United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2020
This resolution remembers the victims, survivors, and the El Paso community on the one-year anniversary of the deadliest attack against Latinos in recent history. The resolution offers condolences and support for everyone impacted by the tragedy. The resolution thanks the first responders and law enforcement for their swift action. The resolution acknowledges the work that remains to combat racism, xenophobia, terrorism, and hate crimes, including by passing legislation to curb gun violence. Finally, the resolution commits to ensuring that another tragedy such as this never happens again.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2020
Restrictions on Intelligence Assets in Protests Act This bill limits when the intelligence community or federal law enforcement may conduct surveillance of protesters in the United States and requires a report on surveillance conducted in relation to protests after the death of George Floyd. (George Floyd was a Black man who died while restrained by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota.) In general, no intelligence community element may investigate or conduct surveillance of individuals in the United States involved in First Amendment-protected protest activities. However, this prohibition shall not apply to (1) an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation that is not solely based on the protected protest activity; (2) a National Guard member's active service while assigned to a unit with an intelligence community element; or (3) an activity in support of the Armed Forces pursuant to the Insurrection Act, if the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) notifies Congress no later than one year after the start of such support activities. (The Insurrection Act authorizes the President to call upon the Armed Forces during an insurrection.) No federal law enforcement agency may support any other law enforcement agency in investigating or conducting surveillance of individuals involved in such protest activities if such support is beyond the mission, scope, or purpose of the supporting agency. The ODNI shall report to Congress on any intelligence community asset used to support any law enforcement agency or the National Guard during the U.S. protests occurring after the death of George Floyd.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2020
This resolution confirms that the 2020 presidential election shall be held on November 3, 2020. It recognizes that the United States shall hold elections as constitutionally mandated and legally authorized.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2020
Healthy Flights Act of 2020 This bill provides authority for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to impose any requirements on passenger and cargo air travel to protect the health and safety of air carrier crewmembers and passengers and to reduce the spread of such infectious disease through the aviation system during public health emergencies such as COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). Among other provisions, the bill sets forth requirements relating to the use of masks and other protective equipment for airline passengers and certain airline employees; requires the FAA to provide certain employees, including any air traffic controller and airway transportation systems specialist, with masks and other protective equipment; mandates the development of a national aviation preparedness plan to ensure the aviation system is prepared to respond to epidemics and pandemics of infectious diseases; directs each air carrier operating an aircraft with a seating capacity of 20 or more to implement appropriate measures on a flight in air transportation for the purpose of reducing the likelihood of any passenger or crewmember contracting an infectious disease; requires the FAA to enter into an agreement with the National Academies to conduct a study on the transmission of infectious diseases, including airborne diseases, in the cabins of passenger airplanes; and establishes a Center of Excellence for Infectious Disease Response and Prevention in Aviation within the FAA.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2020
Pandemic Child Hunger Prevention Act This bill revises food and nutrition programs of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic. USDA must reimburse states at the free rate for meals served by school food authorities in such states during the 2020-2021 school year under the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program. All children enrolled in a school that participates in such programs are temporarily eligible (without application) to receive free school meals during the 2020-2021 school year. Additionally, such children are certified eligible (without application) for free meals under the (1) summer food service program, (2) child and adult care food program, and (3) meal supplements for children in after-school programs. The bill also sets forth provisions related to the 2021-2022 school year, including provisions regarding (1) calculations to determine the percentage of identified students under the school meal programs, (2) the selection of schools under the fresh fruit and vegetable program, and (3) establishing a price for paid lunches during such school year.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2020
Masks for All Act of 2020 This bill provides funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide for the manufacture and distribution of high-quality face masks for every individual in the United States during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) emergency. Specifically, the bill directs FEMA to, among other things establish a program to provide three high-quality, reusable face masks to every individual in the United States, including individuals experiencing homelessness and individuals living in group quarters, at no cost, accompanied by specified educational materials; designate face mask pickup sites in each community and provide face masks to each site, allocated according to population, to be distributed to the general public at no cost; consider new designs to create the most comfortable, well-fitting, reusable, and two-way face masks that have adjustable sizing, and if significant improvements in face mask technology are made available, to ensure that such face masks are included in the strategic national stockpile; provide surgical masks and N-95 respirator masks to all individuals working in health care settings in the United States that are experiencing a shortage of such masks, at no cost; and submit to Congress a strategic plan that includes monthly, measurable targets to eliminate shortages and increase domestic production of high-quality masks. The Office of Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security shall conduct monitoring and oversight of the receipt, disbursement, and use of funds made available under this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2020
Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act of 2020 This bill authorizes the use of certain foreign assistance funds to provide comprehensive reproductive health care services in developing countries, including abortion services, training, and equipment.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2020
