Rep. Jonathan L. Jackson

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 summaryDomenic and Ed's Law allows parents who have taken out federal student loans to repay those loans if their child becomes permanently and totally disabled. This change applies to all outstanding parent loans, regardless of when the loan was taken out or when the disability began. The law requires that the disability be medically determinable and expected to last for at least 60 months or result in death.

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.

Maddy summaryThe MATCH Act requires U.S. agencies to align export controls on semiconductor manufacturing equipment with allied nations to prevent adversaries from accessing critical technology. It mandates a 150-day period for diplomatic efforts to secure countrywide denial policies from allied suppliers, after which U.S. jurisdiction would extend to equipment exported from countries not complying with these controls. The bill specifically targets semiconductor manufacturing equipment that the U.S. cannot currently produce in high volume and includes a list of Chinese companies deemed to warrant comprehensive restrictions. If allies fail to implement matching controls, the Act would allow the U.S. to regulate equipment exported from non-compliant allied countries and restrict servicing of restricted items at facilities in adversary nations. The legislation includes a sunset provision that expires five years after enactment, with annual reporting requirements to Congress on progress and compliance.

Maddy summaryHR 5543, the Baltic Security Assessment Act of 2025, requires the U.S. State and Defense Departments to submit a report within 180 days of enactment. The report will assess emerging military, cyber, hybrid, and political threats to Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, including the roles of Russia, Belarus, China, Iran, and other actors. It will also evaluate U.S. and NATO military presence in the region, opportunities for defense cooperation, and recommendations to strengthen deterrence, cybersecurity, and democratic resilience in the Baltic countries. This bill directly affects U.S. foreign policy and defense planning regarding the Baltics, but does not create new programs or funding.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a grant program to help vulnerable mothers and babies in areas with high climate-related health risks, such as extreme heat and air pollution. It directs the Department of Health and Human Services to award up to $105 million over four years to community groups, healthcare providers, and local organizations for initiatives that provide cooling resources, health education, and support services. The program prioritizes areas with high rates of maternal and infant health disparities and requires grantees to address racial and ethnic inequities. Additionally, the bill creates a research consortium at the National Institutes of Health to study climate impacts on birth outcomes and funds training programs for health profession schools to better prepare providers for these risks.

Maddy summaryThis bill, the "Stop Deadly Denials Act of 2026," aims to significantly restrict prior authorization requirements for Medicare beneficiaries. It prohibits Medicare Advantage plans from imposing prior authorization for most medical services and items starting January 1, 2027, with non-compliant plans facing potential sanctions. For traditional Medicare, the bill blocks a specific prior authorization pilot program and limits future models from implementing prior authorization if they use artificial intelligence for denials without individual physician review or do not use Medicare administrative contractors for processing. Additionally, it requires public notice and comment for all future Medicare innovation models.

Maddy summaryThe Momnibus Act is a comprehensive legislative bill designed to improve maternal health outcomes across the United States by addressing social determinants of health, expanding access to care, and reducing disparities among pregnant and postpartum individuals. The bill establishes a federal task force to coordinate efforts between agencies and stakeholders to eliminate preventable maternal mortality and severe morbidity, while providing sustained funding to community-based organizations to address nonclinical factors like housing, nutrition, and transportation. Key provisions include extending WIC eligibility to 24 months postpartum, creating grants to grow and diversify the perinatal workforce, implementing respectful maternity care training for all healthcare employees, and establishing compliance programs to track and address bias in maternity care settings. The legislation also includes specific measures for incarcerated mothers, veterans, and vulnerable populations affected by climate change, alongside funding for maternal mental health services and technology-enabled care models to expand access in underserved areas.