Rep. Julia Brownley

This bill allows a deduction from gross income (above the line deduction) for attorney fees and court costs awarded with respect to a qualifying wildfire disaster (i.e., any forest or range fire that is a federally declared disaster, occurs in a disaster area, and occurs in 2015 or later). The bill excludes from the gross income of a taxpayer, for income tax purposes, amounts paid to compensate victims for losses or damages in connection with a qualifying wildfire disaster.

This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment authorizing Congress and the states to (1) regulate and impose reasonable viewpoint-neutral limitations on the raising and spending of money by candidates and others to influence elections; and (2) regulate and enact public campaign financing systems, including those designed to restrict the influence of private wealth by offsetting the raising and spending of money by candidates and others with increased public funding. The amendment grants Congress and the states the power to implement and enforce this amendment by legislation. They are allowed to distinguish between natural persons and corporations or other artificial entities created by law, including by prohibiting such entities from spending money to influence elections.

Maddy summaryHR 52, the Kimberly Vaughan Firearm Safe Storage Act, promotes safe firearm storage through several concrete measures. It requires firearm manufacturers to include a "SAFE STORAGE SAVES LIVES" notice with each new handgun, rifle, or shotgun sold, directing buyers to the Attorney General’s public website with safe storage guidance. The bill also creates a federal grant program ($10 million annually) for states and tribes to develop public programs distributing safe storage devices (like locked containers or trigger locks), and establishes a tax credit for individuals purchasing such devices. These provisions directly affect firearm manufacturers, state/local governments, and the public seeking to secure firearms responsibly.

Maddy summaryHR 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, would admit Washington, D.C. as the 51st state, named "Washington, Douglass Commonwealth," granting its residents full representation in Congress with two Senators and one Representative. The bill establishes procedures for admission, including elections for state officials, with the state initially having one Representative until the next congressional apportionment. It would create a "Capital" area (including the White House, Capitol, and other key federal buildings) that remains under federal jurisdiction as the seat of the U.S. government, while the rest of the District becomes the new state. The bill also includes provisions to ensure continuity of federal services, property management, and legal procedures during the transition to statehood.

Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act This bill establishes the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans. The commission must (1) compile documentary evidence of slavery in the United States; (2) study the role of the federal and state governments in supporting the institution of slavery; (3) analyze discriminatory laws and policies against freed African slaves and their descendants; and (4) recommend ways the United States may recognize and remedy the effects of slavery and discrimination on African Americans, including through a formal apology and compensation (i.e., reparations). The commission consists of individuals from civil society and reparations organizations and individuals appointed by the President and congressional leadership; Members of Congress and governmental employees may not serve on the commission. The commission may hold hearings, subpoena witnesses and records, and contract with other entities to conduct its work. The commission must submit its final report within 18 months of its first meeting.

Private Student Loan Bankruptcy Fairness Act of 2023 This bill modifies the treatment of certain student loans in bankruptcy. Specifically, it allows private student loans to be discharged in bankruptcy regardless of whether a debtor demonstrates undue hardship. Under current law, student loans may be discharged in bankruptcy only if the loans impose an undue hardship on the debtor.

American Music Fairness Act of 2022 This bill establishes that the copyright holder of a sound recording shall have the exclusive right to perform the sound recording through an audio transmission and addresses other related issues. (Currently, the public performance right only covers performances through a digital audio transmission in certain instances, which means that nonsubscription terrestrial radio stations generally do not have to secure a license to publicly perform a copyright-protected sound recording.) Under the bill, a nonsubscription broadcast transmission must have a license to publicly perform such sound recordings. The Copyright Royalty Board must periodically determine the royalty rates for such a license. When determining the rates, the board must base its decision on certain information presented by the parties, including the radio stations' effect on other streams of revenue related to the sound recordings. Terrestrial broadcast stations (and the owners of such stations) that fall below certain revenue thresholds may pay certain flat fees, instead of the board-established rate, for a license to publicly perform copyright-protected sound recordings.

Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act of 2022 This bill establishes a variety of requirements to reduce carbon emissions and protect oceans, coastal habitats, marine mammals, and fish populations from climate change and other threats.

Illegal Fishing and Forced Labor Prevention Act This bill sets forth and revises federal law concerning activities to combat human trafficking and illegal, unreported, or unregulated fishing in the seafood industry. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shall expand the Seafood Import Monitoring Program to apply to all seafood and seafood products imported into the United States. The Departments of Commerce, Homeland Security, Labor, and Health and Human Services must jointly execute a memorandum of understanding to codify and improve interagency cooperation on seafood safety, preventing illegal, unreported, or unregulated fishing and human trafficking, including forced labor, and seafood fraud prevention, enforcement, and inspections. NOAA shall engage with each flag, coastal, port, and market nation that exports seafood to the United States to collect information sufficient to evaluate the effectiveness of such nation's management of fisheries and control systems to prevent illegal, unreported, or unregulated fishing.

Insular Area Climate Change Act This bill provides support through programs and financial assistance for climate change planning, mitigation, adaptation, and resilience in U.S. territories (American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) and the Freely Associated States (Micronesia, Marshall Islands, and Palau). For example, the bill requires the Technical Assistance Program of the Department of the Interior's Office of Insular Affairs to provide technical assistance for climate change planning, mitigation, adaptation, and resilience to the territories and Freely Associated States. It also establishes an Insular Area National Program Office within the Environmental Protection Agency to build and strengthen infrastructure to withstand natural disasters, expand renewable energy and energy efficiency, and provide technical assistance in the territories and Freely Associated States. Additionally, the bill establishes several grant programs to assess and reduce the impacts of climate change, expand renewable energy and energy efficiency, or expand sustainable infrastructure to withstand natural disasters in the territories and Freely Associated States.