Rep. Mark B. Messmer

Maddy summaryThe Armed Forces Carry Rights Protection Act of 2026 modifies federal law to make it easier for military personnel to carry personal firearms on military bases when they are not on duty. Under this bill, commanders would face a legal presumption in favor of approving such requests, shifting the default stance toward allowing carry rather than restricting it. If a commander does deny a request, the law requires them to provide a written explanation that is specific to the individual and based on objective criteria. This change directly affects active-duty service members and the commanders who evaluate their requests for firearm authorization on installation.

Maddy summaryThe Medicare Advantage Improvement Act of 2026 aims to speed up care decisions and increase transparency for Medicare Advantage enrollees and providers. Starting in 2028, the bill requires insurance plans to respond to most prior authorization requests within 72 hours and to provide real-time decisions for low-risk services, while also banning requirements for re-authorization when a treatment plan is clinically modified. The legislation introduces a new compliance scoring system that will publicly rank plans and reduce payments to those with poor performance, alongside stricter rules ensuring medical necessity standards match those of traditional Medicare.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a formal process for interagency coordination in export control rulemaking, requiring the Secretary of State, Defense, or Energy to submit proposals to the Export Administration Review Board for review and voting. It also mandates a comprehensive review by the Secretary of State within 30 days of enactment to assess how China's military-civil fusion strategy impacts U.S. export controls and national security, covering topics such as technology exploitation and end-use reliability. Based on this review, the Secretary must consider policy changes within 90 days, which would then be voted on by the Board before being reported to Congress within 150 days. The legislation directly affects federal agencies responsible for export controls and requires coordination between the State, Defense, and Energy departments.

Maddy summaryHR 5543, the Baltic Security Assessment Act of 2025, requires the U.S. State and Defense Departments to submit a report within 180 days of enactment. The report will assess emerging military, cyber, hybrid, and political threats to Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, including the roles of Russia, Belarus, China, Iran, and other actors. It will also evaluate U.S. and NATO military presence in the region, opportunities for defense cooperation, and recommendations to strengthen deterrence, cybersecurity, and democratic resilience in the Baltic countries. This bill directly affects U.S. foreign policy and defense planning regarding the Baltics, but does not create new programs or funding.

Equal Representation Act This bill requires that the statement sent by the President to Congress after the decennial census indicating the number of persons in each state exclude noncitizens. (This statement is the basis for reapportionment of U.S. Representatives.) The bill also requires any questionnaire used in the decennial census to include a checkbox or other similar option for respondents to indicate whether the respondent and each household member is (1) a U.S. citizen, (2) a U.S. national but not a citizen, (3) a non-U.S. national ( alien under federal law) lawfully residing in the United States, or (4) a non-U.S. national unlawfully residing in the United States. The Department of Commerce must make public the number of persons in each state, disaggregated by each of these four categories.

Maddy summaryThe ALERT Act (HR 7613) requires the Federal Aviation Administration to improve aviation safety through several key measures. It mandates the evaluation and potential implementation of enhanced collision avoidance systems (ACAS-Xa) for commercial aircraft and ACAS-Xr for rotorcraft, with specific deadlines for rulemaking and installation. The bill establishes committees to develop recommendations for safety technology requirements, requires safety risk assessments for air traffic controllers, and addresses operational procedures at high-traffic airports like Ronald Reagan Washington National. These provisions affect air carriers, air traffic controllers, rotorcraft operators, and Department of Defense aircraft operations. The act aims to enhance situational awareness and reduce midair collision risks through technology upgrades and improved safety protocols.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act to strengthen oversight of federal child care payments. It directly affects state child care programs that receive federal funding under this program. The key provision requires states to submit annual reports to the federal government detailing all improper payments, broken down into specific categories like suspected fraud, verified fraud, non-fraud overpayments, underpayments, and system errors. The report must include both dollar amounts and percentages for each category. This focuses on improving transparency and accountability in payment processing, without changing eligibility or funding levels.

Maddy summaryThe Critical Industry Skills Act amends the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to allow state governors to reserve up to 10 percent of federal workforce funding for two new funds: a critical industry skills fund and an industry or sector partnership and career pathways development fund. These funds are intended to support training programs in high-growth or high-wage industries that lead to employment with participating employers, with payments made based on participant performance and retention over six months. The bill also expands allowable activities to include competency-based assessments, employer-directed skills development, and partnerships between businesses, educational institutions, and workforce boards to create career pathways for job seekers and incumbent workers.

Maddy summaryHR 3447, the Chip Security Act, requires manufacturers to equip specific advanced integrated circuits (classified under export control numbers like 3A090) with security mechanisms before exporting them. These mechanisms must verify location and prevent unauthorized access, diversion, or tampering. The law mandates this for covered chips within 180 days of enactment, with a follow-up assessment within one year to develop additional security requirements. It directly affects U.S. chip exporters and importers of these high-tech products, aiming to strengthen export control compliance and national security.

Maddy summaryThis bill makes online grocery purchasing with SNAP benefits permanent nationwide, ending the current pilot program. It requires the Secretary of Agriculture to transition the program within 120 days, issue necessary regulations within two years covering program integrity and equitable access, and consult with retailers, states, and consumer advocates. SNAP recipients who shop online for groceries will directly benefit from this permanent access, while retailers and EBT processors must comply with new nationwide rules. The bill mandates a report to Congress within 120 days detailing stakeholder input and recommendations.