United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2021
Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2021 This bill restricts federal funding for Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc. or any of its affiliates or clinics for one year. Specifically, it prohibits funding those entities unless they certify that the affiliates and clinics will not perform, and will not provide funds to entities that perform, abortions during that year. If the certification requirement is not met, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture must recoup any federal assistance received by those entities. However, the bill's funding restriction does not apply to abortions performed in cases of rape or incest or when necessary to resolve a physical condition that endangers a woman's life. The bill also provides additional funding for community health centers for the one-year period. These funds are subject to the same abortion-related restrictions and exceptions.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2021
This bill authorizes the use of the Capitol rotunda on February 3, 2021, for a memorial service honoring Officer Brian Sicknick of the U.S. Capitol Police. The memorial service shall include Officer Sicknick's lying in honor in the rotunda, and the Architect of the Capitol shall place a plaque in honor of Officer Sicknick near the Capitol steps. The Sergeant at Arms of the House of Representatives and the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate must make arrangements for funeral services in the Capitol for Officer Sicknick, including payments for travel expenses of immediate family members and the attendance of Members of Congress. The bill also requires that any funds received by the Capitol Police Board in response to the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, be deposited into the United States Capitol Police Memorial Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2021
This resolution supports the goals of National Catholic Schools Week, an event cosponsored by the National Catholic Educational Association and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and established to recognize the contributions of Catholic elementary and secondary schools in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2021
Securing Access to Lower Taxes by ensuring Deductibility Act or the SALT Deductibility Act This bill repeals the temporary restrictions in taxable years 2018 through 2025 on the deductibility of state and local taxes.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2021
Protecting Life in Foreign Assistance Act This bill prohibits the use of federal funds for purposes outside the United States related to abortion. Specifically, the bill prohibits funding to certain foreign or domestic organizations that perform or promote abortions, furnish or develop items intended to procure abortions, or provide financial support for an entity that conducts such activities. Current U.S. policy prohibits the provision of federal funds to a foreign nongovernmental organization unless it agrees to not perform or actively promote abortions.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2021
Officer Brian D. Sicknick Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal commemorating Officer Brian D. Sicknick for giving his life to protect the Capitol and Members and staff of Congress on January 6, 2021. Following its award, the medal shall be given to Officer Sicknick's parents, Charles and Gladys Sicknick.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2021
Ukraine Religious Freedom Support Act This bill directs the President, when determining whether Russia is a country of particular concern for religious freedom under certain federal laws, to consider incidents occurring in the parts of Ukraine controlled by Russia or Russia-affiliated non-state groups. (The United States may take certain actions, such as withdrawing development assistance, against a country of particular concern for religious freedom.)
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2021
Paycheck Fairness Act This bill addresses wage discrimination on the basis of sex. Specifically, it (1) limits an employer's defense that a pay differential is based on a factor other than sex to only bona fide job-related factors in wage discrimination claims, (2) enhances nonretaliation prohibitions, (3) makes it unlawful to require an employee to sign a contract or waiver prohibiting the employee from disclosing information about the employee's wages, and (4) increases civil penalties for violations of equal pay provisions. Additionally, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs must train EEOC employees and other affected parties on wage discrimination. The bill directs the Department of Labor to (1) establish and carry out a grant program for negotiation skills training for girls and women, (2) conduct studies to eliminate pay disparities between men and women, and (3) make available information on wage discrimination to assist the public in understanding and addressing such discrimination. The bill also establishes the Secretary of Labor's National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace for an employer who has made a substantial effort to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. Finally, the bill requires the EEOC to issue regulations for collecting from employers compensation and other employment data according to the sex, race, and national origin of employees for use in enforcing laws prohibiting pay discrimination.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2021
Protecting Life and Integrity in Research Act of 2021 This bill prohibits the Department of Health and Human Services from conducting or supporting any research that involves the use of human fetal tissue from an induced abortion. The bill also prohibits soliciting or acquiring a donation of human fetal tissue from an induced abortion, other than for purposes of an autopsy or burial. The bill applies requirements on the research of transplantation of fetal tissue for therapeutic purposes to research on fetal tissue in general.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2021
Support And Value Expectant Moms and Babies Act of 2021 or the SAVE Moms and Babies Act of 2021 This bill prohibits the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from approving any new drug (either as a brand-name drug or a generic) intended to terminate a pregnancy and imposes additional restrictions on such drugs that are already approved. Under the bill, an already-approved drug intended to terminate a pregnancy may be dispensed to a patient only with a prescription. Furthermore, the FDA may not approve any labeling change that would authorize (1) using the drug after 70 days of gestation, or (2) dispensing the drug by any means other than in-person administration by the prescribing health care practitioner. The FDA must also impose additional restrictions on such already-approved drugs, including by (1) requiring the prescribing health care practitioner to receive a special certification, (2) prohibiting the practitioner to also act as the dispensing pharmacist, and (3) requiring the practitioner to have the ability to provide surgical intervention to the patient. The bill also rescinds any investigational use exemption already granted to such a drug if the bill would have prohibited the FDA from granting the exemption. (Currently, the FDA may grant an exemption to certain market approval requirements if a drug is intended solely for use in safety and effectiveness investigations.)
