Maddy summaryThe Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act would establish key labor protections for domestic workers, including nannies, housekeepers, and personal care aides, who are predominantly women of color and immigrants. The bill requires written agreements between employers and workers, provides earned sick days for health and family needs, ensures fair scheduling practices, and protects against wage theft and retaliation. It also extends overtime protections to live-in domestic employees and includes privacy rights, meal and rest breaks, and anti-discrimination protections. The legislation creates a Domestic Employee Standards Board to recommend workplace standards and establishes a National Domestic Employee Hotline to assist workers with their rights.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryThe School Hunger Elimination Act of 2024 mandates automatic enrollment in free school meals for children receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and expands Medicaid-based direct certification, eliminating the need for families to submit separate applications. It requires schools to retroactively reimburse families for meals served since the start of the school year when a child’s eligibility changes (e.g., from reduced-price to free meals) and ensures schools receive federal reimbursement for these meals. The bill also establishes universal free meal service in high-poverty schools starting in 2025 and creates a demonstration program for states to implement statewide free meal programs, prioritizing states with high childhood poverty or strong existing certification rates. This directly affects low-income students, schools, and families by reducing administrative barriers and increasing access to free meals.
Maddy summaryThe Restoring Justice for Workers Act (S 4502) bans employment contracts that force workers to give up their right to join collective legal actions for workplace disputes before any issue arises. It prohibits employers from requiring workers to sign predispute arbitration agreements (those signed before a problem occurs) and makes postdispute agreements (signed after a dispute) valid only if workers receive clear written disclosures, have a 45-day waiting period before signing, provide written consent, and face no retaliation for refusing. The bill directly affects all workers - including independent contractors - and covered entities (employers or organizations hiring workers), protecting their right to seek joint, class, or collective legal remedies. It amends the National Labor Relations Act to explicitly forbid agreements that block collective action or retaliate against workers who refuse arbitration, ensuring workers can pursue justice without fear of losing their jobs.
Maddy summaryS 4461, the PROVE Act, allows 16-year-olds in any state to pre-register to vote for federal elections, with automatic registration upon turning 18 if they were pre-registered. States may also choose to permit pre-registration for minors under 16. The bill provides $25 million in federal grants to states that create plans to boost youth civic engagement, including modifying secondary school curricula to promote voting and using the new pre-registration system. This directly affects minors aged 16-17, states, and secondary schools through mandatory pre-registration processes and grant-funded programs.
Maddy summaryThis bill updates the legal definition of "post office" in U.S. law to explicitly include Postal Service acceptance, processing, shipping, delivery, distribution, and other supporting facilities. It directly affects the Postal Service's operational infrastructure by expanding the scope of facilities covered under existing provisions. The key mechanism is amending Section 404(d) of Title 39 to replace "post office" with this broader description throughout the section. This change ensures all facilities supporting postal operations - beyond just traditional post offices - are included in relevant legal protections and regulations. The bill is procedural, focusing on clarifying existing law rather than creating new policies.
Maddy summaryThe Save Our Small Farms Act of 2024 amends the noninsured crop assistance program to better support small-scale and diverse farming operations. It creates a streamlined application process for urban, small-scale, and direct-to-consumer farms, reducing paperwork and allowing two annual acreage reports. The bill offers 25-50% premium discounts for farmers transitioning to whole-farm revenue insurance, with specific requirements like revenue history documentation using IRS Schedule F. This directly affects small farmers, veterans, socially disadvantaged producers, and those using diverse production systems, aiming to improve access to crop insurance and loss assistance.
Maddy summaryThis bill (S 4473) amends Section 202 of Title 9, U.S. Code, to narrow the definition of "commercial" in arbitration cases. It does this by directly incorporating all exemptions listed in Section 1 of the same title into Section 202, limiting the scope of cases covered under the commercial arbitration framework. The change specifically affects businesses and individuals involved in arbitration proceedings under the U.S. Arbitration Act, as it restricts which types of disputes qualify as "commercial." The bill also applies retroactively to all pending cases and new cases filed after its enactment date.
Maddy summaryS 4381, the Right to Contraception Act, establishes a federal statutory right for individuals to access contraceptives and contraception services without government interference, directly affecting people seeking care, healthcare providers (like doctors, nurses, and pharmacists), and state governments. It prohibits states or the federal government from implementing laws that restrict access to contraceptives, hinder providers from offering services, or single out contraceptive care for special restrictions. The bill preempts conflicting state laws and creates legal avenues for individuals or providers to sue to block violations, with courts required to invalidate such restrictive laws. It explicitly does not alter existing requirements for health insurance coverage of contraceptives under federal law.
Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new grant program allowing state and local law enforcement agencies to hire retired federal law enforcement officers for specific non-sworn tasks like homicide investigations, forensics analysis, and computer network expertise. Agencies receiving grants must train civilian staff on these tasks and use retired officers to perform them. The bill includes strict accountability rules, requiring annual audits by the Justice Department's Inspector General, excluding agencies with unresolved audit findings for two years, and prioritizing applicants with clean audit histories. It also mandates reporting to Congress if multiple similar grants are awarded to the same agency. The program directly affects state/local police departments and retired federal officers who would be rehired under this initiative.
Maddy summaryS 930, the Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act of 2023, creates a presumption that public safety officers (such as firefighters and police) who develop specific cancers after exposure during duty have work-related injuries. It defines "exposure-related cancer" to include 22 types (like lung, leukemia, and WTC-related cancers) and presumes these cancers are work-related if officers were exposed during service, diagnosed within 15 years of retirement, and the cancer caused death or permanent disability. The bill requires the Bureau to review scientific evidence to add new cancer types to the list within 180 days of a petition. This directly affects families seeking benefits for fallen officers by shifting the burden of proof to the Bureau, not the claimants.