Rep. Byron Donalds

Maddy summaryThe Federal Prisons Accountability Act of 2023 requires the President to appoint the Director of the Bureau of Prisons with Senate confirmation, replacing the current system where the Director is appointed directly by the Attorney General. It also establishes a 10-year term limit for the Director, though the current Director may continue serving for up to three months after the bill's enactment. This change directly affects the leadership structure of the Bureau of Prisons, which oversees over 176,000 federal inmates across 122 facilities and has a budget exceeding $7 billion annually. The bill aims to increase oversight of this major Department of Justice component by aligning its leadership appointment process with other senior Justice Department officials.

Maddy summaryHR 4114, the Agency Accountability through Appropriations Act, requires the President to annually report to Congress on agency rules funded through regular appropriations. Congressional committees must then hold hearings to assess if those rules followed the original congressional intent for the agency's funding. If non-compliance is found, the bill mandates automatic 0.5% funding cuts per rule in the next year's budget for the affected agency. It also imposes weekly 0.5% cuts on the Executive Office for each week the President misses the October 31 report deadline. The law directly affects federal agencies receiving regular appropriations and the White House.

Symmetry in Rules Act This bill prohibits the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from issuing a proposed rule or finalizing a rule that conflicts with an existing rule or another proposed rule. The SEC must also take a specific industry's costs of compliance with multiple rules into consideration before a rulemaking.

Maddy summaryHR 4113, the No Altering Public Comments Act, prohibits federal agencies from removing or altering public comments posted on their websites. This applies to all agencies defined under 5 U.S.C. §551, including departments like the EPA or Department of Transportation. The bill only allows removal for comments that are threatening or pose a national security risk. It directly affects how agencies manage public input on their official websites.

Maddy summaryHR 4035, the Protecting Small Business Information Act of 2023, requires the Treasury Secretary to coordinate the effective dates of all rules under the Corporate Transparency Act. It mandates that all final rules related to beneficial ownership reporting must take effect on the same date, delaying implementation until the Secretary certifies to Congress that all rules are issued and will align on a single effective date. This directly affects small businesses required to report beneficial ownership information under the Corporate Transparency Act. The bill’s key mechanism is creating a unified implementation timeline, preventing staggered rule deadlines that could complicate compliance for small entities. It does not change reporting requirements but ensures a synchronized rollout of the regulations.

Maddy summaryHR 4036, the Accountability through Confirmation Act, changes the appointment process for the Director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). It requires the President to appoint the Director with Senate confirmation (instead of the Treasury Secretary), sets the Director's pay at Executive Schedule Level IV, and provides a transition period for the current Director until the new appointee is confirmed. This bill directly affects FinCEN leadership by shifting appointment authority to the President and Senate. The key change is the requirement for Senate confirmation of the FinCEN Director, altering the current process.

SEC Stabilization Act of 2023 This bill expands the composition of the Securities and Exchange Commission from five commissioners to six, extends the term of the commissioners from five years to six, and creates an executive director position. If appointing two commissioners whose terms end on the same date, the President is prohibited from appointing individuals from the same political party.

Maddy summaryThe Drone Safety and Efficiency Act (HR 3983) streamlines the Federal Aviation Administration's process for approving drone operation waivers under current rules. It requires the FAA to use risk-based reviews, standardize applications to avoid vague questions, and leverage past waiver data with analytics - while considering whether operators control property access for safety. The bill mandates public posting of waiver terms (with privacy safeguards) and allows faster approvals for similar past waivers, plus expedited modifications for existing waivers. This directly affects drone operators (like delivery services or survey companies) by reducing application complexity and improving regulatory predictability.

Maddy summaryHR 3958 directs the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to create new guidance within 180 days for streamlining environmental reviews of drone operations. This guidance will help commercial and industrial drone operators conduct efficient environmental assessments for their networks, including programmatic reviews for large-scale operations and prioritizing projects that reduce environmental impacts. The bill also requires the FAA to coordinate safety and environmental reviews, develop noise and visual impact standards for drone certification, and brief Congress on implementation plans. It applies directly to drone operators and the FAA, aiming to simplify the environmental review process without changing existing environmental laws.

This bill expands the definition of critical mineral under the Energy Act of 2020 to include copper. Thus, this bill requires the Department of Energy and other agencies to conduct a variety of efforts to ensure a secure and reliable supply chain of copper.