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2021
Hong Kong Safe Harbor Act This bill designates certain Hong Kong residents with priority status for refugee consideration and contains other related provisions. An individual and certain family members shall have such priority status if the individual (1) is a Hong Kong resident who suffered persecution or has a well-founded fear of persecution as a result of peaceful political activity; or (2) has been formally charged, detained, or convicted for certain peaceful actions. An individual receiving refugee status under this bill shall not be counted against various numerical limitations. When determining whether an individual shall be admitted as a refugee under this bill, an individual whose citizenship, nationality, or residency was revoked for submitting a nonfrivolous application for a U.S. immigration benefit shall be considered to have suffered persecution on account of political opinion. The general presumption that an alien is seeking immigrant status shall not apply to certain Hong Kong residents seeking asylum into the United States. (Typically, an alien seeking admission as a nonimmigrant must establish that the alien does not intend to immigrate to the United States.) This exception to the presumption shall apply to certain individuals involved in the 2019 and 2020 protests against China's encroachment into Hong Kong's autonomy (Hong Kong is a part of China but has a separate legal and economic system). An individual from Hong Kong may not be denied admission into the United States if the primary reason for the denial is a politically motivated government action against the individual's involvement in protests.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2021
Medicare Economic Security Solutions Act This bill modifies provisions relating to enrollment periods for Medicare medical services. Among other things, the bill establishes a late enrollment penalty of 15% of monthly premiums and applies the penalty for a period equal to twice the number of months in each 12-month period during which the individual was not enrolled. Currently, the late enrollment penalty is 10% of monthly premiums for each 12-month period during which the individual was not enrolled, and the penalty continues to apply for as long as the individual is enrolled in Medicare medical services. The bill also expands the special enrollment periods to individuals who have health insurance coverage other than through their employer.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2021
Access Technology Affordability Act of 2021 This bill allows a refundable tax credit equal to the amounts paid for qualified access technology for use by a blind individual who is the taxpayer, the taxpayer's spouse, or a dependent of the taxpayer. Qualified access technology is hardware, software, or other information technology with the primary function of converting or adapting information that is visually represented into forms or formats useable by blind individuals. The credit is limited to (1) costs that are not compensated by insurance or otherwise, and (2) an aggregate amount of $2,000 per blind individual in any period of three consecutive taxable years. The credit must be adjusted for inflation after 2021 and terminates after 2026.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2021
Federal Firefighter Pay Equity Act This bill modifies certain pay calculations that are used to determine retirement and annuity benefits for federal firefighters. Specifically, the bill adjusts the method of determining the average pay of a federal firefighter by adding one-half of a firefighter's basic hourly rate multiplied by the number of overtime hours included as part of such firefighter's regular tour of duty.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2021
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 · 13 January 2021
This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should ensure that the U.S. Postal Service is not privatized and remains an independent establishment of the federal government.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2021
This resolution honors Officers Brian Sicknick and Howard Liebengood of the U.S. Capitol Police, and it commends the bravery and service demonstrated by officers of the U.S. Capitol Police, the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia, and the other law enforcement agencies and protective entities that assisted in responding to the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2021
This bill establishes in the legislative branch the National Commission on the Domestic Terrorist Attack Upon the United States Capitol. The commission shall (1) conduct an investigation of the relevant facts and circumstances relating to the attacks on the Capitol of January 6, 2021; (2) identify, review, and evaluate the causes of and the lessons learned from the attacks, relative to detecting, preventing, and responding to such kinds of attacks; and (3) report to Congress and the President.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2021
Big Cat Public Safety Act This bill revises requirements governing the trade of big cats (i.e., species of lion, tiger, leopard, cheetah, jaguar, or cougar or any hybrid of such species). Specifically, it revises restrictions on the possession and exhibition of big cats, including to restrict direct contact between the public and big cats.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2021
Palestinian International Terrorism Support Prevention Act of 2021 This bill imposes sanctions targeting Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and any affiliate or successor groups. The President shall periodically report to Congress a list of each foreign person or instrumentality that knowingly assists, provides significant support or services to, or is involved in a significant transaction with a senior member or supporter of any of the targeted groups. The President shall impose two or more sanctions on the named persons. Specifically, the person may be (1) denied credit and services from the Export-Import Bank, (2) barred from purchasing certain controlled defense articles, (3) denied exports of items on the U.S. Munitions List, (4) prevented from receiving exports of certain goods or technology controlled for national security reasons, (5) prohibited from receiving financing of more than $10 million from any U.S. financial institution, or (6) subject to property-blocking restrictions. The President shall periodically report to Congress a list of foreign governments that have repeatedly provided material support for the targeted groups' terrorist activities. The President shall bar these governments from receiving for one year (1) U.S. assistance, or (2) exports of controlled munitions. The Department of Treasury shall instruct U.S. leadership of international financial institutions to oppose the provision of assistance to an identified government for one year. The bill provides for certain exceptions and waivers, such as for transactions that would serve U.S. national interests. The President shall report to Congress and periodically provide briefings on other specified topics related to the targeted groups, such as where these groups secure financing and surveillance equipment.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2021
