Rep. Wesley Bell

Maddy summaryThe BRIDGE Act extends the work opportunity tax credit through 2030 and expands eligibility to include individuals with felony convictions or incarceration histories, as well as out-of-school youth. Employers who hire these qualified individuals after the bill's enactment can receive tax credits, with the credit amount determined under existing Internal Revenue Code provisions. The bill also requires the Treasury Secretary to issue regulations for implementation and directs the Comptroller General to study how to improve the efficiency of the credit claiming process.

Maddy summaryThe Energy Bills Relief Act aims to lower household energy costs and accelerate the development of low-cost, clean energy by modifying federal tax credits, expanding weatherization programs, and streamlining permitting processes. Key provisions include restoring tax incentives for renewable energy projects, increasing funding for low-income heating assistance, and requiring federal agencies to treat wind, solar, and storage projects with the same procedural fairness as oil and gas projects. The bill also establishes new incentives for upgrading the electricity grid, such as tax credits for transmission lines and grants for wildfire prevention measures, while creating mechanisms to ensure utilities serve public interests and protect consumers from price volatility.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to cover abortion care, counseling, and related medication as part of standard hospital and medical services for eligible veterans and certain dependents. It amends VA healthcare law to explicitly include these services under existing coverage for veterans qualifying under section 1703 and dependents eligible under section 1781(a). The policy directly affects veterans and their dependents enrolled in VA healthcare programs by expanding covered benefits to include abortion-related care. This is a concrete policy change to VA healthcare benefits, not a broader abortion law.

Governing Unaccredited Representatives Defrauding VA Benefits Act or the GUARD VA Benefits Act This bill imposes fines on individuals for soliciting, contracting for, charging, or receiving any unauthorized fee or compensation with respect to the preparation, presentation, or prosecution of any claim for Department of Veterans Affairs benefits. The attempted commission of such offenses is also punishable by fine.

Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025 This bill imposes sanctions on certain foreign persons (individuals and entities) that are involved in Iran's petroleum sector as well as certain associated persons. The bill also requires or authorizes actions to facilitate the enforcement of sanctions on Iran. Specifically, the bill requires the President to impose visa- and property-blocking sanctions on any foreign person that, after the bill's enactment, knowingly engages in any transaction related to the processing, export, or sale of oil, condensates, gas, liquefied natural gas, or other petrochemical products in whole or in part from Iran. The President must also impose sanctions on certain foreign persons associated with a sanctioned individual or entity. For example, the President must sanction the subsidiaries and corporate officers of a sanctioned business. The bill provides certain exceptions to these sanctions, including specifying that sanctions do not apply to the importation of goods or to conducting or facilitating transactions for humanitarian assistance. The Department of State must establish an interagency working group that shall seek to establish a multilateral contact group to coordinate international efforts to enforce sanctions on Iran. The bill expands the State Department rewards program to authorize a reward payment to any individual who furnishes information leading to the identification of a person (1) subject to sanctions under this bill, or (2) that has attempted or is attempting to evade sanctions under this bill.

Maddy summaryThis bill authorizes $150 million annually for fiscal years 2026 through 2031 to fund fundamental plant biology research at the National Science Foundation. The funds will be distributed through competitive grants to universities, nonprofit groups, private companies, and government agencies for research on plant and microbial biology relevant to agriculture, food, and biotechnology. The legislation also updates the legal definition of a nonprofit organization within the NSF's governing statute to align with current tax code requirements.

Maddy summaryThis bill, known as the Fair Wages for Home Care Workers Act, would change federal labor rules to require overtime pay and minimum wage protections for certain babysitters. It specifically targets casual babysitting work that is irregular or intermittent, while excluding trained medical professionals like nurses and home health aides from these changes. The law would also allow babysitters to perform up to 20% of their work time on unrelated household tasks without losing their protected status. These amendments would apply to workers covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 who provide custodial care for infants or children in private homes.

Maddy summaryThis bill proposes to update the official boundaries of Gateway Arch National Park in Missouri by increasing the designated acreage from 100 to 102.18 acres. It achieves this by amending the 1954 enabling legislation to reference a new boundary map titled "Gateway Arch National Park Proposed Boundary Revision," which was dated August 2023. The change directly affects the park's legal description and land management guidelines but does not alter the park's core operations or visitor access. The legislation is referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources for further review.

Maddy summaryHRES 1107 is a House resolution urging the President to issue a proclamation flying the U.S. flag at half-staff to honor Rev. Jesse Jackson. The resolution recognizes his civil rights leadership, including founding the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and his presidential campaigns in 1984 and 1988, which advanced racial equality and economic justice. This symbolic gesture directly affects the President (as the one who would issue the proclamation) and the public, who would observe the flag at half-staff.

Maddy summaryThe EPSTEIN Act creates a new bipartisan commission within the legislative branch to investigate Jeffrey Epstein's criminal activities and oversee the review of related government documents. This eight-member body, appointed by congressional leaders, is tasked with examining all relevant materials held by the Department of Justice, including the FBI and U.S. Attorneys' Offices, while consulting with experts on human trafficking. The commission has the authority to issue subpoenas, hold public hearings, and refer potential criminal cases to prosecutors, with the requirement that agencies provide unclassified records in a searchable format. Additionally, the group must submit quarterly updates to Congress and produce a final public report within 18 months detailing its findings and recommendations for improving the enforcement of human trafficking laws.