Pandemic Community Reserve and Public Health Response Act This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants and otherwise expand the federal public health reserve corps, including by reactivating retired personnel, to assist with COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) response efforts. This corps includes, among others, the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service, the Medical Reserve Corps, and certain personnel of the Federal Emergency Management Agency appointed to respond to disasters and emergencies. Specifically, HHS must award grants to governmental health departments to recruit and train personnel to serve in the federal public health reserve corps and assist with COVID-19 testing, contact tracing, and treatment. To carry out these grants, health departments may establish partnerships with institutions that offer medical training and public health programs, giving priority to partnerships with historically Black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions. HHS must also develop a training program, in consultation with the Department of Defense, that addresses activation and surge capacity of the reserve corps to respond to COVID-19. In addition, HHS must award grants, in consultation with the Department of Labor, to local workforce development boards to develop career plans and other activities to facilitate the transition of reserve corps personnel to other health-related occupations.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2020
Paycheck Protection Small Business Forgiveness Act This bill modifies loan forgiveness under the Paycheck Protection Program established to support small businesses in response to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). Specifically, the bill provides for automatic forgiveness of a paycheck protection loan that is not more than $150,000 if the recipient submits a one-page form. Such form must allow a recipient to submit specified demographc and expenditure information, and certain individuals (e.g., the President, the Vice President, or the head of an executive department) are not eligible for such forgiveness. Further, the bill prohibits any enforcement or other action against a lender relating to loan origination, forgiveness, or guarantee based on the lender's reliance on certifications or documentation submitted by a loan applicant or recipient.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2020
Maintaining Important Distance During Lengthy Epidemics Act of 2020 or the MIDDLE Act of 2020 This bill prohibits air carriers, during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency, from (1) permitting adjacent seats to another occupied seat to be filled on a passenger aircraft, (2) passing along the cost of any seat switch undertaken by such air carriers in order to comply with the prohibitions, and (3) permitting a passenger or crewmember to board a passenger aircraft if the passenger or crewmember is not wearing a mask. The Federal Aviation Administration must issue guidance for appropriate exceptions to the prohibitions based on federal public health guidance.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2020
Child Nutrition Relief Act of 2020 This bill extends the authority of the Department of Agriculture to waive certain requirements for the school meal programs due to COVID-19.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2020
State Paid Leave for America Now (PLAN) Act This bill reimburses state paid leave programs for the cost of providing benefits under such programs for circumstances related to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019).
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2020
Protecting the Health and Wellness of Babies and Pregnant Women in Custody Act This bill contains provisions related to the medical needs of incarcerated women. The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) shall provide women in its custody access to certain reproductive health services. The bill also requires the BOP to (1) comply with requirements related to the health of a pregnant incarcerated woman, such as providing appropriate meals and medical services; and (2) provide appropriate health care to a woman with a high-risk pregnancy. The bill also modifies restrictions on using restraints on an incarcerated woman during pregnancy, labor, or after delivery. The bill prohibits such restraints unless the relevant corrections official and a health care professional determine that the restraints are appropriate for the woman's medical safety. The health care professional must review this determination every six hours. The current statute allows using such restraints if the corrections official determines that restraints are needed due to a flight risk or threat of harm, and does not require periodic review. The bill also prohibits the BOP from placing a pregnant woman into restrictive housing, such as solitary confinement, unless the relevant corrections official determines that such an action is necessary to address a serious and immediate risk of physical harm. This determination shall be reviewed every four hours. The Department of Justice may make grants to eligible entities, such as a state department of corrections, to provide obstetrical care, gynecological care, and related services to women in custody. The Bureau of Justice Statistics shall collect certain data related to the health needs of pregnant incarcerated women.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2020
Preventing Authoritarian Policing Tactics on America's Streets Act This bill imposes limitations on federal law enforcement officers and members of the Armed Forces (or the National Guard) engaging in law enforcement activities related to crowd control. When engaged in certain law enforcement activities related to crowd control, such an officer or member (1) shall clearly display certain identifying information, such as the individual's last name or unique identifier; and (2) shall not use an unmarked vehicle to apprehend or arrest civilians. Such an officer or member may only engage in certain law enforcement activities, such as crowd or riot control and arrest of individuals engaged in civil disobedience, on or in the immediate vicinity of federal property, unless (1) a state or local government has requested federal support, or (2) the President has invoked certain authorities to suppress insurrection. If such an officer or member is conducting a law enforcement function in violation of the limitations in this bill, the officer or member may not arrest an individual in the United States. If such an officer or member is deployed to respond to any riot, public disturbance, or crowd control incident, the responsible federal agency or branch of the Armed Forces shall, within 24 hours of the deployment, notify the public and provide certain information on its website.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2020
No Funds for Apportionment Exclusion Act This bill prohibits using federal funds to carry out the July 21, 2020, presidential memorandum ordering the exclusion of aliens without legal immigration status from being counted for the purposes of apportioning representation in the House of Representatives following the 2020 census.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2020
National Emergency Student Vote Act This bill requires institutions of higher education (IHEs) that participate in federal student-aid programs to provide students with additional resources on registering to vote. In addition, IHEs must provide students who are off campus due to a public health emergency with resources on voting by mail (e.g., absentee ballot applications).
