Rep. Keith Self

Maddy summaryThe GUARD Act would deny tax-exempt status to U.S. nonprofit organizations that receive contributions from citizens or nationals of designated foreign adversaries. This change directly affects charities, religious groups, and other 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organizations that accept donations from individuals in countries like China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Russia. Under the bill, any organization receiving such contributions would lose its tax-exempt status starting with the taxable year following the donation. The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, could also designate additional countries as foreign adversaries if national security interests require it. This provision applies only to contributions received after the bill is enacted into law.

Maddy summaryHR 7653, the Biodefense Diplomacy Enhancement Act, requires the U.S. Secretary of State to develop two new strategies to strengthen international cooperation on biodefense, biosecurity, and biotechnology. The bill mandates a NATO Biodefense Strategy to improve alliance coordination on biological threat response and a broader International Cooperation Strategy to enhance partnerships with U.S. allies and major non-NATO partners on export controls for dual-use biotech items and adherence to safety standards. These strategies must identify gaps in current efforts, recommend improvements, and assess coordination with U.S. agencies, with reports due to Congress within 270 days of enactment. The bill directly affects U.S. diplomatic engagement with NATO and allied nations on biological threat preparedness, focusing on policy development, capabilities, and enforcement of the Biological Weapons Convention.

Maddy summaryThe SHADOW Act creates a new State Department Coordinator to lead U.S. efforts against hybrid warfare threats from China and Russia, particularly in Europe. The Coordinator will assess threats like cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns, coordinate with NATO allies and partners (including Japan and Australia), and help protect critical infrastructure sectors. The bill requires the Coordinator to submit a strategy within 60 days and annual reports for three years detailing threat assessments and coordination progress. It also mandates a specific report within 180 days identifying Chinese entities supporting Russia’s defense industry.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the State Department to create a strategy within 180 days of enactment to address risks posed by certain Chinese entities to U.S. interests through European academic institutions. The strategy must identify, evaluate, and mitigate relationships between covered European institutions (universities/research centers in Europe) and specific Chinese entities of concern - such as those linked to military-civil fusion, defense industries, Confucius Institutes, or activities involving Uyghur detention. It mandates a country-by-country assessment of these entities’ scale and activities, evaluation of security threats to the U.S. and allies, and recommendations for diplomatic engagement. The plan must be submitted unclassified to congressional foreign affairs committees, with a classified annex permitted.

Maddy summaryHR 3447, the Chip Security Act, requires manufacturers to equip specific advanced integrated circuits (classified under export control numbers like 3A090) with security mechanisms before exporting them. These mechanisms must verify location and prevent unauthorized access, diversion, or tampering. The law mandates this for covered chips within 180 days of enactment, with a follow-up assessment within one year to develop additional security requirements. It directly affects U.S. chip exporters and importers of these high-tech products, aiming to strengthen export control compliance and national security.

Maddy summaryHR 7319, the VA Bonus and Relocation Recovery Act, allows the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to recover payments made to former employees. It specifically targets former VA employees who received awards, bonuses, or relocation expenses but failed to repay them within 180 days after a final decision. The bill amends existing law to expand recovery authority to cover former employees, enabling the VA to collect these amounts as debts owed to the U.S. government. This change directly affects individuals who left VA employment with outstanding payments, ensuring the government can pursue repayment even after their employment ended. The law does not create new benefits but clarifies the process for recovering previously disbursed funds.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a federal "three-strikes" sentencing system that mandates longer prison terms for repeat offenders based on the severity of their prior convictions. It directly affects defendants convicted of federal crimes by requiring judges to calculate "strikes" from past misdemeanor and felony convictions, with violent felonies and firearm offenses counting as full strikes while lesser offenses count as partial strikes. Under the new rules, offenders with three or more strikes face consecutive sentences of 10 to life years in prison depending on whether their current offense involves violence or firearms, while preventing enhancements from being triggered solely by misdemeanor convictions. The law also limits how juvenile convictions count toward strike totals and excludes strikes from a single continuous criminal episode to prevent harsh penalties for related crimes committed at once.

Maddy summaryThis bill proposes adding a new article to the U.S. Constitution to explicitly state that only citizens can vote in federal elections. The amendment would apply to all federal elections, including those for President, Vice President, Senators, and Representatives. It gives state legislatures the authority to create enforcement rules while reserving the power for Congress to make or alter regulations and enforce the rule in Washington, D.C. The measure would require ratification by conventions in three-fourths of the states before becoming part of the Constitution.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires all states to submit detailed data on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) fraud to the Department of Agriculture. The data must include information on fraud cases, enforcement actions, recoveries, and specific instances involving deceased individuals or false social security numbers. States must provide this information within 180 days of enactment for historical data and annually thereafter, with funds withheld if they fail to comply. The Secretary of Agriculture will compile and publish annual reports to Congress based on the submitted data.

Maddy summaryThis bill proposes to amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to classify establishments that implement Sharia law as discriminating on the basis of religion. It would directly affect businesses and organizations that follow or apply Islamic legal principles in their operations. The key mechanism adds a new provision to existing civil rights law, allowing affected parties to claim religious discrimination if an establishment uses Sharia law. The bill does not define what constitutes implementing Sharia law or establish specific enforcement procedures beyond the existing civil rights framework.