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 976, the TCJA Permanency Act, makes permanent many tax provisions from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) that were scheduled to expire after 2025. The bill affects individual taxpayers by keeping lower tax rates, higher standard deductions, increased child tax credits, and other key changes permanently. Key provisions include permanent modifications to income tax brackets, repeal of personal exemptions, limits on state and local tax deductions, and increased estate and gift tax exemptions. These changes would prevent the tax code from reverting to pre-TCJA rates and rules for millions of taxpayers.
Maddy summaryHR 800, the "DO NOT Call Act of 2023," amends the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 to increase penalties for intentional telemarketing violations. It adds criminal penalties of up to one year in prison or fines for willfully and knowingly making unwanted calls, with harsher penalties (up to three years) for severe offenses like sending over 100,000 calls in 24 hours, causing $5,000+ in damages, or committing calls to further a felony. The bill also raises civil penalties for providing false caller identification information from $10,000 to $20,000 per violation. This directly affects telemarketers, debt collectors, and businesses making unsolicited calls, increasing legal consequences for repeated or large-scale violations.
Maddy summaryHR 936, the Tanning Tax Repeal Act of 2023, repeals a 10% federal excise tax on indoor tanning services that was originally enacted under the Affordable Care Act. This bill directly affects tanning salons and businesses providing indoor tanning services by eliminating their obligation to pay this tax on customer services. The repeal applies to services performed after the bill's enactment date, removing the tax provision from the Internal Revenue Code. The bill does not create new requirements or alter other tax policies, solely removing this specific tax.
Maddy summaryHR 889, the Broadband Grant Tax Treatment Act, excludes certain federal broadband grants from recipients' taxable income. It specifically applies to grants received under programs like the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act's Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program and state digital equity grants. The bill prevents double tax benefits by disallowing deductions or credits for expenses covered by these excluded grants and reduces the adjusted basis of related property. This policy change directly affects broadband providers, local governments, and tribal entities receiving qualifying grants from federal or state sources for broadband infrastructure deployment.
Maddy summaryThis bill mandates the federal government to develop a comprehensive strategy specifically targeting drug trafficking routes through the Caribbean into the United States, including ports of entry, maritime corridors, and air routes. The strategy must define agency roles, detail required resources, and ensure legitimate trade and travel are not hindered. It specifically requires plans to reduce drug-related violent crime in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, along with recommendations for additional federal assistance or authorities needed by local law enforcement. The bill creates a procedural requirement for this planning document but does not allocate new funding or change existing laws.
Maddy summaryHR 888, the IRS Funding Accountability Act, requires the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to submit detailed spending plans to Congress before accessing certain funding. The bill imposes a 60-day moratorium on using specified IRS funds after enactment, requiring the IRS to submit a comprehensive plan within 60 days detailing how funds will be spent over five years - including metrics on taxpayer services, audits, and technology improvements. The IRS must also provide quarterly reports on fund usage, with daily funding reductions ($10 million per day for plan delays, $1 million per day for report delays) if deadlines are missed. This directly affects IRS budget management and reporting practices for funds allocated under Public Law 117-169.
Security First Act This bill reauthorizes the Operation Stonegarden program from FY2024 through FY2027 and addresses other border security issues. (Operation Stonegarden provides grants to enhance the border security capabilities of state, local, and tribal governments.) From FY2024 through FY2027, the money from unreported monetary instruments seized from individuals crossing the U.S.-Mexico border and transferred into the Department of the Treasury general fund shall be made available without further appropriation to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to fund Operation Stonegarden. DHS must report to Congress on (1) DHS hiring practices from 2018 to 2021, and (2) whether certain Mexican drug cartels meet the criteria to be designated as foreign terrorist organizations. DHS must also periodically report to Congress about the technology needed to secure the U.S.-Mexico land border.
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.
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.
