Rep. Mike Flood

Maddy summaryHR 621, the PART Act, requires catalytic converters on vehicles to be stamped with a visible vehicle identification number (VIN) using special high-visibility paint to deter theft. It creates a federal grant program to help auto dealers, repair shops, and law enforcement implement this stamping at no cost to vehicle owners. The bill also mandates that sellers of catalytic converters retain buyer identification and vehicle details for two years, and adds new federal criminal penalties for stealing or trafficking in catalytic converters.

Biofuel Cell Research Act This bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish a research, development, and demonstration program to expand the use of biofuels in vehicles. Under the program, DOE must develop a commercially viable fuel cell system that uses biofuel as a fuel source.

Biojet Fuel Research Act This bill establishes a sustainable aviation fuel working group that includes, among others, representatives of specified federal entities, Canada, Mexico, and aviation fuel and manufacturing industries. The working group must report on research and other needs to develop biojet fuels that are comparable in cost and safety to petroleum-based jet fuel.

Maddy summaryThis bill authorizes the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to honor the volunteers and communities who supported the North Platte Canteen during World War II. It directs the U.S. Mint to create a gold medal commemorating the approximately 55,000 volunteers (mostly women) from Nebraska, Colorado, and Kansas who served over 6 million troops from 1941 to 1946. The medal will be displayed at the Lincoln County Historical Museum in North Platte, Nebraska, and bronze duplicates may be sold to cover minting costs. The bill is purely commemorative, with no policy changes or direct effects on current laws or programs.

Maddy summaryHR 914, the Simplifying Grants Act of 2023, requires federal agencies to simplify grant application processes for small local governments (defined as those in areas with fewer than 50,000 people, per Census standards). Within 180 days of enactment, agencies must review and simplify complex grant requirements for existing programs and ensure new programs are designed with simplicity from the start. Agencies must also publish public checklists for each grant step and report annually to Congress on implementation progress, including how much technical assistance was provided and how many grants were awarded to small communities versus larger ones. This bill directly affects counties, towns, and other small local governments that receive federal grants but face bureaucratic hurdles.

Maddy summaryHR 29, the Border Safety and Security Act of 2023, grants the Secretary of Homeland Security authority to restrict entry at U.S. land or maritime borders for certain immigrants deemed "covered aliens" (those inadmissible under immigration law due to lack of proper documentation). The bill requires the Secretary to suspend entry if they cannot detain or process these individuals as required by existing immigration law. It also allows state attorneys general to sue the Secretary in federal court if they believe border policies harm their state's residents. The law defines "operational control" using terms from the Secure Fence Act of 2006. This bill directly affects immigrants seeking entry who fall under the specified inadmissibility category.

This resolution condemns Iranian state-sponsored terrorist attacks against U.S. citizens and officials and Iranian dissidents. The resolution also expresses support for the people of Iran who are legitimately defending their rights for freedom against repression and condemns the killing of Iranian protesters by the Iranian regime.

Maddy summaryHCONRES 13 is a concurrent resolution expressing Congress's support for maintaining the current policy that prohibits imposing new fees on local radio stations for playing music. It states that Congress should not impose any performance fee, tax, royalty, or charge on local radio stations for broadcasting sound recordings over the air, or on businesses like bars and restaurants that play music publicly. The resolution argues that such fees would harm local radio stations - critical sources for emergency information and community programming - and jeopardize the economic model that has supported both radio and the music industry for decades. This resolution does not create new law but formally opposes potential legislative changes to the existing fee structure.

Prohibition of Agricultural Land for the People's Republic of China Act This bill requires the President to prohibit nonresident aliens, foreign businesses, and agents associated with China's government from (1) purchasing agricultural (including ranching) real estate located in the United States, or (2) participating in Department of Agriculture programs that are unrelated to food and safety regulatory requirements.

Maddy summaryThis bill helps new car dealers affected by pandemic-era supply chain disruptions by changing tax rules for inventory sales. It allows dealers using LIFO accounting to treat certain sales of unsold vehicles (liquidations) between March 2020 and December 2021 as "qualified" for tax purposes. Dealers can defer recognizing income from these sales and have until 2026 to replace the sold vehicles before potential tax adjustments apply. The provision specifically targets dealers who couldn't replenish inventory during the supply chain crisis.