Rep. Clay Higgins

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 903 creates a 3-year pilot program offering grants to up to 250 eligible veterans to start or acquire small businesses, franchises, or startups. Eligible veterans must have completed 36+ months of active duty (or 24+ months for disability) and qualify for VA education benefits under Chapter 30 or 33. Grantees must complete approved entrepreneurship training, submit a business plan for approval, and receive funds in installments after meeting business milestones. The program provides grants up to the value of the veteran’s education benefits plus monthly housing-equivalent support during the business development period.

Maddy summaryHR 914, the Simplifying Grants Act of 2023, requires federal agencies to simplify grant application processes for small local governments (defined as those in areas with fewer than 50,000 people, per Census standards). Within 180 days of enactment, agencies must review and simplify complex grant requirements for existing programs and ensure new programs are designed with simplicity from the start. Agencies must also publish public checklists for each grant step and report annually to Congress on implementation progress, including how much technical assistance was provided and how many grants were awarded to small communities versus larger ones. This bill directly affects counties, towns, and other small local governments that receive federal grants but face bureaucratic hurdles.

Dual Loyalty Disclosure Act This bill requires a candidate for federal office (other than a nominee for Vice President) who is a citizen of any country other than the United States to disclose such citizenship in the candidate's statement of candidacy. A statement of candidacy collects basic information about the candidate and is where the candidate designates their principal campaign committee.

Maddy summaryHRES 109 is a non-binding resolution introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on February 8, 2023, expressing the House's sense that Social Security should be preserved and protected for current beneficiaries (over 66 million Americans) and future generations. It does not create new laws or alter existing Social Security policies but serves as a symbolic statement of support for the program. The resolution emphasizes Social Security's role in providing retirement, disability, and survivor benefits while referencing concerns about inflation's impact on beneficiaries. As a procedural resolution, it has no legal effect on Social Security funding or benefits.

Maddy summaryHR 876, the Border Crisis Prevention Act of 2023, aims to reform asylum processing and immigration detention procedures. It requires uniform recording of credible fear interviews and asylum applications, mandates independent interpreters, and adds strict warnings about filing frivolous applications, which could lead to permanent ineligibility for asylum benefits. The bill also extends detention periods for certain immigrants who fail to cooperate with removal efforts or who pose perceived risks, allowing the Secretary of Homeland Security to keep them detained beyond standard timelines without bond hearings. These changes directly affect asylum seekers, immigration judges, and detention facilities by altering how cases are processed and how long individuals may be held.

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.)

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 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 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.