Rep. Glenn Grothman

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.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires family planning services funded under Title V of the Social Security Act to provide pamphlets containing regional adoption center contact information to patients during consultations about medical or abortion services. The pamphlets must include a comprehensive list of adoption centers in the region, along with each center's address and phone number. It mandates that services offer patients the opportunity to read these pamphlets at the time of inquiry. The provision uses existing Title V funding and does not create new financial obligations.

Maddy summaryHR 128, the Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2023, blocks federal funding to Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its affiliates for one year unless they certify they will not perform or fund abortions (except in cases of rape, incest, or life-threatening conditions for the patient). This directly affects Planned Parenthood clinics and their federal funding streams. The bill redirects $235 million to community health centers under the Public Health Service Act to continue providing women’s health services like contraception, cancer screenings, and prenatal care. It requires repayment of funds if Planned Parenthood violates the certification and explicitly states the law won’t reduce overall federal funding for women’s health services.

Maddy summaryHJRES 17 is a congressional resolution disapproving the District of Columbia Council's approval of the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022 (D.C. Act 24-640), which the Council enacted on October 18, 2022. If passed by Congress and signed into law, this resolution would block the local voting rights amendment from taking effect. The bill directly affects the District of Columbia government by preventing implementation of the amendment, which aimed to address voting rights for residents. This resolution follows the District of Columbia Home Rule Act's requirement for congressional disapproval of certain local laws.

Maddy summaryHRES 32 is a resolution supporting the current legal standard for "materiality" in securities disclosures, which requires public companies to share information investors reasonably deem important for decision-making. It opposes new disclosure mandates - particularly related to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues - that fall outside the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) core mission of protecting investors and maintaining fair markets. The resolution emphasizes that the SEC's existing materiality standard, established since 1976 and reinforced by Supreme Court precedent, already requires climate-related risks to be disclosed if they impact a company's financials. It argues that expanding disclosure requirements beyond this standard would create unnecessary compliance costs and confuse investors without aligning with the SEC's statutory purpose.

Maddy summaryHR 311, the Cost Estimates Improvement Act, requires the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) to include debt servicing costs in their budget estimates where practicable and to list duplicative federal programs covered by legislation. The bill mandates that all CBO and JCT cost estimates must identify overlapping or redundant agency programs, initiatives, or activities within the proposed legislation. This change aims to improve transparency in federal budget analysis by providing clearer data on long-term debt impacts and program efficiency for lawmakers. The bill directly affects the CBO and JCT as they prepare budget estimates for Congress.

American Workforce Empowerment Act This bill allows tax-preferred college savings plans (529 plans) to fund certain postsecondary certificate programs and apprenticeship programs.

Qualified Immunity Act of 2023 This bill provides statutory authority for qualified immunity for law enforcement officers in civil cases involving constitutional violations. Current law provides a statutory civil cause of action against state and local government actors (e.g., law enforcement officers) for violations of constitutional rights, also known as Section 1983 lawsuits. The Supreme Court has also found an implied cause of action against federal law enforcement officers in certain situations (e.g., Fourth Amendment violations), also known as Bivens lawsuits. However, under the judicial doctrine of qualified immunity, government officials performing discretionary duties are generally shielded from civil liability, unless their actions violate clearly established rights of which a reasonable person would have known. The bill provides statutory authority for these principles with respect to law enforcement officers. Specifically, under the bill, law enforcement officers are entitled to qualified immunity if (1) at the time of the alleged violation, the constitutional right at issue was not clearly established or the state of the law was not sufficiently clear for every reasonable officer to know that the conduct was unconstitutional; or (2) a court has held that the specific conduct at issue is constitutional. The bill applies to federal, state, and local law enforcement officers. It also specifies that law enforcement agencies and local governments may not be held liable if their officers are entitled to qualified immunity.

ADA Compliance for Customer Entry to Stores and Services Act or the ACCESS Act This bill establishes certain procedural requirements in relation to complaints under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) regarding access to public accommodations (i.e., businesses and nonprofits that are open to the public, such as stores, restaurants, and hotels). It also requires educational outreach and studies by federal agencies to promote ADA compliance. Specifically, the bill establishes a notice and cure period before a claimant may file a civil action against a public accommodation for failing to remove a barrier to access. Claimants must first provide the owner or operator of the public accommodation with a written notice specific enough to identify the barrier and the circumstances under which access was denied. An owner or operator then has 60 days to respond with a description of forthcoming changes and another 60 days after providing the description to make the changes, or show substantial progress in making the changes, before the claimant may proceed with a civil action. The bill also requires (1) the Department of Justice (DOJ) to develop a program to educate state and local governments and property owners on strategies to promote ADA compliance, (2) the Judicial Conference of the United States to develop a model program to promote alternative dispute resolution to resolve claims, and (3) the DOJ to study whether certain web content accessibility standards and telephone services provide reasonable accommodations under the ADA.