Rep. Mike Kelly

Maddy summaryHR 817, the Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025, creates a new tax credit allowing individuals to claim up to 10% of their adjusted gross income (capped at $5,000) for charitable contributions to scholarship granting organizations. These organizations provide education scholarships to eligible students from households with income not exceeding 300% of the area median gross income, covering qualified expenses like tuition, curriculum materials, and educational therapies. The bill establishes strict requirements for scholarship organizations, including verifying household income, conducting annual audits, and distributing scholarships to multiple students without government control. It also prohibits government entities from mandating or controlling scholarship organizations or excluding private or religious schools from receiving scholarship funds, while exempting scholarship amounts from taxable income for recipients. The tax credit is limited to $5 billion annually for 2025-2028, allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Maddy summaryHR 801, the Charitable Act, creates a new tax deduction for individuals who do not itemize deductions on their federal tax returns. It allows these taxpayers to deduct up to one-third of their standard deduction amount for charitable contributions in 2026 and 2027. The bill directly affects non-itemizing individual taxpayers by providing a limited, direct deduction for charitable giving without requiring them to itemize. The deduction is capped at 1/3 of the standard deduction amount for those tax years, effective for returns filed in 2027 and 2028.

Life at Conception Act This bill declares that the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution is vested in each human being at all stages of life, including the moment of fertilization, cloning, or other moment at which an individual comes into being. Nothing in this bill shall be construed to authorize the prosecution of any woman for the death of her unborn child.

Maddy summaryHR 21, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, requires medical staff at abortion facilities to provide the same immediate care and hospital admission to any infant born alive during an abortion as they would for any newborn. It mandates reporting failures to provide this care to law enforcement and imposes penalties of up to 5 years in prison for violations, with harsher penalties for intentional killing. The bill also allows women who undergo abortions to sue for civil damages, including triple the abortion cost, and provides for attorney fees. It defines "abortion" to exclude procedures performed after viability to preserve a live birth. This law directly affects healthcare providers at abortion facilities and creates new federal legal obligations for them.

Maddy summaryHRES 63 is a symbolic resolution designating the week of January 26-February 1, 2025, as "National School Choice Week." It expresses the House's support for raising public awareness about educational options - including public schools, charter schools, private schools, online academies, and homeschooling - and encourages parents to explore these choices. The resolution also urges the public to host events during this week to celebrate parental choice in education. As a non-binding resolution, it does not create new policies or alter existing laws.

Maddy summaryHR 685, the SAVE Moms and Babies Act of 2025, prohibits the FDA from approving new abortion drugs or allowing investigational use of existing ones. It restricts existing abortion drugs to in-person administration by certified healthcare providers in clinics or hospitals (not pharmacies), limits use to pregnancies under 70 days gestation, and requires providers to certify they can handle complications like severe bleeding or ectopic pregnancies. The bill mandates reporting of adverse events (such as hospitalizations or infections) to the FDA without patient identifiers and defines "abortion drug" broadly as any drug intended to terminate pregnancy, excluding specific medical exceptions. This directly affects FDA approval processes, healthcare providers prescribing these drugs, and drug manufacturers.

Maddy summaryHR 645, the National Constitutional Carry Act, would prevent all U.S. states and localities from requiring permits or imposing penalties for carrying firearms in public. It directly affects eligible U.S. citizens (including non-residents) who legally possess firearms under state and federal law, removing current permit requirements for public carry. The bill’s key provision amends federal law to invalidate any state or local law that criminalizes or discourages public firearm carry, except where private property owners clearly prohibit firearms or security screening occurs. This would override existing state permit laws, making permitless carry legal across all states and territories for qualified individuals.

Maddy summaryHR 703, the Main Street Tax Certainty Act, makes a key tax deduction permanent for small business owners. It removes the temporary sunset provision (subsection (i)) from Section 199A of the tax code, ensuring the qualified business income deduction remains available for eligible small businesses. This change directly affects pass-through business owners (like S-corps, partnerships, and sole proprietorships) who currently qualify for this deduction. The permanent change takes effect for tax years starting after December 31, 2025.

Maddy summaryHR 682, the Heartbeat Protection Act of 2025, prohibits physicians from performing abortions without first checking for a detectable fetal heartbeat according to standard medical practice and informing the patient of the results. It directly affects physicians and clinics performing abortions, requiring them to document heartbeat checks and comply with strict exceptions for life-threatening conditions, rape (with 48-hour documentation of counseling/treatment), or incest involving minors (with proof of prior report to authorities). Violations could result in fines or up to five years in prison, though the bill explicitly states it does not create or recognize a right to abortion. The law adds detailed documentation requirements for exceptions and mandates retention of medical records per federal health privacy rules.

Maddy summaryThe Protecting First Responders from Secondary Exposure Act of 2025 requires federal funding to provide training and containment devices for first responders, specifically to prevent exposure to fentanyl and other dangerous substances during emergencies. This bill directly affects police, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel who face accidental exposure risks while responding to drug-related incidents. The key provision amends existing federal law to mandate both training resources and the purchase of specialized containment equipment for first responder use. The policy change aims to reduce health risks from secondary exposure without altering drug enforcement or criminal law.