Rep. Mike Carey

Maddy summaryThis bill amends the Northern Border Security Review Act to establish a new annual deadline for threat analysis (September 2, 2025, and each year after) and requires the Department of Homeland Security to update its northern border strategy within 90 days of each analysis. It mandates that the Secretary provide a classified briefing to congressional committees within 30 days of each threat analysis and develop performance measures for U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Air and Marine Operations to secure the northern border in air and maritime areas within six months of enactment. The bill directly affects the Department of Homeland Security and congressional committees by imposing specific reporting deadlines and review requirements. These changes focus on improving the frequency and structure of security assessments without altering existing border security operations.

Maddy summaryHR 5012 (SHINE for Autumn Act of 2023) authorizes federal funding to improve stillbirth research and data collection. It provides $5 million annually for states to collect standardized stillbirth data (including risk factors) while protecting privacy, $1 million annually for developing public educational materials and data collection guidelines, and $3 million annually for medical fellowships training pathologists in perinatal autopsy and stillbirth research. The bill directly affects state health departments, medical professionals (like obstetricians and pathologists), and families who experience stillbirth by improving data quality for future research. It requires federal reports on guidelines and program effectiveness within five years but does not provide direct medical care or financial assistance to families.

Maddy summaryHR 537 authorizes a Congressional Gold Medal to honor 60 diplomats who saved Jewish lives during the Holocaust by issuing visas and passports against their governments' orders, risking expulsion and personal danger. The medal will be presented to the next of kin of these diplomats, alongside representatives from their home countries, and permanently displayed at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The bill also permits the sale of bronze duplicates to cover production costs, with proceeds going to the U.S. Mint. This legislation recognizes the diplomats' humanitarian actions without creating new government programs or altering existing laws.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a presumption that certain health conditions (myocarditis, pericarditis, thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, Guillain-Barré Syndrome, and other diseases later determined by the VA) are connected to military service for veterans who received a COVID-19 vaccine under mandatory orders between August 24, 2021, and January 10, 2023. It directly affects veterans who developed these conditions after being required to get the vaccine during that period, streamlining their path to VA disability compensation by removing the need to prove a direct link to service. The bill requires the VA to report monthly on claim statuses and outcomes for four years, including approval rates and pending cases. This changes how the VA processes claims for these specific conditions, treating them as service-connected by default for affected veterans.

Maddy summaryHR 8617, the Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2024, automatically grants U.S. citizenship to certain internationally adopted individuals who meet specific criteria. It directly affects adoptees adopted by U.S. citizen parents before age 18, who were physically present in the U.S. in legal custody before age 18, never acquired citizenship before the bill's enactment, and were residing in the U.S. on the bill's effective date. For those already in the U.S., citizenship becomes automatic upon meeting these conditions; for those abroad, citizenship is granted upon lawful entry. The bill removes barriers that previously prevented automatic citizenship for these adoptees under prior immigration rules. It requires background checks for visa issuance but exempts applicants from standard inadmissibility grounds.

Maddy summaryHR 5403, the CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act, prohibits the Federal Reserve from issuing or facilitating central bank digital currency (CBDC) directly or indirectly to individuals through financial institutions. It specifically bans Federal Reserve banks from offering digital products to individuals, maintaining individual accounts, or using CBDC for monetary policy implementation. The bill also clarifies that its restrictions do not apply to existing physical cash or private, permissionless digital payment systems. This bill directly affects the Federal Reserve's ability to develop or deploy a government-run digital dollar. The law aims to prevent the Federal Reserve from creating a digital currency that could enable transaction tracking or government oversight of personal financial activity.

Maddy summaryHR 8537, the East Palestine Health Impact Monitoring Act of 2024, requires the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to fund a long-term health study on the effects of the February 3, 2023, train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. The bill directs HHS to award grants to university consortia with community ties to study human health impacts from the derailment and subsequent chemical venting and burning. It mandates two progress reports to Congress (within two years of funding and one year after study results are published) detailing study challenges, timelines, and findings. The bill authorizes up to $1 million in funding for fiscal year 2025, available until September 2029, to support this research.

Maddy summaryThe SIREN Reauthorization Act (HR 4646) reauthorizes a federal program supporting rural emergency medical services (EMS) from 2024 through 2028. It directly affects rural EMS providers and personnel by requiring training on mental health and substance use disorders in emergency settings and allowing the acquisition of FDA-approved drugs for overdose treatment. Key provisions include updating the program's funding period, mandating new training standards for EMS staff, and expanding equipment access to include overdose-reversal medications. The bill amends Section 330J of the Public Health Service Act to implement these changes.

Maddy summaryThis resolution (HRES 1252) honors emergency medical services (EMS) personnel across the United States for their critical work. It recognizes their 24/7 service in rural and underserved areas, their role in stabilizing and transporting patients during emergencies, and their dedication to public health care. The resolution specifically expresses appreciation for EMS workers during Emergency Medical Services Week (May 19-25, 2024). As a ceremonial resolution, it contains no new policies, funding, or legal requirements - only symbolic recognition of their contributions.

Maddy summaryHR 895, the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2023, expands federal law to better prosecute organized retail theft by amending sections 2314 and 2315 of Title 18. It clarifies that crimes involving stolen goods valued at $5,000 or more over 12 months - including retail theft - can be prosecuted under existing federal statutes, and broadens definitions to include goods taken via "any facility of interstate or foreign commerce." The bill also creates a new Organized Retail Crime Coordination Center within Homeland Security, requiring it to coordinate federal, state, and local law enforcement efforts, share threat information with retailers, and produce annual public reports on trends. This directly affects law enforcement agencies, retailers, and criminal justice systems by standardizing prosecution thresholds and enhancing interagency collaboration.