Rep. Bruce Westerman

Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act This bill allows the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to assess civil penalties against motor carriers, brokers, and freight forwarders for violations related to the interstate transportation of household goods and provides states with additional related authorities. As background, a broker is the “middle person” between a shipper and a motor carrier and arranges for the transportation of household goods. A freight forwarder organizes shipments for individuals or corporations. Unlike a broker, freight forwarders assume responsibility for transportation and may transport the freight itself. The bill expands the FMCSA registration requirements to require motor carriers, brokers, and freight forwarders to designate a principal place of business (i.e., a single physical location where management officials report to work, a significant portion of the transportation business is conducted, and records are maintained). FMCSA may withhold, suspend, amend, or revoke any part of a registration for failure to designate. In addition, brokers and freight forwarders must disclose any common ownership, management, control, or familial relationship with any other carrier, freight forwarder, broker, or applicant in the previous three years. Under current law, motor carriers must disclose this information. Further, states may use certain grant funds to enforce federal household goods statutes and regulations for the interstate transportation of these goods by motor carriers and brokers. This applies to Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) grant funds and MCSAP High Priority discretionary grant funds. A state shall retain collected fines that are a result of enforcement.

Maddy summaryThis resolution allocates $19,311,600 in total funding for the Committee on Natural Resources' expenses during the 119th Congress, covering staff salaries and operational costs. The funds are split equally between two sessions: $9,655,800 for expenses incurred from January 3, 2025, to January 3, 2026, and another $9,655,800 for expenses from January 3, 2026, to January 3, 2027. The resolution does not create new policies but provides the financial framework for the committee’s operations. It directly affects the Committee on Natural Resources and its staff by authorizing their budget under House administrative rules.

Maddy summaryHJRES 30 is a congressional resolution seeking to block an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule that implements the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act of 2020. The resolution targets the EPA's specific rule (published in the Federal Register on October 11, 2024) which establishes a phasedown schedule for hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) used in refrigeration, air conditioning, and other applications. If approved, this resolution would formally disapprove the EPA rule under the Congressional Review Act, preventing it from taking effect and halting the agency's implementation of the HFC phase-down. The resolution directly affects the EPA’s regulatory authority and the timeline for reducing HFC use, which impacts industries relying on these chemicals.

Life at Conception Act This bill declares that the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution is vested in each human being at all stages of life, including the moment of fertilization, cloning, or other moment at which an individual comes into being. Nothing in this bill shall be construed to authorize the prosecution of any woman for the death of her unborn child.

Maddy summaryHR 21, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, requires medical staff at abortion facilities to provide the same immediate care and hospital admission to any infant born alive during an abortion as they would for any newborn. It mandates reporting failures to provide this care to law enforcement and imposes penalties of up to 5 years in prison for violations, with harsher penalties for intentional killing. The bill also allows women who undergo abortions to sue for civil damages, including triple the abortion cost, and provides for attorney fees. It defines "abortion" to exclude procedures performed after viability to preserve a live birth. This law directly affects healthcare providers at abortion facilities and creates new federal legal obligations for them.

Maddy summaryHR 703, the Main Street Tax Certainty Act, makes a key tax deduction permanent for small business owners. It removes the temporary sunset provision (subsection (i)) from Section 199A of the tax code, ensuring the qualified business income deduction remains available for eligible small businesses. This change directly affects pass-through business owners (like S-corps, partnerships, and sole proprietorships) who currently qualify for this deduction. The permanent change takes effect for tax years starting after December 31, 2025.

This bill increases the annual limit on the tax credit for qualified railroad track maintenance expenses (also referred to as the short line railroad tax credit) and expands eligibility for claiming the credit. Under current law, the tax credit is limited each tax year to $3,500 multiplied by the sum of the number of miles of railroad track owned or leased by the taxpayer (miles owned or leased) and the number of railroad track miles assigned to the taxpayer by a Class II or III railroad (miles assigned). This bill increases the annual limit to $6,100 multiplied by the sum of miles owned or leased and miles assigned. The $6,100 amount used in the calculation of the tax credit limit is adjusted for inflation for tax years beginning after 2025. The bill also expands eligibility for the tax credit to include gross expenses for maintaining railroad tracks owned or leased as of January 1, 2024. Under current law, the tax credit is limited to gross expenses for maintaining railroad tracks owned or leased as of January 1, 2015.

Maddy summaryHR 431, the "Pony Up Act," requires the United States Postal Service (USPS) to reimburse citizens for fees or penalties incurred due to late delivery of their bills or payment notices. If a bill notice is delivered late (defined as USPS receiving mail more than 12 days before the due date but delivering it less than 6 days before the due date), USPS must pay the full amount of late fees charged to the citizen. Citizens can apply for reimbursement online, by mail, or in person at post offices, with appeals available to a Judicial Officer if denied. The bill also mandates annual USPS reports to Congress on mail delivery delays, including data on different mail classes and presorting effects. This directly affects citizens who face late fees due to USPS delivery errors.

Maddy summaryHR 404, the "Hearing Protection Act," reclassifies firearm silencers (devices that reduce gunfire noise) as firearms for federal tax and regulatory purposes. It imposes a 10% federal tax on silencers, requires the destruction of all existing federal silencer registration records within one year, and preempts state laws that tax or regulate silencers. The bill clarifies that silencers are treated as firearms under federal law, including for licensing and marking requirements, and defines "firearm silencer" to include specific components. Note: The bill’s title is misleading - it addresses firearm silencer regulation, not hearing protection for people.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits federal funding under Title X (which supports family planning services) for clinics or organizations that perform or fund abortions, except in cases of rape, incest, or when a physician certifies a life-threatening condition. It requires grantees to certify compliance annually and mandates detailed annual reports to Congress on exceptions, including abortion counts by circumstance. The law directly affects Title X-funded providers who currently offer abortion services, potentially forcing them to stop providing abortions or lose federal funding. Key mechanisms include the certification requirement, exception criteria, and the new reporting obligations for the Secretary of Health and Human Services.