United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2020
Save our Stages Act or the SOS Act This bill authorizes the Small Business Administration (SBA) to make grants to eligible live venue operators, producers, promoters, or talent representatives to address the economic effects of the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic on certain live venues. Specifically, the SBA may make (1) an initial grant of up to $12 million dollars to an eligible operator, promoter, producer, or talent representative; and (2) a supplemental grant that is equal to 50% of the initial grant. An initial grant must be used for costs incurred between March 1, 2020, and December 31, 2020, but a supplemental grant may be used for expenses incurred through June 30, 2021. Such grants shall be used for specified expenses such as payroll costs, rent, utilities, and personal protective equipment.
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
Protecting Access to Loan Forgiveness for Public Servants During the COVID-19 Pandemic Act This bill allows public service employees who are impacted by the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency to continue to participate, without disruption, in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. Specifically, an individual who was employed in a public service job and who experiences lapse in employment (e.g., a furlough, a layoff, or the individual's resignation due to illness or caregiving responsibilities) because of the COVID-19 public health emergency may continue to participate in the PSLF program without disruption. The bill treats such an individual as employed in a public service job during the emergency and deems a monthly payment made by the individual as a qualifying monthly payment toward loan cancellation under the PSLF program. However, unless the individual would have completed requirements for loan cancellation during the public health emergency, the individual must resume employment in a public service job within six months after the end of the emergency. In addition, the bill directs the Department of Education to develop and make available guidance related to the assistance provided by the bill.
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 · 21 July 2020
COVID-19 Mine Worker Protection Act This bill requires the Department of Labor to promulgate health and safety standards to protect coal miners from occupational exposure to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). Labor shall promulgate emergency standards within seven days of this bill's enactment, and such emergency standards shall be in force until permanent standards are established. Labor shall also collect data to track and investigate cases of exposure to COVID-19 among coal miners.
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
COVID-19 Data Transparency Act This bill requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to standardize reporting by government health departments of COVID-19 data, including information related to hospital admissions, testing, contact tracing, and transmission rates. In addition, the CDC must publicly post and periodically update this information on its website with individually identifiable information excluded.
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
Isolate COVID-19 Act of 2020 This bill authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services to provide payments to states, tribes, and territories in order to lease hotels to temporarily house individuals with confirmed or presumed cases of COVID-19 who are unable to self-isolate at home and do not need inpatient or outpatient health care.
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 · 14 July 2020
Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2021 This bill provides FY2021 appropriations for the legislative branch, including the House of Representatives and Joint Items such as the Joint Economic Committee, the Joint Committee on Taxation, the Office of the Attending Physician, and the Office of Congressional Accessibility Services. In addition, the bill provides FY2021 appropriations for the Capitol Police; the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights; the Congressional Budget Office; the Architect of the Capitol; the Library of Congress, including the Congressional Research Service and the Copyright Office; the Government Publishing Office; the Government Accountability Office; the Open World Leadership Center Trust Fund; and the John C. Stennis Center for Public Service Training and Development. (Pursuant to the longstanding practice of each chamber of Congress determining its own requirements, funds for the Senate are not included in the House bill.) The bill also sets forth requirements and restrictions for using funds provided by this bill.
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
Social Security COVID Correction and Equity Act This bill expands the Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) benefits program, temporarily expands the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, and otherwise modifies these programs. Specifically, the bill revises OASDI benefits by (1) modifying funding formulas, (2) extending eligibility for certain benefits, and (3) increasing income thresholds used to determine the percentage of benefits subject to federal income tax. Changes to OASDI funding formulas include (1) increasing the primary insurance amount, (2) establishing new methods to calculate benefits for individuals with lifetime low earnings and for widows and widowers, and (3) modifiying application of the national average wage index to prevent certain reductions to benefits. In addition, children of a deceased, disabled, or retired worker remain eligible for OASDI benefits through age 22 if they are full-time students. Under current law, they receive benefits through age 18. The bill also extends dependent child benefits under the OASDI program to specified family members other than grandparents or step-grandparents, including in cases where a court grants custody of the dependent child to an eligible family member. To receive benefits under current law, either both parents must be disabled or deceased or a grandparent or step-grandparent must legally adopt the dependent child. The bill also temporarily increases income and resource limits for the SSI program, thereby temporarily expanding eligibility. This program helps aged, blind, and disabled individuals with limited income and resources meet their basic needs.
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
COVID-19 Youth Sports and Healthy Working Families Relief Act This bill establishes measures to provide economic assistance to youth sports providers, programs, and organizations in response to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). Specifically, the bill (1) requires the Small Business Administration to establish a loan program for youth sports providers affected by COVID-19, (2) expands the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit to include expenses for youth physical activities, (3) makes certain sports and fitness expenses eligible to be paid for with Health Savings Accounts and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), and (4) increases the maximum contribution per household for Dependent Care FSAs.
