Rep. Maxwell Frost

Maddy summaryThe PAST Act of 2023 amends the Horse Protection Act to ban specific devices used to cause pain (soring) in horses at shows, particularly affecting Tennessee Walking Horses, Racking Horses, and Spotted Saddle Horses. It defines prohibited "action devices" (like boots or chains causing friction) and requires licensed, conflict-free inspectors at events to enforce rules. The bill increases penalties for violations to up to $5,000 fines or 3 years in jail, and mandates longer disqualifications for repeat offenses (180 days → 1 year → 3 years). Horse show organizers, exhibitors, and participants must comply with these new inspection and penalty requirements.

Maddy summaryThe Firearm Safety Act of 2023 amends the Consumer Product Safety Act to remove firearms from an existing exclusion, reclassifying them as consumer products under federal law. This change would subject firearms to safety standards, testing, and oversight by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), which currently does not regulate firearms under this framework. The bill specifically targets Section 3(a)(5) of the Consumer Product Safety Act, eliminating the exemption that previously kept firearms outside the definition of "consumer product." As a result, firearm manufacturers and sellers would now face CPSC requirements, such as safety testing, labeling, and reporting, similar to other consumer products.

Maddy summaryHRES 393 is a symbolic resolution (not a law) passed by the House of Representatives on May 11, 2023, to honor diverse family structures. It recognizes adopted children (1.8 million in the U.S.), foster families (320,000 in 2021), stepparents (13% of adults), guardians, and LGBTQ+ parents (2-3.7 million children under 18 with LGBTQ+ parents). The resolution states the House’s "sense" that a parent’s contribution to a child’s success isn’t defined by how they became a parent, and all families deserve recognition. It has no legal effect or policy changes - only serves as a formal statement of support.

Maddy summaryThis bill, HR 3232 (Respect for Grieving Military Families Act), requires the military to automatically forgive overpayments of retired pay sent to a joint account after a service member’s death but before the end of the month of death. It directly affects military retirees’ families who have joint accounts with designated beneficiaries, preventing them from having to repay these accidental payments. The bill also adjusts Survivor Benefit Plan payments: if forgiveness doesn’t occur, the first 12 monthly annuity payments to the beneficiary will each be reduced by one-twelfth of the overpayment amount. This ensures grieving families aren’t burdened with repaying funds they weren’t meant to receive.

Maddy summaryHR 3145, the People Over Parking Act of 2023, eliminates local and state requirements for minimum parking spots at new or substantially rebuilt residential, retail, commercial, or industrial developments located within 0.5 miles of a "covered public transit point." This directly affects developers and local governments in areas meeting the transit access criteria defined by the bill (such as fixed-guideway transit or high-frequency bus routes intersecting at least two lines). The key mechanism is preempting conflicting state or local laws, giving property owners sole discretion over parking provision within the specified transit-accessible zones. The bill aims to reduce mandatory parking infrastructure, potentially encouraging transit use and denser development near transit hubs.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates a U.S. Postal Service facility at 1900 West Oakland Park Boulevard in Oakland Park, Florida, as the "Alcee Lamar Hastings Post Office Building." It updates all federal references in laws, documents, and records to use the new name for the building. The change applies solely to the facility's official designation and does not alter postal services, funding, or operations.

Maddy summaryHR 1750 sets a new minimum standard for pasteurized orange juice, requiring finished products to contain at least 10.0% orange juice soluble solids (excluding any added sweeteners) by weight. This rule directly affects manufacturers producing and selling pasteurized orange juice in the U.S. market. The bill revises existing federal regulations to enforce this minimum juice content level, ensuring a more consistent product definition. It does not change the Secretary of Health and Human Services' existing authority to further adjust these standards.

Maddy summaryHR 2757, the Puerto Rico Status Act, establishes a process for Puerto Rico to determine its political status through a plebiscite on November 2, 2025, offering three options: independence, sovereignty in free association with the United States, or statehood. If no option receives a majority in the initial vote, a runoff plebiscite would be held on March 8, 2026. The bill outlines transition processes for each option, including constitutional conventions, implementation steps, and provisions for citizenship, immigration, and economic benefits. It mandates bilingual voter education materials and requires oversight by the Elections Commission and the Attorney General to ensure fair representation of all options. This legislation directly affects Puerto Rico's residents by providing a structured process to choose their permanent political relationship with the United States.

Maddy summaryHCONRES 37 is a non-binding congressional resolution expressing that Congress views climate change as an emergency requiring a massive national mobilization. It states that human-caused climate change severely impacts U.S. economic well-being, health, safety, and national security, and urges the President to use existing authorities to accelerate climate action. The resolution does not create new laws or funding but emphasizes the need for urgent, equitable efforts to reduce emissions, address environmental injustice, and support vulnerable communities disproportionately affected by climate impacts. It cites rising global temperatures, extreme weather costs ($165 billion in U.S. disasters in 2022), and the Inflation Reduction Act as context, while clarifying it does not declare an actual national emergency.

This resolution declares gun violence to be a public health crisis. It also urges the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to expand research and data collection on preventing gun violence and the Surgeon General to report on firearm injuries and violence prevention.