Rep. W. Gregory Steube

Maddy summaryHR 4860, the PROTECT the Second Amendment Act, prevents landlords in specific federally assisted housing from banning or restricting residents' lawful possession of firearms in their private units or during travel between units and common areas. It directly affects tenants in housing funded by HUD or USDA programs, including public housing, Section 8 vouchers, and housing for veterans or people with disabilities. The bill prohibits landlords from imposing firearm bans or additional conditions on residents who lawfully carry firearms within their dwelling units or while moving through common areas to reach their units. This changes current policies in these housing programs by explicitly allowing firearm possession where state law permits.

Maddy summaryThis bill would prohibit government employees from directing or encouraging social media platforms to censor protected speech. It defines "covered information" to include phone calls, digital communications, photos, shopping history, location data, and other user information. The bill creates a private right of action for people affected by government interference with their speech, requires government agencies to report communications with platforms about content moderation, and terminates the Disinformation Governance Board. It directly affects government employees, social media platforms, and users whose speech might be impacted by government requests to moderate content.

Cease Animal Research Grants Overseas Act of 2023 or the CARGO Act of 2023 This bill prohibits the National Institutes of Health from awarding support for any research that uses live animals unless the research occurs in the United States (including U.S. territories and possessions).

Stopping Teachers Unions from Damaging Education Needs Today Act or the STUDENT Act This bill revises the federal charter for the National Education Association. The bill specifies that the corporation and its state and local affiliates may only accept payment of membership dues or fees from a state or local government employee if the employee (1) has been notified of the employee's right under the First Amendment to refrain from membership and payment of associated dues or fees, (2) has clearly and affirmatively consented to membership and payment of associated dues or fees, and (3) has authorized the transmittal of membership dues or fees without the use of payroll deduction. Further, the corporation and its state or local affiliates must process and honor cancellation requests for membership or payment of dues as soon as practicable following receipt of the request. The bill also outlines requirements for the corporation, such as  prohibiting the corporation or its directors or officers from contributing to, supporting, or participating in political activities; requiring each officer of the corporation to be a U.S. citizen;  requiring the corporation to submit annual reports to Congress; prohibiting the corporation and its affiliates from requiring staff, officers, affiliates, or members to affirm, adopt, or adhere to certain principles related to race or sex; and prohibiting the corporation and its affiliates from calling or participating in a strike, work stoppage, or slowdown affecting a state or local government. The bill repeals the corporation's exemption from District of Columbia property taxes.

Maddy summaryHR 4721, the Main Street Tax Certainty Act, makes a permanent the 20% tax deduction for eligible small business owners under Section 199A of the tax code. This provision directly affects pass-through business owners (like S-corps, partnerships, and sole proprietorships) who qualify for the deduction. The bill achieves this by removing the temporary expiration language (subsection (i)) from the existing tax code provision. The key change is ending the need for annual congressional extensions of this deduction, providing long-term tax certainty for small businesses.

Maddy summaryHR 1774, the VA Emergency Transportation Act, expands VA benefits to cover emergency transportation for veterans. It amends existing law to replace "emergency treatment" with "emergency services" throughout, explicitly including ambulance or air ambulance transport as covered services. This means veterans needing emergency transport to or from a medical facility (to receive treatment) can now have those costs reimbursed by the VA. The bill directly affects veterans who require urgent medical transport, clarifying that such transportation is part of their covered VA benefits.

Maddy summaryHR 3952 limits the flags that can be flown over Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities to just six specific flags: the U.S. flag, any state flag, any federally recognized tribal government flag, the VA department flag, any military branch flag, and the POW/MIA flag. This applies directly to all VA buildings and properties nationwide. The bill explicitly restricts all other flags, including political or commemorative flags, from being displayed on these facilities.

Maddy summaryHR 4631, the MilTax Awareness Act of 2023, requires the Secretary of Defense to provide active-duty military members with an annual notice about the MilTax program and other tax assistance services by March 1 each year. This notice must be delivered via mail, email, or in person to all members under a military department's jurisdiction. The bill also mandates a report to Congress within six months of enactment detailing participation rates in these tax programs. The law focuses solely on increasing awareness of existing tax resources, not changing tax rules or benefits.

Maddy summaryHR 3358, the Mission not Emissions Act, prohibits federal contractors from being required to report greenhouse gas emissions or climate-related financial risks. The bill blocks compliance with the proposed Federal Acquisition Regulation rule that would have mandated contractors to disclose Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 emissions, create emissions inventories, or set emissions reduction targets for validation. It directly affects businesses holding federal contracts by removing these specific reporting obligations. The law focuses solely on eliminating disclosure requirements, not on changing emissions standards or reduction efforts.

This resolution condemns the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for corruption, mismanagement, anti-United States bias, anti-Israel bias, and honoring human rights violators. It also expresses that UNESCO should not receive funding from U.S. taxpayers.