Fixing the daily hour of meeting of the First Session of the One Hundred Seventeenth Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2021
This resolution sets the daily meeting time for the House of Representatives.
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![Official portrait of Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/117_rp_ma_2_mcgovern_james_200.jpg)
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12,354 records where Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2021
This resolution sets the daily meeting time for the House of Representatives.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2021
Guam Supplemental Security Income Equality Act This bill extends the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program to Guam. This is a federal program designed to help aged, blind, and disabled individuals with limited income and resources meet basic needs. When Congress created the SSI program in 1972, it excluded Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Guam. The Social Security Administration may waive or modify statutory requirements relating to the provision of benefits as necessary to adapt the program to Guam.
United States · United States Congress · 10 December 2020
This resolution declares that public transit benefits all Americans and is a national priority. It finds that prioritizing public transit requires the federal government to provide funding to public transit that is equal to the level of highway funding.
United States · United States Congress · 10 December 2020
This resolution recognizes the fifth anniversary of the adoption of the Paris Agreement, an international agreement to keep global temperature from rising 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels. It also recommends that the United States rejoins the global warming agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 10 December 2020
This resolution recognizes the 72nd anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, supports the designation of Human Rights Day, and encourages the observation of Human Rights Day and a continued commitment to upholding human rights around the globe.
United States · United States Congress · 9 December 2020
Our Homes, Our Votes Act This bill facilitates voter registration for residents of certain federally assisted housing for the purpose of federal elections. Specifically, the bill requires each lease for such housing that is administered by a public housing agency (PHA) to include a voter registration application. A PHA must send any completed application to state election officials. The bill also treats owners of federally assisted housing as voter registration agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 9 December 2020
COVID-19 in Immigration Detention Data Transparency Act This bill requires U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) to collect and report various information about detained individuals, including data on COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) testing. During the COVID-related declared public health emergency and for one year after, ICE, CBP, and ORR shall publicly post on a website certain data about its detention facilities, including COVID-19 testing numbers for detained individuals and detention facility staff, COVID-19 case outcomes, and COVID-related information about detained individuals who were released or removed from the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shall issue guidance as to the COVID-related data that ICE, CBP, and ORR must collect and report weekly to the CDC. The CDC shall periodically report to Congress a summary of this data and an analysis of the trends and pattern of the spread of the disease. ICE, CPB, and ORR shall also ensure that each detained individual receives all medical records related to any COVID-19 test administered to the individual. ICE, CPB, and ORR shall also report to Congress on (1) the COVID-19 safety protocols in their facilities, and (2) their efforts to ensure that each detained individual has access to legal counsel. This bill's data collection and reporting requirements that apply to ICE, CPB, and ORR shall also apply to any contract facilities that they use to hold detained individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 2 December 2020
Sets forth the rule for consideration of the bill (H.R. 3884) to decriminalize and deschedule cannabis, to provide for reinvestment in certain persons adversely impacted by the War on Drugs, to provide for expungement of certain cannabis offenses.
United States · United States Congress · 24 November 2020
This resolution condemns police brutality.
United States · United States Congress · 24 November 2020
Lavender Offense Victim Exoneration Act of 2020 or the LOVE Act of 2020 This bill offers a formal apology from Congress for encouraging policies at the Department of State such as the Lavender Scare, which resulted in the wrongful termination of at least 1,000 people for alleged homosexuality. The State Department must (1) review all employee terminations that occurred as a consequence of the Lavender Scare to identify who was wrongfully terminated for their real or perceived sexual orientation, and (2) issue a public report on the findings. The State Department shall establish an independent Reconciliation Board to contact any employee (or a family member of a deceased employee) improperly terminated during the Lavender Scare and offer to change the employee's record to reflect this finding. The board shall accept and review petitions from former employees who believe they were terminated due to sexual orientation. The State Department shall establish a board of senior-level officials to address issues that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI) Foreign Service employees and their families face. The board shall report comments on or recommendations for improving State Department policies to prevent sexual orientation discrimination. The State Department shall report on (1) countries that do not issue spousal visas for Foreign Service employee spouses due to sexual orientation, and (2) recommendations on how to address this.
