Rep. George Santos

Hands Off Our Election Resolution of 2023 This concurrent resolution expresses the sense of Congress that federal overreach into election law violates the states' constitutional right to govern aspects of election law under Article I, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution (which includes clause 1, known as the Elections Clause, that provides states with the initial and principal authority to administer elections within their jurisdictions).

Maddy summaryThis bill, HR 3458 (Reinstate Our Troops Act), provides relief to military service members who were involuntarily separated solely for refusing COVID-19 vaccinations. It requires military leaders to reinstate eligible service members to their previous rank within 30 days of their request (made within one year of the law's passage), return any bonuses they repaid due to separation, and change their discharge status to "honorable" if they don't seek reinstatement. It also mandates expunging records of the vaccination refusal from their service files. The bill requires the Secretary of Defense to report on implementation to Congress within 60 days.

Maddy summaryHR 3328 (Protecting Children From Experimentation Act of 2023) prohibits healthcare professionals from performing or referring for gender transition procedures on minors under 18. The bill defines "gender transition procedures" to include puberty-blocking drugs, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries (like genital or non-genital procedures) aimed at altering physical characteristics to match a gender different from a minor’s biological sex. It excludes care for minors with medically verified disorders of sex development or conditions requiring urgent medical treatment. Violations could result in fines, up to 5 years in prison, or both for providers, while minors receiving such care cannot be prosecuted.

Maddy summaryHRES 396 is a non-binding House resolution recognizing motherhood on Mother's Day. It expresses support for the term "mother" and criticizes language alternatives like "pregnant people" or "birthing person," while stating mothers are defined as women. The resolution contains no policy changes or concrete effects - it is purely symbolic, affirming traditional definitions of motherhood without altering laws or impacting any programs. It was introduced by multiple House members and referred to the Education and Workforce Committee.

Maddy summaryThe Protecting Taxpayers and Victims of Unemployment Fraud Act allows states to retain 25% of funds recovered from fraudulent unemployment claims (for pandemic-related benefits) to improve fraud prevention systems. States can use these retained funds to modernize unemployment systems, hire fraud investigators, reimburse administrative costs, or conduct other fraud prevention activities. The bill requires states to use specific data matching systems like the National Directory of New Hires to detect fraud more effectively. It modifies federal rules to ensure states can use recovered funds without violating deposit requirements. This legislation aims to reduce unemployment fraud while protecting taxpayers and victims of fraud.

Maddy summaryHR 801, the Securing the Border for Public Health Act of 2023, gives the Secretary of Health and Human Services authority to temporarily ban people and goods from specific countries. This can be done if the Secretary determines a serious risk of introducing communicable diseases or certain controlled substances (like fentanyl, narcotics, or opiates) into the U.S. The ban would apply to persons and property from designated countries for a time deemed necessary to protect public health. It directly affects travelers and importers from countries identified under this provision.

Maddy summaryHCONRES 30 is a congressional resolution directing the President to withdraw all U.S. military personnel from Somalia within one year, except for forces protecting the U.S. Embassy. It applies directly to U.S. Armed Forces stationed in Somalia under current operations. The bill requires the President to complete the withdrawal by the date 365 days after the resolution passes, as mandated by the War Powers Resolution. This is a procedural directive focused on ending military presence, not creating new laws or funding.

Maddy summaryHR 2968, the COST Act of 2023, requires federal agencies and recipients of federal funds (including states, local governments, and research grantees) to publicly disclose specific funding details in program descriptions. It mandates stating the percentage and dollar amount of federal funding, plus the percentage and dollar amount from non-government sources in press releases, requests for proposals, and similar documents (excluding short social media posts). Agencies must also certify compliance in progress reports, and the Office of Management and Budget will annually review compliance and publish findings. The bill establishes a public reporting mechanism for non-compliant communications.

Maddy summaryHR 2947, the Justice Against Sponsors of Illicit Fentanyl Act of 2023, removes sovereign immunity for foreign governments that provide material support to entities trafficking illicit fentanyl into the U.S. It allows U.S. victims of fentanyl-related injuries or deaths to sue foreign states directly in U.S. courts for civil damages. The bill defines "fentanyl trafficking" broadly to include producing, distributing, or supplying chemicals used in fentanyl manufacturing, and holds foreign states liable for tortious acts related to such trafficking. This law applies to cases arising from injuries occurring on or after January 1, 2013, and includes a provision allowing diplomatic negotiations to temporarily pause lawsuits for up to 180 days.

Maddy summaryHR 2906, the "Reject Latinx Act," prohibits U.S. federal executive agencies from using the terms "latinx" or "latin-x" (or variations) in any official public document. This applies to all documents produced on or after a 30-day effective date following the bill's enactment. The bill directly affects federal agencies responsible for creating public-facing communications, such as reports, forms, or websites. It does not restrict the terms in private or non-governmental contexts. The law mandates this language change for all new agency documents but does not require altering existing documents.