Maddy summaryHR 5130, the "Finish It Act," requires the Department of Defense to use stored border wall construction materials (valued at approximately $300 million) for building permanent barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border within 30 days of the bill's enactment. It mandates that states receiving materials certify they will use them exclusively for border barriers, with penalties for unused materials (requiring repayment of the original cost) and imposes a 1% budget cut for every two days of delay in implementation. The bill also demands a detailed report from the Department of Defense within 90 days, including internal communications about storage costs and contracts with private landowners. This legislation directly affects the Department of Defense and border states, focusing on redirecting existing resources rather than creating new funding or construction.
Sponsored bills
Preserving Safety Net Integrity Act of 2023 This bill enacts with the force and effect of law the final rule of the Department of Homeland Security titled Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds and published on August 14, 2019. The bill also nullifies the final rule issued by DHS titled Public Charge Ground of Inadmissibility and published on September 9, 2022. The 2019 final rule made it more likely that a non-U.S. national ( alien under federal law) would be denied admission or lawful permanent resident status because that individual is likely to become a public charge (i.e., receive certain public benefits). The 2022 final rule nullified the 2019 final rule.
This bill requires the Department of State to make certain information regarding the 2021 withdrawal of U.S. personnel from Afghanistan available to Congress and to the public. Specifically, the State Department must provide Congress with the July 13, 2021, dissent channel cable regarding the likely consequences of a U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the official State Department response to the cable. (The dissent channel is a tool that foreign service officers may use to communicate alternative or dissenting views about foreign policy matters with senior State Department officials. ) The unredacted cable and official response must be provided to Congress within five days of the bill's enactment, except that the names of the cable signatories may be redacted. The bill also requires the State Department to complete a declassification review of (1) the dissent channel cable and official response, and (2) the after-action review developed with respect to the Afghanistan withdrawal. After determining what information may be declassified, the State Department must publish such information online within 60 days of the bill's enactment.
Maddy summaryHR 4952 establishes the Office of Strategic Capital within the Department of Defense to manage national security investments. The Office provides loans, loan guarantees, and equity investments to eligible entities (including businesses, states, tribal governments, and public agencies) for projects involving "vital" tangible or intangible assets critical to national security, such as infrastructure or technology. Key mechanisms include setting interest rates (with potential waivers for national security projects), requiring credit ratings, and limiting loan terms to 50 years from project completion. The Office must report annually to Congress and its authorities expire on October 1, 2028.
Maddy summaryThis bill directs the U.S. Treasury to mint commemorative coins marking the Marine Corps' 250th anniversary in 2025. It authorizes three coin types: $5 gold coins (max 50,000), $1 silver coins (max 400,000), and half-dollar coins (max 750,000), with surcharges of $35, $10, and $5 respectively. The surcharge proceeds will fund the Marine Corps Heritage Center's educational programs, with no net cost to taxpayers as the Treasury must recover all minting costs through the surcharges. The coins can only be issued during 2025, and the Treasury must ensure all costs are covered before distributing funds to the Heritage Foundation.
Maddy summaryThis bill expands eligibility for business loans at credit unions to include veterans. It amends the Federal Credit Union Act to define "member business loan" as including loans made to veterans, using the standard definition of "veteran" from Title 38 of U.S. Code. Credit unions offering these loans will now be able to serve veteran business owners under the same terms as other qualifying borrowers. The policy change directly affects veterans seeking business financing and credit unions providing such loans.
Maddy summaryHR 4721, the Main Street Tax Certainty Act, makes a permanent the 20% tax deduction for eligible small business owners under Section 199A of the tax code. This provision directly affects pass-through business owners (like S-corps, partnerships, and sole proprietorships) who qualify for the deduction. The bill achieves this by removing the temporary expiration language (subsection (i)) from the existing tax code provision. The key change is ending the need for annual congressional extensions of this deduction, providing long-term tax certainty for small businesses.
Maddy summaryThis bill, the Veteran Care Improvement Act of 2023, establishes new standards for when veterans can receive care from private providers instead of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). It requires the VA to allow veterans to seek community care if they cannot get an in-person appointment within 30 days for primary care or 60 days for specialty care at a VA facility within a 30 or 60-minute drive, respectively. The legislation also mandates that the VA notify veterans of their eligibility for community care within two business days, provide information about telehealth options, and explain reasons for denied care requests along with appeal instructions. Additional provisions include requiring the VA to conduct outreach to inform veterans about community care options, mandate the use of value-based reimbursement models for community care, and establish a pilot program to improve care administration through scheduling improvements and provider incentives. The bill also extends the deadline for health care entities to submit claims under the prompt payment standard from 180 days to one year, and requires the VA Inspector General to assess VA medical center performance in implementing community care programs within three years of enactment.
Maddy summaryThis bill, HR 1282 (Major Richard Star Act), expands benefits for certain military retirees by allowing them to receive both veterans' disability compensation and military retirement pay simultaneously. It specifically affects combat-related disabled retirees under Chapter 61 of the military retirement system who have fewer than 20 years of service. The key change removes the automatic reduction of military retirement pay when these retirees also receive disability compensation, as amended in Section 1413a(b)(3) of Title 10. Technical updates to the law’s structure and effective date (starting after enactment) complete the provisions.
Maddy summaryThis bill creates a 30-day grace period for flood insurance policyholders under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) who choose to pay premiums monthly. During this period, policyholders won't lose coverage for nonpayment, but they must later pay back unpaid premiums plus an extra fee. The bill also prohibits charging extra fees for choosing monthly payments compared to annual payments, directly affecting NFIP policyholders who select the monthly payment option.