Maddy summaryHR 5239, the Gulf of Mexico Commerce Protection Act, prohibits the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) from creating a vessel slowdown zone in the Gulf of Mexico until the Commerce Secretary completes and reports on a study. The study must prove that any proposed whale protection measures (specifically for Rice’s whales) would not harm supply chains or maritime commerce. The bill requires the Commerce Secretary to develop and report findings within 60 days to specific congressional committees, and explicitly bans nighttime transit bans or fixed slowdown zones in the required mitigation protocols. This bill directly affects NOAA’s regulatory authority and the Commerce Department’s study process, delaying potential environmental rules pending congressional review.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryThe Child Online Safety Modernization Act of 2023 updates federal law to replace "child pornography" with "child sexual abuse material" across numerous statutes and legal definitions. It modernizes the CyberTipline reporting system to better identify and locate minors involved in cases of child sexual abuse material. The bill makes technical amendments to ensure consistent terminology in legal proceedings related to online child exploitation. These changes aim to improve law enforcement effectiveness in addressing online child sexual exploitation while maintaining legal clarity.
Maddy summaryHR 5147, the Investing in VETS Act, increases the federal government's goal for contracting with service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses from 3% to 5% of total federal contract dollars. It directly affects federal agencies, which must now aim for this higher 5% target, and service-disabled veteran-owned businesses that seek to qualify for these contracts. The bill adds a key provision requiring only businesses officially certified under Section 36 (not self-certified claims) to count toward the 5% goal and agency-specific targets. This change ensures the goal applies only to businesses with verified certification, improving accountability in the program.
Maddy summaryHR 5084 designates the U.S. Postal Service facility at 1106 Main Street in Bastrop, Texas, as the "Sergeant Major Billy D. Waugh Post Office." This bill updates all official federal references - including laws, maps, and documents - to use the new name for the location. It directly affects the Bastrop post office and federal records referencing it, without altering postal services or policies. The change is purely ceremonial and procedural, honoring Sergeant Major Billy D. Waugh through the facility's name.
Maddy summaryHR 5073, titled the "Promoting Domestic Energy Production Act," is a tax code amendment affecting oil and gas companies. It changes how businesses calculate adjusted financial statement income by removing specific deductions related to intangible drilling and development costs from their financial reports. The bill requires companies to disregard depreciation and depletion expenses taken into account on their financial statements for these costs when computing taxable income. This applies to tax years beginning after December 31, 2022, directly impacting oil and gas producers who use these accounting methods. The bill does not create new energy policies but alters tax accounting rules for the industry.
Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits federal involvement in commercial greyhound racing, live lure training, and open field coursing by banning interstate activities related to these practices. It makes it unlawful to conduct betting on greyhound races (including remote gambling), use live animals as bait, or transport animals for these purposes. The law specifically targets the declining greyhound racing industry (now operating at only two tracks in West Virginia), banning federal facilitation of betting, live bait use, and interstate transport of animals for racing or training. It does not affect horse racing or state laws already prohibiting these activities in most states.
This resolution condemns Iran for the 1988 massacre of political prisoners. It also urges the Biden Administration and U.S. allies to publicly condemn the massacre and to pressure Iran to provide information to the families of the victims.
Maddy summaryThe Safer Supervision Act of 2023 requires federal courts to make individualized assessments before imposing supervised release, considering factors like public safety and rehabilitation needs rather than applying blanket rules. It establishes a presumption for early termination of supervised release after 50% of the term (66.6% for certain offenses) if the defendant has good conduct and termination won’t jeopardize public safety. The bill also mandates a GAO study on federal post-release supervision and proposes equal pay for probation officers through law enforcement availability pay. These changes directly affect defendants on supervised release, courts, and probation officers.
Maddy summaryThe Strong Communities Act of 2023 creates a new grant program to fund law enforcement training. It provides competitive grants to local law enforcement agencies, allowing them to send officers and recruits to training programs at eligible entities (like colleges or police departments). To receive training benefits, participants must agree to serve full-time in their local community for four years within a specified distance from their long-term residence (7 miles or 20 miles depending on county size). Failure to complete this service requires repayment of the training benefits received.
Maddy summaryHR 4660, the HALT Our Adversaries Act, restricts federal funding for universities and colleges that partner with certain Chinese or Russian entities linked to military activities. Specifically, it prohibits federal funds (excluding student aid under Title IV of the Higher Education Act) for institutions with contracts involving: (1) Chinese military-owned companies operating in the U.S., or (2) Chinese academic institutions tied to those companies or the Chinese military. Institutions violating these rules must disclose past partnerships and prove termination to regain eligibility. The bill targets academic partnerships deemed to pose national security risks by aligning with foreign military interests.