Rep. Kevin Hern

Maddy summaryThis resolution elects Mr. Fine to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and Mr. Garbarino as Chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security. It is a procedural measure assigning specific members to standing committees for the 119th Congress, directly affecting committee composition and leadership. The resolution does not create new policy but formalizes committee membership through House rules. (Note: This is a procedural resolution, not a substantive bill.)

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.

Maddy summaryHR 4382 authorizes the U.S. Mint to produce commemorative coins for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics/Paralympics and 2034 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics/Paralympics. It specifies gold, silver, and half-dollar coin designs with defined mintage limits (e.g., up to 100,000 $5 gold coins for each event), all bearing inscriptions like "2028" or "2034" and standard coin features. A surcharge ($5-$50 per coin) is added to sales, with all funds directed to the respective Olympic committees to support event hosting and legacy programs like youth sports. The bill ensures no net cost to the government by requiring surcharge revenues to cover all design, production, and marketing expenses before funds are disbursed.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires drug manufacturers to pay rebates to Medicare when their "selected drugs" (cancer and complex therapies subject to negotiated maximum fair prices) are used. Manufacturers must calculate rebates based on the difference between current Medicare payment rates (ASP+6) and new negotiated rates (MFP+6), covering the gap for beneficiaries. This lowers patient coinsurance from the current 20% of ASP+6 to 20% of MFP+6 for these specific drugs during the negotiated price period. The rebates are paid to the Medicare trust fund and apply to Medicare Part B beneficiaries using these drugs, directly affecting drug manufacturers and patients covered under Medicare Part B.

Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2025 This bill expands Medicare coverage of intensive behavioral therapy for obesity. Specifically, the bill allows coverage for therapy that is provided by (1) a physician who is not a primary care physician; or (2) other health care providers (e.g., physician assistants and nurse practitioners) and approved counseling programs, if provided upon a referral from, and in coordination with, a physician or primary care practitioner. Currently, such therapy is covered only if provided by a primary care practitioner. The bill also allows coverage under Medicare's prescription drug benefit of drugs used for the treatment of obesity or for weight loss management for individuals who are overweight.

Maddy summaryHR 4204, the Medicare Patient Choice Act, expands Medicare beneficiaries' ability to directly choose certain healthcare providers without requiring a physician referral. It updates Medicare rules to explicitly include physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, and qualified audiologists as covered providers, replacing previous references to "physician or practitioner" throughout the law. This change allows beneficiaries to access these specific therapy services directly from qualified providers, removing prior barriers that often required a doctor's referral. The bill directly affects Medicare beneficiaries seeking these therapy services and the qualified professionals providing them. The key mechanism is amending the Social Security Act to expand the definition of covered providers within Medicare's existing framework.

Maddy summaryThis bill, the PAPA Act of 2025, restricts how aircraft tracking data (ADS-B) can be used and regulates fees on general aviation aircraft. It prohibits using ADS-B data to identify aircraft for revenue purposes without owner consent, allows its use only for air traffic safety by controllers, and extends this restriction to all government officials. For airport fees, it requires public disclosure of cost-saving efforts, alternative revenue sources, fee impact assessments, and specific safety project costs before imposing landing/takeoff fees on general aviation aircraft. All fees collected must be used exclusively for airside safety projects, not other airport expenses. The bill defines general aviation aircraft as those used for personal, recreational, training, or non-commercial purposes (excluding scheduled airlines and military flights).

Patient Access to Higher Quality Health Care Act of 2025 This bill repeals provisions under the Stark law (i.e., the Physician Self-Referral Law) that limit, for purposes of Medicare participation, self-referrals by newly constructed or expanded physician-owned hospitals.

Maddy summaryThis resolution (HRES 503) is a non-binding expression of support for designating June 11, 2025, as "World Franchise Day." It does not create new laws or directly affect any individuals or businesses; instead, it symbolically recognizes franchising's economic role. The resolution cites franchising's history (tracing to Benjamin Franklin and Isaac Singer), its current scale (830,876 U.S. establishments supporting 8.8 million jobs), and its contribution to the economy (nearly 3% of GDP). It is a procedural resolution, not a policy change, meant to acknowledge franchising's significance as a business model.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits federal health programs (including Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP) from using quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) or similar metrics to deny coverage, limit payments, or set incentives for care. It directly affects patients with disabilities, elderly individuals, or those with terminal illnesses, who may have faced reduced care access under such metrics. Key provisions ban QALY-based decisions in coverage determinations starting January 1, 2027, and require states and insurers to comply. The bill also mandates a report on how QALYs negatively impact access to care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.