Rep. Jason Smith

Maddy summaryHR 3796 extends existing taxes funding the Airport and Airway Trust Fund (including fuel, ticket, and fractional ownership program taxes) through September 30, 2028, ensuring continued funding for airport infrastructure and airway operations. It also requires the President to designate specific airports as ports of entry if they meet criteria: being a primary airport within 30 miles of an international border, having a formal association with a border crossing or seaport, and meeting U.S. Customs and Border Protection's numerical standards. This designation removes user fee requirements under the Trade and Tariff Act for those airports. The bill directly affects airlines, travelers (via tax impacts), and border-area airports seeking port of entry status.

Freights First Act This bill eliminates Amtrak's preference over freight transportation in using a rail line, junction, or crossing if such rail line, junction, or crossing is located within 50 miles of a port or rail yard. Currently, Amtrak's priority status does not apply if there is an emergency.

Maddy summaryHJRES 49 is a congressional disapproval resolution targeting a specific rule by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that would have listed the northern long-eared bat as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. The rule, published in the Federal Register in November 2022 (87 Fed. Reg. 73488), would have imposed federal protections and restrictions on activities affecting the bat's habitat. This resolution, if passed, would nullify that rule, preventing the bat from receiving federal endangered species status and associated legal safeguards. It directly affects the regulatory status of the northern long-eared bat and activities regulated under the Endangered Species Act.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the Treasury Secretary to report quarterly on foreign countries imposing "extraterritorial" or "discriminatory" taxes targeting U.S. businesses. It mandates progressively higher tax rates (starting at 5% and increasing to 20% over time) on income and payments from foreign individuals and corporations in those countries. The U.S. government can also restrict federal procurement from such entities and consider these taxes in trade negotiations. These measures directly affect foreign businesses operating in the U.S. or conducting transactions with U.S. entities. The policy aims to counter foreign tax policies that the U.S. views as unfair under international tax norms.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires that AM radio receivers be included as standard equipment in all new motor vehicles (such as cars and trucks) sold in the United States, with a rule to be issued by the Department of Transportation within one year. The rule must ensure AM radio is easily accessible on the dashboard and allows manufacturers to use digital AM radio technology instead of traditional AM. During the one-year period between the bill's enactment and the rule's effective date, manufacturers must clearly label vehicles without AM radio. The bill also directs a study to evaluate whether an alternative system could deliver emergency alerts as reliably as AM radio across the country, especially during crises.

Maddy summaryHRES 363 is a resolution expressing support for recognizing National Police Week, an annual observance established by law to honor law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty. The resolution acknowledges 556 officers killed in the line of duty during 2022 and calls for ensuring law enforcement officers have necessary equipment, training, and resources to protect both themselves and the public. It encourages the American public to observe National Police Week by honoring law enforcement personnel and recognizing their essential mission in serving communities across the United States. This resolution does not create new law but formally expresses congressional support for an existing observance.

Maddy summaryThe Protecting Taxpayers and Victims of Unemployment Fraud Act allows states to retain 25% of funds recovered from fraudulent unemployment claims (for pandemic-related benefits) to improve fraud prevention systems. States can use these retained funds to modernize unemployment systems, hire fraud investigators, reimburse administrative costs, or conduct other fraud prevention activities. The bill requires states to use specific data matching systems like the National Directory of New Hires to detect fraud more effectively. It modifies federal rules to ensure states can use recovered funds without violating deposit requirements. This legislation aims to reduce unemployment fraud while protecting taxpayers and victims of fraud.

Maddy summary# Summary of the Energy Development and Permitting Bill This document is a comprehensive energy policy bill focused on streamlining permitting processes, accelerating energy development, and reducing regulatory burdens for oil, gas, and geothermal projects on public lands. ## Key Provisions: 1. **Leasing and Permitting Reforms:** - Requires annual oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska regions - Sets 30-day deadlines for processing permit to drill applications - Mandates annual reports on permit processing status - Establishes 50-year terms for pipeline rights-of-way (replacing previous 30-year terms) 2. **Environmental Review Streamlining:** - Introduces "categorical exclusions" for certain activities that don't require environmental review - Sets page limits for environmental documents (150 pages for EIS, 75 for EA) - Establishes deadlines for completing environmental reviews (1-2 years) - Limits judicial review of environmental decisions - Requires "statement of purpose and need" in environmental impact statements 3. **Special Provisions:** - Allows drilling on non-Federal surface estate without Federal permit (if State permit is provided) - Prohibits Chinese Communist Party ownership interest in Federal leases - Sets royalty rates at not more than 12.5% for onshore Federal oil and gas leases - Exempts certain activities from "major Federal action" definition 4. **Transparency Requirements:** - Requires public posting of pending applications and processing status - Mandates annual reports on permit processing timelines - Requires publication of data on lease sales and permit approvals 5. **Judicial Limitations:** - Bars claims for judicial review of environmental decisions unless filed within 120 days - Limits challenges to environmental reviews to specific issues - Prohibits injunctions against lease sales unless imminent environmental harm is proven This bill represents a significant effort to accelerate energy development on public lands while reducing regulatory complexity and environmental review requirements, with particular emphasis on oil, gas, and geothermal projects.

This joint resolution nullifies a Department of Labor final rule entitled Adverse Effect Wage Rate Methodology for the Temporary Employment of H-2A Nonimmigrants in Non-Range Occupations in the United States and published on February 28, 2023. This rule makes changes to the methodology used to set adverse effect wage rates for H-2A workers (temporary agricultural workers), including by using Bureau of Labor Statistics wage surveys in certain instances. (Generally, the minimum wage for an H-2A worker is the highest of the adverse effect wage rate, the applicable minimum wage, the prevailing wage for that occupation in that area, or any agreed-upon collective bargaining wage.)

Maddy summaryHR 734, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023, amends Title IX to prohibit federally funded schools and athletic programs from allowing individuals assigned male at birth to participate in women's or girls' sports teams. The bill defines "sex" for this purpose as "reproductive biology and genetics at birth," making it a violation of federal law to permit such participation in designated women's or girls' programs. It allows males to train with women's teams only if no female is deprived of a roster spot, competition opportunity, scholarship, or other benefit tied to the team. This law directly affects public and private schools receiving federal financial assistance that operate athletic programs.