Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand

Maddy summaryThe Child Care Modernization Act of 2025 amends the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act to improve access to high-quality child care for working parents. It requires states to develop plans with input from parents, providers, and employers, and to set payment rates that cover providers' full costs including staff salaries and benefits. The bill creates a new grant program to expand child care supply through facilities improvements and support for providers serving priority populations like homeless children, rural communities, and children with disabilities. It clarifies eligibility requirements, including income limits for families and definitions for "eligible child" and "eligible activity." The act aims to increase the number of low-income children in high-quality child care settings while supporting the child care workforce.

Maddy summaryS 2287, the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act, establishes federal funding to expand training for health professionals in palliative and hospice care. The bill creates multiple programs including grants for education programs, fellowships for faculty to gain specialized training, and career incentive awards for students pursuing palliative care specialties. It prioritizes training in rural and underserved areas, for pediatric populations, and for racial and ethnic minorities. The bill authorizes $15 million annually through 2030 to build a more skilled palliative care workforce for patients with serious or life-threatening illnesses.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 1677, Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act) requires health insurance plans to cover medically necessary treatments for congenital anomalies or birth defects affecting the eyes, ears, teeth, mouth, or jaw. It mandates coverage for reconstructive services, dental/orthodontic care, and related treatments during the course of medical treatment, while excluding purely cosmetic procedures not medically necessary. Plans may apply cost-sharing requirements similar to those for other medical services but must provide notice about these coverage requirements to participants by January 1, 2026. The bill also directs a study on provider network adequacy and cost impacts related to these coverage requirements, to be completed by December 2027.

Maddy summaryThe SPARC Act creates a federal loan repayment program to address specialty healthcare shortages in rural areas. It provides up to $250,000 in repayment for specialty physicians (non-primary care doctors) and non-physician providers (like nurse practitioners) who commit to six years of full-time work in underserved rural communities. Eligible loans include federal education debts like Stafford and Perkins loans, with participants required to serve in designated shortage areas to receive benefits. The program prevents double-benefits with other federal loan forgiveness programs and requires annual reporting on program impact through 2033.

Resident Education Deferred Interest Act or the REDI Act This bill allows borrowers in medical or dental internships or residency programs to defer student loan payments until the completion of their programs.

Maddy summaryThe HELP Copays Act requires that financial assistance from non-profit organizations or prescription drug manufacturers counts toward patients' annual out-of-pocket cost-sharing limits (like deductibles and copays) for certain prescription drugs. It directly affects individuals enrolled in group health plans or individual insurance who receive such assistance, ensuring payments from these sources reduce their total out-of-pocket spending. The bill amends key healthcare laws to include these payments in calculating cost-sharing thresholds, specifically for specialty drugs and drugs subject to utilization management (like prior authorization). It takes effect for plan years beginning in 2026 and does not change how utilization management tools are applied.

Maddy summaryThe Child Care Workforce Act (S 846) establishes a federal pilot program to boost pay for eligible child care workers in states, Indian Tribes, and Tribal organizations. It provides competitive grants to fund wage supplements targeting low-wage workers, aiming to attract and retain staff, improve well-being, and increase access to quality, affordable child care - particularly in underserved areas and for infants/toddlers or children with disabilities. Grantees must prioritize funding for high-need regions, pay supplements quarterly, and provide workers with tax/public benefit information, with up to 10% of funds allowed for administrative costs. The program will be evaluated after two years to measure impacts on worker retention, service quality, and affordability.

Maddy summaryThe Love Lives On Act of 2025 modifies veterans' and military survivors' benefit rules to prevent remarriage from automatically ending eligibility. It directly affects surviving spouses of veterans or military members who remarried, ensuring they retain access to key benefits. Key provisions include: (1) preventing termination of veterans' dependency compensation (under 38 U.S.C. §1311/1562) due to remarriage; (2) stopping termination of military Survivor Benefit Plan annuities solely for remarriage, with specific rules for those who remarried before age 55; and (3) expanding TRICARE coverage to include remarried widows/widowers whose subsequent marriage ended (via death, divorce, or annulment). These changes restore or maintain benefits that were previously lost upon remarriage.

Maddy summaryThis bill reauthorizes conservation programs for the Delaware River Basin by extending the program's funding period through 2033. It officially adds Maryland as a fifth state to the basin, expanding the geographic scope of the program beyond the original four states. The legislation also allows the Secretary to prioritize funding for projects that benefit small, rural, or disadvantaged communities. These changes amend the existing Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act to provide continued support for water conservation efforts in the region.

Maddy summaryThis bill, known as the Fair Wages for Home Care Workers Act, would change federal labor rules to require overtime pay and minimum wage protections for certain babysitters who currently do not receive these benefits. It specifically targets casual babysitting jobs that are irregular or intermittent and not performed by individuals whose primary occupation is babysitting. The law would also clarify that trained medical professionals like nurses and home health aides remain exempt from these new requirements, ensuring the changes apply only to casual domestic caregivers. By amending the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, the bill aims to extend wage protections to a specific group of home care workers while maintaining existing exemptions for professional medical staff.