Sen. Andy Kim

Maddy summaryHR 3255, the Freight Rail Workforce Health and Safety Act, requires major freight railroads (Class I carriers) to provide employees with at least 7 days of paid sick leave annually. This includes leave for personal illness, family care, preventive medical visits, and situations related to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Employees can carry over unused days to the next year, and railroads cannot require workers to find replacements before taking leave or penalize them for using it. The law prohibits retaliation, such as termination or demotion, for requesting or using sick leave, and ensures paid sick leave is separate from existing vacation or holiday time.

Maddy summaryThe PAST Act of 2023 amends the Horse Protection Act to ban specific devices used to cause pain (soring) in horses at shows, particularly affecting Tennessee Walking Horses, Racking Horses, and Spotted Saddle Horses. It defines prohibited "action devices" (like boots or chains causing friction) and requires licensed, conflict-free inspectors at events to enforce rules. The bill increases penalties for violations to up to $5,000 fines or 3 years in jail, and mandates longer disqualifications for repeat offenses (180 days → 1 year → 3 years). Horse show organizers, exhibitors, and participants must comply with these new inspection and penalty requirements.

Maddy summaryHRES 390 is a resolution recognizing May as Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month. It formally honors the historical contributions of AANHPI communities to the United States, highlighting their diverse cultural impact and achievements across U.S. history. The resolution emphasizes celebrating these contributions while acknowledging ongoing challenges, such as anti-Asian hate crimes, and references key milestones like the 125th anniversary of *United States v. Wong Kim Ark*. As a symbolic recognition resolution, it does not create new policies or affect specific groups through legislation.

Maddy summaryHR 3228 establishes the Mental Health in Schools Excellence Program to expand the workforce of school-based mental health providers. It authorizes the Education Secretary to partner with eligible graduate schools (offering accredited programs in school counseling, psychology, or social work) to cover up to 50% of participating students' tuition costs, with schools matching that contribution. The program prioritizes students who received Federal Pell Grants or attended certain institutions as undergraduates. It directly affects graduate students in school-based mental health fields and participating institutions, aiming to increase the pipeline of licensed providers for schools.

Maddy summaryThis bill, HR 3232 (Respect for Grieving Military Families Act), requires the military to automatically forgive overpayments of retired pay sent to a joint account after a service member’s death but before the end of the month of death. It directly affects military retirees’ families who have joint accounts with designated beneficiaries, preventing them from having to repay these accidental payments. The bill also adjusts Survivor Benefit Plan payments: if forgiveness doesn’t occur, the first 12 monthly annuity payments to the beneficiary will each be reduced by one-twelfth of the overpayment amount. This ensures grieving families aren’t burdened with repaying funds they weren’t meant to receive.

Maddy summaryThe RAISE Act of 2023 creates a new refundable tax credit for teachers and early childhood educators working in schools with high student poverty rates. The credit starts at $1,000, with additional amounts up to $14,000 (or $9,000 for early childhood educators without bachelor's degrees) based on the school's poverty ratio. The bill also increases the educator expense deduction from $250 to $500 and establishes mandatory funding for local schools that maintain or increase teacher salaries. These provisions directly affect K-12 teachers, early childhood educators, and their schools, with specific eligibility requirements and protections against employer retaliation regarding the credit.

Maddy summaryHR 3239 establishes the Advancing Equity Through the Arts and Humanities Program under the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). It creates a competitive grant program prioritizing BIPOC-led arts and humanities organizations working to dismantle systemic racism, with requirements including majority BIPOC grant panelists and mandatory reporting on racial demographics and program impact. The bill mandates that grantees must directly combat systemic racism through arts/humanities initiatives like community programming, artist development, and arts education in underserved communities. It also requires an advisory task force to develop equitable grant guidelines and annual reports to Congress detailing funding distribution, barriers faced by BIPOC communities, and program outcomes. This program directly affects BIPOC-led arts organizations and communities experiencing racial inequity in arts access.

Maddy summaryHR 3233, the Diversify Act, amends the TEACH Grants program to increase funding and expand eligibility for future teachers. It doubles the annual grant amount from $4,000 to $8,000, raises the maximum service obligation from $16,000 to $32,000, and adds high-need early childhood education programs to eligible teaching settings. The bill also prohibits penalties for not completing service requirements and exempts these grants from automatic budget cuts (sequestration). These changes directly affect teacher candidates pursuing careers in underserved schools or early childhood education programs.

Maddy summaryHR 3238, the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2023, updates the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program to increase the availability of affordable housing across the United States. The bill makes several key changes including increasing state funding formulas, modifying tenant eligibility rules to better serve vulnerable populations (such as domestic violence victims and students), and expanding credit eligibility for projects in rural and Native American communities. Specific provisions raise the credit for properties serving extremely low-income households, clarify rules around tenant income increases, and require housing providers to protect victims of domestic violence. The bill also updates terminology from "low-income" to "affordable" throughout the tax code and enhances program transparency through data sharing requirements. These changes aim to make the LIHTC program more effective at creating and preserving affordable housing units for low-income households nationwide.

Maddy summaryThe Invest to Protect Act of 2023 establishes a federal grant program for local law enforcement agencies with fewer than 200 officers (including counties, municipalities, and tribal governments) to fund training and support services. Grants cover de-escalation training, mental health resources, evidence-based safety training (such as handling domestic violence or mental health crises), and recruitment/retention incentives like signing bonuses, retention bonuses (up to 20% of salary), and stipends for graduate education in mental health or social work. The bill requires a streamlined grant application process (under two hours), public disclosure of bonus amounts, and annual audits to prevent misuse of funds.