Rep. Addison P. McDowell

Maddy summaryThis bill makes technical corrections to the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 to streamline claims for individuals harmed by water contamination at Camp Lejeune. It clarifies the evidence required (30+ days at the base plus a link between contaminants and health harm), specifies that cases must be handled in North Carolina courts (with limited transfer options), and sets attorney fee caps (20% before suit, 25% after). These changes directly affect veterans and civilians who lived at Camp Lejeune and filed claims under the 2022 law. The bill does not create new eligibility but aims to improve the legal process for existing cases.

Maddy summaryThe LEDGER Act (HR 4091) requires the Treasury Department to create a system tracking every government payment within 180 days of enactment. It mandates that all federal departments, agencies, and branches (executive, legislative, judicial) must report disbursements from every funding source, including how long funds remain available for spending. This system will detail each payment's origin, recipient, and timing across all government accounts. The bill directly affects all federal spending entities by standardizing expenditure tracking previously handled inconsistently.

Maddy summaryThe GOLDEN DOME Act of 2025 establishes a comprehensive homeland missile defense system designed to protect U.S. citizens and critical infrastructure from ballistic, hypersonic, cruise, and unmanned system threats. The bill creates a new Golden Dome Direct Report Program Manager with significant authority to accelerate development, testing, and deployment of integrated missile defense capabilities across all domains (land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace). It requires a holistic strategy with all-domain awareness, mandates accelerated testing schedules including live-fire exercises, and allocates specific funding for components like space-based sensors, interceptors, and command and control systems. The legislation also includes provisions to protect the space industrial base and secure critical supply chains for missile defense systems.

Maddy summaryHR 4081, the Foreign Adversary Federal Offense Act of 2025, increases penalties for economic espionage and defense information offenses committed to benefit nations designated as adversaries by the U.S. government. It adds mandatory minimum 10-year prison terms (up to 20 years for severe harm) and fines up to $5 million for individuals, while imposing organizational fines of up to $20 million or 5 times the value of stolen trade secrets. The law specifically targets offenses involving critical infrastructure data - such as security vulnerabilities of systems covered under the USA PATRIOT Act - that could cause significant harm if exploited. This directly affects individuals and organizations convicted of sharing U.S. economic or defense secrets with foreign adversaries.

Maddy summaryHR 3860, the "No Passports for Terrorists and Traffickers Act," denies or revokes U.S. passports for individuals charged with or convicted of providing material support to terrorism under federal law (18 U.S.C. §§2339A/B) or determined by the Secretary of State to have aided designated foreign terrorist organizations. It directly affects people meeting these criteria by preventing passport issuance or requiring passport cancellation, though limited exceptions allow return travel to the U.S. or humanitarian travel. Key mechanisms include the Secretary of State’s authority to act, a 60-day appeal process for affected individuals, and mandatory reports to Congress on each denial or revocation. The bill explicitly excludes medicine and religious materials from its definition of "material support," which covers items like money, training, transportation, or weapons. This law changes passport policy for specific terrorism-related cases without altering broader constitutional rights.

Maddy summaryThis bill would require the Attorney General to annually identify state or local governments that fail to comply with federal immigration cooperation laws, such as sharing immigration status information or honoring detainer requests. Jurisdictions found non-compliant would lose eligibility for all federal financial assistance (including grants and programs) for at least one year. The law mandates annual reports to Congress and allows any member of Congress to request compliance reports on specific jurisdictions. It directly affects cities, counties, and states that do not follow federal immigration enforcement directives.

Maddy summaryHR 2351 requires the Coast Guard Commandant to update policies ensuring naloxone (a medication for opioid overdoses) is available for Coast Guard personnel. It mandates naloxone access at all Coast Guard installations and in all operational settings, including vessels and facilities. The bill also requires a two-year report to Congress detailing implementation progress, Coast Guard substance abuse trends (including fentanyl), and naloxone usage data. All provisions must comply with federal privacy laws like the Privacy Act.

Maddy summaryHR 3843, the Baseload Reliability Protection Act, prohibits the retirement or fuel-source conversion of certain large, reliable power plants (over 25 megawatts, not relying on intermittent renewables like solar/wind without storage) in areas designated as high or elevated risk for electricity shortages. It directly affects power plant operators in these high-risk regions, requiring them to maintain existing facilities unless they qualify for an exemption. Exemptions can be granted if operators demonstrate financial hardship, safety risks, or prove they’ll replace the plant with a comparable reliable unit, with potential federal grants or loans from the Department of Energy to cover operational costs. The bill explicitly blocks consideration of greenhouse gas emissions in exemption decisions and mandates standardized risk assessment criteria for identifying high-risk areas.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the U.S. government to conduct a comprehensive audit of all gold reserves held by federal agencies, including gold stored in deep storage or held by third parties like the International Monetary Fund or foreign central banks. The audit, to be completed within nine months of enactment and repeated every five years, will cover physical inventory, security measures, all transactions (sales, leases, swaps) over the past 50 years, and any gold the government has an interest in through third parties. The Comptroller General must issue a public report detailing all findings, with minimal redactions (only for physical security details), and the Treasury must provide all relevant records without withholding information. This directly affects how the Treasury and Federal Reserve manage and disclose their gold holdings, increasing transparency for Congress and the public.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires drug labels to clearly state if a medication contains major food allergens (like peanuts, dairy, or shellfish) or gluten from grains (such as wheat, barley, or rye). It applies to human drugs sold in the U.S. and mandates manufacturers to identify these specific ingredients on labels. The requirement takes effect within two years of the bill's passage, giving companies time to update packaging. This directly affects drug manufacturers and helps people with allergies make safer choices by providing clear ingredient information.