Rep. Lance Gooden

Maddy summaryHR 2955, the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act, establishes a Federal Work Group to improve data collection and best practices for youth in residential programs (like therapeutic schools, treatment centers, and group homes). The Work Group, composed of federal agency representatives and diverse stakeholders, must develop national data standards, create risk assessment tools, and issue biennial reports with recommendations to enhance safety, reduce restraints, and expand community-based alternatives. It directly affects youth with mental health, substance use, or disability needs placed in these facilities, as well as agencies overseeing them. The bill also mandates a National Academies study to examine funding, oversight, and barriers to community care. These mechanisms aim to standardize data tracking and promote less restrictive, trauma-informed care for youth in residential programs.

Maddy summaryThe Employee Rights Act (HR 2700) amends key labor laws to strengthen employee rights in collective bargaining and privacy. It requires employers to use secret ballot elections for selecting bargaining representatives and to provide labor organizations with voter lists containing employee names and one form of contact information (chosen by the employee) within two business days of an election. The bill prohibits employers from using employee personal information for non-organizing purposes and mandates written authorization for using union dues on non-bargaining activities, with authorizations expiring after one year. Additionally, it clarifies joint employment standards to prevent misclassification and adds tribal sovereignty protections to labor law definitions.

Maddy summaryHR 2947, the Justice Against Sponsors of Illicit Fentanyl Act of 2023, removes sovereign immunity for foreign governments that provide material support to entities trafficking illicit fentanyl into the U.S. It allows U.S. victims of fentanyl-related injuries or deaths to sue foreign states directly in U.S. courts for civil damages. The bill defines "fentanyl trafficking" broadly to include producing, distributing, or supplying chemicals used in fentanyl manufacturing, and holds foreign states liable for tortious acts related to such trafficking. This law applies to cases arising from injuries occurring on or after January 1, 2013, and includes a provision allowing diplomatic negotiations to temporarily pause lawsuits for up to 180 days.

Maddy summaryThe Drone Act of 2023 strengthens federal criminal penalties for dangerous drone misuse by expanding existing laws. It specifically targets: weaponizing drones with firearms or explosives (penalties up to 20 years), using drones to transport contraband into prisons or across borders, operating drones near aircraft in restricted airspace (addressing safety risks like 875 airport sightings in 2020), and interfering with law enforcement or emergency operations. The law applies to anyone knowingly violating these rules, including those using drones for criminal activities like border smuggling or prison contraband delivery. Penalties range from fines and up to 5 years imprisonment for lesser offenses to 20 years for causing serious harm or death.

Maddy summaryHRES 90 is a resolution demanding the Chinese government immediately release Mark Swidan, a U.S. citizen from Texas who has been detained since 2012 on drug trafficking charges. The resolution cites the UN Human Rights Council Working Group finding his detention arbitrary, with no evidence of drug offenses, passport records showing he wasn’t in China during the alleged crimes, and China denying his family contact and medical care. It specifically condemns China for blocking U.S. diplomatic access and calls on the U.S. government to prioritize Swidan’s release through diplomatic channels. The resolution focuses on the case’s documented legal and humanitarian issues, not broader policy implications.

Maddy summaryHR 2826, the Save Local Business Act, clarifies when multiple businesses can be held jointly responsible for labor laws. It amends the National Labor Relations Act and Fair Labor Standards Act to state that a business is only a joint employer if it directly controls key employment terms like hiring, pay, schedules, or discipline for another business's workers. This directly affects franchisors, contractors, and similar business models that might previously have been deemed joint employers under broader interpretations. The bill aims to limit joint employer liability to cases where one business has clear, day-to-day control over essential worker conditions.

Maddy summaryHR 2865 requires the U.S. President to immediately close two diplomatic offices in New York City: the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office. Within 72 hours of the bill’s enactment, the President must order the closure of both offices and expel all diplomatic personnel assigned to them. For the Hong Kong office, the bill specifically overrides existing law (Public Law 105-22) to cancel visas or entry documents for Chinese citizens working there. This bill directly affects the operations and personnel of these two Chinese diplomatic missions in New York.

Maddy summaryHR 734, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023, amends Title IX to prohibit federally funded schools and athletic programs from allowing individuals assigned male at birth to participate in women's or girls' sports teams. The bill defines "sex" for this purpose as "reproductive biology and genetics at birth," making it a violation of federal law to permit such participation in designated women's or girls' programs. It allows males to train with women's teams only if no female is deprived of a roster spot, competition opportunity, scholarship, or other benefit tied to the team. This law directly affects public and private schools receiving federal financial assistance that operate athletic programs.

This resolution condemns the deliberate gas attacks on schoolgirls in Iran (up to 7,000 schoolgirls were poisoned in at least 290 attacks, according to human rights groups) and Iran's suppression of individuals participating in demonstrations. The resolution also urges the United States to initiate a formal process for an independent investigation and to work with the United Nations in investigating the gas attacks on schoolgirls in Iran.

Maddy summaryThe SPARC Act creates a federal loan repayment program to address specialty care shortages in rural areas. It provides up to $250,000 in repayment for specialty medicine physicians (like cardiologists or surgeons) and non-physician providers (such as nurse practitioners in specialty roles) who commit to six years of full-time work in designated rural communities facing provider shortages. Participants must agree to repay eligible education loans (including federal student loans) while serving in these areas, with strict rules preventing double-benefits from other loan forgiveness programs. The program requires annual reporting on participant locations and impact, aiming to improve access to specialty care in underserved rural regions.