Rep. Paul A. Gosar

Maddy summaryThe ARTICLE ONE Act would significantly increase congressional oversight of national emergencies by requiring the President to specify which laws they plan to use during an emergency and giving Congress 30 days to approve the declaration before emergency powers can be exercised. The bill would mandate detailed reports from the President about the emergency's circumstances, estimated duration, and planned actions, with additional reports every six months during the emergency. If Congress doesn't approve an emergency declaration within 30 days, the President cannot extend it or use the emergency powers for the same situation. This would limit national emergencies to 30 days unless renewed through congressional approval, fundamentally changing how presidential emergency powers operate.

Maddy summaryHR 200, the Forest Information Reform Act (FIR Act), removes a requirement for federal agencies to restart environmental consultations under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for approved land management plans. Specifically, it amends the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act to state that the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) do not need to reinitiate ESA consultations when a species is listed, critical habitat is designated, or new species information becomes available after a plan's approval, amendment, or revision. This change directly affects how these agencies manage federal lands, streamlining their planning process by preventing repeated ESA consultations on existing plans. The bill makes a concrete procedural change to existing law without altering ESA protections or species conservation requirements.

Maddy summaryThe LASSO Act directs 10% of annual revenue collected from public lands managed by the Department of the Interior (including offshore areas) and the Forest Service to be deposited into the Social Security Old-Age and Survivors Trust Fund. This policy change affects the federal Social Security program by adding a new revenue stream, while ensuring no fee increases for public land activities and preserving existing revenue shares for states, tribes, and local governments. The bill’s key mechanism is a mandatory annual transfer of existing land-use revenue, with explicit safeguards preventing fee hikes or reductions to state/local funding. It does not alter current land management practices or create new taxes.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires federal agencies to assess whether energy policies and rules disproportionately affect at-risk communities, including low-income, minority, rural, elderly, and Native American communities. Agencies must conduct studies before actions like leasing federal land or issuing new energy rules, and include an "energy poverty statement" certifying the policy won't cause energy poverty. Within one year, the Comptroller General and OMB must jointly report to Congress on how current policies impact these communities and recommend solutions to reduce energy poverty. The law aims to prevent energy poverty by mandating concrete evaluations of policy impacts on vulnerable groups.

Maddy summaryHR 4864 would amend U.S. immigration law to redefine automatic birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment. It specifies that children born in the U.S. automatically gain citizenship only if born to a parent who is a U.S. citizen, a refugee, a lawful permanent resident, or an active-duty military member. This would deny automatic citizenship to children born to parents who are undocumented immigrants, temporary visitors, or otherwise not meeting these specific categories. The change would apply only to births occurring on or after the bill's enactment date.

Maddy summaryHR 4374, the Energy Opportunities for All Act, nullifies Public Land Order No. 7923, which had withdrawn public lands surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park in San Juan County, New Mexico. This bill directly affects land management decisions in that specific area by reversing a prior administrative withdrawal. The key provision is the explicit repeal of the order, restoring the lands to their previous management status under federal law. The bill does not create new energy policies or programs, despite its title. (Note: The title appears misleading as the bill addresses land withdrawal, not energy opportunities.)

Maddy summaryThe FOCA Act of 2023 requires federal agencies to stop mandating or banning contractor agreements with labor organizations (like union contracts) in construction project bids and contracts. It directly affects federal contractors, subcontractors, and agencies managing construction projects funded by the government. The bill prohibits favoring or penalizing contractors based on their labor affiliation status, aiming to promote fair competition and reduce costs. It also mandates updates to federal contracting rules within 60 days of enactment to implement these changes.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits federal criminal prosecution for performing "gender-related medical treatment" on minors under specific circumstances, defined as medical procedures or medications intended to change a minor's gender presentation (e.g., puberty blockers, surgeries like hysterectomy or phalloplasty). Exceptions apply for medically necessary treatments for disorders of sex development, ambiguous biological characteristics, or injuries from prior treatments. It also bans Medicare coverage for such treatments (except for the medical exceptions) and prohibits federal funding for any gender-related medical care for minors. The bill directly affects minors seeking gender-affirming care, healthcare providers offering these treatments, and federal health programs like Medicare.

Maddy summaryThe Essential Caregivers Act of 2024 requires nursing homes and similar facilities to allow residents to designate essential caregivers who provide emotional support or assistance with daily activities. During emergencies when regular visitation is restricted, facilities must permit at least one essential caregiver access to residents daily and cannot deny access without following specific procedures. Facilities may deny access for a maximum of 7 days during emergencies (or 14 days with state approval), and must provide a written explanation and appeal process if access is denied. The bill establishes a 48-hour appeal process for residents and caregivers to challenge denials, with facilities required to prove violations during appeals. This law applies to Medicare skilled nursing facilities, Medicaid nursing facilities, intermediate care facilities, and certain inpatient rehabilitation facilities.

Maddy summaryThis bill restricts health savings accounts (HSAs), Archer MSAs, health flexible spending accounts, health reimbursement arrangements, and retiree health accounts from covering most abortion expenses. It prohibits these accounts from reimbursing costs for abortions unless the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest, or the woman faces a life-endangering physical condition (as certified by a physician). The policy change directly affects individuals using these specific health accounts who seek abortion coverage, excluding all other abortion-related expenses from tax-advantaged reimbursement. The exceptions are narrowly defined to cover only cases involving rape/incest or severe health risks to the woman.