Rep. Lloyd Smucker

Maddy summaryHR 5267, the American Franchise Act, clarifies when franchisors can be considered joint employers of franchisee employees under federal labor laws. It defines "substantial direct and immediate control" over essential employment terms like wages, benefits, hours, hiring, and discipline - requiring franchisors to actively set these terms to be deemed joint employers. The bill explicitly excludes routine brand standards, training, or minimal safety requirements from constituting such control. This directly affects franchisors and franchisees by limiting joint employer liability to cases where franchisors exert significant, ongoing influence over core employment decisions. The law applies prospectively to new cases after enactment, not past disputes.

This bill designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 6 Pennsylvania Avenue in Matamoras, Pennsylvania, as the "PFC Edward Kuhn Memorial Post Office".

Maddy summaryHR 7008, the Stop Insider Trading Act, restricts Members of Congress, their spouses, and dependent children from purchasing certain investments like stocks in publicly traded companies. It requires 7-14 days' advance public notice before selling any such investment, including the sale date, description, and number of shares. Exceptions apply for work-related transactions (e.g., employer compensation) and reinvesting dividends. Violations trigger a fee of $2,000 or 10% of the investment’s value (whichever is greater), plus any net gain, paid from personal funds - not congressional allowances or campaign donations. The bill aims to prevent conflicts of interest by increasing transparency around congressional financial dealings.

Maddy summaryThe Fiscal Sponsorship Transparency Act of 2026 requires tax-exempt organizations to publicly report details about their fiscal sponsorship agreements, including the names of involved parties, financial amounts, and the specific activities funded. This law defines fiscal sponsorship as arrangements where a nonprofit receives and manages donations on behalf of another person or project while retaining control over how the funds are used. To prevent abuse, the bill also introduces penalties for "improper conduit arrangements," where charities fail to exercise control over funds intended for non-charitable individuals, imposing taxes on both the organization and its managers. These new reporting and penalty provisions will take effect for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2027.

Maddy summaryThe Anti-Fraud Fund Act of 2026 increases funding for the Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Account by $7 billion annually from fiscal year 2027 through 2030. This additional money is intended to support the government's efforts in detecting and preventing fraud within the healthcare system. The bill modifies existing laws to ensure these funds are available for the specified period without altering other spending limits.

Maddy summaryThe Saving Today's Acute-Care Resources Act modifies how Medicare calculates payment rates for long-term care hospitals to ensure they receive appropriate funding for treating complex patients. Starting in fiscal year 2027, the bill expands the criteria for avoiding payment reductions by adding a "high acuity" standard that considers patients transferred from acute care or critical access hospitals with severe diagnoses. It also updates existing rules to include discharges from long-term care hospitals that have undergone significant construction projects or hold state certificates of need. These changes aim to adjust reimbursement levels based on the severity of patient conditions and the specific history of the hospital treating them.

Maddy summaryHR 6251 would amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act to allow U.S. importation of polar bear trophies (excluding internal organs) from sport hunts in Canada that occurred before specific dates: February 18, 1997, or May 15, 2008. The bill requires hunters to provide proof of legal harvest before those dates and directs the Secretary of the Interior to issue permits without considering current population status or other restrictions under the Act. It directly affects hunters who took polar bears in Canada before these dates and wish to import trophies, bypassing standard MMPA import limitations. The policy change only applies to trophies from past hunts, not future hunting activities.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires Medicare Advantage plans to implement electronic pre-approval systems for medical services by 2028 and meet transparency reporting standards starting in 2027. Plans must publicly report data on approval/denial rates, appeal outcomes, response times, and technology use for pre-approval requests, including details on how denials relate to clinical criteria. It establishes a 24-hour response timeframe for certain requests and mandates annual reviews of pre-approval requirements based on data and input from seniors and providers. The law directly affects Medicare Advantage plans, seniors enrolled in these plans, and healthcare providers who submit pre-approval requests. These changes aim to make the pre-approval process faster, more transparent, and more accountable for seniors seeking covered medical services.

Maddy summaryThe Vaccine Injury Compensation Modernization Act of 2026 expands the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program by increasing the number of special masters to at least 10, extending their terms, and raising maximum compensation awards to $600,000 for both vaccine-related deaths and pain and suffering. The bill also extends the time limit for filing injury claims from 36 months to 5 years and requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to include adults and pregnant women in its annual reports. Additionally, the legislation adds COVID-19 vaccines to the official list of covered vaccines, clarifies rules regarding civil lawsuits for vaccine injuries, and mandates the inclusion of specific vaccines like shingles and RSV in the federal excise tax. To fund these changes, the act raises the vaccine excise tax from 75 cents to $2.20 per dose and requires the Department of Health and Human Services to submit detailed budgets for the compensation programs.

Maddy summaryThe Survivor Justice Tax Prevention Act amends the tax code to exclude non-punitive damages from income tax for survivors of sexual violence, including compensation for sexual acts or contact (like assault), in addition to existing exclusions for physical injuries. It removes the requirement for medical records to prove the damages relate to sexual acts or contact, allowing survivors to rely on court judgments or settlement agreements stating the damages are for such acts. The policy change applies to damages received after the law's enactment, with specific rules for existing cases, and mandates a public awareness campaign by the Treasury and Justice Department to inform survivors about this tax exclusion. This directly benefits survivors receiving civil damages in sexual violence cases by reducing their tax burden.