Rep. Diana Harshbarger

Maddy summaryHR 10362, the PBM Act of 2024, prohibits entities from owning both pharmacies and insurance or pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) services. It requires entities violating this rule to divest pharmacies within three years of enactment. The bill allows government agencies to file civil actions for violations, mandating cessation of the dual ownership, divestiture, and disgorgement of revenue from the illegal period into a Federal Trade Commission fund for community health needs. This directly affects vertically integrated companies currently owning both pharmacies and insurance/PBM operations.

Maddy summaryHR 7673, the Liberty in Laundry Act, amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to change how the Department of Energy sets energy efficiency standards for clothes washers. It requires the Secretary of Energy to determine that any new or amended standard must be both technologically feasible/economically justified and not increase net costs for consumers (including purchase, maintenance, and disposal costs) before implementation. The bill also mandates that any standard must result in "significant conservation of energy" to be enforced. This legislation directly affects the Department of Energy's regulatory authority over appliance efficiency standards, not consumers or manufacturers directly.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows livestock producers and their employees to take black vultures (Coragyps atratus) that are harming or threatening livestock, bypassing the usual protections under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. It directly affects ranchers and farm workers in areas where black vultures cause livestock deaths or injuries. The key provision requires annual reporting to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service about any vultures taken, using a simplified form similar to existing reporting for permitted bird take. This creates a specific, limited exception to federal bird protections for livestock protection, with no new restrictions on vulture populations.

Maddy summaryThis bill reinstates a pre-American Rescue Plan Act (ARP) tax reporting rule for gig economy platforms. It requires third-party payment platforms (like Uber or DoorDash) to report transactions to the IRS only if a gig worker earns over $20,000 in total or completes more than 200 transactions in a year. This directly affects gig workers whose income falls below these thresholds, exempting them from the reporting requirement. The provision effectively reverses a change made by the ARP, reducing administrative burden for both platforms and lower-earning gig workers. The bill amends IRS Code Section 6050W to restore these specific de minimis payment thresholds.

Maddy summaryHR 10299, the Medicaid Funds Integrity Act of 2024, amends federal Medicaid law to prohibit using federal funds for gun violence prevention or intervention programs. Specifically, it adds a new provision (paragraph 28) to Section 1903(i) of the Social Security Act, blocking federal financial participation for such programs under Medicaid. This directly affects state Medicaid programs that might have sought federal funding for initiatives addressing gun violence. The bill creates a concrete funding restriction, ensuring Medicaid dollars cannot be spent on these specific types of programs.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates the U.S. Postal Service facility at 300 Macedonia Lane in Knoxville, Tennessee, as the "Reverend Harold Middlebrook Post Office Building." It updates all official references in federal laws, documents, and records to use this new name. The change applies solely to the building's official designation and has no impact on postal services or policies.

Maddy summaryThe Working Dog Commemorative Coin Act (HR 807) directs the U.S. Treasury to mint three types of commemorative coins honoring working dogs' service: $5 gold coins, $1 silver coins, and half-dollar coins with specific weight and composition requirements. Each coin will carry a surcharge ($35 for $5 coins, $10 for $1 coins, $5 for half-dollars) that will be paid directly to America's VetDogs to support their programs providing service dogs for veterans, the disabled, and others. The coins will be issued in 2027 with designs reflecting working dogs' roles in military, detection, therapy, and assistance work. The legislation specifies that all surcharge revenue must fund America's VetDogs' operations without creating new government programs. This is a commemorative measure focused on honoring working dogs' contributions through coin sales, with all surcharge funds going to a specific nonprofit organization.

Maddy summaryHRES 1594 is a symbolic House resolution supporting the designation of "National Rural Health Day," observed annually on the third Thursday of November. It recognizes rural health care providers and the communities they serve, highlighting challenges like hospital closures, workforce shortages, and access barriers in rural areas. The resolution expresses the House's commitment to improving rural health care accessibility and affordability but does not create new laws or allocate funding. It is a non-binding gesture aligning with an existing observance since 2011, organized by the National Rural Health Association.

Maddy summaryHR 10186, the Protecting Women’s Private Spaces Act, prohibits access to single-sex facilities (like restrooms, locker rooms, or changing rooms) on federal property unless the user's biological sex matches the facility's intended use. It defines "biological sex" based on reproductive anatomy and function, requiring facilities to correspond with an individual's assigned sex at birth. The bill directly affects users of federal buildings, including those who identify as transgender, by restricting access to facilities aligned with their gender identity rather than their biological sex. Exceptions apply only for emergency medical personnel responding to medical emergencies or law enforcement during active investigations.

Maddy summaryHR 8706, the "Dismantle DEI Act of 2024," would prohibit federal agencies from maintaining diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices, programs, or training by requiring the closure of existing DEI offices within 90 days and banning federal funding for DEI-related activities. The bill defines "prohibited diversity, equity, and inclusion practices" as those that discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, religion, biological sex, or national origin, or require training that asserts a particular group is inherently superior or inferior. It would rescind several executive orders related to racial equity and gender inclusion, and prohibit the use of federal funds for DEI-related activities across all federal agencies, contractors, and grant recipients. The bill contains limited exceptions for Equal Employment Opportunity offices and disability rights enforcement offices as historically organized and operated.