Women's Public Health and Safety Act This bill allows a state to exclude from participation in the state's Medicaid program a provider that performs an abortion, unless (1) the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, or (2) the woman suffers from a physical issue that would place her in danger of death unless an abortion is performed. Under current law, a state plan for medical assistance must provide that any individual eligible for medical assistance may obtain required services from any provider qualified to perform them.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2021
Social Security Fairness Act of 2021 This bill repeals provisions that reduce Social Security benefits for individuals who receive other benefits, such as a pension from a state or local government. The bill eliminates the government pension offset , which in various instances reduces Social Security survivors' benefits for spouses, widows, and widowers who also receive government pensions of their own. The bill also eliminates the windfall elimination provision , which in some instances reduces Social Security benefits for individuals who also receive a pension or disability benefit from an employer that did not withhold Social Security taxes. These changes are effective for benefits payable after December 2021.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2021
Legal Workforce Act This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to create an electronic employment eligibility confirmation system modeled after and to replace the E-Verify system, which allows employers and recruiters to verify the immigration status of individuals. The bill also mandates the use of such a system, where currently only some employers, such as those with federal contracts, are required to use E-Verify. The bill specifies documents that can establish an individual's identity and employment authorization. During the period starting when a job offer is made until three business days after hiring, the individual must attest to his or her employment authorization, and the employer or recruiter must attest that it has examined the individual's required documents. Employers shall reverify certain types of employees who were not previously verified using E-verify. The Social Security Administration shall notify employees if their Social Security number has been used multiple times in an unusual manner. DHS shall establish programs for blocking and suspending misused numbers. Employers that are required to use the verification system shall not be liable for any employment-related action based on a good-faith reliance on the information from the system. The bill establishes a phased-in participation deadline for different categories of employers, including agricultural employers. The bill increases civil penalties related to hiring individuals without work authorization. It also preempts state laws relating to hiring and employment eligibility verification, but states may use their authority of business licensing to penalize employers for failing to comply with the bill's provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2021
Protecting Life in Crisis Act This bill specifies that federal funds allocated for COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) response efforts may not, in general, be used for abortions. Current law generally prohibits the use of federal funds for abortions through language included in appropriations bills, such as the Hyde Amendment. The bill also restricts the use of federal tax credits or other federal funding for health insurance coverage if the coverage includes abortions.
United States · United States Congress · 15 December 2020
Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act of 2020 This bill establishes specified measures to combat forced organ harvesting and the international trafficking in persons for the purpose of removing their organs. These measures include (1) establishing property-blocking and visa-blocking sanctions, (2) prohibiting exports of certain surgery devices to entities that are identified as being responsible for forced organ harvesting or related human trafficking, and (3) requiring the Department of State to report on these practices.
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 · 16 October 2020
China Trade Relations Act of 2020 This bill withdraws normal trade relations treatment from China and expands the bases of ineligibility for this treatment to include specified violations of human rights by China.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2020
Payer State Transparency Act of 2020 This bill requires the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the Department of Commerce to calculate the federal tax burden of each state for each calendar year. It also requires the Office of Management and Budget to calculate the total amount of federal outlays received by each state in each fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2020
COVID-19 Emergency Social Security Cost of Living Increase Act of 2020 This bill changes the methods used to determine annual increases to Social Security benefits and provides an emergency cost-of-living increase of at least 3% to beneficiaries beginning in November 2020.
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 · 9 October 2020
This resolution supports efforts to advance democratic reforms in Ethiopia, condemns actions to destroy and repress minority and protesting voices, and calls for specific measures to restore peace and foster democracy in Ethiopia.
