Rep. Brad Knott

Maddy summaryHRES 447 is a non-binding House resolution condemning antisemitism and honoring Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, two Israeli Embassy employees killed during a peace-focused panel discussion in 2023. The resolution specifically condemns all forms of antisemitism - including violence, vandalism, and online harassment - and remembers the victims, who were killed by a far-left activist affiliated with the Party for Socialism and Liberation. It calls for enforcing existing hate crime laws and protecting religious freedom, without creating new legislation. This resolution symbolically supports Jewish communities and victims of antisemitic violence but does not alter legal requirements.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases mandatory prison sentences for non-citizens convicted of certain crimes after entering the U.S. without authorization or being deported. It raises the minimum sentence from 2 to 5 years for those who improperly enter the U.S. and later commit a crime punishable by over one year in prison. For non-citizens previously deported who commit crimes, it increases the minimum sentence from 2 to 10 years and mandates at least 10 years for offenses including aggravated felonies, state/federal felonies, or crimes punishable by over one year. These changes apply to all non-citizens convicted under these circumstances, regardless of jurisdiction.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new system for recognizing and regulating individuals who help veterans file benefit claims. It requires the VA to provide veterans with information about free assistance options and maintain a public list of accredited representatives. The bill sets a maximum fee limit of $12,500 or 5 times the monthly benefit increase for representatives, and establishes penalties for unaccredited representatives who charge improper fees. The law aims to protect veterans from unscrupulous representatives while ensuring they have access to quality assistance with their benefit claims.

Maddy summaryThis bill provides a 3-year transition period for newly insured banks to meet federal capital requirements, easing compliance for institutions that recently became federally insured. It allows these banks to request temporary deviations from approved business plans, with regulators required to respond within 30 days (or the request is automatically approved). Small rural banks with less than $10 billion in assets located in rural areas receive a lower 8% leverage ratio requirement during this transition. Additionally, the bill expands lending authority for certain banks to include agricultural loans and requires a federal study on increasing new bank formations in underserved areas.

Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act or the SAVE Act This bill requires individuals to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. Specifically, the bill prohibits states from accepting and processing an application to register to vote in a federal election unless the applicant presents documentary proof of U.S. citizenship. The bill specifies what documents are considered acceptable proof of U.S. citizenship, such as identification that complies with the REAL ID Act of 2005 that indicates U.S. citizenship. Further, the bill (1) prohibits states from registering an individual to vote in a federal election unless, at the time the individual applies to register to vote, the individual provides documentary proof of U.S. citizenship; and (2) requires states to establish an alternative process under which an applicant may submit other evidence to demonstrate U.S. citizenship. Each state must take affirmative steps on an ongoing basis to ensure that only U.S. citizens are registered to vote, which shall include establishing a program to identify individuals who are not U.S. citizens using information supplied by certain sources. Additionally, states must remove noncitizens from their official lists of eligible voters. The bill allows for a private right of action against an election official who registers an applicant to vote in a federal election who fails to present documentary proof of U.S. citizenship. The bill establishes criminal penalties for certain offenses, including registering an applicant to vote in a federal election who fails to present documentary proof of U.S. citizenship.

Nuclear Family Priority Act This bill imposes limits on various types of family-sponsored immigration visas. The non-U.S. national ( alien  under federal law) parents of U.S. citizens shall not qualify for visas for immediate relatives, which are not subject to any direct numerical limits. Currently, the spouses, unmarried children under 21, and parents of citizens are considered immediate relatives. The bill also creates a nonimmigrant visa for such parents of citizens. Such non-U.S. nationals shall not be eligible for employment or any public benefits. The bill also reduces the baseline annual cap for family-sponsored visas from 480,000 to 88,000, and revises the methods for calculating the cap. Currently, the 480,000 cap may be adjusted depending on various factors but shall not be less than 226,000. The bill eliminates preference allocations (visa categories subject to various annual caps) for various family-sponsored visas, including those for the siblings and married children of citizens. The bill provides for a preference allocation for the unmarried children under 21 and spouses of permanent residents, subject to the 88,000 annual cap.

Maddy summaryHR 2666, the CBO Scoring Accountability Act, requires the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to annually analyze and publicly report on the actual costs and revenue impacts of major federal legislation for the first 10 years after it becomes law. It mandates that the CBO compare actual spending/revenue results against prior estimates, and if discrepancies exceed 10% for costs or revenue, the CBO must explain the causes in a report to Congress. This applies to bills projected to affect at least 0.25% of U.S. GDP in spending or revenue (defined as "major legislation"), and federal agencies must provide data to support these analyses. The bill aims to improve transparency around budget estimates without altering legislative processes.

Maddy summaryHR 2551, the Military Installation Retail Security Act of 2025, prohibits the U.S. Department of Defense from renewing, extending, or entering into long-term retail contracts with businesses controlled by "covered nations" (nations designated under existing law as security concerns) on military installations in the U.S. It requires retailers to disclose ownership ties to covered nations to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS), which must assess national security risks within 180 days. The bill allows limited waivers only if essential services for troops' welfare are unavailable elsewhere and security risks are mitigated, with strict reporting requirements. Retailers failing to disclose ownership changes or misrepresenting control face immediate contract termination. This directly affects retailers operating on military bases with potential foreign ties.

Maddy summaryThe Ensuring Medicaid Eligibility Act of 2025 prohibits the implementation of a 2024 rule that would have streamlined Medicaid application and enrollment processes. It requires states to verify U.S. citizenship or immigration status before enrolling individuals in Medicaid and mandates quarterly verification of income-based eligibility for those relying on income calculations. The bill also blocks federal funding for Medicaid coverage for certain non-citizens, including parolees, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, asylum seekers, and individuals granted withholding of removal. These provisions directly affect non-citizen Medicaid applicants and require states to adjust enrollment and verification procedures.

Maddy summaryHR 2382, the First Responders Retirement Parity Act, clarifies that government retirement plans may include firefighters, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), and paramedics without losing their "governmental plan" status under federal tax and retirement laws. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act to specifically allow public safety agencies (contracted with local governments) to cover these workers - whose primary duties involve firefighting or out-of-hospital emergency medical services - as part of their retirement plans. This change directly affects first responders employed by local public safety agencies, ensuring their retirement benefits remain eligible for the same tax advantages as other government employees. The key mechanism updates legal definitions to prevent plans covering these roles from being disqualified under current rules.