Maddy summaryHR 7932, the HONOR Gold Star Families Act, increases the death gratuity paid to families of service members who died in the line of duty. It raises the current $100,000 payment to $200,000 for deaths occurring on or after January 1, 2026. The bill also adds an annual cost-of-living adjustment to this amount, increasing it each January 1 based on the previous year’s inflation rate as measured by the Consumer Price Index. This directly affects Gold Star Families - those who have lost a service member in military service - by providing a larger initial payment and ensuring future payments keep pace with inflation.
Rep. Abraham J. Hamadeh
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryThe VALOR Act (HR 7598) ensures veterans with pending disability claims don't pay unnecessary housing loan fees. It requires the VA to refund or credit fees paid by veterans who later have their disability claims approved. Specifically, if a veteran pays a housing loan fee before their disability claim is decided and the claim is approved after payment, the VA must reimburse the fee amount. This directly affects veterans applying for VA-guaranteed home loans while awaiting disability compensation decisions. The bill creates a clear, automatic reimbursement process without requiring veterans to file separate claims for refunds.
Critical Mineral Consistency Act of 2025 This bill modifies the Energy Act of 2020 to expand the definition of critical minerals to include critical materials designated by the Department of Energy (DOE). Under current law, DOE's critical materials list contains certain materials that are essential for energy, including those on the critical minerals list of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The USGS's list, which contains certain minerals that are essential to the nation's economic or national security, is not required to include the materials on DOE's list. Currently, both lists include minerals with a high risk of supply chain disruptions, and both DOE and USGS must conduct a variety of efforts to ensure a secure and reliable supply chain of the minerals. By expanding the definition of critical minerals , this bill requires the USGS to include on its list the materials on DOE's list. Within 45 days of DOE adding a mineral, element, substance, or material to its critical materials list, the USGS must update its list to include such mineral, element, substance, or material.
Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a permanent "Payroll Audit Independent Determination" (PAID) program under the Department of Labor, allowing employers to voluntarily self-audit and correct unintentional wage violations under federal law. Employers submit payroll audits identifying minimum wage or overtime errors, then pay back wages directly to affected employees through a streamlined process overseen by the Department. Employees who accept the settlement receive full payment but waive their right to sue for those specific violations, while employers gain protection from future investigations for the same issues. The program, based on a successful 2018-2019 pilot that resolved cases faster and with higher back-wage payments than traditional enforcement, includes strict safeguards like confidentiality for submitted data and requirements for employer good faith.
Maddy summaryHRES 1085 is a procedural resolution censuring Representative Al Green (D-TX) for disrupting the State of the Union address on February 24, 2026, with the House citing this as his second recent removal for violating decorum rules. The resolution requires Green to appear in the House chamber for the public reading of the censure by the Speaker. This formal reprimand directly affects Green’s standing in the House but does not impose new legal penalties or alter policy.
This bill designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 101 North Colorado Street in Chandler, Arizona, as the "Mayor Coy Payne Memorial Post Office Building".
Maddy summaryHR 7678, the Gun Owner Registration Information Protection Act, prohibits federal funding for state or local databases that track lawfully owned firearms or their owners. The bill allows federal funding for databases recording lost or stolen firearms but bans it for databases listing legal gun ownership. This means states cannot use federal money to create or maintain systems that compile information about legally owned guns. The bill directly affects state and local governments that rely on federal funds for firearm ownership databases.
Law-Enforcement Innovate to De-Escalate Act This bill removes less-than-lethal projectile devices (e.g., certain TASERs) from regulation under the Gun Control Act. The term less-than-lethal projectile device means a device that (1) is not designed or intended to expel (and may not be readily converted to discharge) commonly used ammunition or projectiles exceeding a velocity of 500 feet per second; (2) is designed and intended to be used in a manner not likely to cause death or serious bodily injury; and (3) does not accept (and cannot be readily modified to accept) an ammunition feeding device. The bill also requires the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to determine whether a device satisfies the definition of a less-than-lethal projectile device within 90 days of a request.
Maddy summaryThe No Tax Dollars for Terrorists Act requires the U.S. State Department to identify foreign countries and organizations receiving U.S. foreign aid that have provided financial or material support to the Taliban, including the amounts of aid they receive and the support they give to the Taliban. It mandates a strategy to use U.S. aid to discourage such support, with initial and follow-up reports to Congress on the strategy and its implementation. The bill also demands detailed reports on U.S. cash assistance programs in Afghanistan and the Afghan Fund, explaining how funds are transferred (including traditional money transfer systems) and how safeguards prevent Taliban access.
Maddy summaryThe LASSO Act requires 10% of annual revenue generated from public lands managed by the Interior Department and Agriculture Department (including national forests and Outer Continental Shelf areas) to be deposited into the Social Security Trust Fund. This directly affects the Social Security Trust Fund by increasing its funding, while ensuring no fee hikes for public land activities or reductions in funds for states, tribes, or local governments. The bill mandates this transfer annually without altering existing revenue-sharing agreements or pricing structures. It aims to bolster Social Security finances through a specific, measurable mechanism tied to federal land management.