Rep. Mike Carey

Maddy summaryHR 5267, the American Franchise Act, clarifies when franchisors can be considered joint employers of franchisee employees under federal labor laws. It defines "substantial direct and immediate control" over essential employment terms like wages, benefits, hours, hiring, and discipline - requiring franchisors to actively set these terms to be deemed joint employers. The bill explicitly excludes routine brand standards, training, or minimal safety requirements from constituting such control. This directly affects franchisors and franchisees by limiting joint employer liability to cases where franchisors exert significant, ongoing influence over core employment decisions. The law applies prospectively to new cases after enactment, not past disputes.

Maddy summaryHR 2555, the Freedom of Association in Higher Education Act of 2025, protects students who join or form single-sex social organizations (like fraternities or sororities) at colleges. It prohibits colleges receiving federal funds from taking negative actions against these students or organizations solely because they limit membership to one sex - such as denying housing, financial aid, leadership roles, or recognition. The bill ensures students can join such groups without coercion and stops colleges from imposing unfair recruitment rules on single-sex organizations compared to others. It does not require colleges to recognize single-sex groups, allow organizations to set their own membership rules, or override Title IX protections.

Maddy summaryThis bill, titled the Renewing the African American Civil Rights Network Act, extends federal funding for the African American Civil Rights Network by three years. The legislation directly affects the network's operations by amending the United States Code to change the authorization period from seven years to ten years. By updating this timeline, the bill ensures continued financial support for the organization's mission to promote civil rights and historical preservation. No new programs or policy changes are introduced; the measure solely focuses on renewing the existing funding authorization.

National Law Enforcement Officers Remembrance, Support and Community Outreach Act. [ sic ] This bill temporarily directs the Department of the Interior to award a grant to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund for the expenses associated with operating and enhancing the community outreach, public education, and officer safety and wellness programs of the National Law Enforcement Museum.

This bill designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 201 East Grant Avenue in Georgetown, Ohio, as the "Ulysses S. Grant Post Office Building".

Maddy summaryHR 7008, the Stop Insider Trading Act, restricts Members of Congress, their spouses, and dependent children from purchasing certain investments like stocks in publicly traded companies. It requires 7-14 days' advance public notice before selling any such investment, including the sale date, description, and number of shares. Exceptions apply for work-related transactions (e.g., employer compensation) and reinvesting dividends. Violations trigger a fee of $2,000 or 10% of the investment’s value (whichever is greater), plus any net gain, paid from personal funds - not congressional allowances or campaign donations. The bill aims to prevent conflicts of interest by increasing transparency around congressional financial dealings.

Maddy summaryThis bill (HR 4635) designates the U.S. Postal Service facility at 890 East 152nd Street in Cleveland, Ohio, as the "Technical Sergeant Alma Gladys Minter Post Office Building." It updates all official references to the location to use this new name, with no policy changes or direct impact on residents or services beyond the ceremonial renaming.

Maddy summaryThe SCREEN Act creates a new tax credit to help owners of movie theaters in the United States pay for renovations and upgrades to their facilities. This credit covers 30% of the costs spent on eligible equipment and property used to show films, provided the theater has been in operation for at least five years. The amount of the credit is limited based on the number of screens a theater has, ranging from $250,000 for small theaters with fewer than four screens up to $500,000 for larger venues with ten or more screens. Businesses can use this credit to lower their overall tax bill, and the provision is available for expenses incurred after the law is passed until the end of 2030.

Maddy summaryThe ACCESS Act modifies tax rules to treat publicly traded partnerships more like corporations for specific income and asset tests, provided that individual owners hold less than 5% of the partnership. It eliminates special restrictions that previously applied to passive activities and changes how certain partnership sales are classified for tax purposes. Additionally, the bill adjusts withholding requirements for partnership interests that are regularly traded on established securities exchanges. These changes are designed to simplify tax treatment for investors in publicly traded partnerships and take effect for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2026.

Maddy summaryThe S Corporation Modernization Act of 2026 introduces several changes to U.S. tax law to update rules for S corporations. It allows shareholders who inherit S corporation stock to deduct built-in gains over 15 years, while also adjusting how gains are treated if specific assets are sold. The bill expands the maximum number of allowed shareholders from 100 to 250 and permits individual retirement accounts to own S corporation stock. Additionally, it raises the passive investment income limit from 25 percent to 60 percent and creates a new withholding tax system for nonresident alien shareholders. The legislation also repeals the tax on nonqualified deferred compensation plans and allows employees of a firm to be counted as a single shareholder for eligibility purposes.