Rep. Daniel Meuser

Maddy summaryHR 2384, the Complete American Pipelines Act of 2023, requires the expedited construction of existing pipeline projects that received a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) certificate of public convenience and necessity before January 1, 2018, and remain active. The bill prohibits judicial review of FERC certificates, related permits, or agency actions for these projects, mandating dismissal of any legal challenges seeking such review. It also grants the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit exclusive authority to hear disputes about the bill's validity or scope. This directly affects pipeline developers with pre-2018 FERC approvals by removing legal barriers to completing their projects.

Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2023 This bill increases the number of residency positions eligible for graduate medical education payments under Medicare for qualifying hospitals, including hospitals in rural areas and health professional shortage areas. Current law provides for an increase of up to 200 positions per fiscal year beginning in FY2023, with a total increase of 1,000 positions; each hospital may receive up to 25 additional positions. Current law also provides for an additional increase of up to 200 positions for FY2026, with at least 100 of these positions for psychiatry or related specialties; each hospital may receive up to 10 additional positions. The bill provides for an additional increase of 2,000 positions per fiscal year from FY2025-FY2031; during this period, each hospital may receive up to 75 additional positions in total under the bill and current law. Additionally, one-third of the positions that are made available under the bill must be allocated to hospitals that are already operating above applicable resident limits. The bill also requires the Government Accountability Office to report on strategies to increase the diversity of the health professional workforce, including with respect to representation from rural, low-income, and minority communities.

Maddy summaryHR 2506, the Restoring the Secondary Trading Market Act, prevents states from restricting off-exchange trading of securities (like buying and selling shares after the initial offering) when companies publicly disclose specific financial information. It directly affects securities issuers (companies that sell stocks) and secondary market participants (investors trading existing shares). The bill amends federal securities law to add a new exemption, blocking states from imposing conditions on such trading if issuers provide the required reports under two specific federal regulations (17 CFR 230.257 and 17 CFR 15c2-11). This creates a uniform federal standard, ensuring consistent secondary market access for publicly disclosed securities.

Maddy summaryHR 2483, the School Security Enhancement Act, amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to allow local schools to use existing federal funds for specific security improvements. It permits spending on measures like metal detectors, crisis notification systems, bullet-resistant doors, and access control technology, provided they have evidence-based effectiveness. The bill explicitly prohibits using these funds for firearms or firearm training (Section d(1)), while clarifying it doesn’t override other laws permitting firearms (Section d(2)). This directly affects schools receiving ESEA funds by expanding eligible security investments under Section 4104.

Maddy summaryHR 2490 creates a new reward program for whistleblowers who provide original information leading to successful enforcement actions by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) that result in monetary penalties exceeding $1 million. Whistleblowers can receive 10% to 30% of the collected penalties (minimum $50,000, maximum $5 million per person) for information that directly leads to enforcement actions against financial institutions violating consumer financial laws. The bill includes strong confidentiality protections to prevent disclosure of whistleblowers' identities and requires the CFPB to consider factors like the significance of the information and the whistleblower's cooperation when determining award amounts. The CFPB must also report annually to Congress on the program's activity, including the number of awards granted and case types.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's (CFPB) mission to prioritize fair and transparent markets while explicitly adding a focus on strengthening private sector competition without government interference or subsidies. It requires the CFPB to establish an Office of Economic Analysis to review all proposed rules, assess their impact on consumer choice, credit access, and pricing, and publish these findings in the Federal Register. The bill also mandates that new rules must identify the specific problem they solve and include measurable metrics - like changes in consumer access and cost of financial products - to evaluate success. Existing rules must be periodically reviewed (after 1, 2, 5, and 10 years) to determine if they effectively addressed their intended problem.

Maddy summaryHR 2539 permanently extends the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) program, which incentivizes private investment in low-income communities. The bill directly affects community development financial institutions (CDFIs) and investors who fund projects in designated low-income areas by ensuring the credit remains available beyond 2025. Key provisions include automatically adjusting the credit amount annually for inflation starting in 2024 and clarifying that the credit can be used to offset alternative minimum tax liability. This maintains the program’s effectiveness in channeling capital to underserved neighborhoods without changing eligibility or funding levels.

Essential Air Service Reform Act This bill modifies the Essential Air Service (EAS) program's applicant selection process for air service providers. (The EAS program was established to ensure that small communities that were served by certificated air carriers before the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 would continue to receive scheduled passenger service.) Specifically, the Department of Transportation (DOT) must consider the overall cost of a submitted bid when selecting an EAS applicant to provide basic essential air service to a community. The bill also removes a current requirement that, in selecting an EAS applicant, DOT give substantial weight to the views of elected officials who represent air transportation users. Finally, DOT must notify Congress when it enters into an EAS contract with an air service provider and include an explanation for awarding the contract with the notification.

Supporting Middle America's Airports Act This bill modifies the eligibility requirements for the Essential Air Service (EAS) program to allow additional communities to apply for assistance. The EAS program was established to ensure that small communities that were served by certificated air carriers before the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 would continue to receive scheduled passenger service. Under current law, new communities have generally not been permitted to enter the program since October 1 2012, unless they are located in Alaska or Hawaii. The bill removes this restriction and allows DOT to accept new applications for a three-year period. After the three-year period, DOT may only compensate an air carrier for the provision of essential air service to a place if the place previously received essential air service under the program.

This joint resolution nullifies the final rule issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau titled Small Business Lending under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (Regulation B) and published on May 31, 2023. The rule requires financial institutions to collect and report to the bureau credit application data for small businesses. On July 31, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas ordered the bureau not to implement or enforce the rule until a related pending case is resolved.