Rep. Brandon Williams

Maddy summaryHR 185 ends a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) rule requiring foreign travelers entering the U.S. by air to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination. The bill takes effect immediately upon enactment, terminating the specific requirement outlined in the CDC’s April 2022 order (and any similar future orders). It also prohibits federal funding from being used to enforce this rule. This change directly affects foreign air travelers entering the United States, removing a vaccination proof requirement for their entry. The bill does not impact domestic travel, other entry methods, or vaccination requirements for U.S. citizens.

Maddy summaryHR 987 authorizes the U.S. Mint to produce commemorative coins honoring Golda Meir, Israel's first female Prime Minister, and the 75th anniversary of U.S.-Israel relations. It specifies three coin types: $5 gold coins (max 50,000), $1 silver coins (max 400,000), and half-dollar clad coins (max 750,000), with detailed weight and composition requirements. All coins will include Golda Meir's image, her name, and commemorative inscriptions, and will be sold during 2026. A surcharge ($35 for $5 coins, $10 for $1 coins, $5 for half-dollars) will be paid to the American Friends of Kiryat Sanz Laniado Hospital Inc. to support its hospital operations.

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 800, the "DO NOT Call Act of 2023," amends the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 to increase penalties for intentional telemarketing violations. It adds criminal penalties of up to one year in prison or fines for willfully and knowingly making unwanted calls, with harsher penalties (up to three years) for severe offenses like sending over 100,000 calls in 24 hours, causing $5,000+ in damages, or committing calls to further a felony. The bill also raises civil penalties for providing false caller identification information from $10,000 to $20,000 per violation. This directly affects telemarketers, debt collectors, and businesses making unsolicited calls, increasing legal consequences for repeated or large-scale violations.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends federal law to include Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers who die while performing official duties protecting transportation systems as eligible for public safety officers' death benefits. It specifically adds TSA employees working to "ensure freedom of movement for people and commerce" to the list of covered personnel under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act. The change applies to deaths occurring on or after October 31, 2013, directly affecting TSA officers and their families by expanding access to death benefits previously available only to other public safety personnel.

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 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.

Freight Rail Assistance and Investment to Launch Coronavirus-Era Activity and Recovery Act of 2023 or the Freight RAILCAR Act of 2023 This bill provides a new tax credit through 2025 for 10% of freight railcar fleet modernization expenses (i.e., railcar replacement and modernization expenses for meeting fuel efficiency and performance standards). The bill provides that no more than 2,000 freight railcars per taxpayer may be taken into account for purposes of determining the credit in a taxable year. The Department of the Treasury must report to Congress on the credit to provide information on the number of times the credit was claimed and the number of railcars scrapped or built as a result of the credit.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new federal crime for assaulting law enforcement officers causing serious injury or death, with penalties up to 10 years in prison for serious injury and up to life for aggravated cases involving death, kidnapping, or attempted killing. It applies when offenses involve interstate travel, commerce, or target officers engaged in law enforcement duties. Federal prosecution requires Attorney General certification that state authorities cannot or will not handle the case, or that federal action is necessary for public safety. The law covers all law enforcement officers (state, local, and federal) who enforce criminal laws or detain individuals.