United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2020
Public Health Infrastructure Saves Lives Act This bill provides funding to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for improving its core public health infrastructure and awarding grants to strengthen such infrastructure in state, tribal, territorial, and local health departments. Core public health infrastructure includes the elements and workforce capabilities that enable health departments to perform critical functions (i.e., disease surveillance and emergency response).
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2020
Worker Health Coverage Protection Act This bill provides health insurance premium assistance to individuals who become unemployed or are furloughed during the period beginning on March 1, 2020, and ending on January 31, 2021. Specifically, the bill treats such premiums as paid for individuals who (1) are terminated from employment and elect to continue insurance coverage through the COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act) program during such period, or (2) receive more than a 30% reduction in work hours during such period but remain eligible for coverage under a group health plan. The bill also specifies requirements for individuals changing, or enrolling in, health plans under the program. Additionally, the bill requires employers to provide eligible individuals specified written notice about the premium assistance program, including, among other information, available health plan enrollment options and the date that such assistance expires. The Department of the Treasury must reimburse employers, group health plans, and insurance issuers through a payroll tax credit or refund for unpaid premiums that were treated as paid under the program. Premium assistance is not considered income for federal income tax purposes or for determining eligibility for federal or state benefits or assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2020
This bill requires the Joint Committee on the Library to obtain, and the Architect of the Capitol to permanently install in the U.S. Capitol or on the U.S. Capitol Grounds, a monument honoring Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2020
This resolution recognizes September 22, 2020, as National Voter Registration Day and encourages those eligible to vote to register, verify their personal information on record with local election officials, and vote.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2020
This resolution encourages the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to maintain and strengthen requirements that keep waterways clean. It also encourages the EPA to end or reverse administrative actions that weaken requirements protecting the nation's waters.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2020
Science and Transparency Over Politics Act This bill directs the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee to appoint a task force to investigate political interference with decisions made by scientific agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) emergency, such as pressure placed on the Food and Drug Administration to reach a certain outcome related to a drug or device to treat or prevent COVID-19. This committee, which is made up of inspectors general of certain federal agencies, conducts and supports oversight of the federal government's COVID-19 response efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2020
Great Lakes Navigation Act of 2020 This bill requires that at least 12% of funds made available each fiscal year from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund be used for projects that are located within the Great Lakes Navigation System.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2020
This resolution calls on the President to take executive action to cancel up to $50,000 in federal student loan debt for borrowers. Further, it encourages the President to (1) ensure that borrowers have no tax liability from the debt cancellation, (2) ensure that the debt cancellation helps close racial wealth gaps, and (3) pause student loan payments and interest accumulation on federal student loans for the duration of the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2020
This resolution expresses the sense of the Senate that the establishment of full diplomatic relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and between Israel and Bahrain are historic achievements. Further, it encourages other Arab nations to establish full relations with Israel, and it reaffirms the Senate's support for a negotiated, two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2020
Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2020 This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the posthumous presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal in commemoration of Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley. After the award the medal shall be given to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2020
This concurrent resolution (1) calls on the Members of Congress and all people of the United States to observe September 11, 2020, as a National Day of Service and Remembrance in honor of those who lost their lives or were injured in the September 11, 2001, attacks and in tribute to those who came to the aid of those in need and to the defense of the United States; and (2) recognizes the heroic actions of first responders and other citizens in New York, New York, the District of Columbia, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2020
This resolution designates September 2020 as National Voting Rights Month, encourages people to uphold the right to vote, commemorates the 100th anniversary of the passage and ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution, encourages Congress to pass certain voting rights legislation, recommends the development of a curriculum in public schools and universities regarding voting, encourages the U.S. Postal Service to issue a special John R. Lewis stamp during the month of September, and invites Congress to allocate funds for public service announcements regarding elections.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2020
Russia Bounty Response Act of 2020 This bill requires various actions in response to the influence of Russia's government in South and Central Asia and contains other related provisions. The Department of State shall report to Congress a strategy for using U.S. diplomacy to counter such Russian influence. The bill imposes sanctions on various individuals and entities, including (1) Russian President Vladimir Putin or any person acting on his behalf, (2) any senior Russian government official involved in a program to provide bounties for killing members of the U.S. Armed Forces or certain North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces in Afghanistan, and (3) individuals and entities that facilitate illicit or corrupt activities on behalf of Putin or other specified persons. The bill imposes civil and criminal penalties related to violations of such sanctions. The bill also authorizes various activities, including (1) rewards for information about Russian bounties against U.S. Armed Forces anywhere in the world, and (2) State Department activities to counter Russian influence in South and Central Asia. The State Department shall seek to establish a working group involving officials from the government of Afghanistan to address threats to Afghanistan's security posed by Russia's government. The State Department must also create a Deputy Assistant Secretary position tasked with coordinating efforts to counter Russian influence in South and Central Asia. The President shall also appoint a special envoy tasked with countering Russian influence in the region.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2020
This resolution honors service members and veterans, condemns the President's denigration of members of the Armed Forces and veterans, and demands that the President defend members of the Armed Forces against hostile actions by Russia.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2020
This bill requires the federal government to pay states for 100% of the cost of National Guard duty for a mission assignment validated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency pursuant to certain declarations related to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency. The bill applies to declarations, with respect to COVID-19, of major disasters, emergencies, national emergencies, and public health emergencies.
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 2020
Medicare Orthotics and Prosthetics Patient-Centered Care Act This bill revises payment rules and establishes several requirements relating to coverage of orthotics and prosthetics under Medicare. Specifically, the bill requires suppliers of orthotics and prosthetics to meet certain standards with respect to licensure and accreditation, physical facilities, and liability insurance. Orthotists and prosthetists may also issue written orders for commercial purposes that meet specified standards; such orders must be signed by the treating physician. The bill also prohibits payment under Medicare for certain prosthetics and orthotics that are delivered via drop shipment (i.e., direct shipment to a beneficiary who has not received corresponding patient care from a health care practitioner).
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2020
Lori Jackson Domestic Violence Survivor Protection Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to modify the prohibition on firearm sale or transfer to, or purchase or possession by, an individual who is subject to a court order that restrains the individual from harassing, stalking, or threatening an intimate partner or child of an intimate partner. Specifically, the bill revises the elements of a qualifying court order. It also broadens the definitions of intimate partner and misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence .
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 2020
Mentoring to Succeed Act of 2020 This bill requires the Department of Education to award grants to entities such as educational agencies, schools, and local governments to establish, expand, or support school-based mentoring programs that assist at-risk students in developing cognitive skills and promoting social-emotional learning to prepare them for success in high school, postsecondary education, and the workforce.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2020
Environmental Justice For All Act This bill establishes several environmental justice requirements, advisory bodies, and programs to address the disproportionate adverse human health or environmental effects of federal laws or programs on communities of color, low-income communities, or tribal and indigenous communities. Specifically, the bill prohibits disparate impacts on the basis of race, color, or national origin as discrimination. Aggrieved persons may seek legal remedy when faced with such discrimination. In addition, the bill directs agencies to follow certain requirements concerning environmental justice. For example, agencies must prepare community impact reports that assess the potential impacts of their actions on environmental justice communities under certain circumstances. Further, it creates a variety of advisory bodies and positions, such as the Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice Compliance and Enforcement. Among other things, the group must issue an environmental justice strategy. It also establishes requirements and programs concerning chemicals or toxic ingredients in certain products. For example, the bill (1) requires certain products (e.g., cosmetics) to include a list of ingredients or warnings; and (2) provides grants for research on designing safer alternatives to chemicals in certain consumer, cleaning, toy, or baby products that have an inherent toxicity or that are associated with chronic adverse health effects. Finally, it creates a variety of funding programs, such as a grant program to enhance access to park and recreational opportunities in an urban areas.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2020
Public Health Air Quality Act of 2020 This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to implement policies, programs, and regulations related to air quality monitoring. Specifically, the EPA must implement a program using specified methods and technologies to administer or conduct the best available form of fenceline monitoring (i.e., monitoring of ambient air concentration using technology at a site's property line) of specified stationary sources of hazardous air pollutants. The stationary sources to be monitored must include the 25 high-priority facilities named in the EPA Inspector General report (#20-N-0128) from March 31, 2020, and at least another 25 major sources or synthetic area sources. Among other requirements, the EPA must also determine whether whether to add fenceline monitoring for any additional stationary sources, complete an evaluation and promulgate a determination on whether any existing emission factors must be updated to better reflect or account for the results of fenceline monitoring data collected under the established program, promulgate regulations establishing emission standards for specified source categories, require an additional 80 National Core multi-pollutant monitoring stations, and deploy at least 1,000 air quality sensors to monitor specified pollutants in census tracts or counties with per capita death rates from COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) that are at least 10% higher than the national average. Finally, the Department of Health and Human Services and the EPA must carry out a Centers of Excellence on Environmental Health Disparities Research grant program to establish and support at least 10 research centers.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2020
Access to Assistive Technology and Devices for Americans Study Act or the Triple A Study Act This bill directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study issues related to health insurance and other coverage for assistive technologies, such as prosthetic devices and custom orthoses, for those who experience amputations or live with a limb difference. In conducting this study, the GAO must include comparisons of claims and other data from Medicare, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and commercial health insurers.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2020
This resolution addresses issues related to individuals with disabilities. Specifically, the resolution recognizes the importance of independent living for individuals with disabilities made possible by the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and encourages all Americans to celebrate the advancement of inclusion and equality of opportunity made possible by its enactment; pledges to continue to work on a bipartisan basis to identify and address the remaining barriers that undermine the national goals of equality of opportunity, independent living, economic self-sufficiency, and full participation for individuals with disabilities; pledges to work with states to improve access to home- and community-based services for individuals with disabilities; and calls on the Department of Health and Human Services to provide information, resources, and technical assistance regarding such services that enable individuals with disabilities to live independently.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2020
This resolution declares that (1) the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of the Honorable John Lewis, a late Member of the House of Representatives; and (2) when the Senate adjourns on July 28, 2020, it will stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of the Honorable John Lewis.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2020
This bill directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to initiate an inquiry within seven days and report on the impact of certain changes to hospital reporting requirements for COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) on data quality, transparency, and access. (The White House's Coronavirus Task Force revised the process for hospitals to report COVID-19 data on July 13, 2020; previously, hospitals reported data to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention instead of to the Department of Health and Human Services.) To facilitate the inquiry, HHS must provide the GAO with direct access to relevant information systems. The GAO must present its findings within 45 days, and HHS must then respond to the findings and rectify any issues identified within 7 days. In addition, the GAO must issue reports that address, for example, the impact of the changes to reporting requirements on federal and nonfederal entities, such as hospitals, states, and other jurisdictions, and information about how the decision to change those requirements was made.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2020
Marshall Plan for Coal Country Act of 2020 This bill addresses provisions related to coal mining and coal communities, including by (1) providing Medicare benefits for individuals who lost their job (other than a discharge for cause, voluntary departure, or retirement) at a coal mine or coal power plant; and (2) expanding and revising the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund to provide support for economic revitalization, diversification, and development in economically distressed mining communities through the reclamation and restoration of land and water resources adversely affected by coal mining carried out before August 3, 1977.
United States · United States Congress · 22 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 · 22 July 2020
John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act This bill establishes new criteria for determining which states and political subdivisions must obtain preclearance before changes to voting practices may take effect. (Preclearance is the process of receiving federal preapproval before making legal changes that would affect voting rights.) In addition, the bill expands voting access on tribal lands.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2020
National Emergency Student Vote Act This bill requires institutions of higher education (IHEs) that participate in federal student-aid programs to provide students with additional resources on registering to vote. In addition, IHEs must provide students who are off campus due to a public health emergency with resources on voting by mail (e.g., absentee ballot applications).