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2020
Represent America Abroad Act of 2020 This bill requires the Department of State to establish the Represent America Mid-Career Foreign Service Entry Program to increase diversity in the Foreign Service by recruiting mid-career professionals who are from minority groups. As part of the program, the State Department shall (1) establish and publish eligibility criteria for participation; (2) carry out recruitment efforts to attract highly qualified, mid-career professionals from minority groups; and (3) include appropriate mentorship and other career development opportunities for program participants. The State Department must submit an annual report on the status of the program.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2020
This resolution supports the designation of a National Day of Civility. The resolution encourages a national campaign to promote civility and calls on all Americans to practice civility.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2020
Public School Green Rooftop Program This bill directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish a grant program for installing and maintaining green roof systems on public elementary and secondary school buildings. ( Green roof refers to a layer of vegetation that is planted over a waterproofing system or to a waterproof management practice that is installed on a roof and may support plant growth.) Specifically, DOE must award grants to public elementary and secondary schools, local educational agencies, and partnerships with nonprofits organizations to (1) pay the costs of planning assistance for green roof systems on school buildings, such as assessing structures, conducting financial and engineering analyses, and receiving cost estimates; and (2) install green roof systems on these buildings. Additionally, a grant recipient must complete the installation of a green roof system within four years of receiving the grant. A grant recipient that completes this installation requirement shall receive additional funding for maintenance activities, such as conducting routine inspections to monitor the condition of the green roof.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2020
Mixed Earner Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Act of 2020 This bill allows states to provide pandemic unemployment assistance to individuals who earn a combination of regular wages and a minimum of $7,250 of self-employed annual income (1) instead of regular unemployment compensation if they are otherwise eligible, or (2) if they are still employed at their regular-wage job, but unable to earn self-employed income due to circumstances related to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). Under current law, individuals earning such mixed income are only eligible for pandemic unemployment assistance if they are not eligible for regular unemployment and unable to work due to COVID-19.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2020
COVID-19 Bias and Anti-Racism Training Act of 2020 This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants to health care providers, public health departments, tribal organizations, schools for social workers and health professionals, and other nonprofit entities for bias and anti-racism training to reduce disparities in COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) response efforts. In administering these grants, HHS must give priority to, among others, recipients in communities with racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and death rates. In addition, HHS must develop requirements for bias and anti-racism training that aligns with continuing education requirements of applicable state licensing bodies, such as medical boards.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2020
Lead Abatement for Families Act of 2020 This bill requires the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to identify federally assisted housing projects that use lead-based water pipes and allows HUD to award grants for the replacement of these pipes to public housing agencies and other owners.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2020
This resolution expresses support for legislation to provide child care assistance to all working families that need it; make child care affordable and available to meet various job schedules; guarantee that all families eligible for child care will receive it; improve the quality of child care; expand access to Head Start and preschool services; and provide sufficient federal, state, and local investment to ensure resources for both high-quality jobs and affordable child care.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2020
This bill delays until the first calendar year that is 12 months after the end of the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency the application of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) rule dated May 14, 2020. That rule allows private health insurance plans to decide whether support provided by a prescription drug manufacturer to cover a patient's costs for a drug counts toward the patient's annual out-of-pocket limit. The bill requires enforcement of the previous rule, which allows plans to exclude drug manufacturer support from a patient's annual out-of-pocket limit only if a generic version of the drug is available.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2020
Coronavirus Economic Relief for Transportation Services Act This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to provide grants and other forms of emergency assistance to certain providers of transportation services that have experienced a significant revenue loss as a direct or indirect result of COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). Treasury must ensure equal access to the assistance for small, minority-owned, and women-owned businesses. As a condition of receipt of assistance, Treasury must require that a provider of transportation services agree to (1) use the funds, on a priority basis, to maintain through December 31, 2020, pay, paid administrative leave, and benefits to all employees after making any adjustments required for retirement or voluntary employee separation; and (2) recall or rehire any employee laid off, furloughed, or terminated because of reduced service as a result of COVID-19, to the extent warranted by increased service levels.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2020
Local Journalism Sustainability Act This bill allows individual and business taxpayers certain tax credits for the support of local newspapers and media. Specifically, individual taxpayers may claim an income tax credit up to $250 for a local newspaper subscription. The bill also allows local newspaper employers a payroll tax credit for wages paid to an employee for service as a journalist and certain small businesses a tax credit for local newspaper and media advertising expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2020