United States · United States Congress · 24 November 2020
Pandemic Accommodation to Support Students Act or the PASS Act This bill directs the Department of Education (ED) to extend certain temporary relief related to federal student loans. Specifically, the bill extends to September 30, 2021, the suspension of payments and interest due on Federal Direct Loans and Federal Family Education Loans that are held by ED. Further, ED must carry out a program, beginning on August 1, 2021, to provide at least six notices to borrowers that normal payment obligations will resume.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2020
This concurrent resolution directs the President to remove U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities against the Houthis in Yemen unless and until a declaration of war or a specific authorization for this use of U.S. Armed Forces is enacted. This removal requirement does not include U.S. Armed Forces engaged in operations directed against Al Qaeda or associated forces in the Arabian Peninsula, and the resolution may not be construed as authorizing the use of military force.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2020
This concurrent resolution expresses the sense of Congress that public health professionals are to be commended and thanked on Public Health Thank You Day for their important contributions to the nation.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2020
Hurricane Eta Relief Act of 2020 This bill designates Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala as temporary protected status (TPS) countries for 18 months from the enactment of this bill. (Qualified nationals of a TPS-designated country shall have work authorization and may not be removed from the United States while the designation is in effect.) A national of one of these countries shall qualify for temporary protected status if the individual (1) has been continuously physically present in the United States since the bill's enactment, (2) meets certain admissibility and eligibility requirements generally required for such status, and (3) registers with the Department of Homeland Security.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2020
Keeping All Students Safe Act This bill prohibits the use of seclusion and limits the use of physical restraint in schools and Head Start programs that receive federal funding. It also establishes enforcement provisions, including a private right of action for a student who has been subjected to unlawful seclusion or restraint, and creates a grant program for state educational agencies to implement the procedures required by the bill.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2020
This resolution recognizes the role of whistleblowers and honors Dawn Wooten for reporting about alleged unlawful practices occurring at the Irwin County Detention Center in Georgia.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2020
This resolution expresses support for sustained dialogue between the United States, Russia, and China to reduce the threats posed by nuclear weapons. The resolution calls on the President to extend the New START Treaty for five years and urges the current administration to withdraw its declared intent to leave the Treaty on Open Skies.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2020
This resolution encourages people around the world to work towards ending the HIV epidemic by 2030, and it commends efforts and achievements in combating HIV/AIDS. Further, it supports funding and other actions to promote prevention, care and treatment services, and research programs for communities and people impacted by HIV.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2020
This resolution urges the United States to uphold its commitments under U.S. law and international treaties related to asylum seekers and also urges the Department of Homeland Security to stop detentions for legitimate asylum seekers. The resolution also calls on the government of Cameroon to respect the fundamental rights of its citizens.
United States · United States Congress · 12 November 2020
This resolution condemns the violence by Nigerian security forces against peaceful protestors, calls on the African and international human rights community to investigate the use of deadly force against protestors at the Lekki tollgate, and supports the demands of the movement for justice, accountability, and meaningful police reform in Nigeria.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2020
This bill commemorates the 20th anniversary of the passage of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, which urges member states to increase women's representation in institutions and mechanisms to prevent, mitigate, and resolve conflict. Further, it reaffirms the U.S. commitment to serve as a global leader in increasing the participation of women in processes to prevent, manage, resolve, and recover from conflict, and it calls on countries to promote the participation of women at all decisionmaking levels as a critical foreign and domestic policy priority.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2020
This resolution acknowledges that same-sex couples rely upon court cases that uphold protections for same-sex couples and recognizes that all Americans should be treated fairly regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 2020
Armed Forces Deferred Tax Relief Act This bill compensates members of the Armed Forces for deferred income taxes withheld between the period of January 1, 2021, and April 30, 2021. Such compensation is not subject to tax.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 2020
This resolution condemns the military offensive launched by Azerbaijani and Turkish-backed forces on Artsakh and calls on all involved parties to honor cease-fire negotiations. In addition, the resolution urges the United States to withhold assistance to Azerbaijan until it ceases military operations in Artsakh, enourages open communication between officials of Artsakh and the U.S. government, and calls for the full participation of Artsakh in intergovernmental negotiations regarding its future. (Artsakh is officially recognized as a part of Azerbaijan.)
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 2020
PPE for Safe Schools Act This bill provides funding for grants to state educational agencies and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies to purchase sanitation supplies and personal protective equipment, provide staff training, and hire additional support staff to clean and sanitize school facilities and buses.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 2020
Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act This bill establishes grant programs to address neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease), and contains other related provisions. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shall award grants to eligible entities to support research on and facilitate access to investigational drugs that diagnose or treat ALS. The Food and Drug Administration shall award grants to public and private entities to cover the costs of research and development of drugs that diagnose or treat ALS and other severely debilitating neurodegenerative diseases. HHS shall also establish the Collaborative for Neurodegenerative Diseases, which shall support the development and regulatory approval of drugs that address ALS and other rare neurodegenerative diseases.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2020
Jamal Khashoggi Press Freedom Accountability Act of 2020 This bill establishes measures to protect the human rights of journalists. Specifically, the bill (1) expands the scope of required reports related to violations of the human rights of journalists, (2) requires the President to impose certain property- and visa-blocking sanctions on persons responsible for gross violations of the human rights of journalists, and (3) prohibits certain foreign assistance to a governmental entity of a country if an official acting under authority of the entity has committed a gross violation of human rights against a journalist.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2020
This resolution expresses the House of Representatives' affirmation of and commitment to the mission of the United Nations World Food Programme on the occasion of its being awarded the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2020
Emergency Social Security COLA for 2021 Act This bill applies a 3% cost-of-living increase to Social Security benefits and Supplemental Security Income payable in calendar year 2021. The bill also disregards this increase for purposes of determining an individual's eligibility for federally funded, means-tested programs.
