Rep. Michael Lawler

Maddy summaryHR 8974 establishes a voluntary certification program recognizing employers in industries with high human trafficking risk for providing employee training to identify and respond to suspected trafficking. Employers must apply annually with details about their training, and the Homeland Security Secretary awards a one-year certificate to eligible businesses. The program prohibits false displays of the certificate and requires annual reports to Congress on participation, fees, and program costs. It directly affects private-sector employers in designated high-risk industries, not public agencies or all businesses.

Maddy summaryThis bill extends existing federal grant programs focused on the Long Island Sound through 2028. It updates the funding periods for two key programs: the "Long Island Sound Grants" (under the Clean Water Act) and the "Long Island Sound Stewardship Grants" (under the 2006 Stewardship Act), changing their authorization from 2019-2023 to 2024-2028. The bill does not create new programs or change funding levels - it simply continues current grant mechanisms for five more years. These grants support state and local projects aimed at improving water quality and ecosystem health in the Long Island Sound region.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a national registry to help Korean American families separated from relatives in North Korea after the 1953 Korean War Armistice reunite. The Secretary of State must identify eligible families and collect their information (including deceased members) to support future in-person or video reunions. It authorizes $1 million for this registry and requires the State Department to push for family reunions during U.S.-North Korea talks, while consulting South Korea. The State Department must also report annually to Congress on the registry's status, reunion progress, and North Korea's policies affecting family reunions.

Maddy summaryHR 6586 requires the U.S. Secretary of State to develop a strategy within 90 days to discourage foreign countries - especially those receiving U.S. foreign aid - from providing financial or material support to the Taliban. The bill mandates a detailed report identifying such countries, including the amount of U.S. aid they receive and the nature of their support to the Taliban, along with U.S. efforts to counter this since August 2021. It also requires ongoing reports (every 180 days) on the strategy’s implementation and impact. The bill directly affects foreign governments receiving U.S. aid, using aid leverage to pressure them against supporting the Taliban.

Maddy summaryHR 4132 would require the U.S. to impose sanctions on Chinese officials responsible for forced organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners, including blocking their property and denying visas. It mandates a report on China's organ transplant system within one year, assessing organ sources, procurement timelines, and whether persecution of Falun Gong constitutes an atrocity. The bill directs the U.S. to avoid all cooperation with China's organ transplantation system while the Chinese Communist Party remains in power. It cites findings of systemic persecution and alleged organ harvesting as justification for these policy measures.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends the Federal Employees' Compensation Act to include physician assistants and nurse practitioners as eligible providers for injured federal workers. It defines "other eligible provider" as a nurse practitioner or physician assistant within their state-authorized scope of practice. The law updates key sections to replace "physician" with "physician or other eligible provider" for treatment, certification, and claim processes. The Secretary must finalize implementing regulations within six months of enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill removes a prohibition that previously blocked federal housing assistance for college students. It creates a new waiver allowing housing authorities to provide tenant-based housing assistance to students in foster care or court-emancipated minors living in on-campus housing at eligible colleges. The assistance won't count as income for financial aid, work-study programs, or child support calculations, directly supporting vulnerable students facing housing costs.

Maddy summaryThis bill (HR 2365, Public Law 118-66) directs the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish the National Parkinson’s Project. It requires HHS to create and update a coordinated national plan for preventing, diagnosing, treating, and researching Parkinson’s disease and related disorders (including multiple system atrophy and progressive supranuclear palsy), while coordinating federal research and care efforts across agencies like the NIH, CDC, and VA. The law mandates annual progress assessments, an advisory council with patient advocates and diverse experts, and annual reports to Congress on federal Parkinson’s programs and recommendations for improvement. It affects federal agencies managing Parkinson’s-related programs and aims to improve care coordination and research efficiency for patients and caregivers, with the law sunsetting in 2035.

Maddy summaryHR 8903, the UPRISERS Act, would revoke the student visas of international students on F, J, or M visas who are convicted of assaulting a police officer or participating in riot-related violence. It specifically targets offenses like inciting riots, organizing riots, committing violence during riots, or aiding others in such activities. The bill amends immigration law to make these convictions grounds for visa revocation and deportation. This policy directly affects international students holding these specific visa types who face criminal charges for the listed violent acts.

Maddy summaryHJRES 170 is a resolution seeking congressional disapproval of a federal rule that would have required new housing projects financed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) or the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to meet specific energy efficiency standards. The rule, published in April 2024, aimed to set these standards for new construction in federally subsidized housing. If passed, this resolution would block the rule under the Congressional Review Act, making it legally void. It directly affects developers and builders of HUD- and USDA-financed housing by removing the requirement to comply with these energy standards.