Rep. Aaron Bean

Maddy summaryHR 3995, the Small Business Regulatory Reduction Act, requires the Small Business Administration (SBA) to ensure that regulatory costs imposed on small businesses by the SBA itself remain at or below zero each fiscal year. This means the SBA must offset any new or modified regulations with cost-saving measures for small businesses. The bill also mandates the SBA to submit annual reports to Congress detailing rules issued by other federal agencies that impact small businesses, including rules from the previous and following fiscal years. These provisions directly affect small business concerns by limiting their regulatory burden and increasing transparency about agency rules affecting them.

Maddy summaryHR 4969, the "Ending the Cycle of Dependency Act of 2023," modifies work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). It establishes a 60-month (5-year) lifetime limit for able-bodied adults aged 16-64 without dependents who receive SNAP benefits. The bill also narrows exemptions for work requirements, removing some existing exceptions like "bona fide student" status, and requires stricter adherence to work registration, job acceptance, and employment training participation. This directly affects SNAP recipients who are non-elderly, non-pregnant, non-disabled adults without dependent children.

Maddy summaryHR 5224 reauthorizes the Missing Children's Assistance Act through fiscal year 2028, updating definitions and expanding services to better address child sexual exploitation. It adds specific terms like "sextortion" and "sexting" to clarify key concepts, and requires the Administrator to manage the CyberTipline for reporting missing children and exploitation. The bill mandates new data collection on children missing from state care, including those likely victims of sex trafficking, and increases annual funding authorization from $40 million to $49.3 million. These changes directly affect child welfare agencies, law enforcement, and organizations working with missing or exploited children by improving reporting systems, recovery support, and data transparency.

Maddy summaryHR 5095, the FREEZE Act, imposes a hiring freeze at the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), prohibiting new appointments or positions starting on the bill's enactment date. It permanently cancels any excess funds in the DOE's unobligated budget balance - specifically, sums beyond what's needed to cover current employees' salaries and expenses. The bill also prohibits using federal funds to violate the hiring freeze, ensuring no new positions or salaries are funded. This directly affects the DOE's staffing and budget operations, redirecting unused funds rather than increasing spending.

Maddy summaryHR 5130, the "Finish It Act," requires the Department of Defense to use stored border wall construction materials (valued at approximately $300 million) for building permanent barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border within 30 days of the bill's enactment. It mandates that states receiving materials certify they will use them exclusively for border barriers, with penalties for unused materials (requiring repayment of the original cost) and imposes a 1% budget cut for every two days of delay in implementation. The bill also demands a detailed report from the Department of Defense within 90 days, including internal communications about storage costs and contracts with private landowners. This legislation directly affects the Department of Defense and border states, focusing on redirecting existing resources rather than creating new funding or construction.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to require states receiving federal workforce development funds to prioritize programs based on evidence of effectiveness. Specifically, states must describe in their plans how they will give highest priority to "high-evidence" programs (proven through multiple rigorous studies), followed by "moderate-evidence" programs, and then "low-evidence" programs. The bill defines these evidence tiers clearly, requiring states to fund interventions shown to produce positive results in well-conducted studies or credible research. This directly affects state workforce agencies managing federal grants under WIOA.

Maddy summaryThis is a ceremonial resolution (HRES 622), not a substantive bill. It expresses the U.S. House of Representatives' gratitude and congratulations to the U.S. Coast Guard for its maritime border security efforts in fiscal year 2022. The resolution cites specific achievements like interdicting over 330,000 pounds of narcotics, 12,500 illegal immigrants, and 6,300 vessel boardings. It has no policy impact or legal effect - it solely serves to honor the Coast Guard's service.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends U.S. Code to allow capital construction funds - previously used for vessel upgrades - to cover the replacement or purchase of cargo handling equipment at U.S. marine terminals. It defines "cargo handling equipment" to include U.S.-manufactured gear or foreign-made equipment if U.S. supply is insufficient or low-quality, as determined by terminal operators. The bill prohibits using funds for cranes made in China or fully automated equipment that could cause job losses at terminals. Marine terminal operators (not individual vessels) are the primary beneficiaries, with eligibility tied to equipment meeting specific U.S. manufacturing or supply criteria.

Maddy summaryThis bill directs the U.S. Treasury to mint commemorative coins marking the Marine Corps' 250th anniversary in 2025. It authorizes three coin types: $5 gold coins (max 50,000), $1 silver coins (max 400,000), and half-dollar coins (max 750,000), with surcharges of $35, $10, and $5 respectively. The surcharge proceeds will fund the Marine Corps Heritage Center's educational programs, with no net cost to taxpayers as the Treasury must recover all minting costs through the surcharges. The coins can only be issued during 2025, and the Treasury must ensure all costs are covered before distributing funds to the Heritage Foundation.

No Taxpayer Funding For Climate Zealots Advancing Radical Schemes Act or the No Taxpayer Funding For CZARS Act This bill prohibits the use of federal funds for any activity of the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate.