United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2020
Paycheck Protection Small Business Forgiveness Act This bill modifies loan forgiveness under the Paycheck Protection Program established to support small businesses in response to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). Specifically, the bill provides for automatic forgiveness of a paycheck protection loan that is not more than $150,000 if the recipient submits a one-page form. Further, it prohibits any enforcement or other action against a lender relating to loan origination, forgiveness, or guarantee based on the lender's reliance on certifications or documentation submitted by a loan applicant or recipient.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2020
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individual shall be admitted as a refugee under this bill, an individual whose citizenship, nationality, or residency was revoked for submitting a nonfrivolous application for a U.S. immigration benefit shall be considered to have suffered persecution on account of political opinion.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 June 2020
American Citizen Coronavirus Relief Act This bill requires taxpayers and their dependent children to include a valid Social Security number on their tax returns in order to receive a 2020 recovery rebate. The bill allows a reduced rebate for taxpayers filing a joint return if one spouse provides a valid number.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2020
Law Enforcement De-Escalation Training Act of 2020 This bill requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) to develop law enforcement training curricula in alternatives to the use of force, de-escalation tactics, and techniques for safely responding to a person experiencing a behavioral health crisis. DOJ shall also make grants to states for law enforcement officers to acquire such training from the DOJ or an equivalent program offered by a DOJ-certified entity.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2020
State Emergency Restaurant and Vendor Enhancement and COVID-19 Anti-hunger Restaurant Relief for You Act or the SERVE and CARRY Act This bill provides nutrition assistance to states during an emergency such as COVID-19 by (1) establishing a State Emergency Restaurant and Vendor Enhancement (SERVE) Program that authorizes funding for states to contract with restaurants and provide nutrition benefits to participants for the purchase of meals and food through electronic benefit transfer transactions; (2) providing funds for states to purchase, store, process, package, harvest, and distribute locally grown commodities, fruits, vegetables, specialty crops, dairy, and other consumable items; and (3) expanding eligibility for benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program).
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2020
Military Aviators Cancer Incidence Study Act This bill directs the Department of Defense to develop a comprehensive database and repository on military aviators documenting the cancers, date of diagnosis, and mortality of such aviators and to conduct a study on cancer among military aviators in two phases.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2020
Save American Vital Energy Jobs Act or the SAVE Jobs Act This bill extends energy-related tax provisions and expands incentives for job creation in the energy sector during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) emergency period. Specifically, the bill extends for one year the construction period for carbon oxide sequestration facilities for purposes of the tax credit, suspends capitalization rules in 2020 to permit immediate expensing of certain inventory costs, reduces the required deposit of certain motor fuel excise taxes from 95% to 25%, allows expensing of intangible drilling costs in 2020, permits extensions and suspensions of production and operations under onshore and offshore leases during the COVID-19 emergency period, requires a royalty rate reduction during the COVID-19 emergency period for a maximum 180-day period, and requires the Department of the Interior to delay until July 1, 2022, the effective date for compliance with the 2016 final rule titled Consolidated Federal Oil & Gas and Federal & Indian Coal Valuation Reform.
United States · United States Congress · 18 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. 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. Further, an entity that received a loan under the Paycheck Protection Program established to support small businesses in response to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) may not apply for or use a restaurant revitalization grant for the same expenses for which the entity received the paycheck protection loan.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2020
Protecting Nonprofits from Catastrophic Cash Flow Strain Act of 2020 This bill permits certain governmental entities, federally recognized tribes, and nonprofit organizations to make up front payments of 50% of unemployment benefits into the state Unemployment Trust Fund (in lieu of contributions) to be used exclusively to reduce such payments resulting from the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic. Currently, the Department of Labor issued guidance on April 27, 2020 (UIPL 18-20), requiring states to collect 100% of such payments up front and then reimburse them by 50% later. In addition, the bill allows states to opt to issue such reimbursements or to reduce the amounts required to be paid for weeks of employment on or after March 13, 2020, and before enactment of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2020
Just and Unifying Solutions To Invigorate Communities Everywhere Act of 2020 or the JUSTICE Act This bill addresses policies and issues regarding policing practices and law enforcement accountability. The bill funds state and local grants, incentivizes state and local reporting on the use of certain policing practices, creates new federal offenses for certain misconduct, establishes a commission to study the conditions affecting Black men and boys, and establishes best practices and training requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2020
Targeting Child Predators Act of 2020 This bill revises the processes and procedures related to nondisclosure requirements issued in connection with certain administrative subpoenas. The bill modifies the process for issuing a nondisclosure requirement in a child exploitation or abuse investigation and lengthens the period of time during which a recipient of an administrative subpoena is prohibited from disclosure. It also subjects a nondisclosure requirement to judicial review, requires the administrative subpoena to include notice of the availability of judicial review, and establishes a process for judicial review.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2020
This bill authorizes using certain grants to provide training to law enforcement recruits who agree to serve in their communities. Specifically, the Department of Justice (DOJ) may provide such a grant for a local law enforcement agency to provide training for a recruit who agrees to serve as a full-time law enforcement officer (1) for at least four of the eight years after completing the training, and (2) at a local law enforcement agency within a certain distance of the place where the recruit has resided for at least five years. The recruit must repay the costs of the training to the local law enforcement agency if the recruit does not meet these conditions. DOJ shall establish categories of extenuating circumstances that may excuse a recruit from repayment.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2020
Cultivating Opportunity and Response to the Pandemic through Service Act or the CORPS Act This bill expands, and modifies the priorities and administration of, national service programs, including AmeriCorps and Senior Corps, to address the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic and its recovery period.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2020
Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors for America Act or the CHIPS for America Act This bill establishes investments and incentives to support U.S. semiconductor manufacturing, research and development, and supply chain security. Specifically, the bill provides an income tax credit for semiconductor equipment or manufacturing facility investment through 2026. The bill also establishes a trust fund to be allocated upon reaching an agreement with foreign government partners to promote (1) consistency in policies related to microelectronics, (2) transparency in microelectronic supply chains, and (3) alignment in policies towards nonmarket economies. The Department of Commerce shall, through the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), carry out a program of research and development investment to accelerate the design, development, and manufacturability of next generation microelectronics, including through the creation of a Manufacturing USA institute for semiconductor manufacturing. Commerce shall also establish a program to match state and local government incentives offered to private entities for the purposes of building fabrication facilities relating to semiconductor manufacturing. Further, Commerce shall assess the capabilities of the U.S. industrial base to support the national defense in light of the global nature of supply chains and interdependencies between the industrial bases of the U.S. and foreign countries with respect to the manufacture and design of semiconductors. The Department of Defense shall prioritize the use of specified available amounts for programs, projects, and activities in connection with semiconductor and related technologies. The President shall establish within NIST a subcommittee on matters relating to U.S. leadership in semiconductor technology and innovation, which shall develop a national strategy on semiconductor research.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2020
This bill modifies the time limit from 150 days to 90 days to file a petition for judicial review of a permit, license, or approval for a highway or public transportation capital project.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2020
Federal Permitting Modernization Act of 2020 This bill revises environmental review requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) for certain infrastructure projects. Specifically, this bill establishes deadlines for federal agencies to complete the environmental review of such projects. A court may not issue a temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction against an agency or a project sponsor in connection with the review or authorization of an infrastructure project unless the court determines that (1) the environmental review has failed substantially and materially to comply with the requirements of NEPA, and (2) the failure cannot be cured by supplementing the environmental document or other mitigation and monitoring measures.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2020
This resolution calls on China to allow exiled Tiananmen demonstrators to return to China; condemns the imposition of national security legislation with respect to Hong Kong, as well as the use of violence and imprisonment as means of repression; urges the United States to protect its interests in Hong Kong and the freedom of the people of Hong Kong; calls upon the Hong Kong Chief Executive to allow the people of Hong Kong to exercise their rights, and encourages the formation of an international coalition to demand that China adhere to its international obligations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2020
This bill authorizes U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to refund any merchandise processing fees when an imported good is reliquidated to refund excess duties under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. A merchandise processing fee is a processing fee assessed by CBP based on the value of the merchandise being imported, not including duty, freight, and insurance charges. Currently, a merchandise processing fee may not be refunded when an imported good is reliquidated to refund excess duties.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2020
Reviving the Economy Sustainably Towards A Recovery in Twenty-twenty Act or the RESTART Act This bill extends the Paycheck Protection Program, established to support small businesses in response to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019), for certain businesses, and it establishes a loan program whereby the Small Business Administration (SBA) shall guarantee loan amounts to certain businesses affected by COVID-19. Specifically, the bill provides a paycheck protection loan recipient with 16 weeks to use such funds if the recipient has (1) less than 500 full-time employees, and (2) suffered a decline in revenues of at least 25%. The bill also establishes a loan program whereby the SBA shall guarantee 100% of program loan amounts made to certain small businesses that have not more 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 · 21 May 2020
This resolution recognizes the importance of a free press to an informed, transparent, and safe society; condemns threats to freedom of the press and free expression around the world; and, in remembrance of journalists who lost their lives carrying out their work, calls for actions by the President, the Department of State, and foreign governments to protect and promote freedom of expression globally.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2020
Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020 This bill modifies provisions related to the forgiveness of loans made to small businesses under the Paycheck Protection Program implemented in response to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). Specifically, the bill establishes a minimum maturity of five years for a paycheck protection loan that has a remaining balance after the application of forgiveness. The bill also extends the covered period during which the recipient of a paycheck protection loan may use such funds for certain expenses while remaining eligible for forgiveness of the loan. Further, the bill prohibits the Small Business Administration from limiting the non-payroll portion of a forgivable covered loan amount. Currently, only 25% of a paycheck protection loan may be allocated to non-payroll expenses such as rent and utilities. The bill extends the period of time in which an employer may rehire or eliminate a reduction in employment, salary, or wages that would otherwise reduce the forgivable amount of a paycheck protection loan. However, the forgivable amount must be determined without regard to a reduction in the number of employees if the recipient is (1) unable to rehire an employee, (2) able to demonstrate an inability to hire a similarly qualified employee, or (3) able to demonstrate an inability to return to the same level of business activity. Lastly, the bill eliminates a provision that makes a paycheck protection loan recipient who has such indebtedness forgiven ineligible to defer payroll tax payments.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2020
Small Packer Overtime and Holiday Fee Relief for COVID-19 Act of 2020 This bill requires the Department of Agriculture to reduce the fees charged to small meat, poultry, and egg processing plants for inspections that occur during overtime hours or on holidays. The bill also provides funding to implement the requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2020
This resolution recognizes the importance of a free press to an informed, transparent, and safe society; condemns threats to freedom of the press and free expression around the world; and, in remembrance of journalists who lost their lives carrying out their work, calls for actions by the President, the Department of State, and foreign governments to protect and promote freedom of expression globally.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2020
Elaine M. Checketts Military Families Act of 2020 This bill directs the Department of Defense to amend regulations to provide that approved parental leave shall not terminate upon the death of the child for whom the leave is taken.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2020
This resolution declares that the Senate (1) has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of the Honorable Thomas Allen Coburn, former member of the U.S. Senate; (2) recognizes his life and achievements; and (3) expresses condolences to the family of the former Senator on his passing. Furthermore, this resolution declares that when the Senate adjourns on May 19, 2020, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of the Honorable Thomas Allen Coburn.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2020
Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020 This bill imposes sanctions on foreign individuals and entities responsible for human rights abuses in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous region and requires various reports on the topic. The President shall periodically report to Congress a list identifying foreign individuals and entities responsible for such human rights abuses. The President shall impose (1) property-blocking sanctions on the identified individuals and entities, and (2) visa-blocking sanctions on the identified individuals. The bill requires reports to Congress on (1) human rights abuses in Xinjiang; (2) efforts to protect U.S. citizens and residents, including ethnic Uyghurs and Chinese nationals studying or working in the United States, from harassment and intimidation by the Chinese government; and (3) the Chinese government's acquisition and development of technology to facilitate internment and mass surveillance in Xinjiang. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence shall submit a classified report to Congress on (1) Chinese government policies in Xinjiang that constitute gross violations of human rights, and (2) the scope and scale of the detention and forced labor of Muslim minority groups in China.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2020
Dust Off Crews of the Vietnam War Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make appropriate arrangements for the presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal in honor of the Dust Off crews (helicopter air ambulance crews) of the Vietnam War in recognition of their heroic military service.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2020
Jaime Zapata and Victor Avila Federal Law Enforcement Protection Act This bill explicitly grants extraterritorial jurisdiction over criminal conduct involving the killing (or attempted killing) of a federal officer or employee. The United States may prosecute such conduct that occurs outside the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2020
Stopping Doctor Shortages Act This bill makes certain full-time health care practitioners eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Specifically, the bill extends program eligibility to health care practitioners who work at a nonprofit or public hospital or facility but are prohibited under state law from being directly employed by the hospital or facility.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2020
This bill generally permits a federal law enforcement officer to purchase a retired handgun from the agency that issued a handgun to the officer. The bill directs the General Services Administration to develop policies to facilitate the sale and disposition of eligible handguns.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2020
Sexual Abuse Services in Detention Act of 2020 This bill authorizes the Department of Justice to award grants to nonprofit organizations to establish a National Hotline for Sexual Abuse Services in Detention.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2020
Expanding Medical Partnerships with Israel to Lessen Dependence on China Act or the EMPIL-DOC Act This bill authorizes a bilateral grant program with Israel to develop health technologies, with an emphasis on the use of technology, personalized medicine, and data in relation to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). Technologies to be developed through this program include, among others, artificial intelligence, respiratory assist devices, and diagnostic tests. In addition, the program conditions funding on a matching contribution from the government of Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2020
This resolution congratulates the students, families, teachers, administrators, and staff of public charter schools across the United States for (1) making ongoing contributions to public education, (2) making impressive strides in closing the academic achievement gap in U.S. schools, and (3) improving and strengthening the public school system. The resolution supports the ideals and goals of the 21st annual National Charter Schools Week.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2020
Housing Financial Literacy Act of 2020 This bill modifies the discount given by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) on single-family mortgage-insurance premium payments for first-time homebuyers who complete a financial-management counseling program. Under current law, the maximum premium amount for such homebuyers is 2.75% of the original insured principal obligation of the mortgage (compared to 3% for other homebuyers). The bill instead requires that the premium amount for such homebuyers (1) in the case of a mortgage insured within four years of enactment, be 25 basis points (0.25% of the original insured principal obligation of mortgage) lower than the amount otherwise established by the FHA; or (2) in the case of a mortgage insured four years after enactment, at a rate set by the FHA that corresponds to the reduced risk of loss due to the counseling.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2020
Save Rural Hospitals Act of 2020 This bill establishes an area wage adjustment floor for Medicare hospital payments in states that are not frontier states and excludes such adjustments from certain budget neutrality rules.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2020
Danger Pay for U.S. Marshals Act This bill prohibits the Department of State from denying a request from the U.S. Marshals Service for danger pay. (Danger pay is a form of additional compensation for federal employees who are working in a foreign area and who are under threat of physical harm or imminent danger as a result of civil insurrection, civil war, terrorism, or wartime conditions.)
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2020
United States Secret Service Mission Improvement and Realignment Act of 2020 This bill transfers the U.S. Secret Service from the Department of Homeland Security to the Department of the Treasury. The bill directs the Office of Management and Budget to make incidental dispositions of personnel, assets, and liabilities held in connection with the functions transferred. The Secret Service, by December 31 of each year, shall submit to specified congressional committees an annual report on any trip by a protected individual with a stop at a location that is not owned or controlled by the federal government, including any such trip that is outside of the United States. Such report shall include (1) for each instance of such travel, a statement of the protected individuals, dates of departure and return, total amount of travel expenditures, and other specified information; and (2) for each protected individual, the total amount of incidental expenditures incurred for the purpose of providing protection to the protected individual during the reporting period.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2020
Coronavirus Relief Fund Flexibility for State and Local Government Act This bill gives states, Native American tribes, and municipalities more flexibility in the use of funds provided by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Specifically, the bill permits states, tribes, and municipalities to use such funds for operating expenses not related to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). Such funds shall remain available until expended.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2020
Small Business Expense Protection Act of 2020 This bill amends the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to provide that tax deductions for ordinary business expenses and other tax incidents shall not be affected by the exclusion from gross income of amounts related to loan forgiveness received in response to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019).
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2020
Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act This bill makes previously unused immigrant visas available to nurses and physicians who petition for such a visa before the date that is 90 days after the end of the declared national emergency relating to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) outbreak. The number of visas available shall be the total number of unused employment-based immigrant visas from FY1992-FY2020, up to 40,000. Of such visas, 25,000 shall be reserved for nurses and 15,000 for physicians. Certain family members may accompany the principal beneficiary of a visa provided under this bill, and visas for such family members shall (1) be made available from the unused visas from FY1992-FY2020, and (2) not be counted against the 40,000 cap. Visas provided under this bill shall be exempt from per-country limitations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2020
FEMA Empowering Essential Deliveries Act or the FEED Act This bill authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to approve state, local, and Indian tribal government plans to partner with small and mid-size restaurants and nonprofit organizations to provide nutritious meals to individuals in need. Specifically, during the period following the President's emergency declaration of March 13, 2020, and under any subsequent major disaster declaration that supersedes it, FEMA may approve plans from state, local, and Indian tribal governments that (1) establish contracts with small and mid-sized restaurants and nonprofits, including faith-based organizations and soup kitchens, to prepare healthy meals for people in need; and (2) provide for partnerships with nonprofit organizations to purchase directly from food producers and farmers. FEMA shall waive federal matching requirements under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act during such period.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2020
This bill provides $3 billion in appropriations to the Department of Energy for expenses related to the acquisition, transportation, and injection of domestic petroleum products for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. The appropriations are available through FY2021 and are designated as emergency spending, which is exempt from discretionary spending limits.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2020
This resolution condemns the Chinese government's decision to hide the emergence and spread of COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) within China. It also calls for an investigation by public health officials from the United States and other affected countries into how China's actions contributed to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
![Official portrait of Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/c001056_200.jpg)