Rep. Mary E. Miller

Finish the Wall Act This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to resume activities related to the construction of a barrier system along the U.S.-Mexico border and addresses other border-related issues. DHS must resume all such construction activities that were planned or underway prior to January 20, 2021. DHS must also expend all funds appropriated or explicitly obligated since October 1, 2016, for construction of this barrier system. DHS may not cancel contracts for activities related to such construction entered into on or before January 20, 2021. Furthermore, within 14 days of this bill's enactment, DHS must certify to Congress that U.S. Customs and Border Protection facilities that process adults taken into custody at the border are fully compliant with certain laws related to the collection of DNA. (Among other things, these laws allow for the collection of DNA samples from non-U.S. persons detained under U.S. authority.)

Maddy summaryHR 29, the Border Safety and Security Act of 2023, grants the Secretary of Homeland Security authority to restrict entry at U.S. land or maritime borders for certain immigrants deemed "covered aliens" (those inadmissible under immigration law due to lack of proper documentation). The bill requires the Secretary to suspend entry if they cannot detain or process these individuals as required by existing immigration law. It also allows state attorneys general to sue the Secretary in federal court if they believe border policies harm their state's residents. The law defines "operational control" using terms from the Secure Fence Act of 2006. This bill directly affects immigrants seeking entry who fall under the specified inadmissibility category.

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.

Maddy summaryHR 863 prohibits publishing houses from knowingly supplying schools or school districts with sexually explicit material (including digital books), imposing fines up to $500,000 or imprisonment for executives who authorize such actions. It also blocks federal funding for public schools that obtain such material or for school districts that distribute it to schools, requiring them to destroy the material before funding resumes. Exceptions apply for material with serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value. The bill directly affects publishers, public schools, and school districts, targeting both the supply chain and funding for sexually explicit content in educational settings.

Dismemberment Abortion Ban Act of 2023 This bill restricts the performance of dismemberment abortions. It defines the term dismemberment abortion . Specifically, the bill prohibits a physician from knowingly performing a dismemberment abortion. It provides an exception for a dismemberment abortion that is necessary to save the life of a mother whose life is endangered by a physical disorder, illness, or condition. The bill establishes criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to two years, or both—for a physician who performs a prohibited dismemberment abortion. It also authorizes civil remedies for a woman or parent of a minor who undergoes a dismemberment abortion. A woman who undergoes a dismemberment abortion may not be prosecuted or held civilly liable.

Maddy summaryHCONRES 13 is a concurrent resolution expressing Congress's support for maintaining the current policy that prohibits imposing new fees on local radio stations for playing music. It states that Congress should not impose any performance fee, tax, royalty, or charge on local radio stations for broadcasting sound recordings over the air, or on businesses like bars and restaurants that play music publicly. The resolution argues that such fees would harm local radio stations - critical sources for emergency information and community programming - and jeopardize the economic model that has supported both radio and the music industry for decades. This resolution does not create new law but formally opposes potential legislative changes to the existing fee structure.

Saving American Farms from Adversaries Act This bill requires the President to take actions necessary to bar foreign persons (individuals or entities) from purchasing public or private real estate in the United States for the five-year period beginning from this bill's enactment. The Government Accountability Office must report to Congress (1) certain information on the purchase and ownership of U.S. real estate by foreign persons; and (2) recommendations to make it easier for U.S. citizens and harder for foreign persons to purchase U.S. real estate, including farmland.

Maddy summaryHR 812, titled the "Inflation Reduction Act of 2023," would repeal the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (Public Law 117-169) and rescind unobligated funds from that law. This bill does not establish new policy but reverses the existing 2022 legislation, halting its ongoing programs and redirecting unused funding. It directly affects the continuation of the 2022 act's provisions, including climate and healthcare initiatives, by formally terminating them. The key mechanism is the repeal of the 2022 law and the rescission of remaining unobligated balances.

Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act This bill creates new federal crimes related to transporting a minor across state lines for an abortion. Specifically, the bill makes it a crime to knowingly transport a minor across a state line to obtain an abortion without satisfying the requirements of a parental involvement law in the minor's resident state. A parental involvement law requires parental consent or notification, or judicial authorization, for a minor to obtain an abortion. The bill prohibits an individual who has committed incest with a minor from knowingly transporting the minor across a state line to receive an abortion. Finally, the bill makes it a crime for a physician to knowingly perform or induce an abortion on an out-of-state minor without first notifying the minor's parent.