Maddy summaryThe Child Care for Working Families Act establishes a new federal program to provide affordable, high-quality child care for working families with children under age 6. It requires states to implement a sliding fee scale (with no copayment for families earning up to 85% of state median income) and develop a tiered quality system for child care providers, with payment rates that support staff wages comparable to elementary educators. The bill prioritizes access for underserved populations including children with disabilities, children experiencing homelessness, children in foster care, and children from low-income families, while requiring states to improve child care quality and supply through dedicated funding streams. States must submit detailed plans demonstrating how they will meet these requirements to receive federal funding, which will be provided through a combination of direct child care assistance and quality improvement activities.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryThis bill clarifies what counts as a "conviction" for immigration purposes under U.S. law. It excludes dismissed, expunged, or deferred cases, probation without judgment, and appeals from being treated as convictions that could lead to deportation. It also allows sentencing courts to recommend against deportation for certain immigrants with past convictions, after notifying immigration authorities. The law would directly affect immigrants facing removal based on older or resolved legal cases that no longer qualify as "convictions" under this definition.
Maddy summaryThe HELP Copays Act (S 1375) changes how health insurance plans calculate patient cost-sharing. It requires that discounts, financial assistance, or third-party payments (like drug manufacturer coupons) count toward a patient’s deductible, copayment, or out-of-pocket limit. This directly affects individuals enrolled in group or individual health insurance plans who receive such assistance. The bill amends the Public Health Service Act and Affordable Care Act to ensure these payments reduce the actual out-of-pocket costs patients face, rather than being treated as separate expenses.
Maddy summaryThe Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal Act (S 1376) would prohibit businesses from requiring customers, employees, or small businesses to agree to private arbitration for future employment, consumer, antitrust, or civil rights disputes. It also bans agreements that prevent people from joining class or collective lawsuits in these areas. The bill makes such forced arbitration clauses unenforceable and ensures courts - not arbitrators - decide if the law applies. This directly affects individuals and small businesses in disputes involving workplace discrimination, product issues, unfair competition, or civil rights violations, allowing them to seek justice collectively in court.
Maddy summaryS 1383 restricts the possession of firearm silencers and mufflers for most individuals, making it unlawful to import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess them except for specific exemptions. These exemptions include use by federal, state, or campus law enforcement officers (defined as officers employed by eligible private colleges with arrest powers), nuclear facility security personnel, and licensed manufacturers testing under Attorney General authorization. The bill also establishes a federal buy-back program using Byrne grant funds, allowing individuals to voluntarily surrender silencers/mufflers for compensation, with the Attorney General required to implement this program within 90 days of enactment. The law takes effect 90 days after enactment.
This resolution recognizes the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Mutual Defense Treaty between the United States and South Korea. Affirming the importance of the U.S.-South Korean alliance as the linchpin to safeguarding peace, security, and prosperity on the Korean peninsula, the resolution welcomes President Yoon Suk Yeol to the United States. It also supports ongoing defense and security ties, calls for continued promotion of human rights, and encourages close cooperation between the United States, South Korea, and Japan.
Maddy summaryThe Right to Read Act of 2023 establishes the "right to read" as a fundamental educational right, requiring states and school districts to ensure all students have access to evidence-based reading instruction, effective school libraries, culturally diverse materials, and family literacy support. The bill mandates that school libraries meet specific standards, including having State-certified librarians, adequate collections of digital and print materials, and collaboration with teachers to develop digital and information literacy skills. It authorizes $500 million annually for literacy programs through Title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, requires biennial data collection on school library resources, and provides liability protections for educators following established "right to read" policies. This legislation directly affects students, school librarians, teachers, and school administrators across all public elementary and secondary schools.
Maddy summaryThe Election Worker Protection Act of 2023 provides federal grants to states for recruiting and training election workers (including poll workers and election volunteers) with specific requirements for cultural competence and diversity in recruitment efforts. It also funds physical security services and social media threat monitoring for election workers to protect them from threats. The bill establishes new criminal penalties for intimidating, threatening, or harassing election workers while they perform their duties, and creates a grant program to help protect election workers' personally identifiable information from public disclosure. These provisions apply to workers involved in federal elections and require states to submit reports on how the funds are used.
Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits states from restricting or interfering with lawful reproductive health care services (including abortion, contraception, and related care) provided by health care providers like doctors, nurses, and pharmacists in states where such services are legal. It creates federal enforcement mechanisms, allowing the Attorney General, providers, or affected individuals to sue states or officials enforcing violating laws and seek court orders to stop such restrictions. The bill also blocks federal funding for states pursuing legal actions against providers offering lawful reproductive care and allocates $40 million for legal defense grants to providers and $40 million for security grants to protect facilities and patients. It explicitly prevents health insurance companies from denying coverage or suing providers solely for offering lawful reproductive services.
Maddy summaryS 1317 establishes a National Center on Antiracism and Health within the CDC to address structural racism as a public health crisis. The Center will research how racism impacts health outcomes for communities of color, collect disaggregated data (by race, ethnicity, gender identity, disability, etc.), develop antiracist interventions, and train public health professionals. It also creates a CDC program to study police violence as a public health issue, requiring research on law enforcement's health impacts and data collection on police brutality. The bill directly affects communities experiencing health disparities due to racism and requires federal agencies to integrate antiracist approaches into public health work.