Rep. Bryan Steil

Maddy summaryThe HEAL Act (HR 603) requires the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Director to study how public elementary and secondary schools teach about the Holocaust and related antisemitism. The study will examine curriculum requirements, teaching methods (like project-based learning), instructional materials, and assessment approaches across states and school districts. It specifically analyzes whether Holocaust education is mandatory, optional, or integrated across subjects, and how schools address antisemitism and genocide prevention. The resulting report, due within 180 days of the study or three years after enactment, will inform Congress but does not change current school policies. This is a data-gathering measure, not a policy mandate.

Maddy summaryHR 605, the Special Drawing Rights Oversight Act of 2023, requires the U.S. government to seek congressional approval before allocating IMF reserve assets (SDRs) to certain countries. It strengthens oversight by extending consultation periods with Congress from 90 to 180 days, requiring 25% of U.S. IMF quotas to be considered in decisions, and adding new prohibitions: no SDR allocations may be made to countries the President identifies as having committed genocide or repeatedly supported international terrorism without specific congressional authorization. The bill directly affects the U.S. Treasury and President, who currently have authority to approve such allocations without Congress. This changes current practice, which allows unilateral Treasury decisions that could provide billions in unconditional liquidity to countries like China, Russia, Iran, and Venezuela.

Maddy summaryHR 553, the Workplace Choice and Flexibility for Individuals with Disabilities Act, amends the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to clarify what counts as "competitive integrated employment" for people with disabilities. It updates the definition to explicitly include social interactions with colleagues and customers in regular workplace settings (not just isolated work units) and specifies that jobs paid through federal or state government contracts prioritizing disability employment support - such as those awarded to contractors or subcontractors meeting certain criteria - qualify as competitive. This change ensures state vocational rehabilitation programs can count these jobs as legitimate employment outcomes, aligning with Congressional intent that such roles be considered part of the broader labor market. The bill directly affects state agencies managing vocational rehabilitation services and government contractors providing disability-focused employment support.

Maddy summaryThe Educational Choice for Children Act creates tax credits for individuals and corporations that contribute to scholarship granting organizations providing education scholarships. Individuals can claim a credit up to $5,000 or 10% of their income, while corporations can claim up to 5% of taxable income. The scholarships are available to students from households with income up to 300% of the area median income, and can be used for private school tuition, tutoring, and other educational expenses at elementary and secondary schools. The bill includes strict requirements for scholarship organizations to verify income, conduct audits, and prevent misuse of funds, while also prohibiting government control over these organizations and protecting private and religious schools from discrimination in the program. It establishes a $10 billion annual cap on the total tax credits available.

Maddy summaryThe Putting Investors First Act of 2023 requires proxy advisory firms (companies that provide voting recommendations to investors) to register with the Securities and Exchange Commission and disclose potential conflicts of interest. It mandates these firms to establish procedures ensuring recommendations are based on accurate information, provide public companies with reasonable time to review data used in recommendations, and maintain an ombudsman for complaint resolution. The bill also requires investment advisors and asset managers with over $100 million in assets to report how they use proxy advice and provide economic analysis for votes not aligned with board recommendations. Additionally, it prohibits "robovoting" (automatically voting based on proxy advice) and mandates ESG funds to disclose performance comparisons with standard index funds. The legislation aims to increase transparency and accountability in the proxy advisory industry to better protect investor interests.

Maddy summaryHR 361, the "Stop Inflationary Spending Act," requires the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to analyze how major budget bills (reconciliation legislation) impact inflation. Specifically, the CBO must provide an inflation analysis for such bills covering the fiscal year they take effect and the next four years, including the basis for each estimate. This applies to bills reported by a House committee, submitted to the Budget Committee, or directly to the Rules Committee. The bill affects Congress and the CBO by adding a new procedural requirement for budget-related legislation. It does not change spending levels but mandates a specific analysis before such bills are considered.

Maddy summaryThe BASIC Act (HR 362) requires the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) to include the costs of servicing the national debt in their budget estimates, where practicable. This means when analyzing proposed legislation, these agencies must account for interest payments on the federal debt resulting from new spending or tax changes. The bill amends the 1974 Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act by adding a new section mandating this inclusion. The primary effect is on the CBO and JCT, which will adjust their budget scoring methods to reflect debt servicing costs.

Maddy summaryHRES 32 is a resolution supporting the current legal standard for "materiality" in securities disclosures, which requires public companies to share information investors reasonably deem important for decision-making. It opposes new disclosure mandates - particularly related to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues - that fall outside the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) core mission of protecting investors and maintaining fair markets. The resolution emphasizes that the SEC's existing materiality standard, established since 1976 and reinforced by Supreme Court precedent, already requires climate-related risks to be disclosed if they impact a company's financials. It argues that expanding disclosure requirements beyond this standard would create unnecessary compliance costs and confuse investors without aligning with the SEC's statutory purpose.

Maddy summaryHR 287, the CRT Transparency Act, requires states and local school districts to publicly post all curriculum materials for every elementary and secondary school grade level on accessible websites. Specifically, it amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to mandate that states ensure local agencies post curricula online, and that local agencies themselves must make their grade-level curricula publicly available. This directly affects all public K-12 schools and their governing bodies by creating a new transparency requirement for teaching materials. The bill focuses solely on making curriculum content publicly accessible online, without specifying content types or subject areas. It does not alter curriculum content itself but requires existing materials to be posted online for public review.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes nationwide recognition for valid concealed carry permits. It allows permit holders from any state to carry concealed handguns in states that either issue such permits or don't ban concealed carry, provided they carry a photo ID and their valid permit. Key provisions include making presentation of a valid permit and ID prima facie evidence of compliance, shifting the burden of proof to prosecutors if challenged, and requiring courts to award attorney fees to successful defendants. It does not override state laws prohibiting concealed carry on private property or government lands, nor does it affect restrictions on federal lands like national parks.