Rep. Dan Newhouse

Protecting Life from Chemical Abortions Act This bill nullifies certain changes made by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to dispensing requirements for mifepristone. (Mifepristone is a drug that is approved to end pregnancies through 10 weeks gestation when used in conjunction with the drug misoprostol. The procedure is often referred to as medication abortion or the abortion pill.) The FDA regulates the use of mifepristone through the Mifepristone Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) program. The program requires health care providers to comply with certain requirements in order to prescribe or dispense mifepristone to end a pregnancy; the program previously included an in-person dispensing requirement that required mifepristone to be directly dispensed to patients in clinics, medical offices, or hospitals. During the COVID-19 public health emergency, the FDA temporarily stopped enforcing the in-person dispensing requirement, which allowed mail-order pharmacies to fill and dispense mifepristone prescriptions. In January 2023, the FDA modified program requirements so as to (1) remove the in-person dispensing requirement, and (2) require pharmacies to be certified in the program in order to dispense mifepristone. The modifications allow retail pharmacies, after receiving certification, to dispense mifepristone pursuant to prescriptions that are written by program-certified prescribers. The bill nullifies the January 2023 changes and prohibits the FDA from (1) exercising any enforcement discretion with respect to program requirements, or (2) reducing program protections until every state submits certain data regarding abortions to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The bill also generally prohibits the declaration of a public health emergency with respect to abortions.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands foreign investment review to cover U.S. agriculture by requiring transactions involving foreign control of agricultural businesses to undergo scrutiny by the Committee on Foreign Investment (CFIUS). It classifies agricultural supply chains as both critical infrastructure and critical technologies, directly affecting foreign entities seeking to acquire or influence U.S. farms, food production, and supply chains. The bill mandates annual reports from the Secretary of Agriculture and the Government Accountability Office on foreign investments in agriculture, including risks to food security and intellectual property. These provisions aim to mitigate potential threats to U.S. food supply chains from foreign adversaries through enhanced oversight.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires healthcare providers to give the same medical care to infants born alive during abortions as they would to any newborn, and to immediately admit such infants to a hospital. It mandates reporting of non-compliance to law enforcement and imposes penalties including up to 5 years in prison for violations. Women who undergo abortions can file civil lawsuits seeking money damages for injuries, three times the abortion cost, and punitive damages if care standards are not met. The bill also clarifies that abortion includes intentionally killing an unborn child or terminating pregnancy without specific exceptions (e.g., after viability to preserve life or removing a dead fetus).

Maddy summaryHR 23, the Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act, rescinds unobligated funds previously allocated to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Specifically, it cancels unused balances from certain IRS funding provisions (sections 10301(1)(A)(ii), (iii), (B), (2), (3), (4), and (5)) of the Inflation Reduction Act. This bill does not change tax laws or directly affect taxpayers; it only redirects unspent IRS budget authority. The provision applies solely to funds that were not obligated by the IRS as of the bill’s enactment date.

Maddy summaryHR 22, the *Protecting America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve from China Act*, blocks the U.S. government from selling petroleum from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to entities under Chinese Communist Party control or unless sellers guarantee the oil won’t be exported to China. It directly affects the Department of Energy’s management of the reserve and any foreign entities seeking to purchase reserve petroleum. The key mechanism requires the Secretary of Energy to prohibit sales to China-linked entities or impose strict export restrictions on any sale. This policy change aims to prevent strategic petroleum resources from reaching entities tied to China’s government.

Maddy summaryHR 484, the Natural Gas Tax Repeal Act, repeals Section 136 of the Clean Air Act, which established a methane emissions and waste reduction incentive program for natural gas systems. This directly affects natural gas operators who previously participated in the program by ending their eligibility for associated incentives. The bill also rescinds any unobligated funds allocated under that program before its repeal. The change removes a federal requirement for the industry to reduce methane emissions through this specific incentive mechanism.

Maddy summaryThis bill renames a U.S. Postal Service facility at 620 East Pecan Boulevard in McAllen, Texas, as the "Agent Raul H. Gonzalez Jr. Memorial Post Office." It updates all federal references to the location to reflect this new name. The bill has no policy impact - it is purely a ceremonial designation honoring an individual. No other provisions or affected groups are involved.

Maddy summaryHR 330, the Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act, prohibits federal funding under the Title X family planning program for clinics that perform or fund abortions, except in cases of rape, incest, or when a physician certifies a life-threatening condition. It requires clinics receiving Title X funds to certify they do not provide or fund abortions (with the specified exceptions), and hospitals are exempt if they don't fund non-hospital abortion providers. The bill mandates annual reports to Congress listing all funded clinics, the number of abortions performed under exceptions (including rape/incest cases), and the certification dates for each clinic. This directly affects Title X-funded clinics nationwide that provide abortion services or fund such services, altering their eligibility for federal funding. The law aims to restrict federal support for abortion access within the Title X program while maintaining limited exceptions.

Maddy summaryHR 279, the Pharmacist Conscience Protection Act, protects pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacy owners who refuse to dispense medications approved for abortion or that they believe may be used for abortion, based on moral, religious, or medical objections. The bill prohibits federal agencies and entities receiving federal funds (including state/local governments) from discriminating against, penalizing, or retaliating against these providers for such refusals. It does not require pharmacists to dispense these medications and explicitly preserves stronger state conscience protections. This law directly affects pharmacists and pharmacies seeking to align their practice with personal or religious beliefs regarding abortion-related medications.

No User Fees for Gun Owners Act This bill prohibits a state or local government from imposing any insurance requirement, tax, user fee, or similar charge as a condition of the manufacture importation, acquisition, transfer, or continued ownership of a firearm or ammunition, with the exception of a proportionate sales tax. The bill imposes the same prohibition under the Internal Revenue Code for firearms, pistols, or revolvers, but allows for the assessment of a proportionate sales tax.