Rep. Chuck Edwards

Maddy summaryHR 4860, the PROTECT the Second Amendment Act, prevents landlords in specific federally assisted housing from banning or restricting residents' lawful possession of firearms in their private units or during travel between units and common areas. It directly affects tenants in housing funded by HUD or USDA programs, including public housing, Section 8 vouchers, and housing for veterans or people with disabilities. The bill prohibits landlords from imposing firearm bans or additional conditions on residents who lawfully carry firearms within their dwelling units or while moving through common areas to reach their units. This changes current policies in these housing programs by explicitly allowing firearm possession where state law permits.

Maddy summaryHR 4157, the "Not Just a Number Act," requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to produce annual reports on veteran suicide rates and their connection to VA healthcare and benefits. The reports must break down suicide rates by age, gender, and race, and examine how engagement with VA services (like Vet Centers, healthcare enrollment, benefits claims, and housing loans) correlates with suicide trends. The bill also mandates a VA toolkit for state/local coroners to improve veteran suicide death reporting, and a study on creating a dedicated VA suicide prevention office. These measures aim to standardize data collection and identify effective prevention strategies, directly affecting VA operations, congressional oversight, and veteran care systems.

Stop China’s Continuous Purchase of Land Act or the Stop CCP Land Act This bill requires states that receive certain federal program funds to restrict the purchase of agricultural land by a covered foreign country.  Covered foreign country means a country included in Department of State regulations as subject to certain prohibitions (i.e., Belarus, Burma, China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and Venezuela), as well as Russia. Specifically, a state may not receive funds for certain programs funded by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (e.g., certain energy efficiency and conservation programs) unless that state has a law prohibiting a covered foreign country (or persons acting on behalf of the country) from purchasing agricultural land in the state. Further, a state must require that a person from a covered foreign country that holds agricultural land in the state prior to the state law's enactment submit an annual report to the state on the agricultural holdings. The Department of Agriculture must submit a report to Congress on how the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 should be updated to ensure accurate documentation and monitoring of foreign investment in agricultural land. The Government Accountability Office must submit a report to Congress that includes (1) an assessment of this bill's impact on national security, and (2) any measures that can be taken to better secure U.S. real estate from foreign manipulation.

Maddy summaryHR 4708, the H-2 Improvements to Relieve Employers Act, streamlines U.S. visa processes for agricultural (H-2A) and non-agricultural (H-2B) workers. It extends the validity of employer certifications and petitions for these visas from one year to three years, reducing administrative burdens. The bill also allows interview waivers for workers renewing status within four years of their previous visa expiration. Additionally, it requires the Department of Labor to publish seasonal employment data on its website at an employer's request, enhancing transparency for seasonal hiring. These changes directly affect U.S. employers seeking temporary foreign workers and the workers themselves.

Maddy summaryHR 4721, the Main Street Tax Certainty Act, makes a permanent the 20% tax deduction for eligible small business owners under Section 199A of the tax code. This provision directly affects pass-through business owners (like S-corps, partnerships, and sole proprietorships) who qualify for the deduction. The bill achieves this by removing the temporary expiration language (subsection (i)) from the existing tax code provision. The key change is ending the need for annual congressional extensions of this deduction, providing long-term tax certainty for small businesses.

Maddy summaryHRES 580 is a symbolic resolution expressing the House's support for designating "Journeyman Lineworkers Recognition Day." It honors lineworkers who work in hazardous conditions (such as at heights near live wires) and respond to disasters like hurricanes and wildfires, while recognizing their contributions and the legacy of Henry Miller, an early electrical worker who died on the job. The resolution has no legal effect - it solely encourages public recognition and reflection on these workers' service.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits federal funding for administering federal elections in states that allow third parties to collect and deliver mailed ballots (excluding specific exceptions like family members, caregivers, or election officials). It amends the Help America Vote Act to require states to ban non-exempt third-party ballot collection to receive federal election funds. The policy directly affects states without such bans (like California, cited in the bill's findings), threatening their access to federal resources for election administration. Exceptions cover family members, caregivers, and election staff acting in official roles, while maintaining existing protections at polling locations.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the District of Columbia to annually remove voters who haven't participated in two consecutive District of Columbia elections from the official voter list. It mandates that the District send a notice to such voters and remove them if they don't respond within 4 years or two election cycles after the notice is sent. The bill also prohibits same-day voter registration, requiring all voters to be registered at least 30 days before an election. These rules apply to all District of Columbia elections, including local, federal, and ballot initiatives. The changes update the Help America Vote Act to specifically address District of Columbia voter registration maintenance procedures.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits the District of Columbia from using ranked choice voting in any District election, including elections for local or federal office and ballot initiatives. It amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to add a new provision explicitly banning ranked choice voting systems in DC elections. The law applies to all elections held within the District, preventing voters from ranking candidates in order of preference. This is a procedural change to federal election law, not a new voting system or policy affecting voters directly.

Maddy summaryHR 4311, the DELETE Act, requires data brokers (companies that collect personal information from people they don't directly interact with) to register annually with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and disclose their data practices. It creates a centralized FTC system allowing individuals to submit a single request to delete their personal information from all registered data brokers within 31 days, with brokers required to delete data and stop collecting it for that person. The bill includes exemptions for data used in human subjects research, legal compliance, or fraud prevention, and mandates annual audits of brokers for compliance. Brokers must pay an annual fee to access the deletion system, and the FTC will report on the system's effectiveness to Congress.