Rep. Burgess Owens

Maddy summaryThis bill, HR 3458 (Reinstate Our Troops Act), provides relief to military service members who were involuntarily separated solely for refusing COVID-19 vaccinations. It requires military leaders to reinstate eligible service members to their previous rank within 30 days of their request (made within one year of the law's passage), return any bonuses they repaid due to separation, and change their discharge status to "honorable" if they don't seek reinstatement. It also mandates expunging records of the vaccination refusal from their service files. The bill requires the Secretary of Defense to report on implementation to Congress within 60 days.

Maddy summaryHR 3435, the Charitable Act, creates a temporary tax deduction for charitable contributions for individual taxpayers who do not itemize deductions. It allows these taxpayers to deduct up to one-third of their standard deduction amount for charitable gifts in 2023 and 2024. The bill directly affects millions of filers who typically take the standard deduction instead of itemizing, making charitable giving more tax-advantageous for them during these two years. The provision expires after 2024 and does not change the standard deduction amount itself.

Maddy summaryThe Responsible Borrowing Act of 2023 allows colleges to set lower annual or lifetime borrowing limits for students in specific programs if debt levels appear excessive relative to graduate earnings. Institutions may use data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (average regional starting salaries) or the College Scorecard (median earnings for program graduates) to determine these limits, or adjust based on enrollment status, credential type, or program year. Students whose loans are capped can request an increase, but institutions retain discretion. This applies only to new students starting after June 2024 and prohibits limits based on protected characteristics like race or gender.

Maddy summaryHRES 363 is a resolution expressing support for recognizing National Police Week, an annual observance established by law to honor law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty. The resolution acknowledges 556 officers killed in the line of duty during 2022 and calls for ensuring law enforcement officers have necessary equipment, training, and resources to protect both themselves and the public. It encourages the American public to observe National Police Week by honoring law enforcement personnel and recognizing their essential mission in serving communities across the United States. This resolution does not create new law but formally expresses congressional support for an existing observance.

Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption Act or the PRIME Act This bill exempts from federal inspection requirements animals and meats that are slaughtered and prepared at custom animal slaughter facilities for distribution within the state. Under current law, a custom slaughter exemption applies if the meat is slaughtered exclusively for personal, household, guest, or employee uses. Specifically, the bill expands the federal inspection exemption to include the slaughter of animals or the preparation of carcasses, meat, and meat food products that are slaughtered and prepared at a custom slaughter facility in accordance with the laws of the state where the facility is located; and prepared exclusively for distribution to household consumers in the state or restaurants, hotels, boarding houses, grocery stores, or other establishments in the state that either prepare meals served directly to consumers or offer meat and food products for sale directly to consumers in the state. The bill does not preempt any state law concerning (1) the slaughter of animals or the preparation of carcasses, meat, and meat food products at a custom slaughter facility; or (2) the sale of meat or meat food products.

Direct Capital Access Act of 2023 or the DCA Act of 2023 This bill increases the number of daily round-trip flights allowed at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). Specifically, this bill adds 56 new slots at DCA to allow for 28 additional daily round-trip flights. (Airlines flying to and from DCA are subject to slot and perimeter rules set by federal law and regulation. The slot rules determine the total number of flight slots that can be handled in a given time period. In addition, a statutory perimeter rule limits nonstop flights to a 1,250-mile radius unless they are granted an exemption in law.) Current law limits DCA to a maximum of 67 hourly slots for flights both within- and beyond-perimeter; a round-trip flight serving DCA requires two slots (or a slot pair). Of those slots, 40 daily slots are exempt from the perimeter rule. Under the bill's slot increase, operations at DCA may not increase by more than eight flights per hour.

Maddy summaryThe ACRE Act of 2023 amends the tax code to exclude interest income from certain rural and agricultural loans from taxable income for eligible lenders. It directly affects banks, savings associations, and their wholly-owned entities that provide qualified loans secured by rural or agricultural real estate, including single-family homes in designated rural areas (with a $750,000 loan balance cap) or aquaculture facilities. The key provision allows these lenders to exclude interest earned on qualifying loans from their gross income, effectively reducing their tax liability on such lending activity. The bill applies to loans made after its enactment date and aligns with existing definitions of rural property from the Agricultural Credit Act of 1987.

Maddy summaryHR 2429, the Open Access Evapotranspiration Data Act, establishes a federal program to provide free, satellite-based data on water loss from soil and plants (evapotranspiration) to water managers, farmers, and communities. The program, run by the U.S. Geological Survey under the Interior Department, delivers this data at no cost to help users make better water management decisions, especially during droughts, by showing how much water is consumed in landscapes. It requires coordination with federal agencies like NASA, NOAA, and USDA, and partnerships with states, tribes, universities, and private groups to develop and maintain the data system. The bill authorizes $23 million annually from 2024-2028 to support this program, which aims to improve water conservation and planning across the U.S.

Maddy summaryHRES 339 is a non-binding House resolution expressing that an "all-of-the-above" energy strategy - including oil, gas, nuclear, coal, hydropower, and renewables - is the most viable approach to U.S. energy policy. It states this strategy would strengthen national security, lower consumer energy prices, and reduce reliance on foreign energy sources. The resolution highlights that domestic energy production supports infrastructure funding, job creation, and energy independence, while noting U.S. energy sources like Gulf of Mexico oil and nuclear power provide clean, reliable electricity. As a statement of congressional opinion, it does not create new laws or policy changes.

This resolution urges transatlantic unity on a robust deterrence policy to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. The resolution also (1) encourages NATO allies to work with their partners in the Indo-Pacific to address shared global security challenges; and (2) commends the people of Taiwan for their commitment to democracy, civil liberties, and human rights.