Rep. Kevin Hern

Maddy summaryThis resolution formally censures Rep. Adam Schiff (CA-30) for alleged misconduct related to his role on the House Intelligence Committee. It demands he appear before the House for a public censure and directs the Ethics Committee to investigate claims that he made false statements and misused classified information during investigations into the Trump-Russia matter. The resolution does not create new laws or policies but is a procedural action expressing the House's disapproval. It directly affects Rep. Schiff as the named recipient of the censure.

Maddy summaryThe Protecting Veteran Community Care Act expands access to mental health and substance-use services through the Veterans Community Care Program for veterans who cannot get timely care in VA residential treatment facilities. It requires community providers to meet state licensing and accreditation standards and prohibits the VA from denying community care solely because community providers cannot meet the same wait time standards as VA facilities. The bill also mandates the VA to track and report on requests for mental health care, including approvals, denials, and appeals. This applies directly to veterans facing delays in accessing VA residential mental health programs.

Maddy summaryHJRES 42 is a congressional resolution disapproving the District of Columbia Council's approval of the *Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022* (D.C. Act 24-781), which the Council enacted on January 19, 2023. This resolution, introduced by 18 House members on March 9, 2023, formally expresses Congress's objection to the DC law but does not alter the law itself or its implementation in the District. The resolution targets the DC Council’s action under the Home Rule Act, requiring Congress to formally disapprove such local legislation before it takes effect. It affects DC’s local policing policies but does not directly change federal law or impact residents beyond this procedural disapproval.

Supply Chain Security Act This bill allows a taxpayer to make an election, without regard to specified Treasury regulations, for purposes of determining whether any Western Hemisphere tax is an income, war profits, or excess profits tax. A Western Hemisphere tax is any tax paid to any U.S. possession or any foreign country (other than Cuba or Venezuela) that is located in North, Central, or South America (including the West Indies).

Maddy summaryHR 3678, the Pay Less at the Pump Act, terminates the Hazardous Substance Superfund financing rate effective January 1, 2023, and changes how advances from the Superfund are repaid. Specifically, it ends the requirement to apply a specific financing rate to the Superfund after 2022 and modifies repayment rules to require quarterly payments from unobligated funds until fully repaid. The bill directly affects the Superfund program and entities receiving advances from it, altering its financial structure. Note: The bill’s title is misleading - the legislation does not address fuel prices or gasoline costs at the pump. It focuses solely on Superfund financing terms, with effective dates specified in the text.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the Treasury Secretary to report quarterly on foreign countries imposing "extraterritorial" or "discriminatory" taxes targeting U.S. businesses. It mandates progressively higher tax rates (starting at 5% and increasing to 20% over time) on income and payments from foreign individuals and corporations in those countries. The U.S. government can also restrict federal procurement from such entities and consider these taxes in trade negotiations. These measures directly affect foreign businesses operating in the U.S. or conducting transactions with U.S. entities. The policy aims to counter foreign tax policies that the U.S. views as unfair under international tax norms.

Maddy summaryHouse Resolution 437 is a procedural resolution formally censuring Rep. Adam Schiff (CA-30) for allegedly making false claims about Trump-Russia collusion and misusing intelligence access. The resolution demands Schiff appear in the House chamber for a public censure reading and imposes a $16 million fine, citing specific incidents including false statements about the Steele dossier and a flawed FISA memo. This resolution does not change laws or policies but addresses Schiff's conduct as a representative, based on the resolution's allegations. It was introduced by Rep. Luna on May 23, 2023, and referred to the Committee on Ethics.

Maddy summaryHR 3256, the Preventing Executive Climate Overreach Act, would eliminate the legal effect of Executive Order 14096. This order, issued by the President to advance environmental justice in federal programs, would no longer be enforceable. The bill's key provision directly states that the executive order "shall have no force or effect." As a result, the administration would be unable to implement environmental justice policies based on that order.

Maddy summaryThe Protecting Taxpayers and Victims of Unemployment Fraud Act allows states to retain 25% of funds recovered from fraudulent unemployment claims (for pandemic-related benefits) to improve fraud prevention systems. States can use these retained funds to modernize unemployment systems, hire fraud investigators, reimburse administrative costs, or conduct other fraud prevention activities. The bill requires states to use specific data matching systems like the National Directory of New Hires to detect fraud more effectively. It modifies federal rules to ensure states can use recovered funds without violating deposit requirements. This legislation aims to reduce unemployment fraud while protecting taxpayers and victims of fraud.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the Treasury Secretary to submit quarterly reports (for up to 5 years) to Congress on foreign financial institutions tied to state sponsors of terrorism (like Iran or North Korea) that exceed $10 million in capital. It directs Treasury to assess whether these institutions engage in activities violating U.S. sanctions, using existing Russia-related executive orders (e.g., EOs 14024, 14071) and laws (e.g., Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act) as reference points. The reports would detail specific sanctionable conduct, targeting banks located in, owned by, or controlled by governments of designated state sponsors of terrorism.