Rep. Janice D. Schakowsky

Maddy summaryH.J. Res. 216 proposes a constitutional amendment to eliminate the exception in the Thirteenth Amendment that currently permits slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for a crime. The resolution would amend the Constitution to explicitly state that neither slavery nor involuntary servitude may be imposed on anyone as a penalty for criminal conduct. This change would directly affect incarcerated individuals by prohibiting forced labor practices within the criminal justice system, while clarifying that voluntary work programs and community service alternatives remain permissible.

Maddy summaryThis joint resolution seeks to overturn a Department of Homeland Security rule that would establish fixed time periods for admission and specific extension procedures for nonimmigrant academic students, exchange visitors, and representatives of foreign information media. If enacted, the bill would prevent this immigration regulation from taking effect, thereby maintaining the existing framework for how these individuals manage their stay in the United States. The measure directly affects international students, cultural exchange participants, and foreign journalists by blocking changes to their visa duration limits and renewal processes.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates the U.S. Postal Service facility at 14855 South Van Dyke Road in Plainfield, Illinois, as the "Staff Sergeant Jose Dueñez Jr. Post Office Building." It directly affects the postal facility and all official references to it. The key provision requires that any future law, document, or record referring to the location must use the new name. This is a purely procedural renaming with no funding, policy changes, or impact beyond official nomenclature.

Maddy summaryThis bill names a U.S. Postal Service facility at 1300 East Northwest Highway in Palatine, Illinois, as the "Bernie Bluestein Post Office Building." It updates all official references in federal laws, documents, and records to reflect this new name for the location. The change is purely administrative and affects how the building is identified in government materials. No new policies or funding are involved; it is a ceremonial designation.

Maddy summaryHR 2466 designates the U.S. Postal Service facility at 5225 Harrison Avenue in Rockford, Illinois, as the "Jay P. Larson Post Office Building." The bill updates all federal references - including laws, maps, and official documents - to use this new name for the building. It does not create new policies or affect residents, businesses, or postal services. This is a ceremonial naming bill with no financial or operational changes.

Maddy summaryThe Fairness for Farm Workers Act amends the Fair Labor Standards Act to end the long-standing exemption that allows agricultural workers to be denied overtime pay. The bill introduces a phased schedule requiring employers to pay farm workers time-and-a-half for hours worked beyond a set threshold, which gradually decreases from 55 hours in 2027 to the standard 40 hours by 2030. Small farms with 25 or fewer employees are given a three-year delay, reaching full compliance by 2033. Additionally, the legislation removes several other exemptions that currently allow agricultural employers to bypass federal wage and hour protections.

Maddy summaryThe Equal Pay for Equal Work Act establishes a new National Equal Pay Enforcement Task Force composed of representatives from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Department of Justice, the Department of Labor, and the Office of Personnel Management. The task force is charged with coordinating these agencies to close gaps in enforcement and improve public education regarding equal pay laws. Its specific duties include investigating challenges related to pay inequity, advancing recommendations to address those issues, and creating action plans to implement the proposed solutions.

Maddy summaryThe Protecting Our Widows and Widowers in Retirement Act would amend the Social Security Act to increase monthly benefits for surviving spouses of deceased workers who were part of two-income households. Under the new rules, a fully insured widow or widower could receive 75 percent of the combined total of their own retirement or disability benefit and the deceased spouse's primary insurance amount, rather than just the deceased spouse's benefit alone. The bill includes a cap on this increased payment based on a hypothetical high-earner's maximum benefit to limit costs. Additionally, the legislation ensures that these higher Social Security payments do not reduce eligibility for Supplemental Security Income by treating the income as if it were at pre-amendment levels. These changes would apply to benefits paid for months after December 2026.

Maddy summaryThe L'Ouverture Economic Development Plan for Haiti Act of 2025 creates a Haitian American Enterprise Fund to support economic development in Haiti through private sector investments. The fund will finance projects in agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, and infrastructure, with special focus on empowering women and youth, and aims to create jobs to reduce migration from Haiti. It authorizes $1 billion annually from 2026-2031 to support these initiatives, managed by a private nonprofit organization with oversight from a diverse board. The legislation emphasizes building sustainable economic opportunities within Haiti to meet the country's development needs while strengthening ties with the Haitian-American diaspora.