Rep. Jodey C. Arrington

Maddy summaryHR 21, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, requires medical staff at abortion facilities to provide the same immediate care and hospital admission to any infant born alive during an abortion as they would for any newborn. It mandates reporting failures to provide this care to law enforcement and imposes penalties of up to 5 years in prison for violations, with harsher penalties for intentional killing. The bill also allows women who undergo abortions to sue for civil damages, including triple the abortion cost, and provides for attorney fees. It defines "abortion" to exclude procedures performed after viability to preserve a live birth. This law directly affects healthcare providers at abortion facilities and creates new federal legal obligations for them.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands the tax deduction for qualified business income to include interest dividends from certain business development companies (BDCs), aligning them with the existing treatment for real estate investment trust (REIT) dividends. It specifically adds "qualified BDC interest dividends" to the list of eligible income under Section 199A of the tax code, allowing investors in qualifying BDCs to deduct 20% of these dividends. The change applies to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2026, and directly affects investors in BDCs that meet specific criteria as regulated investment companies. This policy modifies tax eligibility without altering the deduction rate or creating new tax obligations.

Maddy summaryHR 703, the Main Street Tax Certainty Act, makes a key tax deduction permanent for small business owners. It removes the temporary sunset provision (subsection (i)) from Section 199A of the tax code, ensuring the qualified business income deduction remains available for eligible small businesses. This change directly affects pass-through business owners (like S-corps, partnerships, and sole proprietorships) who currently qualify for this deduction. The permanent change takes effect for tax years starting after December 31, 2025.

Maddy summaryHR 600, the "WHO is Accountable Act," prohibits U.S. federal funds from supporting the World Health Organization (WHO) until the organization meets eight specific conditions. These include ending perceived Chinese Communist Party influence, ending alleged pandemic cover-ups, granting Taiwan observer status, and halting WHO activities on gender identity, climate change, and abortion access. The bill blocks all U.S. contributions and membership efforts until the State Department certifies WHO compliance. It directly affects U.S. agencies managing international health funding and WHO's operational policies.

Maddy summaryThe Estate Tax Rate Reduction Act lowers the federal estate tax rate to 20% for taxable estates, gifts, and generation-skipping transfers. This change replaces the previous progressive rate schedule with a flat 20% rate, applying to estates of decedents dying, gifts, and certain transfers after December 31, 2024. The bill affects individuals with estates exceeding the current tax exemption threshold, as it reduces the tax rate on the taxable portion of those estates. It does not alter the exemption amount, meaning only estates above the threshold are subject to this rate reduction.

Birthright Citizenship Act of 2025 This bill limits birthright citizenship by redefining what it means to be subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. Currently, a person born in the United States and subject to U.S. jurisdiction is entitled to citizenship. Under the bill, a person is subject to U.S. jurisdiction if he or she is born to a parent who is (1) a U.S. citizen or national, (2) a lawful permanent resident residing in the United States, or (3) a non-U.S. national ( alien under federal law) with a lawful immigration status who is performing active service in the Armed Forces. The bill does not affect the citizenship or nationality status of any person born before the bill's enactment date.

Maddy summaryHR 587 removes the lesser prairie-chicken (all populations) from the federal lists of threatened and endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. It also permanently amends the law to prevent the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from ever listing the bird as threatened or endangered in the future. This bill directly affects the lesser prairie-chicken by ending its current legal protections under the Endangered Species Act. The key mechanism is a specific exclusion added to the Act’s listing authority, blocking any future federal protection for this species.

Maddy summaryThe ALIGN Act (HR 574) allows businesses to immediately deduct the full cost of certain qualifying equipment and property (like machinery or tools) instead of spreading the deduction over several years. This permanent tax change directly affects businesses that invest in eligible property placed in service after September 2017. The key provision eliminates the previous depreciation rules for these assets, providing an immediate tax benefit to encourage capital investment. It does not change tax rates or apply to all business expenses, only specific types of equipment meeting the defined criteria.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the Treasury Secretary to regularly report to Congress about foreign countries that impose taxes on U.S. businesses or individuals considered unfair (extraterritorial or discriminatory taxes). For countries identified in these reports, it authorizes the U.S. to increase tax rates on income and withholdings from those countries, starting at 5% and increasing up to 20% over time. The bill also allows the U.S. to prohibit federal government purchases from entities in those countries and to consider these tax policies when negotiating tax treaties or trade agreements. It would directly affect U.S. businesses and individuals doing business with countries that have these tax policies, as well as those countries' businesses operating in the U.S.

Maddy summaryHJRES 21 is a joint resolution disapproving a rule issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that aimed to modernize the H-2 visa program. The rule, published in the Federal Register (89 Fed. Reg. 103202), proposed updated requirements, oversight procedures, and worker protections for the H-2 program, which allows U.S. employers to hire foreign workers for temporary agricultural or non-agricultural jobs. This resolution directs Congress to reject the rule, stating it "shall have no force or effect" if passed. It directly affects the H-2 visa program’s operational rules and the employers and foreign workers relying on it.