Rep. H. Morgan Griffith

Maddy summaryThis bill, known as the Ratepayer Protection Act, modifies federal energy laws to ensure that large industrial customers pay for the specific infrastructure upgrades needed to serve their high electricity demands. It directly affects non-residential facilities with a peak power usage of 100 megawatts or more, requiring utilities to charge these customers the full incremental cost of any necessary generation, transmission, or distribution improvements. Under the new rules, large customers must also provide financial guarantees or contributions before such upgrades are made, ensuring utilities can recover costs even if the customer leaves the contract early. State regulators have two years to implement these standards, though the bill exempts utilities in states that have already enacted similar measures or are actively considering them.

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.

Maddy summaryThe Protecting Domestic Mining Act of 2025 amends the FAST Act to explicitly include mining projects in the definition of those eligible for streamlined permitting under the law. It prohibits the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council from finalizing, implementing, or enforcing a specific proposed rule (published as 88 Fed. Reg. 65350) that would have revised the scope of mining projects covered under the FAST Act. This bill directly affects domestic mining operations by ensuring their projects are covered under the existing permitting process without requiring new rulemaking. The key mechanism is the amendment to the definition, which makes the proposed rule unnecessary and blocks its implementation.

Maddy summaryThe Legislative Branch Agencies Clarification Act restructures the appointment processes for the heads of the Library of Congress and the Government Publishing Office (GPO) by shifting authority from presidential nomination to a congressional commission composed of House and Senate leadership. This bill also formally separates the Copyright Office from the Library of Congress, granting the Register of Copyrights independent authority over copyright administration and establishing a dedicated Inspector General for that office. Additionally, it creates new Deputy positions for both the Librarian and the GPO Director to ensure continuity of operations and updates personnel rules to apply merit-based hiring standards to GPO employees.

Maddy summaryHR 6152, the Foreign Robocall Elimination Act, establishes an interagency task force to address foreign robocalls entering the United States. The task force, composed of the FCC, FTC, DOJ, and private sector representatives, will study the origins, impacts, and potential solutions to foreign robocalls and must submit a report to Congress within 360 days. The bill also modifies existing law to require FCC notices about robocall mitigation every three years instead of annually, and introduces a bond requirement for providers using the Robocall Mitigation Database. This legislation affects telecommunications providers, federal agencies, and all U.S. telephone users who receive unwanted calls. The bill aims to improve coordination between U.S. agencies and foreign countries in combating illegal robocalls through concrete policy changes.

Maddy summaryThe Data BRIDGE Act requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to update its national broadband map within 180 days of enactment by adding agricultural areas as a dedicated layer. This change will directly affect the FCC, USDA, state governments, and broadband providers by incorporating agricultural land data into the map used to identify broadband coverage gaps. The bill mandates the FCC to consult with the USDA, Commerce Department, states, and other stakeholders to integrate existing agricultural data into the map. The goal is to improve accuracy in identifying broadband needs in rural farming communities, though it does not directly fund infrastructure.

Maddy summaryThe Advancing Water Research and Collaboration Act of 2025 amends the Water Resources Research Act of 1984 to update research priorities and funding allocations for water resources research institutes. The bill adds artificial intelligence to the list of research areas alongside private industry and increases federal funding authorization to $16 million annually for fiscal years 2026 through 2029. It requires 20 percent of these funds to support research addressing interstate water problems and allows grants for projects focusing on regional or multi-state water issues. The legislation also expands the types of research institutes eligible for funding to include those working on problems identified by Congress as having interstate significance.

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 summaryThis bill (HR 6317) is a procedural naming resolution. It designates the U.S. Postal Service facility at 12109 New Kent Highway in New Kent, Virginia, as the "Patricia Paige Post Office." The bill updates all official U.S. government references (including laws, maps, and documents) to use the new name for this specific post office location. It does not change postal services or create new policies - it only changes the facility's official name.

Maddy summaryThis bill renames a U.S. Postal Service facility at 46164 Westlake Drive in Sterling, Virginia, as the "Firefighter Trevor Brown Post Office Building" to honor Firefighter Trevor Brown. It requires all future federal references to that specific location to use the new name. The bill affects only the postal facility's official designation and has no policy or funding provisions. (Procedural naming resolution, 2 sentences)