Rep. Scott Franklin

Maddy summaryHR 2240 requires federal agencies to analyze data gaps related to law enforcement safety and wellness. Specifically, it mandates three reports within 270 days of enactment: one on attacks against officers (including ambushes), another on unreported aggressive incidents not meeting crime thresholds, and a third on officer mental health impacts and existing wellness resources. The reports will examine current data collection limitations, training effectiveness, and potential improvements to reporting systems like the Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted Data Collection. This bill focuses on gathering information to inform future policy decisions, not on creating new programs or funding. It directly affects federal agencies (Attorney General, FBI, National Institute of Justice) and aims to improve understanding of officer safety challenges.

Maddy summaryThis resolution (HRES 417) is a symbolic gesture to honor the National Science Foundation (NSF) on its 75th anniversary. It recognizes the NSF’s founding in 1950 to advance science, engineering, and education, highlighting its role in supporting research across all 50 states, fostering global scientific collaboration, and enabling key innovations like the internet, MRI technology, and AI. The resolution does not create new policy or funding but formally commends the NSF’s mission and achievements, including its annual support for roughly 350,000 researchers and its contribution to 268 Nobel Prize-winning discoveries. It concludes by reaffirming congressional support for the NSF’s ongoing work.

Maddy summaryHR 3392, the STOP Screwworms Act, requires the U.S. Department of Agriculture to build modular facilities for rearing sterile New World screwworm flies within 180 days of enactment. These facilities will disperse sterile flies into at-risk agricultural areas - identified based on migratory patterns and suitability for dispersal - to prevent infestations that threaten livestock. The bill authorizes $300 million in funding for construction, operation, and annual reporting to Congress on threat assessments and effectiveness. It directly affects livestock producers and agricultural regions vulnerable to screwworm fly migration, using sterile insect technique as a preventive measure.

Maddy summaryHR 3277, the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act, requires group health plans and health insurance issuers to cover medically necessary outpatient and inpatient treatments for congenital anomalies or birth defects primarily affecting the eyes, ears, teeth, mouth, or jaw. This includes reconstructive procedures, dental/orthodontic support during treatment, and follow-up care, but excludes purely cosmetic surgery not tied to a medical diagnosis. Cost-sharing (like copays) for these services must not be stricter than for other medical benefits. The law takes effect for plan years beginning January 1, 2026, and mandates insurers to provide notice about this coverage to beneficiaries.

Maddy summaryThe SERVICE Act of 2025 creates a federal grant program to fund local veteran response teams within law enforcement agencies. These teams, composed of veteran officers and community partners, will provide 24/7 crisis response for at-risk veterans, coordinate with the Department of Veterans Affairs, and offer mental health training focused on military-related issues like PTSD. The program directly affects veterans in crisis and law enforcement agencies that receive grants to establish these teams. It requires teams to track outcomes and share best practices, with funding tied to existing crime control grants for fiscal years 2026-2030.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new system for recognizing and regulating individuals who help veterans file benefit claims. It requires the VA to provide veterans with information about free assistance options and maintain a public list of accredited representatives. The bill sets a maximum fee limit of $12,500 or 5 times the monthly benefit increase for representatives, and establishes penalties for unaccredited representatives who charge improper fees. The law aims to protect veterans from unscrupulous representatives while ensuring they have access to quality assistance with their benefit claims.

Maddy summaryThe ACES Act (HR 530) mandates a study by the National Academies to examine cancer rates and deaths among veterans who served as aircrew members (e.g., pilots, navigators) in fixed-wing military aircraft. The study will identify potential exposure risks (like chemicals) linked to 12 specific cancers (including brain, lung, prostate, and melanoma) and use VA, DoD, and CDC data to analyze prevalence and mortality. It does not change benefits or laws but requires a final report to the VA and congressional committees. The study directly affects veterans with the defined aircrew service history.

Maddy summaryThis bill provides a 3-year transition period for newly insured banks to meet federal capital requirements, easing compliance for institutions that recently became federally insured. It allows these banks to request temporary deviations from approved business plans, with regulators required to respond within 30 days (or the request is automatically approved). Small rural banks with less than $10 billion in assets located in rural areas receive a lower 8% leverage ratio requirement during this transition. Additionally, the bill expands lending authority for certain banks to include agricultural loans and requires a federal study on increasing new bank formations in underserved areas.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands access to employee ownership by modifying the Small Business Act to allow S corporations owned by employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) to retain small business status, even when an ESOP owns over 49% of the company. It creates a new Treasury Department office to provide education and technical assistance for S corporations establishing ESOPs, and establishes a Labor Department Advocate for Employee Ownership to coordinate outreach and resolve disputes. These changes directly affect S corporations transitioning to ESOP ownership and their employees, who gain retirement benefits through ESOP accounts. The bill aims to increase employee ownership by removing eligibility barriers and improving support for businesses adopting this model.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes federal standards for state laws that automatically remove certain criminal records from public access without requiring individuals to pay fees or take action. It defines "covered expungement laws" as state programs that automatically seal records (with limited exceptions) and mandates states receiving federal grants to annually report expungement data broken down by race, ethnicity, and gender. The law requires states to track how many eligible individuals have their records cleared, are pending, or remain ineligible. It directly affects states that implement automatic expungement systems and the individuals whose records qualify for removal under these laws.