Rep. Don Bacon

Cameron's Law This bill increases the rate of the tax credit for clinical testing expenses for rare diseases or conditions from 25% to 50% (orphan drug tax credit). The bill also requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to complete a study to evaluate the feasibility of enhancing and expanding the infrastructure to track the epidemiology of rare diseases or conditions.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends the World Trade Center Health Program to expand eligibility to include certain Department of Defense and Federal agency workers who responded to the September 11 attacks at the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. It establishes a 500-person enrollment cap for these responders, allows a broader range of licensed health care providers to conduct program evaluations, and creates two new funding mechanisms totaling $2.04 billion for the program through 2033. The bill also clarifies enrollment counts by excluding deceased individuals from program statistics and adjusts funding calculations to ensure continued support for affected responders and survivors. These changes directly affect 9/11 responders who worked at the Pentagon and Shanksville sites and their families participating in the health program.

Maddy summaryHR 1328, the Medical Device Nonvisual Accessibility Act of 2023, requires certain home-use medical devices (like blood pressure monitors and sleep apnea machines) to include nonvisual accessibility features - such as voice commands or audio feedback - by 2025. It directly affects blind or low-vision users who rely on these devices for independent, safe, and private care at home. The bill mandates that devices classified as Class II or III (and cleared via FDA processes) must meet accessibility standards ensuring equal usability for blind or low-vision individuals, with limited waivers allowed for manufacturers facing undue hardship. The FDA will develop and enforce these standards within two years, consulting with accessibility experts and blind users.

Maddy summaryHR 1491, the Small Business Energy Loan Enhancement Act, increases the maximum loan amount for energy-related small business loans under the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 from $5.5 million to $10 million. This directly affects small businesses seeking financing for energy efficiency or renewable energy projects by doubling their potential loan access. The bill requires the Small Business Administration to submit annual reports to Congress detailing which industries and geographic areas received these enhanced loans. These changes aim to expand access to capital for qualifying energy projects without altering eligibility criteria.

Preventing Violence Against Female Inmates Act of 2023 This bill establishes a framework to prohibit correctional institutions at the federal and state levels from housing inmates of one biological sex with inmates of the other biological sex.

Maddy summaryHRES 213 is a symbolic resolution supporting the designation of March 2023 as National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. It does not create new laws or policies but expresses congressional support for public awareness efforts around colorectal cancer prevention and screening. The resolution encourages Americans to participate in educational activities during March to highlight the importance of early detection and screening for this highly preventable cancer. It references statistics about colorectal cancer's impact but focuses solely on raising public awareness, not on changing healthcare access or funding.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands the use of 529 college savings accounts to cover career training and credentialing costs. It allows funds to pay for tuition, fees, books, and testing expenses related to recognized postsecondary credential programs (like vocational certifications) that meet specific standards under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. The change directly affects workers seeking industry-recognized credentials - such as nursing certifications or IT certifications - instead of traditional degrees. It treats these expenses the same as traditional college costs for 529 account withdrawals, making it easier to save for career-focused training. The provision applies to expenses paid after the bill's enactment date.

Maddy summaryThis bill, titled misleadingly as the "Customs Business Fairness Act," is actually a narrow amendment to bankruptcy law, not customs policy. It modifies Section 507(d) of the Bankruptcy Code to exclude "subparagraph (F)" from certain debt treatment rules, affecting businesses filing for bankruptcy under Title 11 after the law's enactment. The amendment applies only to bankruptcy cases commenced after the bill becomes law, not to cases filed before it was enacted. This is a procedural change with no direct impact on customs operations or import/export regulations.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits foreign governments (specifically China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia) from acquiring or transferring interests in two types of U.S. land: agricultural land used for growing corn or soybeans destined for renewable energy production, and land designated for wind energy infrastructure. It amends the Defense Production Act to add a new restriction (subsection (r)) blocking such transactions involving these lands. The policy directly affects foreign entities from the listed countries seeking to invest in U.S. renewable energy agriculture or wind projects. This creates a clear legal barrier to foreign ownership of these specific energy-related assets without altering existing renewable energy incentives.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends U.S. financial sanctions law to require the Treasury Secretary to specifically consider whether foreign banks knowingly provide banking services (including personal accounts) to entities designated under the Taylor Force Act, which targets groups that murder U.S. citizens. It directs Treasury to designate as "of primary money laundering concern" foreign banks that facilitate terrorism payments, particularly those using U.S. correspondent accounts. The law adds two new factors for Treasury to evaluate: (1) whether a bank knowingly serves entities listed in the Taylor Force Act regulations, and (2) whether the bank’s accounts or transactions help fund acts of terrorism. This directly affects foreign financial institutions operating in the U.S. financial system that may inadvertently or intentionally support terrorist organizations.