United States · United States Congress · 13 October 2020
Provides for the relief of Irida Kakhtiranova.
United States · United States Congress · 13 October 2020
Provides for the relief of Lucio Enrique Perez Ortiz, Dora Gonzalez Santizo, and Edvin Oriany Perez Gonzalez.
United States · United States Congress · 9 October 2020
Commission on Presidential Capacity to Discharge the Powers and Duties of the Office Act This bill establishes in the legislative branch a Commission on Presidential Capacity to Discharge the Powers and Duties of the Office to determine whether the President is mentally or physically unable to discharge the powers and duties of office. The commission (1) within 72 hours after Congress adopts a concurrent resolution directing it to do so, shall conduct a medical examination to determine if the President is temporarily or permanently impaired by physical illness or disability, mental illness, mental deficiency, alcohol or drug use, or any other condition or contingency rendering the President unable to execute the powers and duties of the office of President; and (2) within 72 hours after completing the examination, shall report its findings and conclusions to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate. Any refusal by the President to undergo such examination shall be taken into consideration by the commission in reaching a conclusion.
United States · United States Congress · 9 October 2020
This resolution honors and recognizes the unique contributions that indigenous peoples have made to the United States. It also supports the designation of Indigenous Peoples' Day to replace Columbus Day as a federal holiday.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 2020
This resolution expresses support for the designation of National Wildlife Refuge Week. The resolution acknowledges the importance of national wildlife refuges for their recreational opportunities and contribution to local economies. Finally, the resolution reaffirms the support of the House of Representatives for wildlife conservation and the National Wildlife Refuge System.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2020
This resolution supports continued investment in U.S. global food security programs such as Feed the Future, and it recognizes the need to deepen and extend these efforts to achieve the global goal of ending hunger by 2030. Further, it supports U.S. efforts to improve worldwide nutrition and health, and it calls on specified agencies to take certain actions to advance global food security as a U.S. foreign assistance priority.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2020
This resolution celebrates the life of Mahatma Gandhi and encourages the people of the United States to observe the International Day of Non-Violence.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2020
This resolution condemns Azerbaijan's military operations in Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed region also known as Artsakh, and denounces Turkey's participation in the conflict. The resolution reaffirms U.S. support of efforts to secure an agreement from Azerbaijan to cease military operations against Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2020
Attacks on Free Press Transparency Act This bill establishes an electronic system within the Department of Justice for members of the press to file complaints alleging misconduct by law enforcement agencies and officers. Law enforcement agencies must respond to complaints within 60 days as a condition of receiving certain funds under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program and participating in the Department of Defense program related to surplus military equipment (known as the 1033 program).
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2020
Count Every Vote Act of 2020 This bill revises the electoral college's time frame for presidential elections, particularly with regard to the meeting of electors and the counting of electoral votes. First, the bill requires states to make final determinations of controversies or contests as to the appointment of electors within three (instead of six) days before the electors meet in their respective states to cast their votes for President and Vice President. Further, it extends the date for state electors to meet and vote from the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December following their appointment to the first day after January 1 following their appointment. In addition, it requires states to deliver certificates of electoral votes in the most expeditious method available, including by overnight delivery or a secure form of electronic transmission. Currently, states may transmit these certificates only by registered mail. Finally, the bill changes the date for the joint session of Congress to count electoral votes from the sixth day of January succeeding the meeting of the state electors to the second day following the extended deadline for the receipt of certificates and votes by the President of the Senate or the Archivist of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2020
Sets forth the rule for consideration of the Senate amendments to the bill (H.R. 925) to extend the authorization of appropriations for allocation to carry out approved wetlands conservation projects under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act through fiscal year 2024.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2020
Hong Kong People's Freedom and Choice Act of 2020 This bill provides for temporary protected status (TPS) and refugee status for qualifying Hong Kong residents and contains other immigration-related provisions. Hong Kong shall be treated as a TPS-designated country for 18 months starting from this bill's enactment. (Qualifying nationals of a TPS-designated country may not be removed from the United States and shall have employment authorization while the designation is in effect.) Furthermore, Hong Kong shall be treated as separate from China for the purposes of various numerical limitations on immigrant visas. (Hong Kong is part of China but has a largely separate legal and economic system.) The bill also establishes Priority Hong Kong Resident status for qualified individuals. To obtain such status, an individual must meet certain requirements, such as having resided in Hong Kong for at least ten years and not having citizenship in any jurisdiction other than China, Hong Kong, or Macau. For the purposes of seeking refugee status or asylum, a Priority Hong Kong Resident (and certain family members of such an individual) may establish that the individual has a well-founded fear of persecution if the individual asserts such fear and (1) had a significant role in an organization that supported the 2019 or 2020 protests related to China's encroachment into Hong Kong's autonomy or the Hong Kong National Security Law enacted in 2020; or (2) was arrested, charged, detained, or convicted for participating in the nonviolent exercise of certain rights.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2020