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
Prevent Harmful Algal Blooms Act This bill directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to designate organizations as National Centers of Excellence in Harmful Algal Bloom Research, Prevention, Response, and Mitigation. An algal bloom is a rapid growth of algae that may create toxic or hypoxic (severely low-oxygen) conditions that are harmful to humans, animals, aquatic ecosystems, and the economy. To be eligible for designation, an organization must be an institution of higher education, a government research agency, a nonprofit laboratory or other research entity, or a consortium of such institutions; have demonstrated expertise and success in harmful algal bloom research, monitoring, forecasting, prevention, or response efforts; have demonstrated ability to collaborate with local, state, territorial, and tribal governments and federal agencies on harmful algal blooms; and be located in an area that is economically and environmentally impacted by harmful algal blooms. In designating National Centers of Excellence, NOAA must (1) consult with the Inter-Agency Task Force on Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia; (2) ensure regional balance by designating centers in a variety of locations throughout the United States, including the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and other territories and possessions of the United States; and (3) avoid duplication of other harmful algal bloom research. Each designation shall be effective for five years and reviewed by NOAA in the fourth year of such effective period. The designation may be renewed for an additional five-year period.
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
Bank on Students Coronavirus Emergency Loan Refinancing Act of 2020 This bill establishes refinancing programs for federal and private student loans. Specifically, it allows certain borrowers to refinance their federal student loans down to lower interest rates, and creates the Federal Direct Refinanced Private Loan to allow certain borrowers to refinance their private student loans.
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.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2020
Ohio River Basin Preparedness Act This bill requires the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to develop, implement, and publish an interagency plan for assisting states, Indian tribes, and communities in the Ohio River Basin to prepare for, and respond to, the effects of climate change.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2020
Improving College Affordability for our Guard and Reserve Act This bill authorizes all members of the Armed Forces—including reservists or those in the National Guard and regardless of their duty status—to claim independent student status when applying for federal financial aid. Currently, active duty service members and veterans of the Armed Forces may claim such independent student status.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2020
Research Investment to Spark the Economy Act or the RISE Act This bill authorizes the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, the Interior, and Health and Human Services and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Science Foundation, and Environmental Protection Agency to provide support for research regarding COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) or research disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Support under this bill shall be provided through federal science agencies with at least $50 million in basic and applied research obligations in FY2020. Support may be used to provide supplemental funding to extend the duration of a grant to a research institution or national laboratory that was awarded prior to the enactment of this bill, or to expand the purposes of such a grant as specified; provide supplemental funding through existing competitively awarded cooperative agreements and contracts to cover the increased costs of construction of scientific facilities and equipment that have been delayed because of COVID-19; and award grants and cooperative agreements to institutions of higher education to conduct research on the behavioral, social, or economic effects of COVID-19 and the responses to the disease or on the effectiveness of such responses. Agencies must provide the support as rapidly as possible. Provided funds shall remain available for expenditure for up to two years.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2020
Suicide Training and Awareness Nationally Delivered for Universal Prevention Act of 20 20 or the STANDUP Act of 2020 This bill requires state, tribal, and local education agencies that receive grant funding for priority mental-health needs, including through the Project AWARE State Education Agency Grant Program, to establish and implement evidence-based suicide awareness and prevention training policies. In addition, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, in coordination with the Department of Education, must provide educational agencies with best practices for these trainings.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2020
The COVID-19 Hospital and Health Provider Loan Forgiveness Act of 2020 This bill establishes and otherwise modifies requirements for the Medicare Accelerated and Advance Payment Program during the public health emergency relating to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). The program provides Medicare payments in advance to eligible providers experiencing claims or cash flow disruptions, such as during national emergencies; the program was specifically expanded in response to COVID-19 to encompass more types of providers, subject to certain recoupment and repayment provisions. The bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to waive recoupment and repayment for providers who meet specified requirements. Among other criteria, providers must not have engaged in surprise billing practices with respect to COVID-19 patients. Providers must still repay any amounts not used for COVID-19 expenses; the bill caps the interest rate on such repayments at 2% upon a demonstration of hardship. The bill also requires private health insurers to treat out-of-network COVID-19 services as in-network for purposes of payment and cost-sharing.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2020
Flint Registry Reauthorization Act This bill extends through FY2031 a voluntary lead exposure registry supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The registry collects data on the exposure of individuals in Flint, Michigan, to lead contamination in the local drinking water system.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2020
Knowing the Efficiency and Efficacy of Permanent Telehealth Options Act of 2020 or the KEEP Telehealth Options Act of 2020 This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report on the availability and effects of expanded telehealth services under Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) during the public health emergency relating to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). Among other information, HHS must detail its actions during the emergency to expand access to telehealth services and must analyze telehealth usage by certain demographic groups. The GAO must report on the efficiency and management of the telehealth expansion and related risks of fraudulent activity.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2020