This resolution expresses support for enactment of the Poverty Bill of Rights, which affirms the right of Americans to live free from the causes and conditions of poverty.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2020
Masks for All Act of 2020 This bill requires state, tribal, territorial, and local governments to mandate, as a condition of receiving federal COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) relief funds, the use of face coverings in public spaces during the COVID-19 emergency. The bill also provides for exceptions to this requirement, such as for individuals who are under the age of two and those who need assistance removing face coverings. In addition, the Department of Health and Human Services may award grants to states, tribes, and territories to promote access to face coverings, including by installing face covering dispensers in public places.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2020
Drug-Free Communities Pandemic Relief Act This bill authorizes the Drug-Free Communities Support Program, subject to certain limitations, to waive matching funds requirements applicable to certain grants for reducing substance use among youth. Before waiving these requirements, the program must determine that a grantee is unable to raise funds because of the COVID-19 (i.e. coronavirus disease 2019) emergency. Currently, the Office of National Drug Control Policy administers this program, and community coalitions that receive the grants must match a specified percentage of the federal award amount with nonfederal funds, including in-kind contributions.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2020
This resolution declares that the House of Representatives (1) once again rejects White nationalism and White supremacy as hateful expressions of intolerance that are contradictory to the values that define the people of the United States; (2) condemns the use of captions, statues, memorials, and artwork used or erected to memorialize Senator Richard B. Russell, or any other lawmaker who intentionally disavowed the Declaration of Independence's exhortation that all persons are created equal; and (3) calls on the Senate to rename the Russell Senate Office Building for an honoree who embraced equality for all Americans, and to revert to using the building's original name, the Old Senate Office Building, until the Senate selects such honoree.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2020
VA Clinical Training in Evidence-based treatments And Military Culture Act of 2020 or the VA Clinical TEAM Culture Act of 2020 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish standards and requirements for the provision of mental health care by non-VA providers in the Veterans Community Care Program (VCCP). The established standards must be the same as the standards applicable to VA employees who provide mental health care. The VA must require non-VA mental health care providers to complete training courses on military culture, core competencies for health care professionals, suicide evaluation and management, post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and military sexual trauma after the provider becomes approved under the VCCP. The VA must also (1) identify additional training areas for which to develop courses, and (2) require the non-VA providers to complete such courses.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2020
21st Century SCRA Act This bill specifies that a service member who is authorized under current law to terminate a lease of premises or a motor vehicle lease without incurring an early termination fee may provide notice of the termination by electronic delivery to an email address designated by the lessor or the lessor's agent.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2020
TSA Second Screening Act This bill requires the Transportation Security Administration to offer passengers an opportunity to undergo a secondary screening using advanced imaging technology prior to undergoing a physical inspection if an initial screening detects an object of concern.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2020
Wear Your Mask Act This bill requires each federal agency to take action to ensure that an individual is required to wear a face mask inside a federal facility under its jurisdiction if the individual is within six feet of another individual to minimize the transmission of COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). Each agency shall make face masks available at each entrance to a federal facility at which such agency maintains a presence. The bill terminates such requirements when the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases determines, and publishes in the Federal Register a notification, that the requirement to wear a mask is no longer necessary to prevent such transmission.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2020
Protect Access to Birth Control Act This bill nullifies interim final rules issued by the Department of Labor, the Department of the Treasury, and the Department of Health and Human Services that allow employers with religious or moral objections to be exempt from the requirement that their health insurance plans cover contraceptive services without cost-sharing.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2020
Earned Income and Child Tax Credits Outreach Act of 2020 This bill directs the Department of the Treasury, in January of 2021 and January of 2022, to carry out a public outreach program to inform individual taxpayers of their potential eligibility for the earned income and child tax credits. The Inspector General for Tax Administration of Treasury must study the outreach program and make recommendations for improving it.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2020
Effective Death Penalty Appeals Act This bill allows an individual sentenced to death by a state to present newly discovered evidence in a petition challenging the legality of the individual's detention (i.e., a habeas corpus petition). Under the bill, a federal court may grant a habeas corpus petition concerning such an individual if the death sentence was imposed without consideration of newly discovered evidence of the individual's probable innocence. Furthermore, a federal court may consider, subject to certain requirements, a subsequent petition concerning such an individual if the petition is based on a claim that the death sentence was imposed without consideration of newly discovered evidence of the individual's probable innocence. (Currently, if a federal court has already considered a habeas corpus petition concerning an individual, subsequent petitions concerning that individual shall be dismissed, with limited exceptions.)
