Rep. Beth Van Duyne

Maddy summaryHR 5012 (SHINE for Autumn Act of 2023) authorizes federal funding to improve stillbirth research and data collection. It provides $5 million annually for states to collect standardized stillbirth data (including risk factors) while protecting privacy, $1 million annually for developing public educational materials and data collection guidelines, and $3 million annually for medical fellowships training pathologists in perinatal autopsy and stillbirth research. The bill directly affects state health departments, medical professionals (like obstetricians and pathologists), and families who experience stillbirth by improving data quality for future research. It requires federal reports on guidelines and program effectiveness within five years but does not provide direct medical care or financial assistance to families.

Maddy summaryHR 537 authorizes a Congressional Gold Medal to honor 60 diplomats who saved Jewish lives during the Holocaust by issuing visas and passports against their governments' orders, risking expulsion and personal danger. The medal will be presented to the next of kin of these diplomats, alongside representatives from their home countries, and permanently displayed at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The bill also permits the sale of bronze duplicates to cover production costs, with proceeds going to the U.S. Mint. This legislation recognizes the diplomats' humanitarian actions without creating new government programs or altering existing laws.

Maddy summaryHR 192 prohibits noncitizens from voting in all District of Columbia elections, including for public office and ballot initiatives. It directly affects noncitizen residents of Washington D.C. who currently have voting rights under the repealed Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022. The bill's key mechanism is repealing that 2022 amendment, restoring the requirement that only U.S. citizens may vote in DC elections. This changes the voting eligibility rules for noncitizens living in the District. The law would take effect upon enactment, removing noncitizens from the voter rolls for all local elections.

Maddy summaryHR 5403, the CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act, prohibits the Federal Reserve from issuing or facilitating central bank digital currency (CBDC) directly or indirectly to individuals through financial institutions. It specifically bans Federal Reserve banks from offering digital products to individuals, maintaining individual accounts, or using CBDC for monetary policy implementation. The bill also clarifies that its restrictions do not apply to existing physical cash or private, permissionless digital payment systems. This bill directly affects the Federal Reserve's ability to develop or deploy a government-run digital dollar. The law aims to prevent the Federal Reserve from creating a digital currency that could enable transaction tracking or government oversight of personal financial activity.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires group health plans to provide pregnancy-related, postpartum, and mental health coverage to birth mothers (called "qualifying individuals") who are placing their newborns for adoption. Adoptive parents can request this coverage by submitting a signed form with attestations about the adoption plan, and the birth mother must be pregnant or have given birth within six months. Coverage is limited to pregnancy/postpartum care and mental health services, lasting up to one year after the birth or until the birth mother or adoptive parent terminates it. The law does not require the adoption to proceed and prohibits penalties if adoption doesn't happen. It takes effect for plan years starting January 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the Director of National Intelligence to produce an unclassified public report within 90 days of enactment detailing the wealth and alleged corrupt activities of top Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leaders, including the General Secretary and Politburo members. It also mandates that the Director (or a designee) testify in open hearings before the House and Senate Intelligence Committees within 180 days about the report's findings. The legislation directly affects U.S. intelligence and foreign policy agencies responsible for compiling and presenting this information. The focus is solely on creating a transparency mechanism for public disclosure, with no additional policy changes or funding specified.

Maddy summaryHR 895, the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2023, expands federal law to better prosecute organized retail theft by amending sections 2314 and 2315 of Title 18. It clarifies that crimes involving stolen goods valued at $5,000 or more over 12 months - including retail theft - can be prosecuted under existing federal statutes, and broadens definitions to include goods taken via "any facility of interstate or foreign commerce." The bill also creates a new Organized Retail Crime Coordination Center within Homeland Security, requiring it to coordinate federal, state, and local law enforcement efforts, share threat information with retailers, and produce annual public reports on trends. This directly affects law enforcement agencies, retailers, and criminal justice systems by standardizing prosecution thresholds and enhancing interagency collaboration.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the U.S. Department of Defense and State Department to immediately deliver all previously approved military equipment and services to Israel within 15 days, reversing any pauses on arms transfers. It prohibits using federal funds to withhold, halt, or cancel defense article deliveries to Israel and mandates that unobligated security assistance funds for Israel must be spent by the end of 30 days. The bill also requires monthly reports to Congress detailing all security assistance provided to Israel since October 7, 2023, including specific items delivered and funding sources. The law directly affects U.S. agencies responsible for military aid and Israel as the recipient of the security assistance.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act (LEOSA) to expand where current and retired law enforcement officers can carry concealed firearms. It specifically allows qualified officers to carry in Federal facilities like post offices and courthouses (previously restricted), clarifies they may carry on public property and transportation, and updates firearms training requirements to accept certification from any state-certified instructor. The key change requires officers to meet recent firearms training standards (using flexible state-based criteria), rather than relying solely on their former agency's standards. This directly affects retired officers seeking to carry in more public spaces and federal buildings without needing prior agency certification.

Maddy summaryHR 8434 designates the United States Postal Service facility at 107 North Hoyne Avenue in Fritch, Texas, as the "Chief Zeb Smith Post Office." This bill changes the official name of the physical post office location for all federal references, including laws, maps, and documents. It directly affects the postal facility in Fritch by establishing its new official designation. The bill has no policy or funding impact - it is purely a ceremonial naming resolution.