Rep. Earl L. "Buddy" Carter

Maddy summaryHR 2168, the BO’s Act, requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to study home cardiorespiratory monitors used for infants. The study must assess the monitors' effectiveness in tracking heart rate and oxygen levels, evaluate new care models for safe infant sleep environments, and examine health insurance coverage criteria. A report on these findings must be submitted to Congress within one year of the bill’s enactment. This bill does not change current policy but aims to inform future decisions about monitor coverage and infant safety practices, directly affecting parents, healthcare providers, and insurers.

Maddy summaryThe FOCA Act of 2025 prohibits federal agencies from requiring or banning contractors from using union agreements in construction project bids or contracts. It directly affects federal agencies, contractors, and subcontractors working on federally funded or assisted construction projects (like buildings or infrastructure). The law requires bid documents to not favor or penalize contractors based on whether they have union agreements, aiming to promote open competition and prevent discrimination. This changes how agencies structure bids but does not affect union agreements themselves. The bill applies to all new contracts and subcontracts after enactment, with limited exemptions only for public health/safety emergencies or national security.

Safe Routes Act of 2025 This bill directs the Department of Transportation to waive vehicle weight limits for covered logging vehicles, thus allowing logging vehicles to travel on interstate highways in certain circumstances. The term covered logging vehicle means a vehicle that (1) is transporting raw or unfinished forest products, including logs, pulpwood, biomass, or wood chips; (2) is traveling a distance not greater than 150 air miles on interstate highways from origin to a storage or processing facility; and (3) meets state legal weight tolerances and vehicle configurations for transporting raw or unfinished forest products within the state boundaries in which the vehicle is operating.

Maddy summaryThis resolution (HRES 217) is a ceremonial recognition, not a policy bill. It honors the 113th anniversary of Girl Scouts of the United States of America and its founder, Juliette Gordon Low, on March 12, 2025. The resolution celebrates the organization’s mission to build girls' courage, confidence, and leadership through programs in STEM, outdoors, and civic engagement. It specifically commends Girl Scout Gold Award recipients from 2024 and notes the upcoming release of the Juliette Gordon Low Commemorative Quarter by the U.S. Mint. The resolution has no binding effect or direct impact on policy, funding, or individuals.

Maddy summaryThis resolution urges the U.S. Secretary of State to designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, citing ongoing violence against religious minorities. It specifically calls for Nigeria to protect religious minorities, prosecute perpetrators of attacks, and address displacement of millions caused by religiously motivated violence. The resolution also recommends increased U.S. diplomatic engagement with Nigeria and targeted sanctions against those responsible for religious freedom violations. This follows the State Department's omission of Nigeria from its CPC list in 2021-2023 and its 2024 failure to release an annual report.

Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act This bill expedites payment of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits and eligibility for Medicare coverage for those with metastatic breast cancer (i.e., breast cancer that has spread to other sites in the body). Specifically, the bill eliminates the 5-month waiting period for SSDI benefits and the subsequent 24-month waiting period for Medicare coverage for individuals with metastatic breast cancer. Under current law, individuals generally must wait 5 months after the onset of disability to begin receiving SSDI benefits and an additional 24 months to become eligible for Medicare.

Maddy summaryThis bill changes how individual investors in mutual funds (regulated investment companies) are taxed on certain dividends. It allows investors to defer paying tax on capital gain dividends that are automatically reinvested in additional fund shares through a dividend reinvestment plan. The deferred tax is recognized later when the investor sells shares or upon their death. It also establishes that shares acquired through this reinvestment are treated as held for over one year from the start, potentially qualifying for long-term capital gains rates. The rule applies only to individual investors (not estates, trusts, or dependents claimed by others).

Maddy summaryThe BITCOIN Act of 2025 directs the U.S. Treasury to establish a "Strategic Bitcoin Reserve" for securely storing government-held Bitcoin. It mandates purchasing 1,000,000 Bitcoins over five years (200,000 annually), requiring all acquired Bitcoin - including through federal agency transfers or forfeitures - to be held in this reserve for a minimum of 20 years without sale. The bill also requires the Treasury to manage digital assets from Bitcoin forks or airdrops for five years before potentially selling non-dominant assets, while implementing strict security protocols and quarterly public transparency reports. Funding for the purchase program will come from Federal Reserve remittances and gold certificate adjustments, with no impact on private citizens' Bitcoin ownership rights under Section 10.

Maddy summaryHR 2080, the "Crucial Communism Teaching Act," requires high schools to teach students about communism's historical and current impacts. The bill mandates that students learn communism caused over 100 million deaths globally, understand its dangers, and recognize that 1.5 billion people "still suffer under communism." It directs the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation to develop a high school curriculum and oral history resources ("Portraits in Patriotism") featuring victim stories, with specific focus on modern examples like Xinjiang human rights abuses and China's actions in Hong Kong and Taiwan. The curriculum must be integrated into social studies, government, history, and economics classes, and updated to cover both historical and current communist regimes.

Maddy summaryThe FLASH Act authorizes construction of navigable roads along federal border lands to improve U.S. Customs and Border Protection access and operational control. It requires federal agencies to develop protocols for reducing trash accumulation and environmental degradation from unauthorized border crossings, while targeting illegal cannabis cultivation sites with environmental response initiatives. The bill prohibits using federal funds to provide housing for undocumented immigrants on federal lands and establishes criminal penalties for illegal pesticide use. The legislation affects how federal land management agencies (National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, etc.) operate along the southern border, with specific reporting requirements for environmental impacts and trash collection.