United States · United States Congress · 2 July 2020
SAFE Workers Act or the Secure And Fair Elections for Workers Act This bill requires the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to provide employees with the ability to vote remotely by telephone or the internet in union representation elections during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency. The bill further permits the NLRB's use of appropriations to issue directives or regulations providing for electronic voting methods.
United States · United States Congress · 2 July 2020
Reviving the Economy Sustainably Towards A Recovery in Twenty-twenty Act or the RESTART Act This bill establishes a loan program whereby the Small Business Administration (SBA) shall guarantee loan amounts to certain businesses affected by COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). Specifically, the bill requires the SBA to guarantee 100% of program loan amounts made to certain small businesses that have not more than than 5,000 full-time employees. The terms for such loans shall include (1) a maximum duration of not more than seven years; (2) an amount that is not greater than 45% of 2019 gross receipts, up to $12 million; and (3) no payment on principal for the first two years of the loan. A lender that is otherwise approved to make paycheck protection loans may make and approve loans established by the bill, and a recipient may use loan funds for specified allowable expenses including payroll costs, rent, utilities, and personal protective equipment. Such loans may be forgiven up to the amount of total losses incurred by the recipient in the taxable year 2020.
United States · United States Congress · 2 July 2020
Library Stabilization Fund Act of 2020 This bill establishes and provides funds for a Library Stabilization Fund to assist libraries with responding to and recovering from the coronavirus (i.e., the virus that causes COVID-19) pandemic. Specifically, the bill directs the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to allocate funding to states, Indian tribes, and organizations that primarily serve and represent Native Hawaiians. From these allocated funds, the IMLS must also make emergency library relief grants to state library administrative agencies with approved five-year plans, Indian tribes, and organizations that primarily serve and represent Native Hawaiians. Additionally, the IMLS must allocate funding to carry out activities that strengthen the ability of libraries to provide services to communities affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The IMLS may enter into arrangements (e.g., grants and contracts) and other forms of assistance with libraries, library consortia and associations, and institutions of higher education to carry out these activities. Funds allocated by the bill may be used to provide support to libraries, such as by supporting general operations; paying staff; purchasing cleaning supplies; training library staff on the safe handling of library materials; providing access to computers and other technology; purchasing digital resources; expanding resources related to early education and literacy, distance learning, and workforce development training; and ensuring access to community services and activities.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 2020
Assisted Living Facility Coronavirus Reporting Act This bill temporarily imposes reporting requirements related to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) cases in assisted living facilities on states as a condition of receiving certain federal COVID-19 relief funding. Specifically, states must report each week on suspected and confirmed cases of COVID-19 in assisted living facilities to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with the data disaggregated by race and other demographic characteristics. In addition, the Department of Health and Human Services must publish the information provided by states. States must also require assisted living facilities to notify federal, state, and local health agencies and facility residents, their representatives, and their families within one calendar day of any confirmed cases of COVID-19 or the onset of new respiratory symptoms at a particular facility. In addition, subject to some limitations, the bill applies federal COVID-19 reporting requirements for nursing facilities and skilled nursing facilities to assisted living facilities and requires the Government Accountability Office to evaluate the use of required reporting by nursing homes to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19 in such facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 2020
Helping Entrepreneurs Access Loans Act or the HEAL Act This bill establishes eligibility and provides funding for Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loans and advance grants for eligible small businesses. Eligible small businesses are those that (1) are located in an area in which the SBA declared a disaster due to civil unrest occurring between May 26, 2020, and July 1, 2020; (2) incurred damage due to such civil unrest; and (3) have average annual gross receipts of $2 million or less. Such small businesses shall be eligible to receive forgivable loans and advance grants under the SBA's disaster loan program. Such loans shall be equal to 100% of the amount required to repair, rehabilitate, or replace property that was damaged or destroyed due to civil unrest and that was not compensated for by insurance, state or local government grants, or any other means. An applicant may also request an advance of up to $10,000 on such loan. Further, a recipient shall be eligible for forgiveness of 75% of such loan if they are still in operation on December 31, 2021, and have submitted specified documentation related to sales and taxes paid. Additionally, the SBA shall waive certain loan requirements such as (1) personal guarantees, (2) inability to obtain credit elsewhere, and (3) provision of collateral.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 2020
