Rep. Jake LaTurner

Defend the Blend Act This bill prohibits the Environmental Protection Agency from reducing under the renewable fuel program any applicable volume, or any renewable fuel obligation or applicable percentage that has already been finalized for any calendar year.

Conscience Protection Act of 2021 This bill provides statutory authority for certain protections for health care providers that refuse to participate in abortions based on religious beliefs or other convictions. Health care providers include individual professionals, medical facilities, health insurance organizations, and social services providers that refer clients to health care services. The federal government and entities that receive federal funding for health-related activities, including state and local governments, may not discriminate against a health care provider that refuses to be involved in, or provide coverage for, abortions. Currently, similar requirements apply to various related activities, including certain employment or personnel decisions (the Church Amendments), abortion services training (the Coats-Snowe Amendment), qualified health plans offered through health insurance exchanges, and annual appropriations bills for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and other federal agencies (the Weldon Amendment). The HHS Office for Civil Rights must investigate complaints of this kind of discrimination. Furthermore, HHS may terminate or reduce HHS funding for health-related activities if a person or entity fails to comply with nondiscrimination requirements. Additionally, the Department of Justice or any entity adversely affected by such discrimination may bring a civil action to obtain appropriate relief. A plaintiff does not need to seek or exhaust administrative remedies before bringing the action. A plaintiff may also bring an action, including one for money damages, against a governmental entity. In many cases, principles of sovereign immunity shield states and some localities from these kinds of actions.

Parents Bill of Rights Act This bill outlines various rights of parents and guardians regarding the elementary or secondary school education of their children. Among other requirements, the bill (1) directs local educational agencies to publicly post the curriculum for each elementary and secondary school grade level; and (2) requires schools to notify parents and guardians of their rights, including the right to review the school's curriculum and budget.

Fairness for Federal Contractors Act of 2021 This bill prohibits executive agencies from requiring contractors to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. The bill also requires the Government Accountability Office to study the degree to which Executive Order 14042 (Ensuring Adequate COVID Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors) caused disruptions to federal contracts, supply chains, and transportation systems.

Science-Based Emissions Standards Act of 2021 This bill prohibits the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from finalizing any rule to amend the new source performance standards for stationary sources under the Clean Air Act to reduce methane emissions from new and modified oil and natural gas facilities until the Department of Energy takes specified actions. Specifically, the Department of Energy must first (1) complete and publish the results of the study titled Quantification of Methane Emissions from Marginal (Small Producing) Oil and Gas Wells, and (2) provide a period of at least 90 days for public comment on the application of the study's results. The EPA must take the results of the study into consideration when finalizing the rule.

This joint resolution nullifies a Department of Labor emergency temporary standard for preventing the transmission of COVID-19 in employment settings. Under the standard issued on November 5, 2021, employers with 100 or more employees must require their onsite employees to either be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing.

Maddy summaryThis bill removes a temporary expiration date for telehealth coverage in health insurance plans. It amends two sections of the Internal Revenue Code to permanently allow health plans to cover telehealth services without the prior deadline of December 31, 2021. The key change makes existing telehealth coverage rules permanent for health insurance plans under federal tax law. This directly affects health insurance plans that provide telehealth benefits, ensuring they can continue covering these services without needing to renew temporary provisions. The bill does not change what telehealth services are covered, only makes the coverage rules permanent.

Advanced Air Mobility Coordination and Leadership Act This bill directs the Department of Transportation to establish an Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) interagency working group to plan and coordinate efforts related to the safety, operations, infrastructure, physical security, cybersecurity, and federal investment necessary to bolster the AAM ecosystem in the United States. Advanced Air Mobility refers to a transportation system that transports people and property by air between two points in the United States using aircraft, including electric aircraft or electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, in both controlled and uncontrolled airspace.

This concurrent resolution declares that Congress should not impose any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge relating to the public performance of sound recordings on a local radio station for broadcasting sound recordings over the air, or on any business for such public performance of sound recordings.

Maddy summaryHRES 386 is a symbolic resolution introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives that expresses support for recognizing "National Police Week" each year. The resolution acknowledges law enforcement officers' sacrifices, particularly during the pandemic, and encourages the public to honor their service. As a non-binding statement, this resolution does not create new law or change policy but serves as a formal expression of support for law enforcement officers across the United States.