Preventing Future Pandemics Act of 2020 This bill establishes measures to address global public health risks posed by wildlife markets, which are commercial markets that sell or slaughter wildlife for human consumption as food or medicine in communities where alternative nutritional or protein sources are available. Specifically, the bill prohibits importing, exporting, purchasing, or selling live wild animals in the United States for human consumption as food or medicine. The Department of the Interior must hire, train, and deploy at least 50 new U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service law enforcement attachés around the world, and the U.S. Agency for International Development must increase specified activities to address the threats and causes of zoonotic (animal-to-human transmission) disease outbreaks. Additionally, the United States must work with other United Nations member states to urge a global ban on commercial wildlife markets and enforcement of laws to end wildlife trafficking. Further, the President may impose sanctions against a foreign country or foreign nationals that the Department of State has determined are taking certain actions that enable or facilitate commercial wildlife markets. Among other reports required by the bill, the State Department must conduct a study and submit a report that includes an evaluation of (1) the impact that consumption of terrestrial wildlife as food or medicine has on the transmission of novel viral and other pathogens, (2) the role of consuming terrestrial wildlife as food or medicine in the transmission of microbes from animals to humans, and (3) the conditions at live wildlife markets that lead to this transmission.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2020
This resolution condemns the performance of unwanted, unnecessary medical procedures on individuals without their informed consent and recognizes the need for additional accountability, oversight, and transparency to protect individuals from such medical procedures while they are in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It also calls on the Department of Homeland Security to fully cooperate with investigations about, and take other actions related to, medical procedures in one of its detention centers.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2020
This bill requires the Joint Committee on the Library to obtain and place in National Statuary Hall a statue or bust of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2020
Human Trafficking Council Extension Act of 2020 This bill delays the termination of the Public-Private Partnership Advisory Council to End Human Trafficking until September 30, 2021.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2020
This resolution calls on Côte d'Ivoire to publicly commit to free, fair, peaceful, and transparent elections, and it reaffirms that the United States will continue to stand with the people of Côte d'Ivoire in support of peace, democracy, religious and ethnic tolerance, and stability.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2020
Improving Diaper Affordability Act of 2020 This bill includes diapers as deductible medical expenses and allows payments for diapers from certain tax-preferred spending and reimbursement accounts. The bill prohibits state or local governments from imposing a sales tax on the retail purchase of diapers.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2020
This bill requires the Joint Committee on the Library to obtain, and the Architect of the Capitol to permanently install in the U.S. Capitol or on the U.S. Capitol Grounds, a monument honoring Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2020
This resolution condemns the apparently purposeful poisoning of Russian anti-corruption activist and opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The resolution urges the United States to support efforts to investigate the poisoning of Navalny and to investigate whether the poisoning constitutes use of a chemical weapon by Russia in contravention of international law.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2020
Protecting Our Democracy Act This bill addresses issues involving (1) abuses of presidential power; (2) checks and balances, accountability, and transparency; and (3) foreign interference in elections. Specifically, regarding abuses of presidential power, the bill requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the President to submit to Congress specified materials relating to certain pardons; prohibits self-pardons by the President; suspends the statute of limitations for any federal offense committed by a sitting President or Vice President; prohibits the acceptance of foreign or domestic emoluments, authorizes civil actions by Congress concerning foreign emoluments, and requires the President to make certain disclosures; and sets forth provisions regarding enforcement authority of the Office of Government Ethics and Office of Special Counsel jurisdiction. To address checks and balances, accountability, and transparency, the bill, among other things authorizes specified actions to enforce congressional subpoenas, requires appropriations to be made available for obligation in a timely manner, imposes limits on presidential declarations of emergencies, requires DOJ to maintain a log of communications between it and the White House regarding certain investigations, requires cause for removal of inspectors general, increases whistleblower protections, reauthorizes the Merit Systems Protection Board, and establishes penalties for political appointees who engage in prohibited political activities. To protect against foreign interference in elections, the bill requires federal campaign reporting of foreign contacts, requires federal campaigns to establish a foreign contacts compliance policy, and specifies that foreign donations to political campaigns and candidates of nonpublic information relating to a candidate are prohibited.