Rep. Mike Flood

Maddy summaryHR 3933, the TAP Promotion Act, requires standardized presentations about Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits during military transition counseling for service members separating from the armed forces. These presentations must be approved by the VA, delivered by authorized veterans service organizations (VSOs), and include information on how VSOs assist with VA claims - without encouraging membership in specific organizations. The bill mandates a one-hour limit per presentation and requires the VA to submit annual reports to Congress detailing which VSOs presented, attendance numbers, and recommendations for improvement. This policy directly affects service members preparing for civilian life and the VSOs providing these transition resources.

Maddy summaryThis bill directs the U.S. Treasury to mint commemorative coins marking the Marine Corps' 250th anniversary in 2025. It authorizes three coin types: $5 gold coins (max 50,000), $1 silver coins (max 400,000), and half-dollar coins (max 750,000), with surcharges of $35, $10, and $5 respectively. The surcharge proceeds will fund the Marine Corps Heritage Center's educational programs, with no net cost to taxpayers as the Treasury must recover all minting costs through the surcharges. The coins can only be issued during 2025, and the Treasury must ensure all costs are covered before distributing funds to the Heritage Foundation.

Maddy summaryHR 984, the Commitment to Veteran Support and Outreach Act, authorizes $50 million annually (2024-2028) for grants to states and tribes to improve outreach to veterans and their families. The bill provides funding to hire more county/Tribal veterans service officers, expand existing outreach programs, and ensure equitable access to benefits for vulnerable groups like American Indian veterans, elderly veterans, and women veterans. States and tribes must submit detailed plans, track how quickly veterans receive benefits, and report annually on progress toward outcome measures set by the Veterans Affairs Secretary. Grants must supplement, not replace, existing state/local funding and prioritize areas with critical officer shortages or high veteran suicide rates.

Strategy To Oppose Purposeful CCP Aggression at the United Nations Act of 2023 or the STOP CCP at UN Act of 2023 This bill requires actions to address efforts by China to expand its influence on the United Nations. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of State to establish the Office of Multilateral Strategy, which must implement a strategy to counter China at the United Nations. The office must report on its work to Congress. The State Department must also increase the number of U.S.-sponsored junior professional officers at the United Nations to match or exceed the number of such officers sponsored by China. Furthermore, the State Department and the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations must report to Congress annually about China's actions to expand its influence on the United Nations, including through coercion, intimidation, and other illegitimate means.

Maddy summaryHR 4157, the "Not Just a Number Act," requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to produce annual reports on veteran suicide rates and their connection to VA healthcare and benefits. The reports must break down suicide rates by age, gender, and race, and examine how engagement with VA services (like Vet Centers, healthcare enrollment, benefits claims, and housing loans) correlates with suicide trends. The bill also mandates a VA toolkit for state/local coroners to improve veteran suicide death reporting, and a study on creating a dedicated VA suicide prevention office. These measures aim to standardize data collection and identify effective prevention strategies, directly affecting VA operations, congressional oversight, and veteran care systems.

Maddy summaryHR 4769, the PFAS Alternatives Act, funds research and training to develop PFAS-free turnout gear for firefighters. It authorizes $25 million annually (2024-2028) for grants to eligible organizations to research, develop, and test next-generation gear without per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are linked to firefighter cancer risks. The bill requires partnerships with firefighting organizations to ensure research translates into practical training and gear care guidance, including decontamination protocols. It also allocates $2 million yearly for training programs on proper gear use and maintenance, aiming to reduce exposure to hazardous chemicals during fire operations.

Stop China’s Continuous Purchase of Land Act or the Stop CCP Land Act This bill requires states that receive certain federal program funds to restrict the purchase of agricultural land by a covered foreign country.  Covered foreign country means a country included in Department of State regulations as subject to certain prohibitions (i.e., Belarus, Burma, China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and Venezuela), as well as Russia. Specifically, a state may not receive funds for certain programs funded by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (e.g., certain energy efficiency and conservation programs) unless that state has a law prohibiting a covered foreign country (or persons acting on behalf of the country) from purchasing agricultural land in the state. Further, a state must require that a person from a covered foreign country that holds agricultural land in the state prior to the state law's enactment submit an annual report to the state on the agricultural holdings. The Department of Agriculture must submit a report to Congress on how the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 should be updated to ensure accurate documentation and monitoring of foreign investment in agricultural land. The Government Accountability Office must submit a report to Congress that includes (1) an assessment of this bill's impact on national security, and (2) any measures that can be taken to better secure U.S. real estate from foreign manipulation.

Maddy summaryHR 4737, the "Stop Executive Capture of Banking Regulators Act," requires five major financial regulatory agencies (Federal Reserve, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, FDIC, NCUA, and FHFA) to notify Congress and provide detailed justification before implementing non-binding recommendations from the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) chair or executive orders. Specifically, agencies must give Congress 120 days' notice, submit a report explaining the proposed implementation and its rationale, and offer testimony if requested. This bill directly affects how these regulators interact with Congress on certain policy proposals, adding a formal consultation step. It does not change regulatory standards but mandates transparency and oversight for specific types of guidance. The bill focuses on procedural requirements, not substantive policy changes.

Maddy summaryHR 4721, the Main Street Tax Certainty Act, makes a permanent the 20% tax deduction for eligible small business owners under Section 199A of the tax code. This provision directly affects pass-through business owners (like S-corps, partnerships, and sole proprietorships) who qualify for the deduction. The bill achieves this by removing the temporary expiration language (subsection (i)) from the existing tax code provision. The key change is ending the need for annual congressional extensions of this deduction, providing long-term tax certainty for small businesses.

Maddy summaryThis bill, the Veteran Care Improvement Act of 2023, establishes new standards for when veterans can receive care from private providers instead of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). It requires the VA to allow veterans to seek community care if they cannot get an in-person appointment within 30 days for primary care or 60 days for specialty care at a VA facility within a 30 or 60-minute drive, respectively. The legislation also mandates that the VA notify veterans of their eligibility for community care within two business days, provide information about telehealth options, and explain reasons for denied care requests along with appeal instructions. Additional provisions include requiring the VA to conduct outreach to inform veterans about community care options, mandate the use of value-based reimbursement models for community care, and establish a pilot program to improve care administration through scheduling improvements and provider incentives. The bill also extends the deadline for health care entities to submit claims under the prompt payment standard from 180 days to one year, and requires the VA Inspector General to assess VA medical center performance in implementing community care programs within three years of enactment.