within one year of enactment and mandates detailed annual reports on costs, beneficiary demographics, health outcomes (like pre-term births), patient satisfaction, and access metrics. The program would only include midwives certified under international standards and state licensing requirements. If the pilot demonstrates success in improving care and outcomes, the Secretary may make the program permanent.

Maddy summaryThe PROTECT Act of 2024 allows tribal courts to issue search warrants for electronic communications in Indian country using tribal procedures, rather than requiring state court warrants. It explicitly grants tribal courts jurisdiction over drug trafficking (including possession of controlled substances or paraphernalia) and firearms offenses (such as firearm use in crimes or by domestic violence offenders) within tribal lands. This directly affects tribal nations by expanding their authority to enforce laws on their territories for these specific crimes. The bill also extends a federal program for tribal prisoner reentry to include individuals convicted of drug trafficking or firearms offenses under tribal jurisdiction.

Maddy summaryThis bill permanently removes a 2026 expiration date for a tax exclusion allowing employers to pay employees' student loans through educational assistance programs without those payments being counted as taxable income. It directly affects employees who receive employer-sponsored student loan repayment assistance and employers offering such programs. The key provision amends the Internal Revenue Code to make this tax exclusion permanent, applying to all future payments made after the bill's enactment. This change simplifies the tax treatment for both employers and employees participating in these student loan repayment programs.

Maddy summaryH.J. Res. 193 proposes a constitutional amendment to eliminate legal immunity for federal officials, including the President, from criminal prosecution for actions taken while performing official duties. It also prohibits the President from granting a pardon to themselves. The amendment would apply to all federal officers (such as the President, Vice President, and members of Congress) except for Congress members acting in their legislative role as defined in the Constitution. If ratified by 38 states, this change would become part of the U.S. Constitution, requiring no further congressional action.

Maddy summaryThe BRAIN Act (HR 9113) establishes new research networks and funding mechanisms to advance brain tumor treatment and care. It requires the NIH to create a searchable database of brain tumor biospecimens, authorizes $50 million annually for a Glioblastoma Therapeutics Network, and allocates $10 million yearly for CAR-T cell therapy research. The bill also mandates a national awareness campaign about clinical trials and biomarker testing, and funds pilot programs to improve long-term care for brain tumor survivors. These provisions directly affect researchers, patients, healthcare providers, and survivors, with funding allocated for fiscal years 2026 through 2030.

Maddy summaryHR 9104, the Access to Birth Control Act, requires pharmacies that normally stock contraception to provide birth control or related medications without delay if in stock, or immediately offer alternatives like referrals to other pharmacies or expedited orders if unavailable. It prohibits pharmacists from intimidating customers, misrepresenting availability, breaching confidentiality, or refusing to fill valid prescriptions for birth control. Pharmacies violating these rules face civil penalties up to $1,000 per day or private lawsuits. The law specifically applies to pharmacies that routinely carry contraception and excludes cases where a valid prescription is missing or payment cannot be made. It aims to address documented refusals to dispense birth control, particularly following the Dobbs decision.