Rep. Debbie Lesko

Maddy summaryHR 2962, the Hydrogen Permitting Simplification Act, exempts certain federal hydrogen production projects from the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review process. It directly affects developers of hydrogen facilities using nuclear, solar, wind, or geothermal energy by removing the requirement for environmental impact assessments under NEPA for projects under this specific energy policy title. The key provision amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to add a new section stating that major federal actions involving these hydrogen production sources are not subject to NEPA. This simplifies permitting for qualifying clean hydrogen projects by eliminating a standard federal environmental review step.

Maddy summaryHR 2955, the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act, establishes a Federal Work Group to improve data collection and best practices for youth in residential programs (like therapeutic schools, treatment centers, and group homes). The Work Group, composed of federal agency representatives and diverse stakeholders, must develop national data standards, create risk assessment tools, and issue biennial reports with recommendations to enhance safety, reduce restraints, and expand community-based alternatives. It directly affects youth with mental health, substance use, or disability needs placed in these facilities, as well as agencies overseeing them. The bill also mandates a National Academies study to examine funding, oversight, and barriers to community care. These mechanisms aim to standardize data tracking and promote less restrictive, trauma-informed care for youth in residential programs.

Maddy summaryThe Employee Rights Act (HR 2700) amends key labor laws to strengthen employee rights in collective bargaining and privacy. It requires employers to use secret ballot elections for selecting bargaining representatives and to provide labor organizations with voter lists containing employee names and one form of contact information (chosen by the employee) within two business days of an election. The bill prohibits employers from using employee personal information for non-organizing purposes and mandates written authorization for using union dues on non-bargaining activities, with authorizations expiring after one year. Additionally, it clarifies joint employment standards to prevent misclassification and adds tribal sovereignty protections to labor law definitions.

Maddy summaryThe College Transparency Act requires the National Center for Education Statistics to develop a secure, privacy-protected system that collects and organizes student-level data from colleges and universities. The system will track enrollment patterns, progression, completion rates, costs, financial aid, and post-graduation outcomes, with data disaggregated by characteristics like race, gender, program of study, and credential level. Colleges participating in federal financial aid programs must submit this data, while the system will provide the public with customizable summary information to help students and families make informed college decisions. The bill includes strict privacy protections, prohibiting collection of sensitive data like health information or exact addresses, and requires data minimization to only what's necessary for the system's purposes.

Maddy summaryHR 2928, the Responsible Borrower Protection Act of 2023, blocks the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and mortgage enterprises (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) from implementing specific changes to mortgage credit fees announced in January 2023. The bill directly affects mortgage borrowers and lenders by reversing a pricing framework update that would have altered fees for single-family mortgages. It prohibits the FHFA from enforcing the January 2023 pricing changes detailed in FHFA's announcement and related lender letters. The bill clarifies that enterprises may still use risk-based pricing for mortgage fees, but the specific fee adjustments from the 2023 framework are canceled. This is a direct policy change to mortgage fee structures, not a broader reform.

Maddy summaryHR 2826, the Save Local Business Act, clarifies when multiple businesses can be held jointly responsible for labor laws. It amends the National Labor Relations Act and Fair Labor Standards Act to state that a business is only a joint employer if it directly controls key employment terms like hiring, pay, schedules, or discipline for another business's workers. This directly affects franchisors, contractors, and similar business models that might previously have been deemed joint employers under broader interpretations. The bill aims to limit joint employer liability to cases where one business has clear, day-to-day control over essential worker conditions.

Maddy summaryHR 734, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023, amends Title IX to prohibit federally funded schools and athletic programs from allowing individuals assigned male at birth to participate in women's or girls' sports teams. The bill defines "sex" for this purpose as "reproductive biology and genetics at birth," making it a violation of federal law to permit such participation in designated women's or girls' programs. It allows males to train with women's teams only if no female is deprived of a roster spot, competition opportunity, scholarship, or other benefit tied to the team. This law directly affects public and private schools receiving federal financial assistance that operate athletic programs.

Maddy summaryHR 2541, the Ensuring Safer Schools Act of 2023, modifies federal COPS grants to prioritize hiring veterans and retired law enforcement officers as school resource officers (SROs). It adds preferential consideration for grant applications focused on this hiring, requires annual mental health screenings and training for SROs, and mandates annual student engagement activities by SROs. The bill directly affects schools receiving COPS grants, veterans seeking SRO roles, and law enforcement agencies partnering with schools. It also requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to connect veterans with local SRO programs. These changes adjust existing grant rules without creating new funding or altering school safety protocols.

Go Woke, Go Broke Act This bill abolishes the Advisory Committee on Racial Equity in the Department of the Treasury. The bill also prohibits Treasury from reestablishing this advisory committee or establishing any substantially similar advisory committee.

Stop the Invasion Act This bill requires the President to bar the entry of certain non-U.S. nationals (aliens under federal law) into the United States if U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) encounters a certain number of inadmissible non-U.S. nationals. Specifically, this bar shall apply if CBP detains or finds on average more than 30,000 such inadmissible individuals each month over the most recent 12-month period. The bar shall cease when the average drops below 30,000 encounters. Such encounters shall include non-U.S. nationals who seek entry into the United States when the President has suspended entry to prevent the spread of a communicable disease. While this bar is in effect, the President must prohibit the entry of non-U.S. nationals who are inadmissible for specified reasons related to illegal entry, violation of immigration law, or lack of documentation.