Rep. Mark B. Messmer

Maddy summaryHR 3044, the "No Vaccine Mandates in Higher Education Act," prohibits federal funding from being provided to colleges and universities that require students or staff to receive a COVID-19 vaccine for enrollment, employment, or access to services. This directly affects institutions of higher education receiving federal funds, such as those participating in student aid programs. The bill's key mechanism is withholding federal funds from any institution enforcing such vaccine mandates, as defined under the Higher Education Act of 1965. The law focuses solely on vaccine requirements, not other health or safety policies.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new program within the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to provide point-of-sale incentives for purchasing specific dairy products. It targets SNAP households by offering incentives at checkout for fluid milk, yogurt, and cheese made from cow’s milk (defined as "naturally nutrient-rich dairy" under the bill). The program will fund competitive grants to state/local governments and nonprofits to implement these incentives, with $10 million allocated annually for implementation and evaluation. It also transitions existing dairy incentive projects into this new framework and repeals the previous program after a one-year transition period.

Maddy summaryThe Neighborhood Homes Investment Act creates a new tax credit for developers who build or rehabilitate affordable homes in distressed communities. The credit is calculated as the lesser of (1) the difference between development costs and sale price, (2) 40% of development costs, or (3) 32% of the national median home price. It applies only to homes sold to qualified homeowners with income up to 140% of area median income in designated "qualified census tracts" (areas with high poverty rates, low median home values, and low median family income). Developers must meet quality standards and repay the credit if the home is sold within 5 years of the affordable sale. This credit aims to address the "value gap" that prevents housing development in distressed communities by incentivizing affordable home construction and rehabilitation.

Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act or the SAVE Act This bill requires individuals to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. Specifically, the bill prohibits states from accepting and processing an application to register to vote in a federal election unless the applicant presents documentary proof of U.S. citizenship. The bill specifies what documents are considered acceptable proof of U.S. citizenship, such as identification that complies with the REAL ID Act of 2005 that indicates U.S. citizenship. Further, the bill (1) prohibits states from registering an individual to vote in a federal election unless, at the time the individual applies to register to vote, the individual provides documentary proof of U.S. citizenship; and (2) requires states to establish an alternative process under which an applicant may submit other evidence to demonstrate U.S. citizenship. Each state must take affirmative steps on an ongoing basis to ensure that only U.S. citizens are registered to vote, which shall include establishing a program to identify individuals who are not U.S. citizens using information supplied by certain sources. Additionally, states must remove noncitizens from their official lists of eligible voters. The bill allows for a private right of action against an election official who registers an applicant to vote in a federal election who fails to present documentary proof of U.S. citizenship. The bill establishes criminal penalties for certain offenses, including registering an applicant to vote in a federal election who fails to present documentary proof of U.S. citizenship.

Maddy summaryHR 2781, the ENLIST Act, requires certain secondary schools to display and make accessible military recruiting information during school hours. This bill amends existing law to add this specific requirement for schools covered under the provision. It directly affects secondary schools that receive federal funding under the referenced section of the U.S. Code. The key mechanism is mandating the display of military recruiting details as part of the school's informational resources during regular school time.

Maddy summaryHR 1793, the Veterans Readiness and Employment Transparency Act of 2025, requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to improve access to vocational rehabilitation services for veterans with service-connected disabilities. The bill mandates a dedicated VA hotline, updated regional office websites with contact details, and requires VA counselors to hold monthly staff Q&A sessions and provide in-person briefings at local educational institutions (or virtual briefings for institutions over 150 miles away). It also requires the VA to submit an annual report detailing the number of veterans requesting, receiving, and being denied extensions to their rehabilitation program periods. These provisions directly affect veterans using VA vocational rehabilitation programs and VA regional office staff responsible for delivering those services.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the Secretaries of Health and Human Services and Defense to develop a 10-year strategy within 180 days of enactment to maintain stockpiles of anthrax countermeasures (like treatments and vaccines) in the Strategic National Stockpile and for military personnel and families on U.S. bases. It mandates annual reports to Congress detailing anthrax threats from foreign adversaries and terrorist groups, government programs addressing these threats, and efforts to ensure countermeasures are available for military dependents abroad. The strategy must prioritize sustainable cooperation with manufacturers and address multidrug-resistant strains. The bill directly affects military personnel, their families, and civilians on military installations by strengthening anthrax defense capabilities.

Maddy summaryThe Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025 would reform the Low-Income Housing Credit program, which provides tax credits to developers of affordable housing. It would increase state allocations based on population with annual cost-of-living adjustments, modify tenant eligibility rules to allow higher income limits for some residents, and add protections for domestic violence victims in housing. The bill would simplify rules for rural and Native American housing projects, clarify credit eligibility requirements, and require greater transparency in program administration. These changes would directly affect developers, property owners, and low-income tenants in housing projects that receive LIHC tax credits.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends immigration law to expand mandatory detention for non-citizen immigrants convicted of specific property crimes. It adds trespassing, vandalism, and arson to the list of offenses that trigger detention under Section 236(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, alongside burglary and serious bodily injury. Non-citizen immigrants convicted of these crimes would now face automatic detention without bond, rather than potentially being released pending removal proceedings. The key change modifies existing detention criteria to include these three property crimes as grounds for mandatory immigration detention.

Maddy summaryThis bill, HR 2102 (Major Richard Star Act), allows veterans with combat-related disabilities to receive both full military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation simultaneously, without the previous offset that reduced retired pay. It directly affects veterans already eligible for both benefits due to combat-related injuries, removing the requirement that their retired pay be reduced by the disability compensation amount. The key provision amends Title 10 and Title 38 to eliminate the offset rule (sections 5304 and 5305 of Title 38) for these veterans. The change applies to payments starting after the bill’s enactment date, effective for all qualifying veterans. This is a policy change to increase financial support for affected veterans, not a new benefit.