Coronavirus Health Care Worker Wellness Act of 2020 This bill requires the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to establish a grant program for health care providers to promote mental wellness among frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The agency must also study mental health and burnout among health care workers.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2020
This resolution recognizes the historical significance and supports the continued celebration of Juneteenth Independence Day, which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2020
Real Economic Support That Acknowledges Unique Restaurant Assistance Needed To Survive Act of 2020 or the RESTAURANTS Act of 2020 This bill temporarily establishes and provides funding for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, from which the Department of the Treasury shall make grants to eligible food and beverage purveyors to cover specified costs. The amount of such a grant shall be reduced by the amount of (1) any emergency grant received for an economic injury disaster loan, or (2) any paycheck protection loan amount forgiven under the Paycheck Protection Program established to support small businesses in response to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). For the grant program's initial period, Treasury must (1) prioritize awarding grants to marginalized and underrepresented communities, and (2) only award grants to eligible food and beverage purveyors with annual revenues of less than $1.5 million.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2020
Small Business PPE Tax Credit Act This bill allows certain small businesses a tax credit for the cost of qualified personal protective equipment, up to $25,000 in a taxable year. The entities eligible for such credit include farms, nonprofit organizations, veterans organizations, and Tribal business concerns. The bill defines qualified personal protective equipment to include the cost of equipment for reducing the risk of coronavirus (i.e., the virus that causes COVID-19) transmission. including gloves, facial masks and protective gear, and cleaning supplies.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2020
Confederate Monument Removal Act This bill prohibits a state from providing for display in National Statuary Hall a statue of a person who voluntarily served with the Confederate States of America, and it provides for the removal, return, and replacement of any statue currently on display that depicts such a person.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2020
This joint resolution nullifies a rule published on June 5, 2020, by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency within the Department of the Treasury. The rule generally revises the office's implementation of the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), which requires banks to serve the credit needs of low- and moderate-income communities. Under the CRA, a bank receives credit, which influences the bank's performance rating, for conducting specified activities related to this requirement in designated assessment areas. Among other things, the rule revises qualifying CRA activities, sets forth new procedures for determining if an activity qualifies under the CRA, and expands designated assessment areas.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2020
Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America Act or the INVEST in America Act This bill addresses provisions related to federal-aid highway, transit, highway safety, motor carrier, research, hazardous materials, and rail programs of the Department of Transportation (DOT). Among other provisions, the bill extends FY2020 enacted levels through FY2021 for federal-aid highway, transit, and safety programs; reauthorizes for FY2022-FY2025 several surface transportation programs, including the federal-aid highway program, transit programs, highway safety, motor carrier safety, and rail programs; addresses climate change, including strategies to reduce the climate change impacts of the surface transportation system and conduct a vulnerability assessment to identify opportunities to enhance the resilience of the surface transportation system and ensure the efficient use of federal resources; revises Buy America procurement requirements for highways, mass transit, and rail; establishes a rebuild rural grant program to improve the safety, state of good repair, and connectivity of transportation infrastructure in rural communities; implements new safety requirements across all transportation modes; and directs DOT to establish a pilot program to demonstrate a national motor vehicle per-mile user fee to restore and maintain the long-term solvency of the Highway Trust Fund and achieve and maintain a state of good repair in the surface transportation system.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2020
Justice in Policing Act of 2020 This bill addresses a wide range of policies and issues regarding policing practices and law enforcement accountability. It includes measures to increase accountability for law enforcement misconduct, to enhance transparency and data collection, and to eliminate discriminatory policing practices. The bill facilitates federal enforcement of constitutional violations (e.g., excessive use of force) by state and local law enforcement. Among other things, it does the following: lowers the criminal intent standard—from willful to knowing or reckless—to convict a law enforcement officer for misconduct in a federal prosecution, limits qualified immunity as a defense to liability in a private civil action against a law enforcement officer or state correctional officer, and authorizes the Department of Justice to issue subpoenas in investigations of police departments for a pattern or practice of discrimination. The bill also creates a national registry—the National Police Misconduct Registry—to compile data on complaints and records of police misconduct. It establishes a framework to prohibit racial profiling at the federal, state, and local levels. The bill establishes new requirements for law enforcement officers and agencies, including to report data on use-of-force incidents, to obtain training on implicit bias and racial profiling, and to wear body cameras.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2020
Law Enforcement Oversight and Reform Act of 2020 This bill prohibits the reckless use of excessive force (e.g., the use of choke holds) under the color of law by law enforcement officers. The bill also prohibits states and local governments from receiving funds under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program if the state or locality does not have a similar law prohibiting the use of excessive force.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2020
This resolution recognizes racism as a national public health crisis and supports the creation of a truth and reconciliation process to address historic, enduring systemic and structural racism against black people.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2020
This concurrent resolution (1) affirms, on the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first slave ship, the U.S. debt of remembrance not only to those who lived through the injustices of slavery but also to their descendants; and (2) proposes a U.S. Commission on Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation to properly acknowledge, memorialize, and be a catalyst for progress, including toward permanently eliminating persistent racial inequities.
