Rep. Ben Cline

Maddy summaryHRES 339 is a non-binding House resolution supporting the Second Amendment and criticizing the Biden administration's firearm-related policies. It does not create new laws or directly affect anyone; instead, it formally disapproves of specific Biden-era actions by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) that the resolution claims restricted constitutional rights. Key provisions include condemning ATF rules limiting firearm access, BIS policies restricting firearm exports, and the Biden administration's "gun control agenda," while commending former President Trump for seeking to reverse these policies. The resolution reaffirms the constitutional right to bear arms but has no legal effect, as it is a symbolic statement of legislative opinion.

Maddy summaryThe Safeguarding Charity Act clarifies that tax exemptions for charitable organizations under the Internal Revenue Code (such as 501(c) status) do not count as "federal financial assistance" for regulatory purposes. This means tax-exempt charities and nonprofits will no longer be subject to federal rules or requirements typically applied to organizations receiving direct federal funding. The bill amends U.S. Code to explicitly exclude tax benefits from the definition of "federal financial assistance" unless a law specifically states otherwise. It does not change tax status or funding for these organizations but prevents misclassification under existing regulations. The law applies to all organizations with tax-exempt status under sections 501(c) or 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act or the SAVE Act This bill requires individuals to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. Specifically, the bill prohibits states from accepting and processing an application to register to vote in a federal election unless the applicant presents documentary proof of U.S. citizenship. The bill specifies what documents are considered acceptable proof of U.S. citizenship, such as identification that complies with the REAL ID Act of 2005 that indicates U.S. citizenship. Further, the bill (1) prohibits states from registering an individual to vote in a federal election unless, at the time the individual applies to register to vote, the individual provides documentary proof of U.S. citizenship; and (2) requires states to establish an alternative process under which an applicant may submit other evidence to demonstrate U.S. citizenship. Each state must take affirmative steps on an ongoing basis to ensure that only U.S. citizens are registered to vote, which shall include establishing a program to identify individuals who are not U.S. citizens using information supplied by certain sources. Additionally, states must remove noncitizens from their official lists of eligible voters. The bill allows for a private right of action against an election official who registers an applicant to vote in a federal election who fails to present documentary proof of U.S. citizenship. The bill establishes criminal penalties for certain offenses, including registering an applicant to vote in a federal election who fails to present documentary proof of U.S. citizenship.

Maddy summaryHR 2806 prohibits the Secretary of Energy from selling petroleum products from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to entities under Chinese Communist Party control or if the products could be exported to China. It directly affects U.S. energy sales to Chinese-linked companies and the Department of Energy’s management of the reserve. Key provisions require the Secretary to block such sales and mandate that any sale not result in exports to China. This policy change restricts access to U.S. strategic oil reserves for China-related entities.

Nuclear Family Priority Act This bill imposes limits on various types of family-sponsored immigration visas. The non-U.S. national ( alien  under federal law) parents of U.S. citizens shall not qualify for visas for immediate relatives, which are not subject to any direct numerical limits. Currently, the spouses, unmarried children under 21, and parents of citizens are considered immediate relatives. The bill also creates a nonimmigrant visa for such parents of citizens. Such non-U.S. nationals shall not be eligible for employment or any public benefits. The bill also reduces the baseline annual cap for family-sponsored visas from 480,000 to 88,000, and revises the methods for calculating the cap. Currently, the 480,000 cap may be adjusted depending on various factors but shall not be less than 226,000. The bill eliminates preference allocations (visa categories subject to various annual caps) for various family-sponsored visas, including those for the siblings and married children of citizens. The bill provides for a preference allocation for the unmarried children under 21 and spouses of permanent residents, subject to the 88,000 annual cap.

Maddy summaryThe Aid Accountability Act of 2025 amends foreign aid laws to impose strict penalties for violations. It requires federal employees who knowingly violate aid rules to be terminated permanently, pay restitution for illegally allocated funds, and face a lifetime ban from federal employment. Non-federal recipients (like grantee organizations) who violate these rules are barred from future federal funding. The Secretary of State must make final violation determinations, report violations to Congress within 60 days - including details on who violated the rules and how to prevent recurrence - and submit these reports under the Congressional Review Act.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends Title 5 of the U.S. Code to eliminate "official time" for federal employees engaging in union activities. It requires employees to perform all union-related work during non-duty time (e.g., personal time, not paid work hours), directly affecting federal workers who are union members. The key provision changes Section 7131 to state that any labor organization business must occur when employees are in a non-duty status. This policy shift removes the previous allowance for using paid work time for union duties, making it a concrete change to federal employment rules.

Maddy summaryHR 2666, the CBO Scoring Accountability Act, requires the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to annually analyze and publicly report on the actual costs and revenue impacts of major federal legislation for the first 10 years after it becomes law. It mandates that the CBO compare actual spending/revenue results against prior estimates, and if discrepancies exceed 10% for costs or revenue, the CBO must explain the causes in a report to Congress. This applies to bills projected to affect at least 0.25% of U.S. GDP in spending or revenue (defined as "major legislation"), and federal agencies must provide data to support these analyses. The bill aims to improve transparency around budget estimates without altering legislative processes.

Maddy summaryHR 2574, the "No Iranian Energy Act," amends existing sanctions law to explicitly prohibit U.S. sanctions on natural gas transactions involving Iran. It expands the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act of 2021 by adding natural gas to the list of energy sectors subject to sanctions under Sections 1244 and 1247 of the law. The bill directly affects foreign entities or governments that engage in the sale, supply, or transfer of natural gas to or from Iran. This change modifies existing legal provisions without creating new sanctions, targeting Iran's gas industry as part of broader sanctions policy.

Maddy summaryThis bill codifies a "maximum pressure" policy toward Iran, requiring the U.S. to maintain all sanctions until Iran meets specific conditions related to its nuclear program, missile development, support for terrorism, and human rights violations. It expands sanctions on Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and entities supporting Iran's ballistic missile program, while prohibiting waivers of sanctions on these entities. The bill mandates regular reports to Congress on Iran's nuclear activities, support for terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, and human rights abuses within Iran. It also directs the use of frozen Iranian assets to support victims of state-sponsored terrorism and prevents the release of funds that could benefit Iran's terrorist proxies. The bill aims to maintain economic and diplomatic pressure on Iran until it changes its behavior across multiple fronts.