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 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
Health and Fitness Recovery Act of 2020 This bill establishes through December 31, 2020, and provides funding for the Health Club Recovery Fund, from which the Department of the Treasury shall make grants to eligible health and fitness facilities to provide relief during the COVID-19 (i.e.,coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic. For the grant program's initial period, Treasury must (1) prioritize awarding grants to entities serving marginalized and underrepresented communities, and (2) only award grants to eligible health and fitness facilities with annual revenues of less than $1.5 million. Further, an entity that received a loan under the Paycheck Protection Program established to support small businesses in response to COVID-19 may not apply for or use grant amounts for the same expenses for which it received the paycheck protection loan. Allowable uses for grant amounts include payroll costs, mortgage or rent payments, utilities, and maintenance expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2020
Informed Consent Act This bill establishes a new criminal offense for knowingly performing an abortion or sterilization procedure without obtaining informed consent, unless the procedure is necessary to save an individual's life or otherwise prevent substantial impairment of a major bodily function. An individual who performs these procedures absent informed consent is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to 10 years, or both.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2020
Belarus Democracy, Human Rights, and Sovereignty Act of 2020 This bill expands the President's authority to impose sanctions related to Belarus to include activities surrounding the disputed 2020 Belarusian presidential election and subsequent government crackdown. The bill also expands authorized assistance to Belarus. The President may impose visa-blocking sanctions on any alien who (1) is a member of the Central Election Commission of Belarus or assisted in the manipulation of the August 9, 2020, presidential election, (2) is a government official responsible for the crackdown on independent media, (3) is an official of the Union State (an international organization consisting of Belarus and Russia), or (4) is a Russian individual who has significantly participated in the crackdown on the press or human rights abuses related to political repression in Belarus. (The President already has authority to impose such sanctions on certain aliens, such as senior leaders in the government of Belarus.) The bill also expands authorized assistance related to Belarus to include assistance to (1) counter internet censorship and surveillance technology, (2) support the work of women advocating for freedom and human rights, and (3) support political refugees fleeing the crackdown in Belarus.
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 · 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
Women's Public Health and Safety Act This bill allows a state to exclude from participation in the state's Medicaid program a provider that performs an abortion, unless (1) the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, or (2) the woman suffers from a physical issue that would place her in danger of death unless an abortion is performed. (Under current law, a state plan for medical assistance must provide that any individual eligible for medical assistance may obtain required services from any provider qualified to perform them.)
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2020
This resolution urges Tanzania to ensure free and fair elections in 2020, to guarantee and respect the human and constitutional rights of its citizens, and to foster a business environment that is conducive to continued U.S. trade and investment in Tanzania.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2020
This resolution expresses support for those unjustly imprisoned in Russia, including Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed. The resolution calls for the release of Trevor Reed and calls on Russia to respect his universally recognized human rights.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2020
This resolution supports the announcements of (1) the establishment of full diplomatic relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and between Israel and Bahrain, and (2) the suspension of Israeli actions to apply sovereignty in parts of the West Bank. Further, it calls on each of these countries to encourage greater people-to-people normalization, and it calls on other Arab and Muslim countries to establish full relations with Israel. It also reaffirms the House of Representatives' support for a negotiated, two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2020
Get the Lead Out Act This bill requires community water systems serving populations of 3,300 or more to submit to the Environmental Protection Agency a plan to inventory and replace all the lead service lines of the system within 10 years.
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 · 24 July 2020
Eliminating Local News Deserts Act of 2020 This bill requires a cable company operating within a state to carry certain low power stations if, among other requirements, (1) the state has no exclusive, in-state broadcast television market within its boundaries; (2) there are no full power commercial network affiliates (i.e., ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX) that are licensed to, and principally operate within, the state; and (3) such low power station provides a minimum of 19 weekly hours of locally produced news, public affairs, and informational programming relevant to the residents and communities of the state.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2020
Defend COVID Research from Hackers Act This bill authorizes the President to impose visa-blocking, property-blocking, or economic sanctions on a foreign person that is involved in activities that are reasonably likely to result in a significant threat to U.S. national security, foreign policy, public health, economic health, or financial stability. The Department of State must submit a report detailing the extent of known or attempted cyber-enabled activities by foreign persons related to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) and assessing whether those activities qualify for the imposition of sanctions. Further, the bill provides penalties for a person who knowingly traffics in access to a protected computer if the trafficker knows the protected computer has been damaged in a prohibited manner. The bill also authorizes an injunction against a person who causes damage through accessing a protected computer or transmitting a program, information, code, or command to a protected computer.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2020
Passport Backlog Elimination Act This bill requires the Department of State to submit and implement a plan containing specified actionable strategies to eliminate the backlog of passport applications that is due to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2020
This resolution calls on Turkey to eliminate all forms of discrimination and uphold international standards for human rights. The resolution also urges Turkey to (1) meet certain criteria prior to its accession into the European Union, and (2) recognize the Ecumenical Patriarchate of the Eastern Orthodox Church.
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.
![Official portrait of Rep. Smith, Christopher H. [R-NJ-4]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s000522_200.jpg)