Rep. Randy Feenstra

Maddy summaryThis bill simplifies tax administration by changing key IRS filing rules. It establishes that electronic submissions (like tax returns or payments) are considered delivered on the date sent, not when the IRS receives them, starting in 2025. It also extends deadlines for S-corporation tax elections, allowing late filings if the IRS finds "reasonable cause," and moves individual estimated tax payment deadlines from June/September to July/October for tax years beginning after 2024. These changes directly affect individual taxpayers and small businesses managing their tax filings.

Maddy summaryThe HEART Act of 2024 (HR 8846) creates a tax exclusion for individuals receiving compensation from federally declared disasters caused by severe storms, straight-line winds, or tornadoes. It excludes from gross income any "qualified" relief payment received after December 31, 2023, for losses like property damage, additional living expenses, or lost wages not covered by insurance. The bill specifically prevents double tax benefits by disallowing deductions or basis increases for expenses already covered by this excluded payment. It directly affects individuals who received disaster relief payments for qualifying weather events after 2023.

Maddy summaryHR 5012 (SHINE for Autumn Act of 2023) authorizes federal funding to improve stillbirth research and data collection. It provides $5 million annually for states to collect standardized stillbirth data (including risk factors) while protecting privacy, $1 million annually for developing public educational materials and data collection guidelines, and $3 million annually for medical fellowships training pathologists in perinatal autopsy and stillbirth research. The bill directly affects state health departments, medical professionals (like obstetricians and pathologists), and families who experience stillbirth by improving data quality for future research. It requires federal reports on guidelines and program effectiveness within five years but does not provide direct medical care or financial assistance to families.

Maddy summaryHR 537 authorizes a Congressional Gold Medal to honor 60 diplomats who saved Jewish lives during the Holocaust by issuing visas and passports against their governments' orders, risking expulsion and personal danger. The medal will be presented to the next of kin of these diplomats, alongside representatives from their home countries, and permanently displayed at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The bill also permits the sale of bronze duplicates to cover production costs, with proceeds going to the U.S. Mint. This legislation recognizes the diplomats' humanitarian actions without creating new government programs or altering existing laws.

Maddy summaryHR 5403, the CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act, prohibits the Federal Reserve from issuing or facilitating central bank digital currency (CBDC) directly or indirectly to individuals through financial institutions. It specifically bans Federal Reserve banks from offering digital products to individuals, maintaining individual accounts, or using CBDC for monetary policy implementation. The bill also clarifies that its restrictions do not apply to existing physical cash or private, permissionless digital payment systems. This bill directly affects the Federal Reserve's ability to develop or deploy a government-run digital dollar. The law aims to prevent the Federal Reserve from creating a digital currency that could enable transaction tracking or government oversight of personal financial activity.

Maddy summaryHRES 1267 is a non-binding House resolution supporting the Second Amendment and opposing the Biden administration's gun-related policies. It criticizes executive orders, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) regulations, and export restrictions as efforts to undermine constitutional rights, though the resolution itself has no legal effect. The bill does not change laws or directly affect anyone, as it serves only as a symbolic statement of congressional opinion. It specifically references the administration's actions on firearm regulations and exports, but does not propose new policies or alter existing ones.

Maddy summaryHR 895, the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2023, expands federal law to better prosecute organized retail theft by amending sections 2314 and 2315 of Title 18. It clarifies that crimes involving stolen goods valued at $5,000 or more over 12 months - including retail theft - can be prosecuted under existing federal statutes, and broadens definitions to include goods taken via "any facility of interstate or foreign commerce." The bill also creates a new Organized Retail Crime Coordination Center within Homeland Security, requiring it to coordinate federal, state, and local law enforcement efforts, share threat information with retailers, and produce annual public reports on trends. This directly affects law enforcement agencies, retailers, and criminal justice systems by standardizing prosecution thresholds and enhancing interagency collaboration.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the President to provide Congress with a 15-day written notice before pausing, delaying, or suspending U.S. arms shipments to Israel, including detailed justification and impact analysis. It establishes strict congressional review periods: 15 days for initial review, plus additional 10-12 day windows if Congress introduces a disapproval resolution, effectively giving lawmakers significant power to block such pauses. The bill directly affects the President and the White House by restricting unilateral decisions on military aid to Israel, specifically targeting delays like the May 2024 pause on bomb shipments. Key provisions define "covered defense articles" as weapons under existing export laws and mandate transparency about funding, end users, and potential impacts on Israel’s military edge.

Maddy summaryHRES 1246 is a non-binding House resolution passed on May 21, 2024, condemning the Department of State's May 20 statement expressing condolences for the deaths of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian. The resolution does not change policy but formally disapproves of the State Department's communication, reflecting the House's position that Raisi's leadership involved overseeing executions and supporting Iran's nuclear program and attacks on Israel. As a procedural resolution, it has no legal effect but serves as a symbolic expression of congressional disapproval.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the U.S. Department of Defense and State Department to immediately deliver all previously approved military equipment and services to Israel within 15 days, reversing any pauses on arms transfers. It prohibits using federal funds to withhold, halt, or cancel defense article deliveries to Israel and mandates that unobligated security assistance funds for Israel must be spent by the end of 30 days. The bill also requires monthly reports to Congress detailing all security assistance provided to Israel since October 7, 2023, including specific items delivered and funding sources. The law directly affects U.S. agencies responsible for military aid and Israel as the recipient of the security assistance.