United States · United States Congress · 1 June 2020
SFC Heath Robinson Burn Pit Transparency Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to submit quarterly reports on veterans' burn pit exposure, and to inform veterans of the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry if a veteran presents at a medical facility for treatment related to exposure to toxic chemicals caused by open burn pits. A burn pit is an area used for burning solid waste in open air without equipment.
United States · United States Congress · 1 June 2020
Stopping the Mental Health Pandemic Act This bill requires the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to award grants to states, tribal nations, local governments, behavioral health and primary care providers, and community organizations to support behavioral health treatment and services during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic.
United States · United States Congress · 1 June 2020
VoteSafe Act of 2020 This bill expands vote-by-mail and early in-person voting during the 2020 federal elections. It also directs polling places to follow certain guidance related to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) preparedness. Specifically, each state and local jurisdiction must permit no-excuse mail-in absentee voting. Among other things, each state and jurisdiction must (1) provide a mail-in ballot with prepaid return postage to each registered voter who requests such a ballot, (2) allow voters to submit online ballot requests, (3) allow voters to cure certain signature discrepancies, and (4) provide secured drop-off boxes from 45 days before the date of the election. Each state and local jurisdiction must maintain an early in-person voting period of at least 20 days. Additionally, each state must establish a plan to ensure that polling places are implementing guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention related to COVID-19 preparedness. Among other requirements, each plan must (1) keep as many voting locations open as possible, (2) prepare polling locations to implement social distancing protocols, (3) provide sufficient quantities of hygiene and cleaning supplies at polling locations, and (4) provide additional compensation and protective equipment to poll workers. The Election Assistance Commission (EAC) must make a payment, within 30 days, to each state to carry out these requirements. Finally, the EAC must make payments to eligible states to carry out certain activities related to in-person voting, such as ensuring that elections are accessible to individuals with disabilities and implementing curbside voting.
United States · United States Congress · 1 June 2020
COVID-19 Pandemic Moment of Silence Act This bill directs the President to issue a proclamation designating a National Day of Mourning and Lament and calling on the people of the United States to observe a moment of silence to honor the memory of the lives lost in the United States due to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic.
United States · United States Congress · 1 June 2020
Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act This bill establishes a grant program, as well as a new center within the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), to facilitate access to investigational therapies for neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (i.e., ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, a progressive and fatal disease). Specifically, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must award grants for the provision of investigational drugs for ALS and other rapidly progressing neurodegenerative diseases through an expanded access (i.e., compassionate use) program. HHS may award these grants to (1) a small business that is the sponsor of an investigational new drug application, or (2) a participating clinical trial site for such a sponsor. Additionally, HHS must establish within the FDA a Center of Excellence for Neurodegenerative Diseases. The center shall have duties and authorities similar to those of the FDA's Oncology Center of Excellence, which helps expedite the development of medical products and assists providers in requesting access to investigational drugs.
United States · United States Congress · 1 June 2020
This resolution condemns acts of brutality, racial profiling, and the use of excessive force by law enforcement officers. It also calls for the end of militarized policing practices. The resolution supports strengthening efforts to promote accountability for individual law enforcement officers and police departments. Finally, it calls for the adoption of sound and unbiased law enforcement policies at all levels of government.
United States · United States Congress · 1 June 2020
Protecting Our Servicemembers' Care Act of 2020 This bill directs the Government Accountability Office to report on any lapses in a reservist's TRICARE coverage that occurred during the previous eight years and were caused by a change in duty status.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 2020
Child Care Is Essential Act This bill establishes and provides $50 billion in appropriations for the Child Care Stabilization Fund to award grants to child care providers during and after the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency. The bill establishes the fund within the existing Department of Health and Human Services Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program, and the grants must be administered by the existing CCDBG lead agencies of states, tribes, or territories. Child care providers that are currently open or temporarily closed due to COVID-19 are eligible to receive grant awards, which are based on the provider's operating costs before the COVID-19 public health emergency and adjusted to account for the increased costs of providing child care as a result of COVID-19.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 2020
Rural Broadband Acceleration Act This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to modify the framework for the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I auction, and it establishes a deadline for the FCC to create broadband service maps.
![Official portrait of Rep. Ryan, Tim [D-OH-13]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/116_rp_oh_13_ryan_tim_200.jpg)