Rep. Earl Blumenauer

This resolution expresses the sense that the federal government should adopt a global health solidarity strategy to end medically avertable deaths and respond to the full burden of disease in poor countries; the federal government should use laws and diplomatic influence to stop ongoing economic harms to the global South; and it is the duty of the federal government to issue reparations, including for slavery and colonialism.

Philippine Human Rights Act This bill imposes limitations on providing assistance to the police or military of the Philippines. No federal funds may be used to provide such assistance until the Philippines government has taken certain actions, including (1) investigating and successfully prosecuting members of its military and police forces who have violated human rights; (2) withdrawing the military from domestic policing activities; and (3) establishing that it effectively protects the rights of journalists, civil society activists, and certain other groups. The President shall also direct U.S. representatives at multilateral development banks to vote against providing loans to the police or military of the Philippines.

Maddy summaryHR 1404, the Facial Recognition and Biometric Technology Moratorium Act of 2023, bans U.S. federal agencies and officials from using facial recognition, voice recognition, or other remote biometric surveillance systems (like gait analysis) for law enforcement or surveillance in the United States. It directly affects federal law enforcement agencies and state/local governments receiving Byrne grant funding, which they would lose if they don’t adopt similar bans. Key provisions prohibit federal acquisition or use of these systems (except for narrowly defined congressional authorizations), ban federal funding for such systems, and make illegally obtained biometric data inadmissible in court. The bill also allows individuals to sue the federal government for violations and requires states receiving federal funds to implement comparable restrictions.

Maddy summaryHR 1388 authorizes the minting of commemorative coins to honor the 1865 Sultana steamboat disaster, the deadliest maritime tragedy in U.S. history. It specifies three coin types ($5 gold, $1 silver, and half-dollar) with defined weights and compositions, to be sold at face value plus surcharges ($35, $10, and $5 per coin, respectively). All surcharges collected will fund the Sultana Historical Preservation Society for museum development, including exhibits, artifact preservation, and facility construction. The coins are legal tender but intended for collectors, with sales limited to a one-year period starting January 2023.

Maddy summaryThe Farm System Reform Act of 2023 establishes a moratorium on new large concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) and requires existing large CAFOs to cease operations by January 1, 2040. It creates a voluntary debt forgiveness and transition assistance program to help AFO owners pay off construction and operational debts while transitioning to alternative agricultural activities. The bill also amends the Packers and Stockyards Act to require packers to purchase 50% of livestock through spot market sales from nonaffiliated producers and prohibits certain unfair pricing practices. Additionally, it restores mandatory country of origin labeling for beef and pork and expands labeling requirements to include dairy products, requiring "Product of U.S.A." labels only when meat is exclusively derived from animals born, raised, and slaughtered in the United States.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes requirements for large industrial agricultural operations (defined as those owning or controlling significant numbers of livestock) to create disaster mitigation plans, register with a new Office of High-Risk AFO Disaster Mitigation and Enforcement, and report depopulation activities. It prohibits certain inhumane depopulation methods like ventilation shutdown and sodium nitrite poisoning, and requires covered operators to cover costs of depopulation, disposal, and compensation for workers and neighboring communities affected by disasters. The bill also sets new labor standards including health insurance coverage and severance pay for workers involved in disaster mitigation events, improves transport standards for livestock, and requires humane treatment of nonambulatory animals. It includes funding for additional OSHA and FSIS inspectors to enforce these requirements, directly affecting large industrial agricultural operators, their workers, and neighboring communities.

This resolution calls for the federal government to establish a national biodiversity strategy, which must include a goal of conserving at least 30% of U.S. lands and waters to protect biodiversity and address climate change by 2030 and other goals necessary to reduce the threats to biodiversity.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows asylum seekers not in detention to obtain work authorization 30 days after filing their asylum application, provided their application isn't deemed frivolous. It directly affects individuals seeking asylum in the U.S. who are awaiting a final decision on their case. The authorization remains valid until the asylum application receives a final denial, including any administrative or court appeals. This changes the prior system where many asylum seekers faced prolonged work restrictions while their cases were processed.

Maddy summaryHR 1302, the Gun Records Restoration and Preservation Act, repeals key restrictions known as the Tiahrt Amendments. It eliminates the requirement to destroy background check records within 24 hours, removes barriers to researchers accessing firearm trace data, and ends prohibitions on requiring gun dealers to conduct annual inventory audits. The bill directly affects law enforcement agencies (like the ATF), researchers studying gun violence, and federally licensed firearms dealers. These changes aim to improve access to data for tracking illegal gun trafficking and supporting evidence-based policy development.

Maddy summaryThe Peace Corps Reauthorization Act of 2023 makes several key updates to support Peace Corps volunteers. It increases readjustment allowances from $125 to $375, establishes protocols for safely returning volunteers whose service was interrupted by catastrophic events, and improves health care provisions including mental health services. The bill extends noncompetitive hiring eligibility for returning volunteers for up to three years and implements a zero-tolerance policy for illegal drug use. It also adds protections against retaliation for volunteers who report issues related to waste, fraud, or safety concerns. These changes aim to better support volunteers before, during, and after their service.