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2020
COVID-19 Bias and Anti-Racism Training Act of 2020 This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants to health care providers, public health departments, tribal organizations, schools for social workers and health professionals, and other nonprofit entities for bias and anti-racism training to reduce disparities in COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) response efforts. In administering these grants, HHS must give priority to, among others, recipients in communities with racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and death rates. In addition, HHS must develop requirements for bias and anti-racism training that aligns with continuing education requirements of applicable state licensing bodies, such as medical boards.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2020
Protect Access to Birth Control Act This bill nullifies interim final rules issued by the Department of Labor, the Department of the Treasury, and the Department of Health and Human Services that allow employers with religious or moral objections to be exempt from the requirement that their health insurance plans cover contraceptive services without cost-sharing.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2020
Preventing Authoritarian Policing Tactics on America's Streets Act This bill imposes limitations on federal law enforcement officers and members of the Armed Forces (or the National Guard) engaging in law enforcement activities related to crowd control. When engaged in certain law enforcement activities related to crowd control, such an officer or member (1) shall clearly display certain identifying information, such as the individual's last name or unique identifier; and (2) shall not use an unmarked vehicle to apprehend or arrest civilians. Such an officer or member may only engage in certain law enforcement activities, such as crowd or riot control and arrest of individuals engaged in civil disobedience, on or in the immediate vicinity of federal property, unless (1) a state or local government has requested federal support, or (2) the President has invoked certain authorities to suppress insurrection. If such an officer or member is conducting a law enforcement function in violation of the limitations in this bill, the officer or member may not arrest an individual in the United States. If such an officer or member is deployed to respond to any riot, public disturbance, or crowd control incident, the responsible federal agency or branch of the Armed Forces shall, within 24 hours of the deployment, notify the public and provide certain information on its website.
United States · United States Congress · 2 July 2020
Airport Infrastructure Readiness Act of 2020 or the AIR Act of 2020 This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to apportion Airport Improvement Program funding for FY2022 and FY2023 to an airport sponsor based on the number of passenger boardings at such airport that would result in the highest apportioned amount during either calendar year 2018, calendar year 2019, or the full calendar year prior to the current fiscal year. Additionally, DOT shall not calculate a benefit-to-cost ratio with respect to an air traffic control tower participating in the Contract Tower Program on the basis of an annual aircraft traffic decrease in FY2020 and FY2021. Under the Contract Tower Program, air traffic control towers are staffed by employees of private companies rather than by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees. The FAA is required to perform a benefit-cost analysis to determine eligibility for participation in the program.
United States · United States Congress · 2 July 2020
1619 Act This bill expands the National Museum of African American History and Culture's educational programming. Specifically, the bill requires the museum to develop and nationally disseminate accurate, relevant, and accessible resources to promote understanding of notable events in African American history. It also authorizes various African American history education program activities to engage prospective and current teachers and educational leaders. Additionally, the museum must maintain on its website a special section designated for African American history education resources.
United States · United States Congress · 2 July 2020
Enhancing Oversight to End Discrimination in Policing Act This bill contains provisions related to federal investigations of state and local law enforcement activities, including an authorization of additional appropriations for the Department of Justice (DOJ) Civil Rights Division for FY2020-FY2029. Certain DOJ-imposed limitations on civil settlement agreements between DOJ and a local or state entity shall have no effect. (Typically, such an agreement involves the entity agreeing to take certain actions, such as a law enforcement agency agreeing to require certain officer training or stop certain policing practices. In November 2018, DOJ announced that it would adopt certain procedures and requirements to limit such agreements, such as requiring approval by a senior DOJ official if an agreement would create long-term structural obligations for the entity.) A certain portion of the increased funding for the Civil Rights Division authorized by the bill shall be available for investigations into law enforcement agencies or related entities that engage in a pattern or practice of depriving persons of their civil rights. The bill also authorizes a state attorney general's office to file a lawsuit under federal law against a law enforcement agency or related entity that engages in a pattern or practice of depriving persons of their civil rights, where currently only DOJ has such authority. DOJ may provide grants to state and tribal governments to investigate and pursue such cases.
