Maddy summaryThe Healthy Families Act requires most employers (with 15 or more employees) to provide workers with up to 56 hours of paid sick leave annually, earned at a rate of 1 hour for every 30 hours worked. Employees can use this leave for their own illness, medical care, caring for family members with health conditions, or addressing domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking situations. The law prohibits employers from retaliating against workers who use this leave and mandates that employers post notices about the policy. Smaller employers (with fewer than 15 employees) may provide up to 56 hours of unpaid sick leave instead of paid leave. The Act includes enforcement mechanisms allowing employees to file complaints with the Department of Labor and seek damages for violations.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryThe Paycheck Fairness Act aims to reduce gender-based pay disparities by strengthening protections against wage discrimination. It modifies the "bona fide factor" defense to require employers to prove pay differences are based on job-related factors rather than sex, prohibits reliance on salary history when making hiring decisions, and requires employers with 100+ employees to collect and report pay data disaggregated by sex, race, and ethnicity. The bill enhances penalties for violations, including compensatory and punitive damages, and strengthens non-retaliation protections for employees discussing wages. These changes directly affect employers, employees, and prospective employees, with particular focus on addressing pay gaps that disproportionately impact women and women of color. The act also creates a National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace to recognize employers making progress in eliminating pay discrimination.
Maddy summaryThe Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2023 strengthens workers' rights to organize and bargain collectively by amending key labor laws. It clarifies that multiple employers can be held accountable for labor practices (joint employer definition), makes it harder for employers to misclassify workers as independent contractors, and prohibits employers from permanently replacing workers who strike. The bill requires employers to provide detailed voter lists for union elections, strengthens protections against anti-union discrimination, and increases penalties for unfair labor practices (up to $100,000 for repeat violations). It directly affects workers seeking union representation, employers who must comply with new requirements, and labor organizations conducting organizing campaigns. The bill aims to make it easier for workers to form unions and negotiate better wages and working conditions.
Maddy summaryThe Organic Science and Research Investment Act of 2023 establishes a new federal initiative to coordinate and expand research on organic agriculture across USDA agencies. The initiative will conduct regular surveys of organic research, develop strategic plans, and submit recommendations to the Secretary of Agriculture every five years on expanding research related to organic farming practices, climate change adaptation, and transitioning to organic production. The bill includes specific funding increases for organic research programs, requiring $60 million in fiscal year 2024 and growing to $100 million annually by 2028. It also mandates an economic impact analysis of organic farming and requires reports on maintaining organic research acreage proportional to market share. This legislation directly affects organic farmers, agricultural researchers, and USDA agencies conducting agricultural research.
Maddy summaryThis bill amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to allow Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to be used for hot foods or hot food products ready for immediate consumption. It directly affects SNAP recipients who previously could not purchase such items (like hot meals from food trucks or delis) with their benefits. The key change removes the prior exclusion of "hot foods" from the list of permitted purchases under SNAP, while still excluding alcohol and tobacco. Vendors selling hot foods must now ensure that no more than 50% of their total gross sales come from hot food items to maintain SNAP eligibility.
Maddy summaryThe Susan Muffley Act requires the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) to recalculate monthly pension benefits for participants and beneficiaries of six specific Delphi pension plans (including the Delphi Hourly-Rate Employees Pension Plan) to the full vested amount, removing prior limits that previously reduced payments. It mandates lump-sum payments for past underpayments, including 6% interest, within 180 days of enactment, covering individuals currently receiving benefits or eligible for future payments under these plans. The law establishes a Treasury-funded trust to cover these increased payments and applies retroactively to past benefit calculations. This change directly affects Delphi plan participants who were underpaid due to previous benefit caps, without altering existing asset allocation rules.
Maddy summaryS 928, the "Not Just a Number Act," requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to publish an annual report on veteran suicide rates starting 18 months after enactment. The report must include detailed data broken down by age, gender, and race/ethnicity, plus comparisons between veterans who used VA health services (like Vet Centers or mental health care) versus those who did not, and veterans engaged with VA benefits programs (such as education assistance, disability compensation, or housing loans). The bill also mandates a toolkit for state/local coroners to better identify and report veteran suicides, and a study on creating a dedicated VA suicide prevention office. These requirements aim to improve data collection, analysis, and reporting on veteran suicide trends to inform prevention strategies.
Maddy summarySRES 284 is a Senate resolution expressing support for designating June 2023 as "National Dairy Month." It recognizes the dairy industry's role in providing essential nutrients like calcium and vitamin D for a healthy diet, its economic impact (supporting $793 billion in U.S. economic activity and 3.2 million jobs), and dairy producers' environmental stewardship. The resolution does not create new laws or policies but serves as a symbolic acknowledgment of the industry's contributions. It was introduced by multiple senators and refers to nutritional guidelines emphasizing dairy's health benefits.
Maddy summaryThis bill creates federal grant programs to expand education and training for health professionals in palliative care and hospice services. It establishes requirements for training programs to emphasize interprofessional team-based care, patient and family engagement, and addressing gaps in care for individuals with serious or life-threatening illnesses. The bill prioritizes programs serving rural areas, medically underserved populations, pediatric patients, and racial/ethnic minorities, and authorizes $15 million annually for 2024-2028 to support these initiatives. It also includes provisions for disseminating palliative care information to patients, families, and health professionals through federal agencies.
Maddy summaryS 2214, the Fair Legal Access Grants Act, provides federal grants to states, localities, and tribes to fund legal resources for individuals seeking extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs). The bill authorizes $50 million annually (2025-2031) to help covered petitioners - those eligible to request ERPOs - access legal counsel, translation services, and multilingual resources about the ERPO process. Grantees can establish legal resource centers, hire personnel to assist petitioners, and train legal/justice personnel on ERPO procedures versus domestic violence protection orders. This directly supports petitioners navigating ERPOs, particularly in underserved communities, while ensuring courts and agencies understand the distinction between ERPOs and other protection orders.