Rep. Juan Ciscomani

Maddy summaryHR 2915, the Farm Workforce Support Act of 2023, requires the Comptroller General to study the H-2A visa program and submit a report to specific congressional committees within two years. The report must examine how the program affects hiring (including impacts on domestic and guest workers), challenges in providing housing for guest workers, wage rate effects on employer recruitment, economic impacts of lost wages for guest worker families, and compliance with working condition guarantees. This bill does not create new policy but mandates a detailed analysis of the existing H-2A program's operations and impacts. The study will directly inform Congress on the program's current functioning and potential issues.

Maddy summaryHR 2845, the Enhancing K-12 Cybersecurity Act, creates a centralized School Cybersecurity Information Exchange website managed by CISA to provide K-12 schools, school districts, and state education agencies with tailored cybersecurity resources, best practices, and funding opportunities. It establishes a voluntary registry for schools to report cyber incidents (like ransomware attacks) and requires CISA to publish annual, anonymized reports on incident trends. The bill also funds a K-12 Cybersecurity Technology Improvement Program to deploy protective tools, offer training, and prevent threats, with $10 million authorized annually for 2024-2025. This directly supports schools in strengthening digital security for students and staff, focusing on practical, accessible solutions rather than legislative changes.

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.

American Innovation and R&D Competitiveness Act of 2023 This bill eliminates the five-year amortization requirement for research and experimental expenditures, thus allowing continued expensing of such expenditures in the taxable years in which they are incurred.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a federal grant program to help states fund child care for the minor children of police officers during their irregular work schedules. It provides competitive grants to states, with 20% reserved for jurisdictions employing fewer than 200 officers, to support law enforcement agencies in creating or expanding child care services. States must match federal funds (10-33% over three years) and use grant money for startup costs, provider training, sick child care, extended hours, or facility construction. The program runs through 2028, requiring annual audits and two federal studies to assess its effectiveness.

Maddy summaryThe Puppy Protection Act of 2023 sets new standards for businesses that sell dogs (dealers), directly affecting pet stores and breeders operating under the Animal Welfare Act. It requires specific housing with space allowances based on dog size (e.g., 12-30 square feet per dog), temperature control (45-85°F), clean food twice daily, and daily exercise or socialization with humans/dogs for at least 30 minutes. The bill also mandates annual veterinary exams including dental care, strict breeding limits (e.g., age restrictions, maximum 2 litters in 18 months), and efforts to place retired breeding dogs in homes instead of selling them to other breeders. Regulations must be finalized within 18 months of enactment.

Maddy summaryHR 1378, the Veterans’ Appeals Backlog Improvement Act, establishes two new programs to improve staffing at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for processing veterans' appeals. It creates a competitive internship program for ABA-accredited law students to gain experience with the Board of Veterans' Appeals, and a nine-year pilot program to recruit and retain entry-level attorneys through student loan repayment benefits and structured professional development, including mentorship and rotational assignments. The bill requires the VA to report on improving telehearings access within 180 days, including recommendations for reimbursing travel costs and testing new methods for remote hearings. These provisions aim to reduce the appeals backlog by strengthening the VA’s legal workforce, directly affecting VA recruitment and retention of legal professionals.

Maddy summaryHJRES 27 is a congressional resolution seeking to block a federal rule that redefined which waterways fall under the Clean Water Act's protections. It targets a rule submitted by the Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Defense, and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on January 18, 2023, which aimed to revise the "Waters of the United States" definition. The resolution would formally disapprove this rule under a specific federal procedure (Chapter 8 of Title 5), preventing it from taking effect. This would directly affect how federal agencies regulate pollution and development near water bodies, including wetlands and smaller streams.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases livestock indemnity payment rates from 75% to 100% of losses for ranchers affected by Mexican gray wolves. It creates a new emergency relief program to compensate livestock producers whose herds suffer losses due to wolf attacks, using a formula based on herd size, historical depredation rates, increased management costs, and reduced birth rates. The Secretary of Agriculture must develop this formula within 180 days and annually report on relief distribution to Congress. The program directly affects ranchers in states with wolf populations, providing financial support for verified wolf-related livestock losses.

Maddy summaryThis bill terminates the national emergency declared by the President on March 13, 2020, under the National Emergencies Act. It ends the executive branch's authority to use emergency powers related to that specific declaration. The resolution passed both chambers in early 2023 and took effect April 10, 2023, without creating new policies or affecting specific groups.