Rep. Paul A. Gosar

Maddy summaryHR 114, the "Fund and Complete the Border Wall Act," establishes a Secure the Southern Border Fund to finance border barrier construction and maintenance along the U.S.-Mexico border. The bill creates a 5% fee on remittance transfers to foreign countries and increases Form I-94 processing fees, with portions of these fees directed to the fund. It requires the Department of Homeland Security to report annually on illegal border crossings and sets a December 31, 2023, deadline for completing border barriers. The legislation also includes provisions for border patrol agent compensation and allows the Secretary of Homeland Security to waive legal requirements to expedite border wall construction.

Maddy summaryHR 119, the Freedom from Mandates Act, removes federal requirements for COVID-19 vaccination or testing in several key areas. It specifically nullifies Executive Orders 14042 (for federal contractors' safety protocols) and 14043 (for federal employee vaccinations), and prohibits the Secretary of Labor from requiring private employers to mandate vaccines or testing for employees. Additionally, it bars the Secretary of Health and Human Services from making vaccination or testing a condition for healthcare providers to participate in Medicare or Medicaid programs. The bill directly affects federal contractors, federal employees, private employers, and healthcare providers participating in federal health programs by eliminating these specific mandates.

Maddy summaryThis bill bans federal funding for abortions in most cases, prohibiting the use of taxpayer money for abortion services or health insurance plans covering abortion. Exceptions allow funding for abortions resulting from rape, incest, or when a pregnancy endangers a woman's life. It requires health insurance plans sold through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces to clearly disclose any separate costs for abortion coverage and prohibits ACA subsidies from being used for plans that cover abortion (except in the specified exceptions). The law directly affects federal programs like Medicaid, ACA marketplace plans, and insurers offering health coverage to individuals using federal subsidies.

Maddy summaryHR 152, titled the "Hearing Protection Act," actually addresses firearm silencers (suppressors), not hearing protection. The bill removes federal registration requirements for silencers by directing the Attorney General to destroy all existing silencer records within 365 days. It also preempts state laws that tax, register, or impose recordkeeping requirements on silencers, making such state rules unenforceable. Additionally, the bill updates tax codes to include silencers as taxable items and clarifies their definition in firearm laws.

Maddy summaryThe ESA Amendments Act of 2024 makes significant changes to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, primarily focusing on improving conservation efficiency and increasing incentives for private landowners. It establishes a national listing work plan with five priority classifications (Priority 1-5) for species to streamline conservation efforts and sets deadlines for acting on listing petitions. The bill creates "Candidate Conservation Agreements with Assurances" that provide private landowners with legal assurances they won't face additional restrictions if species they're conserving gets listed under the Act. It also requires the government to publish the basis for listing decisions online, mandates transparency in using state and local information, and allows states to develop recovery strategies that could be adopted as regulations. These changes aim to improve conservation outcomes while reducing regulatory burdens on private landowners and increasing government transparency.

Maddy summaryHR 1586, the Forest Protection and Wildland Firefighter Safety Act of 2023, exempts certain fire suppression activities from requiring permits under the Clean Water Act. It directly affects federal agencies like the Forest Service, National Park Service, and Bureau of Land Management, as well as state, local, and tribal governments conducting wildfire response. The bill's key provision removes the need for a Section 402 permit under the Clean Water Act when these covered entities discharge fire retardants, chemicals, or water for fire control or prevention. This change streamlines firefighting operations by eliminating a specific permitting step during active wildfire events.

Maddy summaryThis bill transfers specific parcels of National Forest System land to Navajo County and Apache County in Arizona for cemetery and townsite purposes. Navajo County would receive two parcels totaling about 5 acres (2.5 acres for an existing cemetery and 2.5 acres for expansion), while Apache County would receive two parcels totaling about 10.6 acres (2.56 acres for an existing cemetery and 8.06 acres for a proposed townsite). The land would be conveyed via quitclaim deed without payment to the counties, but counties must cover all costs for surveys and environmental reviews. The transfer requires each county to submit a written request within 180 days of the bill's enactment.

Maddy summaryHR 7776, the Help Hoover Dam Act, authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to spend non-reimbursable funds recovered into account XXXR5656P1 on Hoover Dam operations, maintenance, cleanup, and capital improvements. It specifically allows these funds to be used for activities within the Boulder Canyon Project at Hoover Dam or on related land, subject to contractor approval under the 2011 Hoover Power Allocation Act. The bill modifies the existing Boulder Canyon Project Act to clarify spending authority for existing recovered funds, without creating new appropriations or affecting other funding mechanisms. This procedural change directly affects how the Department of the Interior manages and allocates specific recovered funds for Hoover Dam maintenance and operations.

Maddy summaryHR 10299, the Medicaid Funds Integrity Act of 2024, amends federal Medicaid law to prohibit using federal funds for gun violence prevention or intervention programs. Specifically, it adds a new provision (paragraph 28) to Section 1903(i) of the Social Security Act, blocking federal financial participation for such programs under Medicaid. This directly affects state Medicaid programs that might have sought federal funding for initiatives addressing gun violence. The bill creates a concrete funding restriction, ensuring Medicaid dollars cannot be spent on these specific types of programs.

Maddy summaryHR 374, titled the "Abolish the ATF Act," would eliminate the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) as a federal agency. This bill directly affects the ATF itself, ending its existence and all its current operations. The key provision is a single, straightforward legislative action to abolish the bureau, without specifying alternative agencies or processes for handling the functions it currently performs. The bill does not detail how firearm regulations, tobacco enforcement, or other ATF responsibilities would be managed after abolition.