Rep. Brian Babin

Maddy summaryHR 10300, the Chevron Re-Review Act, establishes a new process for Congress to review and disapprove federal agency rules that relied on Chevron deference (the legal doctrine where courts defer to agency interpretations of ambiguous laws). The bill requires agencies to provide Congress with specific information about such rules - including cost-benefit analyses and litigation history - within 30 days of a disapproval resolution's introduction. If Congress passes a joint resolution disapproving a rule, the rule is treated as if it never took effect. This procedural bill directly affects agencies and Congress, applying only to rules explicitly based on Chevron deference or upheld by courts using that doctrine.

Maddy summaryHR 6751 authorizes the U.S. Mint to produce commemorative coins honoring Roberto Clemente, a Hall of Fame baseball player and humanitarian, including 50,000 $5 gold coins, 400,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar coins. The coins must feature Clemente's image and inscriptions like "Roberto Clemente" and "2027," with all sales including a surcharge ($5-$35 per coin) paid to the Roberto Clemente Foundation. The foundation, which supports youth sports, education, and disaster relief programs, will use these funds for its mission, while the U.S. Treasury must recover all production costs. The coins will be sold exclusively in 2027, with no net cost to the government.

Maddy summaryHR 10270, the Congressional Border Security Assessment Act, permits members of Congress and their staff to access Indian reservations with 50 or more contiguous miles of the U.S.-Mexico border for the purpose of assessing national security and border safety. This access includes all roads and easements on tribal lands within the defined border area, as specified by federal law. The bill does not create new policy or alter existing tribal sovereignty but establishes a procedural mechanism for congressional review of border security conditions. It directly affects tribal nations by granting federal lawmakers access to specific reservation lands for information gathering.

Maddy summaryThe Working Dog Commemorative Coin Act (HR 807) directs the U.S. Treasury to mint three types of commemorative coins honoring working dogs' service: $5 gold coins, $1 silver coins, and half-dollar coins with specific weight and composition requirements. Each coin will carry a surcharge ($35 for $5 coins, $10 for $1 coins, $5 for half-dollars) that will be paid directly to America's VetDogs to support their programs providing service dogs for veterans, the disabled, and others. The coins will be issued in 2027 with designs reflecting working dogs' roles in military, detection, therapy, and assistance work. The legislation specifies that all surcharge revenue must fund America's VetDogs' operations without creating new government programs. This is a commemorative measure focused on honoring working dogs' contributions through coin sales, with all surcharge funds going to a specific nonprofit organization.

Maddy summaryThe No Discrimination in Housing Act would deny the federal low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) to housing developers and entities that implement diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. This credit, a key incentive for building affordable housing, would no longer be available to entities with DEI programs, including partnerships and S corporations. For business structures like partnerships, the denial applies to the entire entity - not just individual owners - meaning the credit is lost at the organizational level. The provision would take effect for tax years beginning after the bill is enacted.

Maddy summaryThis bill blocks the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) from implementing or enforcing the "Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing" rule (2023) and prevents HUD from reissuing a similar rule without new congressional approval. It requires HUD to reinstate the "Preserving Community and Neighborhood Choice" rule (2020) as fully effective. The bill directly affects HUD's regulatory authority over housing programs but does not create new housing benefits or requirements for residents. It focuses solely on altering HUD's rulemaking process regarding fair housing enforcement.

Maddy summaryHR 8706, the "Dismantle DEI Act of 2024," would prohibit federal agencies from maintaining diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices, programs, or training by requiring the closure of existing DEI offices within 90 days and banning federal funding for DEI-related activities. The bill defines "prohibited diversity, equity, and inclusion practices" as those that discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, religion, biological sex, or national origin, or require training that asserts a particular group is inherently superior or inferior. It would rescind several executive orders related to racial equity and gender inclusion, and prohibit the use of federal funds for DEI-related activities across all federal agencies, contractors, and grant recipients. The bill contains limited exceptions for Equal Employment Opportunity offices and disability rights enforcement offices as historically organized and operated.

Maddy summaryThis bill reauthorizes federal funding for graduate medical education (GME) programs at children's hospitals through fiscal year 2028. It prohibits payments to any children's hospital that provided gender-affirming care to minors during the previous fiscal year (with a special rule for 2024 payments covering July-September 2023). The bill defines "gender-affirming care" as specific medical treatments like surgeries or puberty-blocking medications for gender transition, but excludes care for certain medical conditions or gender dysphoria treatment not classified as such. This directly affects hospitals receiving GME funding that serve minors, potentially impacting their federal support if they provided the specified care. The policy change modifies existing funding rules without altering broader healthcare access for minors.

Maddy summaryThis bill would change how Social Security benefits are calculated for public servants who worked in jobs not covered by Social Security (such as many state and local government positions). It replaces the current Windfall Elimination Provision with a new formula that accounts for both covered and noncovered earnings when calculating benefits, rather than reducing benefits based on noncovered employment. The bill would provide additional monthly payments of $100 for some affected individuals and $50 for others, starting 270 days after enactment. It also requires Social Security account statements to show noncovered earnings and directs the Social Security Administration to study ways to improve information sharing with state pension systems about noncovered pensions. The changes would apply to benefits payable starting January 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryThis bill provides one-time financial assistance to U.S. farmers growing specific crops (like corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, and rice) during the 2024 crop year if their expected costs exceed expected returns. Payments equal 60% of the difference between the expected cost of production per acre (based on USDA cost forecasts) and the expected gross return per acre (based on projected farm prices and yields). Payments are calculated using actual planted acreage plus 50% of acreage prevented from planting due to natural disasters, with annual caps of $175,000 or $350,000 depending on the farm’s primary income source. The program uses existing USDA data sources and applies standard farm payment limits.