Rep. Pete Sessions

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the Treasury Department to report on Hamas financing sources and U.S. efforts to disrupt those funds within 180 days of enactment. It directs Treasury to develop a multilateral strategy with international allies to prevent Hamas from financing hostilities against Israel. The bill also prohibits using the Exchange Stabilization Fund to exchange Special Drawing Rights with countries designated as state sponsors of terrorism under specific laws. These provisions directly affect U.S. financial operations and Treasury's coordination with international partners. The bill focuses on restricting financial mechanisms tied to designated terrorist entities, without altering existing sanctions.

Maddy summaryHR 7438 directs the U.S. Treasury to mint commemorative coins for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including 100,000 $5 gold coins, 500,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar coins. The coins will be sold to the public at face value plus surcharges ($35, $10, and $5 per coin, respectively), with all surcharge revenue paid to FWC2026 US, Inc. for U.S. soccer programs. These funds must support soccer initiatives, particularly in underserved communities and youth development, as specified in the bill. The coins are legal tender but will only be issued during 2026, with no net cost to the U.S. government.

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 summaryHR 7525, the Special District Grant Accessibility Act, requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to issue guidance within 180 days clarifying how federal agencies recognize "special districts" as eligible recipients of federal grants. Special districts - state-created local entities like water districts or fire protection authorities that perform specific government functions - would directly benefit by gaining clearer pathways to access federal funding. Agencies must implement this guidance within one year and report on compliance to Congress within two years. The bill focuses on standardizing agency procedures, not creating new programs or altering grant eligibility criteria.

Maddy summaryHR 5349, the "Crucial Communism Teaching Act," requires the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation to develop a high school curriculum and oral history resources about communism. The bill directs this foundation to create materials for social studies, history, and government classes that teach students: (1) communism caused over 100 million deaths worldwide, (2) communism and similar ideologies pose dangers to democracy, and (3) 1.5 billion people still live under communist systems. The curriculum must include comparative discussions of political ideologies and feature personal stories from individuals who experienced communist regimes. This bill directly affects high school students and educators in public schools by mandating specific content for civic education.

Maddy summaryHR 7480, the Disabled Veterans Housing Support Act, changes how housing programs calculate income eligibility for veterans. It requires states and local governments to exclude service-connected disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) when determining if a veteran qualifies as "low or moderate income" for HUD housing programs (like Section 8 or public housing). This directly helps disabled veterans whose VA disability pay would otherwise disqualify them from housing assistance they need. The bill also mandates a report within one year examining how VA disability pay is treated across HUD programs and recommending improvements to better serve veterans. The change simplifies access to housing support by ensuring VA benefits aren't counted as income for these programs.

Maddy summaryHR 6751 authorizes the U.S. Mint to produce commemorative coins honoring Roberto Clemente, a Hall of Fame baseball player and humanitarian, including 50,000 $5 gold coins, 400,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar coins. The coins must feature Clemente's image and inscriptions like "Roberto Clemente" and "2027," with all sales including a surcharge ($5-$35 per coin) paid to the Roberto Clemente Foundation. The foundation, which supports youth sports, education, and disaster relief programs, will use these funds for its mission, while the U.S. Treasury must recover all production costs. The coins will be sold exclusively in 2027, with no net cost to the government.

Maddy summaryHR 7428, the Earned Wage Access Consumer Protection Act, regulates services that let workers access early payments of earned but unpaid wages (e.g., via apps or employer partnerships). It directly affects workers using these services ("consumers") and the companies providing them ("providers"), prohibiting practices like forcing repayment through lawsuits, hiding fees, or charging late fees. Key provisions require clear upfront fee disclosures, ensure tips/gratuities are truly voluntary (with no link to service eligibility), and ban providers from using debt collectors to recover unpaid advances. The bill also clarifies that these advances aren’t considered "consumer credit" under federal law, preventing providers from being treated as lenders.

Maddy summaryHR 758 aims to improve financial access in communities affected by bank branch closures, primarily targeting rural and underserved urban areas. It establishes a 3-year phase-in period for new financial institutions to meet federal capital requirements and reduces the leverage ratio for qualifying rural community banks (under $10 billion in assets) to 8% during this period. The bill also allows banks to request temporary deviations from approved business plans and expands agricultural loan authority for savings associations. Additionally, it mandates a federal study on barriers to new bank formation in underserved areas, with a report due to Congress within one year. The law directly affects community banks, their regulators, and residents in counties identified as "deeply affected" by branch closures.

Maddy summaryThe Kairo Act of 2024 requires child care providers receiving federal funds (like Child Care Development Block Grants or Head Start) to create a "parent’s bill of rights" document. This document must include specific information for parents, such as child abuse hotline contacts, access to facility inspection reports, procedures for reviewing video recordings of incidents, and policies on staff training. Providers must distribute this written document to parents within 45 days of the law’s effective date or before a child’s first day in care. The law applies directly to center-based, family, and religious child care providers receiving federal funding, aiming to increase transparency and parent access to facility records.