Comprehensive Review of Military Suicide Act This bill requires the Department of Defense to issue and implement guidance that requires that each suicide involving a member of the Armed Forces be reviewed by a multidisciplinary board established at the command or installation level.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 2020
Coronavirus Service Corps Act This bill establishes a Coronavirus Service Corps that must employ unemployed or underemployed citizens to carry out work such as health care, including contract tracing, administering COVID-19 tests, and peer mental health counseling; assisting essential services and the reopening of businesses; social services, including hunger relief, homeless services, and senior care. The hourly wage for corps employees must be the greater of (1) 150% of the minimum hourly wage in the applicable locality, or (2) $15 an hour.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 2020
Workforce Promotion and Access Act or the WPA Act This bill requires the Department of Labor to establish a program to provide competitive grants to eligible entities (i.e., political subdivisions of states and Tribal entities with a high unemployment rate and outlying areas) to establish programs to ensure employment to individuals residing in the areas served by such entities. The bill also imposes a trading excise tax on certain transactions occurring on a qualified board or exchange in the United States or with respect to a derivative.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 2020
Secure Data and Privacy for Contact Tracing Act of 2020 This bill requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to award grants to public health agencies in states, tribes, and territories to incorporate digital contact tracing technology in COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) contact tracing programs. This technology must meet requirements with respect to contact tracing functions, data security and privacy, and voluntary use. Grantees that develop or procure technology that does not meet these requirements lose eligibility for this funding and future funding for COVID-19 contact tracing technology. Furthermore, as a condition of receiving funding, grantees must (1) undertake an independent security assessment, and (2) develop a plan that delineates how the technology augments existing COVID-19 contact tracing and response efforts and addresses interoperability and protections to limit access to the data. In addition, the bill expressly applies federal privacy standards for the use and disclosure of personal health information by health care providers, health plans, health clearinghouses, and their business associates to contact tracing technology and its use. Current law provides an exception to these standards for personal health information used by, or disclosed to, a public health authority that is legally authorized to collect the information. The bill also prohibits the use of data derived from the contact tracing technology in legal proceedings or for immigration enforcement. The Government Accountability Office must evaluate this program within 90 days.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 2020
This resolution recognizes the forthcoming centennial of the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921. The resolution, among other things acknowledges the historical significance of this event as one of the largest single instances of state-sanctioned violence against black people in American history; honors the lives and legacies of the estimated 300 black individuals who were killed during the massacre and the nearly 9,000 who were left homeless and penniless; condemns efforts to cover up the truth and shield the white community, especially government officials, from accountability; condemns the continued legacy of racism and white supremacy against black people in the United States, particularly in the form of police brutality; encourages education about the massacre, the history of white supremacy that fueled the massacre, and subsequent attempts to deny or cover up the massacre, in all elementary and secondary education settings and in institutions of higher education; and recognizes the commitment of Congress to acknowledge and learn from the history of racism and racial violence to reverse the legacy of white supremacy and fight for racial justice.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2020
Voices for Veterans Act This bill expands the membership of the Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans to include veterans who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer. Among other responsibilities, the committee advises the Department of Veterans Affairs on the administration of benefits and provision of health care, benefits, and services to minority veterans.
![Official portrait of Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/c001072_200.jpg)