Rep. Lateefah Simon

Maddy summaryThe Second Look Act of 2026 allows federal courts to reduce prison sentences for individuals who have served at least 10 years in custody for offenses carrying a term of more than 10 years. To qualify, a defendant must demonstrate that they are no longer a danger to the community and are ready to reenter society, with special consideration given to those aged 50 or older who face a legal presumption in their favor for release. The process requires a formal application, a hearing where evidence regarding rehabilitation and age-related decline in criminality is presented, and the appointment of a lawyer for those who cannot afford one. If approved, the court may shorten the prison term while maintaining the original period of supervised release, and the United States Sentencing Commission will publish annual reports on the number of people granted or denied these reductions.

Maddy summaryThis bill authorizes the Attorney General to create a grant program that funds community-based organizations to establish "One Stop Shop" centers for formerly incarcerated individuals. These centers would provide a single location for comprehensive services, including job training, housing assistance, legal aid, and mental health support, while requiring applicants to develop needs assessments and plans for transportation and stakeholder collaboration. Additionally, the legislation authorizes funding for toll-free, 24/7 hotlines that connect people in need with local reentry resources and offer guidance on navigating the system. The program includes strict requirements for data collection and reporting to Congress to track outcomes such as recidivism rates and employment success, with a preference for hiring formerly incarcerated individuals to run these initiatives.

Maddy summaryThis bill, known as the Directly Impacted Child Rehab and Safety Act, modifies federal laws to adjust how children are processed within the juvenile justice system. It raises the minimum age for federal juvenile delinquency proceedings from 12 to 13 and increases the age threshold for transferring older juveniles to adult criminal court from 15 to 16, with specific exceptions for serious violent crimes. The legislation also requires courts to consider factors such as a child's exposure to trauma and their role in an offense before deciding on transfers or sentencing. Additionally, the bill mandates the collection of detailed statistics on children in federal custody and authorizes grants to help state agencies better coordinate between child welfare and juvenile justice systems to support vulnerable youth.

Maddy summaryThe Long-Term Care Workforce Support Act aims to address the severe shortage and low wages of direct care professionals who support older adults and people with disabilities by increasing Medicaid funding, expanding training grants, and establishing new federal labor protections. To improve compensation and retention, the bill allows states to receive additional Medicaid funds if they implement specific workforce improvements, such as raising wages, providing paid leave, and ensuring stable scheduling, while also creating a national strategy to calculate fair labor costs. The legislation introduces comprehensive worker rights, including a requirement for written employment agreements, fair scheduling with advance notice, paid sick time, and a federal standard to prevent workplace violence. Furthermore, the bill establishes multiple grant programs to fund training, career advancement, and diversity initiatives, alongside a new commission to develop national training standards and a technical assistance center to address inequities within the workforce.

Maddy summaryThe HCBS Access Act requires Medicaid to cover a broad range of home and community-based services for people with disabilities and older adults, aiming to eliminate waiting lists and ensure these individuals can live in their communities rather than institutions. To achieve this, the bill mandates that states create detailed implementation plans, establishes a new advisory panel to recommend additional services, and sets a 100 percent federal funding match for these services to encourage state participation. The legislation also strengthens protections for family caregivers, requires states to remove financial liens on the estates of deceased beneficiaries, and creates a national technical assistance center to support the recruitment and training of direct care workers. Additionally, the bill directs the government to establish a separate occupational category for direct support professionals to better track workforce shortages and improve data collection on this critical labor force.

Maddy summaryThe Clean Energy Workforce Act authorizes $100 million to help schools and colleges train students for jobs in clean energy, renewable energy, and climate change fields. The funding supports two main programs: grants for partnerships between schools and local businesses to create or expand educational courses that prepare students for these industries, and grants for educational facilities to become more energy-efficient and use renewable power. To ensure quality, the bill requires a review committee of educators and industry experts to evaluate grant applications, with priority given to programs that reach underserved students and share their methods with other schools.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits the Department of Homeland Security from using federal funds to create or expand new immigration detention facilities, including warehouses, tents, and modular structures. It directly affects immigration enforcement agencies by banning the construction, renovation, or operation of non-traditional detention centers and preventing the transfer of funds to such projects. The legislation requires any money previously allocated for these facilities to be redirected toward affordable healthcare and housing services instead. Effective immediately upon enactment, the ban applies to all existing federal funds and prevents the use of current budgets for establishing or operating alternative detention models.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires developers of artificial intelligence data centers to publicly disclose project details, such as location and environmental impact, at least 180 days before taking definitive construction steps. To ensure community awareness, the legislation mandates that developers engage local media, post on social media, send direct mail, place physical signs at the site, and provide materials in multiple languages. Additionally, the bill restricts the use of non-disclosure agreements with government entities and requires independent third-party environmental impact analyses funded by the developers. The Federal Trade Commission is designated as the enforcement agency, with violations treated as unfair or deceptive acts under existing federal law.

Maddy summaryThe Hazard Pay for Health Care Heroes Act establishes a grant program to provide financial compensation and safety resources to essential health care workers during declared emergencies or disasters. This legislation directly affects medical providers, support staff, and other frontline workers whose jobs cannot be performed remotely, such as orderlies and janitors in health care settings. Under the bill, eligible facilities can receive federal funds to pay workers an additional hourly rate of up to $13 for hazardous duties, with a yearly cap of $25,000 per employee, while also allowing funds for protective equipment and alternative transportation. The program is triggered by various federal or state emergency declarations and authorizes the necessary funding to implement these hazard pay measures.

Savings Opportunity and Affordable Repayment Act This bill creates a new income-driven repayment plan for student loans called the Savings Opportunity and Affordable Repayment (SOAR) plan. The SOAR plan has similar provisions to, but further expands on, the Department of Education's (ED's) final rule published on July 10, 2023, that created the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan. The SAVE plan was blocked by federal courts. The bill directs ED to carry out a SOAR plan program that complies with specified requirements. The bill allows all federal student loan types to be eligible for repayment under the SOAR plan, including Parent PLUS Loans and Federal Family Education Loans. Under the SOAR plan, a federal student loan borrower whose income is at or below 250% of the federal poverty level (FPL) has $0 monthly payments. A borrower whose income is over 250% of the FPL pays 5% of their discretionary income on loans obtained for undergraduate study and 10% of their discretionary income for all other outstanding loans (e.g., loans obtained for graduate study). Additionally, under the SOAR plan, holders of eligible federal student loans (e.g., ED or private lenders) must apply 50% of the borrower's monthly payment toward outstanding principal. The other 50% must be applied in the following order: (1) accrued charges and collection costs on the loan, (2) outstanding interest, and (3) outstanding principal. ED must forgive any loan balance that remains outstanding after a specified maximum repayment period (e.g., 10 years or 15 years).