Rep. Mark E. Green

Maddy summaryThe ADA Improvement Act of 2023 requires that before filing a lawsuit under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a plaintiff must first provide written notice of an alleged violation to the defendant via registered mail. This notice must specify the location, date, and nature of the violation, and the plaintiff must wait 30 days for the defendant to correct the issue before suing. The law applies to most ADA-related civil actions but excludes emergency cases seeking immediate court orders to stop ongoing violations. This change aims to give businesses a chance to address accessibility problems before legal action begins.

Maddy summaryThe CERTS Tax Exemption Act (HR 3510) exempts certain grants received by transportation service providers from federal taxation under the Coronavirus Economic Relief for Transportation Services Act. It directly affects eligible transportation providers who receive these specific grants by excluding the grant amounts from their gross income and preventing related tax deductions or basis adjustments from being denied. Key provisions ensure that for partnerships and S corporations, excluded grant amounts are treated as tax-exempt income, and partner basis increases align with grant-funded costs. This creates a clear tax treatment for these grants without altering the underlying grant program.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends the Fly America Act to allow U.S. federal employees, dependents, and Peace Corps volunteers to use foreign airlines for transporting up to three domesticated animals (dogs or cats) when no U.S. carrier is willing or able to provide that service. It requires that the cost paid to the foreign airline not exceed what a U.S. carrier would charge for the same transport, with the traveler covering any difference if the foreign airline is cheaper. The provision applies only to pet transportation during travel between locations outside the U.S., or to/from the U.S., and does not change general travel requirements. It directly affects federal personnel traveling with pets who face limited U.S. carrier options.

Maddy summaryHR 3205, the Project Precursor Act, authorizes $64 million to strengthen Mexican law enforcement's capacity to disrupt fentanyl supply chains through equipment, training, and forensic support for agencies targeting fentanyl trafficking. The bill requires the U.S. to prioritize Mexico in anti-fentanyl efforts and mandates using U.S. fentanyl-related death tolls as the primary metric to evaluate program success, rather than drug seizure statistics. It also includes provisions for a public diplomacy campaign to delegitimize cartels, a report on Chinese operations in Mexico related to fentanyl, and expanded sanctions against foreign banks, money transmitters, and transnational criminal organizations like the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation Cartels.

Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption Act or the PRIME Act This bill exempts from federal inspection requirements animals and meats that are slaughtered and prepared at custom animal slaughter facilities for distribution within the state. Under current law, a custom slaughter exemption applies if the meat is slaughtered exclusively for personal, household, guest, or employee uses. Specifically, the bill expands the federal inspection exemption to include the slaughter of animals or the preparation of carcasses, meat, and meat food products that are slaughtered and prepared at a custom slaughter facility in accordance with the laws of the state where the facility is located; and prepared exclusively for distribution to household consumers in the state or restaurants, hotels, boarding houses, grocery stores, or other establishments in the state that either prepare meals served directly to consumers or offer meat and food products for sale directly to consumers in the state. The bill does not preempt any state law concerning (1) the slaughter of animals or the preparation of carcasses, meat, and meat food products at a custom slaughter facility; or (2) the sale of meat or meat food products.

Maddy summaryHJRES 61 is a resolution seeking to block a Department of Labor rule published in March 2023. The rule would have removed legal requirements related to religious exemptions under the Equal Opportunity Clause in federal employment regulations. If passed, this resolution would prevent the rule from taking effect, maintaining the existing requirements for religious exemptions. It uses a specific congressional disapproval process under Title 5 of the U.S. Code to stop the rule without requiring presidential action.

Maddy summaryHR 3238, the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2023, updates the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program to increase the availability of affordable housing across the United States. The bill makes several key changes including increasing state funding formulas, modifying tenant eligibility rules to better serve vulnerable populations (such as domestic violence victims and students), and expanding credit eligibility for projects in rural and Native American communities. Specific provisions raise the credit for properties serving extremely low-income households, clarify rules around tenant income increases, and require housing providers to protect victims of domestic violence. The bill also updates terminology from "low-income" to "affordable" throughout the tax code and enhances program transparency through data sharing requirements. These changes aim to make the LIHTC program more effective at creating and preserving affordable housing units for low-income households nationwide.

This bill nullifies a requirement for certain foreign travelers to show proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before being admitted into the United States. Specifically, this bill nullifies a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) rule that imposed this requirement for each traveler who is neither a U.S. national nor a lawful permanent resident arriving at land port of entry or ferry on the U.S.-Canada border. The bill also nullifies another CBP rule that applied this restriction to the U.S.-Mexico border. The bill also nullifies any subsequent decision by CBP or the Department of Homeland Security that imposes such a requirement.

Maddy summaryHR 1690 (ORDER Act) establishes a framework for U.S. diplomatic agreements with Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala to manage immigration flows in the Western Hemisphere. It requires Mexico to process asylum claims for migrants from other countries within Mexico and accept migrants waiting for U.S. asylum decisions, while also mandating Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala to process asylum claims for migrants in their territories. The bill commits the U.S. to accelerating asylum adjudications, supporting asylum capacity in partner countries, and conducting a feasibility study for a U.S. law enforcement center in southern Mexico to combat crime and reduce migration. These provisions directly affect migrants seeking asylum, the governments of the four partner nations, and U.S. immigration enforcement coordination.

Maddy summaryHR 3039, the DRIVE Act, prohibits the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) from requiring speed limiting devices on trucks weighing over 26,000 pounds operating in interstate commerce. This directly affects commercial trucking companies and drivers transporting goods across state lines. The bill's key provision explicitly bans the FMCSA from issuing any rule mandating such devices, which are typically set to limit vehicle speed. The law applies specifically to interstate trucking operations and does not affect state-level regulations.