Rep. James C. Moylan

Maddy summaryHR 979 extends three existing restrictions on federal funding related to Guantanamo Bay detainees through December 31, 2024. It prolongs the ban on using funds to transfer detainees from Guantanamo to the U.S. mainland, to build or modify U.S. facilities for such detainees, and to close Guantanamo Bay itself. These provisions directly affect Department of Defense funding decisions and the handling of detainees currently held at Guantanamo Bay. The bill makes no new policy changes but extends current restrictions that were set to expire at the end of 2023.

Maddy summaryThe Saracini Enhanced Aviation Safety Act of 2023 requires the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to mandate secondary cockpit barriers on all commercial passenger aircraft operating under standard airline regulations. Specifically, it directs the FAA to issue an order requiring installation of these barriers within 18 months of the law's enactment. This applies to most major airlines operating scheduled passenger flights in the U.S. The key provision is the new safety requirement for barriers to prevent unauthorized cockpit access during flights. The law directly affects commercial airlines and their aircraft, focusing on a concrete operational safety change without specifying cost or implementation details.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires states receiving Medicaid funds for family planning services to submit standardized abortion data to the CDC annually. Specifically, states must report 10 mandatory data points (including maternal age, gestational age, race, ethnicity, procedure type, and survival status) by December 31 of the prior year, starting two years after enactment. Failure to submit accurate data or submitting false information could result in loss of Medicaid funding for family planning services in the following fiscal year. The law aims to create uniform national abortion data collection, addressing current gaps where some states report no data at all. The CDC will maintain a standardized surveillance system and publish annual reports by the third year following the data year.

Maddy summaryThis bill mandates the federal government to develop a comprehensive strategy specifically targeting drug trafficking routes through the Caribbean into the United States, including ports of entry, maritime corridors, and air routes. The strategy must define agency roles, detail required resources, and ensure legitimate trade and travel are not hindered. It specifically requires plans to reduce drug-related violent crime in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, along with recommendations for additional federal assistance or authorities needed by local law enforcement. The bill creates a procedural requirement for this planning document but does not allocate new funding or change existing laws.

Felony Murder for Deadly Fentanyl Distribution Act of 2023 This bill makes the distribution of fentanyl resulting in death a first degree murder. An individual who is guilty of first degree murder by distributing fentanyl is subject to death or life in prison.

Securing Guam's Shores Reimbursement Act of 2023 This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security to make grants to Guam for expenses related to security measures associated with non-U.S. nationals ( aliens under federal law) unlawfully entering the territory through the shores. Additionally, no grant may be used to reimburse nonprofit organizations, fund legal representation, or provide educational, housing, food, or health care resources to non-U.S. nationals who unlawfully entered the territory.

Maddy summaryHR 303, the Retired Pay Restoration Act, allows certain disabled military retirees to receive both full retired pay and veterans’ disability compensation without forfeiting retired pay. It specifically extends this benefit to retirees with service-connected disabilities rated below 50% (previously ineligible), while continuing existing provisions for those with 50-90% ratings and 100% ratings. The bill eliminates the "one dollar for one dollar" offset for these retirees, effective January 2021, meaning they no longer lose retired pay to receive disability compensation. This directly affects disabled military retirees with qualifying service-connected disabilities under 50% who were previously required to sacrifice retired pay. The law amends Title 10 to redefine "qualified retirees" and streamline concurrent payment eligibility.

Security First Act This bill reauthorizes the Operation Stonegarden program from FY2024 through FY2027 and addresses other border security issues. (Operation Stonegarden provides grants to enhance the border security capabilities of state, local, and tribal governments.) From FY2024 through FY2027, the money from unreported monetary instruments seized from individuals crossing the U.S.-Mexico border and transferred into the Department of the Treasury general fund shall be made available without further appropriation to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to fund Operation Stonegarden. DHS must report to Congress on (1) DHS hiring practices from 2018 to 2021, and (2) whether certain Mexican drug cartels meet the criteria to be designated as foreign terrorist organizations. DHS must also periodically report to Congress about the technology needed to secure the U.S.-Mexico land border.

Maddy summaryHCONRES 13 is a concurrent resolution expressing Congress's support for maintaining the current policy that prohibits imposing new fees on local radio stations for playing music. It states that Congress should not impose any performance fee, tax, royalty, or charge on local radio stations for broadcasting sound recordings over the air, or on businesses like bars and restaurants that play music publicly. The resolution argues that such fees would harm local radio stations - critical sources for emergency information and community programming - and jeopardize the economic model that has supported both radio and the music industry for decades. This resolution does not create new law but formally opposes potential legislative changes to the existing fee structure.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends the Defense Base Act to explicitly exclude Guam from its coverage. It modifies the law's definition of "Territory or possession outside the continental United States" by adding a new provision stating Guam is not included. As a result, Guam would no longer be considered a covered territory under this specific federal workers' compensation law for defense-related work. The change directly affects Guam's status regarding benefits for defense workers employed there under this act.