Rep. Beth Van Duyne

Maddy summaryThis bill amends Medicare rules to improve payment for air ambulance services. It requires air ambulance providers to submit detailed cost and revenue data every three years (including fixed costs per base, utilization rates, and revenue) to the Medicare Secretary. The Secretary must then revise fee schedules based on this data and stakeholder input, aiming to better align payments with actual costs. A separate provision mandates the GAO to study average operating costs, payment adequacy, geographic variations, and make recommendations within one year of data collection starting. The bill directly affects Medicare beneficiaries using air ambulances and the providers operating those services.

Maddy summaryHR 4710, the No Surprises Act Enforcement Act, increases penalties for health insurance plans and issuers that violate balance billing protections, which prevent surprise medical bills. The bill raises fines from $100 to $10,000 per violation for specific balance billing rule violations and adds a new penalty of three times the difference between initial payment and out-of-network rates for late payments after Independent Dispute Resolution decisions. It requires health plans and nonparticipating providers to make timely payments within 30 days of a payment determination, with interest accruing on late payments. The bill also establishes new transparency reporting requirements for the Secretary to submit regular reports to Congress about audits, enforcement actions, and penalties. These provisions directly affect health insurance issuers, group health plans, and nonparticipating healthcare providers.

Maddy summaryThis bill (HR 4677) renames a U.S. Postal Service facility in Amarillo, Texas (located at 505 East 9th Avenue) as the "Mayor Jerry H. Hodge Post Office Building" to honor the late mayor. It updates all official U.S. government references to the building to reflect this new name. The bill has no policy impact beyond this ceremonial designation and affects no specific legislation or funding.

Maddy summaryHR 4704, the ROTOR Act, requires the Defense Health Agency to study cancer rates among military helicopter pilots and aviation support personnel. It directly affects service members who served as rotary-wing aircrew (pilots or support staff) since 1961 and receive VA healthcare. The bill mandates a two-phase study: first, comparing cancer prevalence/mortality for 12 specific cancers (like lung, prostate, and breast cancer) between these service members and the general population; second, if increased rates are found, investigating potential causes like aircraft toxins, radiation exposure, or other service-related hazards. The study will use existing VA and cancer registry data, with findings reported to Congress within two years.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits life, disability, and long-term care insurers from denying coverage, canceling policies, or increasing premiums based solely on a person's status as a living organ donor. It directly protects living organ donors by preventing insurance discrimination unrelated to actual health risks. The bill also requires the Health and Human Services Secretary to update public educational materials about organ donation benefits, risks, and insurance impacts within six months of enactment. These materials will include information on the new insurance protections established by the bill. The law relies on state insurance regulators for enforcement of the insurance provisions.

Maddy summaryHR 4620 amends federal law to include rioting as a form of racketeering activity under Title 18, United States Code. This change would allow prosecutors to charge individuals who organize or participate in riots as part of a larger criminal enterprise under federal racketeering laws. The bill specifically targets coordinated riot activities linked to organized crime, not isolated or spontaneous protests.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and federal employee leave rules to clarify that recovery from organ donation surgery qualifies as a "serious health condition." It directly affects private-sector workers covered by the FMLA and federal civil service employees. The key change adds "including recovery from surgery related to organ donation" to the definitions of serious health conditions in both the FMLA and federal leave statutes. This ensures eligible employees can use their existing family and medical leave benefits to recover after donating an organ, without requiring new leave entitlements.

Maddy summaryThe Defending American Property Abroad Act of 2025 protects U.S. property interests in Western Hemisphere countries with U.S. free trade agreements. It requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to identify and list ports, harbors, or marine terminals where a foreign government has nationalized, expropriated, or seized U.S.-owned land (since January 2024) through actions like contract repudiation or forced control. Once listed, the President must prohibit vessels using these sites from importing goods, docking passenger vessels, or conducting maintenance in the United States. This directly affects U.S. persons (citizens or businesses) with property in designated locations.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires states and local governments to reimburse the federal government for costs when they obstruct lawful federal immigration enforcement, leading to military deployments. Specifically, if a state fails to cooperate with immigration operations (like refusing detainer requests), the Secretary of Defense must send the state a bill for expenses like military personnel travel, lodging, and equipment transport. States have 180 days to pay the invoice, or the President may withhold federal grants to offset the unpaid amount. The bill targets reimbursement for deployments triggered by state noncooperation, not for routine enforcement. It does not change immigration law but shifts costs to jurisdictions that impede federal operations.

Maddy summaryHR 1919, the "Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act," prohibits the Federal Reserve from developing, testing, or issuing any central bank digital currency (CBDC) or similar digital assets. It specifically bans the Fed from offering direct financial products to individuals, maintaining individual accounts, or issuing CBDCs directly or indirectly through intermediaries like banks. The bill also blocks the Fed from using any digital asset for monetary policy and clarifies that physical currency's privacy protections remain intact. This policy directly affects the Federal Reserve System's ability to create or manage digital monetary tools.