Rep. Tony Gonzales

Maddy summaryHR 5538 would amend U.S. Code to provide special overtime pay for U.S. Border Patrol agents at the GS-12 grade. It establishes a 50% premium on their regular hourly rate for specific overtime hours worked (credited through actual performance, canine work, or overtime substitution), calculated as 50% of their basic pay rate. This special payment does not count toward retirement benefits, is not paid during paid leave, and is excluded from lump-sum annual leave calculations. The bill directly affects GS-12 Border Patrol agents by creating a new overtime compensation mechanism for qualifying work hours.

Maddy summaryHR 3152, the "Fight CRIME Act," aims to maintain international restrictions on Iran's missile-related activities by requiring diplomatic efforts to extend these restrictions before they expire in October 2023. The bill mandates annual reports detailing U.S. diplomatic strategies, potential impacts of expiration, and measures to deter missile technology transfers to Iran. It establishes sanctions against foreign individuals or entities that knowingly support Iran's missile or drone programs, including asset freezes and visa restrictions. These sanctions apply regardless of whether UN restrictions remain in effect after their expiration, directly affecting foreign entities involved in these activities.

Safeguarding Endangered Children, Unaccompanied and at Risk of Exploitation Act of 2023 or SECURE Act of 2023 This bill requires regular reports to Congress detailing the status of unaccompanied non-U.S. national ( alien under federal law) children. The bill also rescinds certain funding for the agencies responsible for the report for each day that a report is late. Specifically, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation must jointly report to Congress every 60 days on such children that have been in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) since January 1, 2021, and have been released to a parent, family member, or sponsor within the United States. This report must provide each child’s age, sex, location, and detail the child’s health and well-being. Additionally, the report must provide specified information about adults living in the child’s home, such as whether adults in the home have been subject to a fingerprint-based check of national crime information databases. The report must also specify the number of children that ORR has tried to contact without success on at least three separate attempts. The report must be provided for up to three years or until all of the specified children have been accounted for.  The bill also rescinds certain funding from HHS, DHS, and the FBI for each day that a report is late. Up to $10 million may be rescinded from each agency for each fiscal year.

Maddy summaryHR 5345, the Curbing Offenses on Policing Services Act (COPS Act), amends federal law to increase penalties for assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain law enforcement officers and employees. The bill adds "explosive materials" to the list of prohibited items that trigger enhanced penalties and raises the maximum fine for such offenses to $500,000. It also extends the maximum prison sentence from 20 to 25 years for these violations. The law directly affects officers and employees performing official duties who face violence or obstruction, with the changes applying to specific assaults involving explosives or other designated items.

Cybersecurity in Agriculture Act of 2023 This bill directs the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to establish an agriculture cybersecurity program. Under the program, NIFA must provide grants to or enter into cooperative agreements with eligible entities to establish a network of five Regional Agriculture Cybersecurity Centers to carry out research, development, and education on agriculture cybersecurity related to seed agriculture, horticulture, animal agriculture, and the agriculture supply chain. An eligible entity is a college or university that has programs in food and agriculture sciences and cybersecurity that coordinate regional industry partners, cooperatives, government authorities, and other stakeholders to (1) strengthen security, privacy, and resiliency; (2) bolster the independent networks; and (3) develop a skilled workforce. The program must also establish a national network of such regional centers and designate one college or university to coordinate the national network's activities.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the Bureau of Prisons to develop and implement a strategy for scanning all incoming mail at federal prisons to stop fentanyl and other synthetic drugs from entering facilities. It directs the Bureau to evaluate existing scanning technology within 180 days and submit a detailed plan to Congress within 90 days, including how to provide digital copies of mail to inmates within 24 hours and physical copies within 30 days (if safe). The strategy must achieve 100% mail scanning capacity at all federal prisons, prioritize high-security facilities, and include a budget proposal for fiscal years 2024-2026. This directly affects federal prisons, inmates, and Bureau employees by changing mail processing procedures to enhance safety and reduce staffing burdens from manual mail checks.

Maddy summaryThe ACES Act directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to fund a National Academies study examining cancer rates among active-duty military aircrew members (including pilots and navigators in fixed-wing aircraft). The study will identify potential military-related exposures linked to specific cancers - such as lung, prostate, melanoma, and others - and analyze existing VA, Defense, and CDC health data. It requires the National Academies to report findings to Congress on cancer prevalence and mortality among these service members. This bill focuses on gathering scientific data to inform future policy, not on immediate benefits or changes.

Maddy summaryThe CARE Act of 2023 amends the program for family caregivers of veterans to improve transparency and accessibility. It requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to include relevant medical specialists in caregiver evaluations, provide detailed annual reports to Congress on application outcomes (broken down by race, gender, and service details), and clarify how eligibility decisions are made. The bill also creates a fee-free process for recognizing organizations and individuals who help veterans, family members, and caregivers navigate VA services without charging users. These changes directly affect veterans' family caregivers and VA administrative processes, focusing on clearer eligibility standards and data-driven accountability.

Maddy summaryHR 5084 designates the U.S. Postal Service facility at 1106 Main Street in Bastrop, Texas, as the "Sergeant Major Billy D. Waugh Post Office." This bill updates all official federal references - including laws, maps, and documents - to use the new name for the location. It directly affects the Bastrop post office and federal records referencing it, without altering postal services or policies. The change is purely ceremonial and procedural, honoring Sergeant Major Billy D. Waugh through the facility's name.

Maddy summaryHR 5073, titled the "Promoting Domestic Energy Production Act," is a tax code amendment affecting oil and gas companies. It changes how businesses calculate adjusted financial statement income by removing specific deductions related to intangible drilling and development costs from their financial reports. The bill requires companies to disregard depreciation and depletion expenses taken into account on their financial statements for these costs when computing taxable income. This applies to tax years beginning after December 31, 2022, directly impacting oil and gas producers who use these accounting methods. The bill does not create new energy policies but alters tax accounting rules for the industry.