Rep. Ashley Hinson

Maddy summaryHR 5594, the PURE Executive Act, extends the cooling-off period for former senior U.S. government employees seeking to lobby. It increases the ban on lobbying for those leaving senior executive branch roles from 2 years to 5 years, and adds a permanent lifetime ban on lobbying for foreign governments or entities controlled by them. The bill directly affects high-level former federal officials, including those from independent agencies, by restricting their ability to represent foreign interests after leaving government. Key provisions require a 5-year waiting period for general lobbying and prohibit all future foreign-related lobbying, aiming to reduce potential conflicts of interest.

Maddy summaryThe Biomanufacturing and Jobs Act amends the USDA's BioPreferred Program to increase federal purchasing of biobased products made from agricultural commodities like corn and soybeans. It requires federal agencies to annually update their procurement targets for biobased products, establishes a new USDA task force to coordinate biobased product programs, and creates new labeling and reporting requirements. The bill affects federal procurement agencies, USDA's programs, and manufacturers of biobased products including personal care items, paints, construction materials, and textiles. Key mechanisms include mandatory federal procurement targets, annual updates to procurement requirements, training for procurement staff, and public marketing initiatives to promote biobased products.

Maddy summaryHRES 686 is a non-binding resolution designating September 19, 2023, as "National Stillbirth Prevention Day." It recognizes that approximately 21,000 U.S. pregnancies end in stillbirth annually, disproportionately affecting Black, Hispanic, Native Pacific Islander, and Indigenous families. The resolution calls for increased awareness, evidence-based prevention efforts, better data collection, and support for affected families. It requests the President issue a proclamation encouraging nationwide observance through awareness programs, without creating new laws or funding. This symbolic measure aims to highlight the crisis but does not mandate policy changes.

Maddy summaryHR 5465, the Congressional Access to Bureaucratic Offices Act (CABO Act), requires federal agency heads to allow Members of Congress and their staff access to agency headquarters buildings during regular business hours. It mandates that access be granted upon presentation of valid congressional identification (for Members) or a staff badge while accompanied by the employing Member (for staff), with exceptions for areas requiring secret-level security clearance. The bill also ensures this access applies during declared emergencies (like national emergencies under the National Emergencies Act or public health emergencies), without imposing additional costs by using existing agency funds. This directly affects how federal agencies manage physical access for congressional personnel.

Maddy summaryHR 5513 clarifies how to determine if a worker is an employee or independent contractor under federal labor law. It adds specific criteria: a worker is an independent contractor if the company doesn’t control *how* work is done (only the result) and the worker has entrepreneurial risks like business decision-making. The bill explicitly prohibits using factors like requiring safety standards, insurance, or meeting deadlines to classify someone as an employee. This affects workers and companies across industries who currently use independent contractor arrangements, particularly impacting minimum wage protections under the Fair Labor Standards Act and union representation rights under the National Labor Relations Act.

Maddy summaryHR 5508, the "Respect for the Second Amendment Act," prohibits state and local governments from enforcing laws that restrict firearm ownership or use unless those laws align with the U.S. historical tradition of firearm regulation. The bill directly affects state and local laws governing gun possession, carrying, and ownership, requiring courts to block any regulation that fails this historical test. Key mechanisms include allowing the Attorney General or individuals harmed by such laws to sue for injunctions, with prevailing plaintiffs entitled to legal fees. The bill does not preempt stronger state gun rights protections but focuses on challenging state laws deemed inconsistent with the Second Amendment as interpreted by Supreme Court rulings like *Heller* and *Bruen*.

Maddy summaryThe Providing for Life Act of 2023 is a comprehensive legislative package with multiple provisions affecting family support services. It extends the child tax credit to unborn children (with specific requirements), creates a new Social Security-funded parental leave benefit for parents with certain work history, and requires biological fathers to pay for medical expenses related to pregnancy and delivery. The bill also mandates colleges to provide pregnant students with information about resources (excluding abortion services), provides grants for community-based maternal mentoring programs, and expands support for pregnancy resource centers. The bill directly affects taxpayers, parents, pregnant students, and social service organizations, with provisions aimed at supporting families during pregnancy, childbirth, and early child-rearing.

Driftless Area Landscape Conservation Initiative Act or the DALCI Act This bill reestablishes an initiative within the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to assist farmers in fighting erosion and restoring cold water stream corridors in the Driftless Area of the Midwestern United States. (The Driftless Area is a region in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa that was never glaciated.) USDA must provide assistance to grassroots partnerships to educate landowners and operators on the benefits of climate-smart agriculture, soil health, and holistic grazing, with a focus on equity.

This bill requires various changes to the passport application process and addresses related issues. The bill requires all U.S. regular passports to contain a written notice advising travelers (1) to check travel.state.gov for updated travel warnings, (2) to register with the Department of State prior to overseas travel, (3) that many countries deny entry to travelers whose passport expires within six months, and (4) to renew their passports within at least one year of the expiration date.  Further, the bill makes permanent existing State Department authority to assess a surcharge on the passport application fee to cover the costs of increased demand prompted by certain legal requirements. This authority currently expires on September 30, 2026.  For three years starting from this bill's enactment, the State Department may use direct hire authority to expedite the hiring of individuals into Passport and Visa Examining positions (Series 0967). Finally, the bill requires the Department of State to report to Congress about passport processing wait times, agency plans for a public outreach campaign, and related information.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to require states receiving federal workforce development funds to prioritize programs based on evidence of effectiveness. Specifically, states must describe in their plans how they will give highest priority to "high-evidence" programs (proven through multiple rigorous studies), followed by "moderate-evidence" programs, and then "low-evidence" programs. The bill defines these evidence tiers clearly, requiring states to fund interventions shown to produce positive results in well-conducted studies or credible research. This directly affects state workforce agencies managing federal grants under WIOA.