United States · United States Congress · 2 July 2020
This resolution designates August 2020 as National Women's Suffrage Month. It honors the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which provided for women's suffrage.
United States · United States Congress · 2 July 2020
This resolution recognizes the forthcoming centennial of the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921. The resolution, among other things acknowledges the historical significance of this event as one of the largest single instances of state-sanctioned violence against black people in American history; honors the lives and legacies of the estimated 300 black individuals who were killed during the massacre and the nearly 9,000 who were left homeless and penniless; condemns efforts to cover up the truth and shield the white community, especially government officials, from accountability; condemns the continued legacy of racism and white supremacy against black people in the United States, particularly in the form of police brutality; encourages education about the massacre, the history of white supremacy that fueled the massacre, and subsequent attempts to deny or cover up the massacre, in all elementary and secondary education settings and in institutions of higher education; and recognizes the commitment of Congress to acknowledge and learn from the history of racism and racial violence to reverse the legacy of white supremacy and fight for racial justice.
United States · United States Congress · 2 July 2020
Expanding SNAP Options Act of 2020 This bill revises the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program) to make the online redemption of benefits, including the acceptance of Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards, more widely available by requiring the implementation of online SNAP purchasing in every state and providing funding for an online redemption portal and a technical assistance center. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) must award on a competitive basis one or more contracts to develop an EBT Online Redemption Portal to (1) allow program participants to use online or mobile electronic benefits transactions to purchase program foods from, and make online payments to, authorized program retailers under SNAP; and (2) facilitate food purchase delivery for program participants using such electronic benefits transactions. The Food and Nutrition Service of USDA must award competitive grants or enter into cooperative agreements with nonprofit entities to establish a SNAP Online Purchasing Technical Assistance Center to provide state agencies, authorized program retailers, and program participants information on and technical assistance with accepting SNAP benefits through online transactions and use of the portal. In providing technical assistance, the center must give priority to entities that are small and limited-resource retailers. The bill provides funding for both the online redemption portal and the technical assistance center. USDA must maintain on its website a publicly available listing, organized and searchable by region, locality, and state, of all approved retail food stores accepting benefits from recipients of SNAP, including through online transactions.
United States · United States Congress · 2 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 · 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 · 1 July 2020
This resolution expresses the sense of the Senate that (1) the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) should not close post offices or facilities, reduce its standards of service, or raise prices in a way that jeopardizes the affordability and accessibility of its products and services; and (2) Congress should appropriate funds to offset lost revenues of the USPS during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) emergency and should ensure that it maintains its services and remains an accessible, independent establishment of the federal government.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 2020
American Workforce Rescue Act of 2020 This bill revises and extends pandemic unemployment programs established by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act or the CARES Act, including linking the availability and amounts of specified benefits to a state's unemployment rate.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2020
This resolution expresses the sense of the Senate that the Department of Justice (DOJ) should defend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) in ongoing litigation. Currently, DOJ supports the ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit that upheld a district court ruling that certain provisions of the PPACA are not severable from the remainder of the Act and therefore that the entire law is invalid. The Fifth Circuit's ruling is currently pending appeal before the U.S. Supreme Court.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2020
Coronavirus Child Care and Education Relief Act This bill provides approximately $430 billion in FY2020 appropriations for child care, child abuse prevention and treatment, elementary and secondary education, postsecondary education, and career and technical education in response to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency. The amounts provided by the bill are designated as an emergency requirement pursuant to the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 (PAYGO) and the Senate PAYGO rule.
![Official portrait of Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/d000622_200.jpg)