Rep. Bruce Westerman

Maddy summaryThe Defending American Property Abroad Act of 2025 protects U.S. property interests in Western Hemisphere countries with U.S. free trade agreements. It requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to identify and list ports, harbors, or marine terminals where a foreign government has nationalized, expropriated, or seized U.S.-owned land (since January 2024) through actions like contract repudiation or forced control. Once listed, the President must prohibit vessels using these sites from importing goods, docking passenger vessels, or conducting maintenance in the United States. This directly affects U.S. persons (citizens or businesses) with property in designated locations.

Maddy summaryHR 4382 authorizes the U.S. Mint to produce commemorative coins for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics/Paralympics and 2034 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics/Paralympics. It specifies gold, silver, and half-dollar coin designs with defined mintage limits (e.g., up to 100,000 $5 gold coins for each event), all bearing inscriptions like "2028" or "2034" and standard coin features. A surcharge ($5-$50 per coin) is added to sales, with all funds directed to the respective Olympic committees to support event hosting and legacy programs like youth sports. The bill ensures no net cost to the government by requiring surcharge revenues to cover all design, production, and marketing expenses before funds are disbursed.

Maddy summaryThe CONNECT for Health Act of 2025 expands Medicare telehealth coverage by removing geographic restrictions that limited where patients could receive care, expanding the types of health care providers who can offer telehealth services, and eliminating the requirement for an in-person visit before receiving telemental health services. The bill includes specific provisions to support telehealth use for Native American health facilities, rural health clinics, and Federally Qualified Health Centers. It requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to collect and publish data on telehealth usage and impacts, and to develop resources to improve accessibility for people with disabilities and limited English proficiency. Program integrity measures are added to monitor telehealth billing practices and prevent fraud while maintaining coverage for telehealth services during public health emergencies.

Maddy summaryThis bill, the PAPA Act of 2025, restricts how aircraft tracking data (ADS-B) can be used and regulates fees on general aviation aircraft. It prohibits using ADS-B data to identify aircraft for revenue purposes without owner consent, allows its use only for air traffic safety by controllers, and extends this restriction to all government officials. For airport fees, it requires public disclosure of cost-saving efforts, alternative revenue sources, fee impact assessments, and specific safety project costs before imposing landing/takeoff fees on general aviation aircraft. All fees collected must be used exclusively for airside safety projects, not other airport expenses. The bill defines general aviation aircraft as those used for personal, recreational, training, or non-commercial purposes (excluding scheduled airlines and military flights).

Maddy summaryThis bill proposes a constitutional amendment that would grant Congress the power to pass laws banning the physical desecration of the U.S. flag (such as burning, trampling, or defacing it). If ratified, it would directly affect individuals who engage in such acts by making them subject to federal criminal penalties under new laws Congress could create. The amendment would add a specific clause to the Constitution stating: "Congress shall have power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States." Ratification would require approval by 3/4 of state legislatures within seven years of submission.

Patient Access to Higher Quality Health Care Act of 2025 This bill repeals provisions under the Stark law (i.e., the Physician Self-Referral Law) that limit, for purposes of Medicare participation, self-referrals by newly constructed or expanded physician-owned hospitals.

Maddy summaryHR 3783, the Plant Biostimulant Act of 2025, defines "plant biostimulant" as substances or microorganisms that improve plant growth, nutrient use, and stress tolerance without relying on nutrient content. It amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act to create this new category, excluding products primarily intended as nutrients or plant regulators. The bill requires the EPA to update regulations within 120 days and directs the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct a two-year study on how biostimulants improve soil health, reduce runoff, and support climate benefits like carbon sequestration. This directly affects farmers using biostimulants, manufacturers of these products, and federal agencies regulating agricultural inputs.

Maddy summaryHR 3688, the Protecting Children from Experimentation Act of 2025, prohibits healthcare professionals from performing or aiding gender transition procedures on minors (under age 18) when the procedure involves interstate commerce (e.g., travel, payments, or communications across state lines). The bill defines "gender transition procedures" broadly to include hormonal treatments and surgeries like puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and genital reconstruction, but excludes medically necessary care for disorders of sex development, precocious puberty, or life-threatening conditions. Healthcare providers violating this prohibition face criminal penalties of up to five years in prison or fines, while minors cannot be prosecuted for receiving such procedures. The law explicitly targets providers, not parents or minors, and includes specific medical exceptions to avoid restricting standard care for qualifying health conditions.

Maddy summaryThis bill extends existing federal reentry programs under the Second Chance Act through 2030, continuing funding for services supporting people returning to communities after incarceration. It specifically maintains grants for state/local reentry projects (including substance use treatment, housing, and peer recovery services), family-based substance abuse treatment, prison/jail educational programs, career training, and community mentoring by nonprofits. The bill updates program timelines from their previous 2019-2023 authorization period to 2026-2030 without altering the core services provided. It directly affects state/local agencies, prisons, and nonprofit organizations administering these reentry programs. The legislation focuses solely on extending current funding mechanisms, not changing program requirements or creating new initiatives.

Maddy summaryThis bill restores a tax deduction for personal losses caused by disasters, crimes, or scams (like stolen property or damage from hurricanes). It directly affects taxpayers who filed returns before 2025 but couldn’t claim this deduction due to a prior suspension. The bill reinstates the deduction and extends the deadline to file refund claims for these losses until the tax filing deadline for the year the bill becomes law. This allows eligible individuals to claim refunds they were previously barred from receiving.