Rep. Derek Schmidt

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 summaryHR 7932, the HONOR Gold Star Families Act, increases the death gratuity paid to families of service members who died in the line of duty. It raises the current $100,000 payment to $200,000 for deaths occurring on or after January 1, 2026. The bill also adds an annual cost-of-living adjustment to this amount, increasing it each January 1 based on the previous year’s inflation rate as measured by the Consumer Price Index. This directly affects Gold Star Families - those who have lost a service member in military service - by providing a larger initial payment and ensuring future payments keep pace with inflation.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes the Red Star Service Banner as an officially recognized symbol to honor U.S. service members and veterans who died by suicide, as well as first responders who died by suicide. The banner features a white field with a blue border and a single red star, and it may be displayed at private residences, workplaces, public buildings, community spaces, and other appropriate locations to recognize the sacrifice of those who died and support their families. The legislation clarifies that displaying the banner does not create new eligibility for benefits, requires VA approval for individual display, or establish any legal status beyond recognition. It also allows the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to promote awareness of the banner in coordination with the Department of Defense without requiring additional funding.

Maddy summaryThis bill, known as the Kelsey Smith Act, would require telecommunications service providers to share location data with law enforcement or public safety answering points during emergency situations. It directly affects phone and internet service providers, law enforcement officers, and individuals whose location information might be disclosed. The key provision allows officers to request location data without delay if the device was used to contact emergency services in the past 48 hours or if there is reasonable suspicion of an emergency involving risk of death or serious physical harm. The bill also establishes requirements for obtaining consent from subscribers or their next of kin, with a defined priority order for determining next of kin when consent is needed. Additionally, law enforcement agencies must maintain records of these requests, and the bill does not exempt providers from complying with applicable state laws regarding location information disclosure.

James T. Woods Act This bill expands the federal framework for combating the online exploitation of children. Among its provisions, the bill establishes new criminal offenses, expands reporting requirements, and facilitates the prosecution and sentencing of offenders.   TITLE I—SAFE ACT Sentencing Accountability For Exploitation Act or the SAFE Act This title directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to review and amend its guidelines and policy statements applicable to federal criminal offenses involving the production, receipt, transport, shipment, or distribution of child sexual abuse material to (1) account for the actual and potential harm from the offense and changes since the last amendments with respect to the typical offense behavior and modern technologies, and (2) better reflect the spectrum of offender culpability. TITLE II—ENDING COERCION OF CHILDREN AND HARM ONLINE Ending Coercion of Children and Harm Online Act or the ECCHO Act This title establishes a federal framework to combat the online coercion of minors to commit harm. The title creates new criminal offenses, expands reporting of instances involving the online coercion of minors, facilitates the prosecution of offenders, and expands protections for minors who testify in court.   TITLE III—STOP SEXTORTION Stop Sextortion Act This title criminalizes threats to distribute child sexual abuse material to intimidate, coerce, extort, or cause substantial emotional distress. This practice is commonly referred to as sextortion . The title also increases criminal penalties for related offenses that involve the use of child sexual abuse material to intimidate, coerce, extort, or cause substantial emotional distress.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires Veterans Affairs call centers to use multi-factor authentication to verify the identity of callers before taking high-impact actions. It directly affects veterans and beneficiaries who interact with VA services, ensuring their identities are confirmed more securely. The law defines high-impact actions as those where fraud could cause lasting harm, such as diverting funds or accessing sensitive accounts. By adding this requirement to federal code, the bill strengthens existing security controls for vulnerable service members.

Maddy summaryHR 7678, the Gun Owner Registration Information Protection Act, prohibits federal funding for state or local databases that track lawfully owned firearms or their owners. The bill allows federal funding for databases recording lost or stolen firearms but bans it for databases listing legal gun ownership. This means states cannot use federal money to create or maintain systems that compile information about legally owned guns. The bill directly affects state and local governments that rely on federal funds for firearm ownership databases.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows state attorneys (who are licensed and trained) to represent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in removal proceedings for certain criminal aliens, under federal supervision. It requires states to ensure these attorneys follow federal law, provide proper training, and not displace federal employees. The bill also expands the definition of "aggravated felony" to include more state-level crimes (like certain drug offenses or thefts punishable by over one year in prison), making those offenses trigger mandatory immigration removal. This directly affects state attorneys participating in federal immigration enforcement and immigrants convicted of qualifying state crimes.

Maddy summaryThe RESCUE Act of 2025 amends federal permitting rules to streamline approvals for projects extracting minerals or carbon from specific waste sources. It directly affects companies and projects working with acid mine drainage, coal waste, mine tailings, or coal byproducts to recover rare earth elements, minerals under the 1872 Mining Law, or microfine carbon. The key provision adds these activities to the existing FAST Act permit process, removing barriers for processing materials from mining waste streams. This change aims to expedite development of domestic rare earth and carbon resources without altering environmental standards. The bill focuses on clarifying permit eligibility rather than creating new regulations.