Rep. Jerry L. Carl

761st Tank Battalion Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to the 761st Tank Battalion in recognition of their role in the success of Allied forces in Europe during World War II and for the example they set as the first Black soldiers to go to war as part of an American armored unit. Following the award of the gold medal, the gold medal shall be given to the National Museum of African American History and Culture where it shall be available for display and research.

Maddy summaryThis bill authorizes a single Congressional Gold Medal to honor all U.S. Army Dustoff crews who served during the Vietnam War (1962-1973). It recognizes their critical role in evacuating nearly 900,000 wounded personnel, including U.S., South Vietnamese, and allied forces, under extreme combat conditions. The medal, designed with input from the Secretary of Defense, will be presented to the U.S. Army Medical Department Museum for permanent display. Duplicate bronze medals may be sold to cover costs, but the primary action is the commemorative recognition of these crews' service.

Protect Farmers from the SEC Act This bill prohibits the Securities and Exchange Commission from requiring the disclosure of greenhouse gas emissions related to agricultural products.

Maddy summaryHR 621, the PART Act, requires catalytic converters on vehicles to be stamped with a visible vehicle identification number (VIN) using special high-visibility paint to deter theft. It creates a federal grant program to help auto dealers, repair shops, and law enforcement implement this stamping at no cost to vehicle owners. The bill also mandates that sellers of catalytic converters retain buyer identification and vehicle details for two years, and adds new federal criminal penalties for stealing or trafficking in catalytic converters.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires states receiving Medicaid funds for family planning services to submit standardized abortion data to the CDC annually. Specifically, states must report 10 mandatory data points (including maternal age, gestational age, race, ethnicity, procedure type, and survival status) by December 31 of the prior year, starting two years after enactment. Failure to submit accurate data or submitting false information could result in loss of Medicaid funding for family planning services in the following fiscal year. The law aims to create uniform national abortion data collection, addressing current gaps where some states report no data at all. The CDC will maintain a standardized surveillance system and publish annual reports by the third year following the data year.

Finish the Wall Act This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to resume activities related to the construction of a barrier system along the U.S.-Mexico border and addresses other border-related issues. DHS must resume all such construction activities that were planned or underway prior to January 20, 2021. DHS must also expend all funds appropriated or explicitly obligated since October 1, 2016, for construction of this barrier system. DHS may not cancel contracts for activities related to such construction entered into on or before January 20, 2021. Furthermore, within 14 days of this bill's enactment, DHS must certify to Congress that U.S. Customs and Border Protection facilities that process adults taken into custody at the border are fully compliant with certain laws related to the collection of DNA. (Among other things, these laws allow for the collection of DNA samples from non-U.S. persons detained under U.S. authority.)

Maddy summaryHR 29, the Border Safety and Security Act of 2023, grants the Secretary of Homeland Security authority to restrict entry at U.S. land or maritime borders for certain immigrants deemed "covered aliens" (those inadmissible under immigration law due to lack of proper documentation). The bill requires the Secretary to suspend entry if they cannot detain or process these individuals as required by existing immigration law. It also allows state attorneys general to sue the Secretary in federal court if they believe border policies harm their state's residents. The law defines "operational control" using terms from the Secure Fence Act of 2006. This bill directly affects immigrants seeking entry who fall under the specified inadmissibility category.

Maddy summaryHCONRES 9 is a symbolic resolution passed by the U.S. House of Representatives that formally denounces socialism as incompatible with American values, citing historical examples of socialist regimes causing widespread suffering and authoritarian rule. It states Congress opposes the implementation of socialist policies in the United States. This resolution has no legal effect, does not change any laws, and serves solely as a non-binding statement of congressional opinion. It directly affects no individuals or policies, as it is purely a declarative position.

Maddy summaryHJRES 31 is a procedural resolution seeking congressional disapproval of a specific rule issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) concerning reproductive health services. It targets the VA's September 2022 rule (published in the Federal Register as 87 Fed. Reg. 55287), which established policies for reproductive health care access for veterans. If passed, this resolution would nullify the VA rule, preventing it from taking effect under the Congressional Review Act (Chapter 8 of Title 5, U.S. Code). The bill directly affects the VA’s ability to implement its reproductive health services policy for veterans.

This resolution condemns Iranian state-sponsored terrorist attacks against U.S. citizens and officials and Iranian dissidents. The resolution also expresses support for the people of Iran who are legitimately defending their rights for freedom against repression and condemns the killing of Iranian protesters by the Iranian regime.