Rep. Scott Franklin

Maddy summaryThe ACCURATE Act establishes a new Commission on Hazard Risk Assessment Tools to improve the quality and consistency of natural hazard risk models used by federal agencies. This commission will include representatives from government agencies, state and local emergency organizations, insurance and banking industries, and various professional sectors to develop standards for hazard maps, flood assessments, and risk scores. The bill requires federal departments to adopt these new standards when purchasing hazard assessment tools from private companies, with specific documentation requirements to ensure the tools meet established quality criteria. The commission will submit regular reports to Congress on its findings and recommendations, and the entire commission will dissolve five years after the law takes effect.

Equal Representation Act This bill requires that the statement sent by the President to Congress after the decennial census indicating the number of persons in each state exclude noncitizens. (This statement is the basis for reapportionment of U.S. Representatives.) The bill also requires any questionnaire used in the decennial census to include a checkbox or other similar option for respondents to indicate whether the respondent and each household member is (1) a U.S. citizen, (2) a U.S. national but not a citizen, (3) a non-U.S. national ( alien under federal law) lawfully residing in the United States, or (4) a non-U.S. national unlawfully residing in the United States. The Department of Commerce must make public the number of persons in each state, disaggregated by each of these four categories.

This resolution supports the recognition of Distracted Driving Awareness Month. The resolution also supports the efforts of the Department of Transportation, state and local governments, and state and local law enforcement to prevent and stop distracted driving.

Maddy summaryHR 8380 amends the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to establish new procedures for how the Senate and House of Representatives consider annual appropriation (spending) bills. In the Senate, the bill applies existing rules for budget resolutions to these spending bills and limits debate on them to a maximum of 20 hours. For the House of Representatives, it prohibits adjourning for more than three calendar days during the month of July until all annual appropriation bills for the upcoming fiscal year have been approved by the House. These changes directly affect how members of Congress manage and approve federal spending legislation.

Maddy summaryThe Maverick Act authorizes the Secretary of the Navy to transfer three F-14D Tomcat aircraft to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center Commission in Huntsville, Alabama, without charge to the Commission. The Commission would be responsible for all costs associated with the aircraft, including conveyance, operation, and maintenance. The bill requires the aircraft to be demilitarized and used exclusively for public display, airshows, or commemorative events to preserve naval aviation heritage. The Commission must also comply with all Federal Aviation Administration regulations, and if these conditions are violated, ownership of the aircraft would revert to the United States.

Maddy summaryHR 7734, the Land Grant Research Prioritization Act of 2026, directs existing federal research grant programs to prioritize four specific agricultural research areas. It adds new funding priorities for mechanized harvesting technologies (especially for specialty crops), artificial intelligence applications in farming (focusing on specialty crop production), invasive species management, and sustainable aquaculture methods. These grants will be awarded to land-grant colleges and universities, as defined by federal law, to develop and test these specific technologies and approaches. The bill does not create new funding but shifts emphasis within current programs toward these targeted research goals.

Maddy summaryHR 7464, the TEMP Act, requires the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation to research and develop index-based insurance for specific crops (like tomatoes, citrus, and strawberries) against frost or cold weather damage. This research must evaluate risk management tools and aim to create policies covering either production or revenue loss from such events. The Corporation must report its findings and recommendations to Congress within one year of the bill's enactment. The bill directly affects farmers growing these frost-vulnerable crops by initiating a process to potentially expand their insurance options.

Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025 This bill imposes sanctions on certain foreign persons (individuals and entities) that are involved in Iran's petroleum sector as well as certain associated persons. The bill also requires or authorizes actions to facilitate the enforcement of sanctions on Iran. Specifically, the bill requires the President to impose visa- and property-blocking sanctions on any foreign person that, after the bill's enactment, knowingly engages in any transaction related to the processing, export, or sale of oil, condensates, gas, liquefied natural gas, or other petrochemical products in whole or in part from Iran. The President must also impose sanctions on certain foreign persons associated with a sanctioned individual or entity. For example, the President must sanction the subsidiaries and corporate officers of a sanctioned business. The bill provides certain exceptions to these sanctions, including specifying that sanctions do not apply to the importation of goods or to conducting or facilitating transactions for humanitarian assistance. The Department of State must establish an interagency working group that shall seek to establish a multilateral contact group to coordinate international efforts to enforce sanctions on Iran. The bill expands the State Department rewards program to authorize a reward payment to any individual who furnishes information leading to the identification of a person (1) subject to sanctions under this bill, or (2) that has attempted or is attempting to evade sanctions under this bill.

Maddy summaryThis bill, known as the Improving Dental Administration Act of 2026, would allow certain state laws about dental benefits to override federal rules under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. It directly affects states that have their own regulations governing dental insurance and benefit plans for employees. The key provision creates an exemption that takes effect 18 months after the bill is enacted, permitting state laws related to dental benefit administration to apply even if they differ from federal requirements. The exemption only applies to state laws that do not conflict with existing federal laws in the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a new research program within NOAA to improve global ocean monitoring and observing systems. It directs the agency to develop sustained data collection capabilities, including the One-Argo system, while supporting research on ocean health, climate, and extreme weather forecasting. The legislation also mandates the integration of artificial intelligence and cloud technologies to optimize data use, requires annual reviews of program activities, and allows for competitive grants to academic and private institutions for ocean research projects.