Rep. Ron Estes

Maddy summaryHR 751, the HEALTH Panel Act, creates a 15-member Panel of Health Advisors within the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to enhance its analysis of health care policy. The panel provides technical expertise on CBO's health-related studies, cost estimates for health legislation, and health components in budget publications, and issues annual reports to congressional budget committees. Members, appointed by congressional leadership and the CBO Director with expertise in health finance, economics, and related fields, serve staggered three-year terms. The bill aims to improve the objectivity and depth of the CBO's health policy analysis without directly changing health programs or affecting constituents.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows independent music producers to deduct production costs immediately as business expenses (rather than spreading them over time) for U.S.-recorded sound recordings. It specifically covers independent artists and small labels producing music in the U.S., with a $150,000 annual limit on deductible costs per project. The bill also extends bonus depreciation for equipment used in qualifying recording projects. These changes apply to productions starting after the bill's enactment.

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 685, the SAVE Moms and Babies Act of 2025, prohibits the FDA from approving new abortion drugs or allowing investigational use of existing ones. It restricts existing abortion drugs to in-person administration by certified healthcare providers in clinics or hospitals (not pharmacies), limits use to pregnancies under 70 days gestation, and requires providers to certify they can handle complications like severe bleeding or ectopic pregnancies. The bill mandates reporting of adverse events (such as hospitalizations or infections) to the FDA without patient identifiers and defines "abortion drug" broadly as any drug intended to terminate pregnancy, excluding specific medical exceptions. This directly affects FDA approval processes, healthcare providers prescribing these drugs, and drug manufacturers.

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.

Maddy summaryHR 682, the Heartbeat Protection Act of 2025, prohibits physicians from performing abortions without first checking for a detectable fetal heartbeat according to standard medical practice and informing the patient of the results. It directly affects physicians and clinics performing abortions, requiring them to document heartbeat checks and comply with strict exceptions for life-threatening conditions, rape (with 48-hour documentation of counseling/treatment), or incest involving minors (with proof of prior report to authorities). Violations could result in fines or up to five years in prison, though the bill explicitly states it does not create or recognize a right to abortion. The law adds detailed documentation requirements for exceptions and mandates retention of medical records per federal health privacy rules.

Maddy summaryHR 662 amends the tax code to change how oil and gas companies calculate taxable income related to intangible drilling and development costs. It allows companies to disregard certain depreciation and depletion expenses recorded on their financial statements when computing taxable income, effectively reducing their tax burden on these specific costs. The bill directly affects oil and gas producers who use intangible drilling costs in their operations. The changes apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2025. This is a tax code adjustment, not a direct policy change for energy production.

Maddy summaryHJRES 28 proposes a constitutional amendment to permanently fix the number of justices on the U.S. Supreme Court at nine. This would require ratification by 38 state legislatures (three-fourths of states) within seven years to become part of the Constitution. The amendment directly affects the structure of the Supreme Court, which has had nine justices since 1869 but could otherwise be altered by future congressional action. It does not change current court operations or create new laws, but instead seeks to make the nine-justice composition a permanent constitutional requirement.

Maddy summaryHR 600, the "WHO is Accountable Act," prohibits U.S. federal funds from supporting the World Health Organization (WHO) until the organization meets eight specific conditions. These include ending perceived Chinese Communist Party influence, ending alleged pandemic cover-ups, granting Taiwan observer status, and halting WHO activities on gender identity, climate change, and abortion access. The bill blocks all U.S. contributions and membership efforts until the State Department certifies WHO compliance. It directly affects U.S. agencies managing international health funding and WHO's operational policies.