Rep. Chip Roy

No Taxpayer Funding for United Nations Green Climate Fund Act This bill requires the Department of State to withhold the same proportion of funds from the mandatory U.S. contribution to the United Nations as the proportion of the U.N. budget made available to the U.N. Green Climate Fund. Such withheld funds must be rescinded and may not be considered arrears to be repaid to the United Nations. The bill also prohibits the State Department from making voluntary contributions to the U.N. Green Climate Fund.

Maddy summaryThe Employee Rights Act (HR 2700) amends key labor laws to strengthen employee rights in collective bargaining and privacy. It requires employers to use secret ballot elections for selecting bargaining representatives and to provide labor organizations with voter lists containing employee names and one form of contact information (chosen by the employee) within two business days of an election. The bill prohibits employers from using employee personal information for non-organizing purposes and mandates written authorization for using union dues on non-bargaining activities, with authorizations expiring after one year. Additionally, it clarifies joint employment standards to prevent misclassification and adds tribal sovereignty protections to labor law definitions.

Maddy summaryHR 2928, the Responsible Borrower Protection Act of 2023, blocks the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and mortgage enterprises (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) from implementing specific changes to mortgage credit fees announced in January 2023. The bill directly affects mortgage borrowers and lenders by reversing a pricing framework update that would have altered fees for single-family mortgages. It prohibits the FHFA from enforcing the January 2023 pricing changes detailed in FHFA's announcement and related lender letters. The bill clarifies that enterprises may still use risk-based pricing for mortgage fees, but the specific fee adjustments from the 2023 framework are canceled. This is a direct policy change to mortgage fee structures, not a broader reform.

Maddy summaryHRES 90 is a resolution demanding the Chinese government immediately release Mark Swidan, a U.S. citizen from Texas who has been detained since 2012 on drug trafficking charges. The resolution cites the UN Human Rights Council Working Group finding his detention arbitrary, with no evidence of drug offenses, passport records showing he wasn’t in China during the alleged crimes, and China denying his family contact and medical care. It specifically condemns China for blocking U.S. diplomatic access and calls on the U.S. government to prioritize Swidan’s release through diplomatic channels. The resolution focuses on the case’s documented legal and humanitarian issues, not broader policy implications.

Eliminating the RFS and Its Destructive Outcomes Act This bill repeals the Environmental Protection Agency's Renewable Fuel Standard program, which requires transportation fuel to contain a minimum volume of renewable fuel.

This bill directs the President to withdraw the United States from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (the entity tasked with supporting the global response to climate change). The bill also prohibits the use of funds to carry out U.S. obligations under the framework following this withdrawal.

Maddy summaryHR 2724, the Sister City Transparency Act, requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study sister city partnerships between U.S. local governments (like cities or counties) and foreign communities in countries scoring 45 or below on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index. The study will examine partnership criteria, activities, economic outcomes, transparency practices, and potential risks like foreign espionage or economic coercion. It will assess how these partnerships affect freedom of expression, U.S. security interests, and vulnerability to malign activities. The GAO must submit a report to relevant congressional committees within six months, including findings and recommendations. This bill does not change existing partnerships but mandates a review of their transparency and security implications.

Maddy summaryHR 2712, the Work Not Woke Act, prohibits federal agencies, contractors, and grant recipients from using workplace training that promotes specific "divisive concepts," such as claiming inherent superiority of a race or sex, blaming individuals for historical actions, or suggesting meritocracy is racist. It directly affects federal contractors (requiring contract clauses banning such training), federal agencies (mandating review of diversity training), and grant recipients (requiring certification against using federal funds for prohibited training). Key mechanisms include a Department of Labor hotline for complaints, mandatory contract provisions for contractors, and a ban on using federal funds for three executive orders focused on racial equity. The law permits diversity efforts that do not promote the banned concepts and requires agencies to certify compliance with its provisions.

Maddy summaryHJRES 27 is a congressional resolution seeking to block a federal rule that redefined which waterways fall under the Clean Water Act's protections. It targets a rule submitted by the Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Defense, and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on January 18, 2023, which aimed to revise the "Waters of the United States" definition. The resolution would formally disapprove this rule under a specific federal procedure (Chapter 8 of Title 5), preventing it from taking effect. This would directly affect how federal agencies regulate pollution and development near water bodies, including wetlands and smaller streams.

Ensuring United Families at the Border Act This bill addresses the treatment of children who are non-U.S. nationals ( aliens under federal law), including by statutorily establishing that there is no presumption that such a child (other than an unaccompanied child) should not be detained for immigration purposes. Specifically, the bill states that the detention of such minors shall be governed by specified sections of the Immigration and Nationality Act and not any other provision of law, judicial ruling, or settlement agreement. (A 1997 settlement agreement, commonly known as the Flores agreement, imposes requirements relating to the treatment of detained alien minors, including requiring such minors to be released or placed in a nonsecure facility after a certain amount of time in detention.) If an adult enters the United States unlawfully with their child, DHS must detain the adult and child together if the only criminal charge against the adult is a misdemeanor for unlawful entry. This bill also prohibits states from imposing licensing requirements on immigration detention facilities used to detain minors or families with minors.