Rep. Michael T. McCaul

Maddy summaryHRES 104 is a non-binding resolution introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on February 8, 2023, that condemns the Chinese Communist Party's use of a high-altitude surveillance balloon over U.S. territory as a violation of U.S. sovereignty. The resolution specifically denounces China's false claims that the balloon was a weather balloon and calls for the U.S. government to take decisive action to prevent future foreign aerial surveillance in U.S. airspace. It requires the Biden administration to provide Congress with detailed briefings on the incident, including the timeline, potential intelligence collected, and plans to deter similar activities. As a symbolic resolution, it does not create new laws but formally expresses the House's stance on the matter.

Maddy summaryHR 191 requires the Department of Homeland Security to publish monthly reports on the number of known or suspected terrorists encountered while attempting to enter the United States. The reports must include total numbers broken down by geographic region and entry method (land, air, or sea), and be posted on a public DHS website by the 15th of each month. This bill directly affects DHS operations and provides the public with transparency about border encounters involving individuals in the Terrorist Screening Database. It is a procedural requirement focused on data disclosure, not policy change.

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.

Strengthen the Pediatric Research Initiative Act This bill terminates (1) the taxpayer election to designate $3 of income tax liability for financing of presidential election campaigns, (2) the Presidential Election Campaign Fund, and (3) the Presidential Primary Matching Payment Account. The Department of the Treasury must transfer the funds remaining in the Presidential Election Campaign Fund to the Pediatric Research Initiative Fund.

Maddy summaryThis bill directs U.S. representatives at international financial institutions (like the World Bank) to use American voting influence to support financing for nuclear energy projects globally. It requires the Treasury Secretary to instruct U.S. executives at these institutions to promote nuclear energy funding, consistent with U.S. national security interests. The law includes a 10-year sunset provision, ending all authority after 2033, and allows Treasury to waive the requirement for specific projects if deemed in the national interest. It does not directly fund projects but shapes U.S. influence over how global banks allocate resources for nuclear energy.

Stop Human Trafficking in School Zones Act This bill establishes an enhanced penalty—an additional prison term of up to five years—for certain human trafficking offenses and sex offenses involving minors that occur within 1,000 feet of the real property comprising a school, school-sponsored activity, playground, or public housing facility; or within 100 feet of certain other places where children gather (e.g., a youth center or swimming pool). The additional prison term must be served consecutively with the prison term imposed for the underlying offense.

Maddy summaryThe HEAL Act (HR 603) requires the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Director to study how public elementary and secondary schools teach about the Holocaust and related antisemitism. The study will examine curriculum requirements, teaching methods (like project-based learning), instructional materials, and assessment approaches across states and school districts. It specifically analyzes whether Holocaust education is mandatory, optional, or integrated across subjects, and how schools address antisemitism and genocide prevention. The resulting report, due within 180 days of the study or three years after enactment, will inform Congress but does not change current school policies. This is a data-gathering measure, not a policy mandate.

Maddy summaryHCONRES 7 is a symbolic resolution passed by the U.S. House of Representatives that commends Iranian protesters - particularly women - who have risked safety to demonstrate against the Iranian regime's human rights abuses, including the mandatory hijab law and violent crackdowns following Mahsa Amini's death. It condemns the regime's use of violence (reportedly killing over 450 protesters) and detention of activists, while urging the Biden Administration to impose additional human rights sanctions on officials involved in repression and support internet freedom tools to bypass Iranian censorship. The resolution makes no binding policy changes but formally expresses congressional support for protesters' demands for freedom, justice, and an end to discriminatory laws targeting women. It does not directly affect any U.S. laws or policies but serves as a statement of U.S. position.

Maddy summaryHR 23, the Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act, rescinds unobligated funds previously allocated to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Specifically, it cancels unused balances from certain IRS funding provisions (sections 10301(1)(A)(ii), (iii), (B), (2), (3), (4), and (5)) of the Inflation Reduction Act. This bill does not change tax laws or directly affect taxpayers; it only redirects unspent IRS budget authority. The provision applies solely to funds that were not obligated by the IRS as of the bill’s enactment date.

Maddy summaryHR 22, the *Protecting America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve from China Act*, blocks the U.S. government from selling petroleum from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to entities under Chinese Communist Party control or unless sellers guarantee the oil won’t be exported to China. It directly affects the Department of Energy’s management of the reserve and any foreign entities seeking to purchase reserve petroleum. The key mechanism requires the Secretary of Energy to prohibit sales to China-linked entities or impose strict export restrictions on any sale. This policy change aims to prevent strategic petroleum resources from reaching entities tied to China’s government.