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Weekly Legislative Update: February 16, 2021

Congressional Schedule: February 15-19, 2021

Floor Action:

The Senate is in recess this week.

The House has a committee work period and does not have any scheduled votes.

Hearings:

Child Care- On Friday, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies will hold a hearing, “COVID-19 and the Child Care Crisis.”


Bills Introduced: February 8-12, 2021

Abortion

S. 293—Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN)/Health, Education, Labor, Pensions (2/8/21)—A bill to protect the dignity of fetal remains, and for other purposes.

S.294—Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN)/Judiciary (2/8/21)—A bill to provide for parental notification and intervention in the case of an unemancipated minor seeking an abortion.

H.R. 1011—Rep. Alexander Mooney (R-WV)/Judiciary (2/11/21)—A bill to implement equal protection under the 14th article of amendment to the Constitution for the right to life of each born and preborn human person.

H.R. 1080—Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ)/Judiciary (2/15/21)—A bill to protect pain-capable unborn children, and for other purposes.

Child Protection 

H.R. 995—Rep. Josh Harder (D-CA)/Education and Labor (2/11/21)—A bill to authorize the secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants for purposes of reducing child abuse and neglect due to the substance use disorder of a parent or caregiver.

Employment

H. Res. 121—Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY)/Education and Labor; Agriculture; Ways and Means; Energy and Commerce (2/11/21)—A resolution recognizing that the United States needs a Marshall Plan for Moms in order to revitalize and restore mothers in the workforce.

H.R. 1065—Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY)/Education and Labor; House Administration; Oversight and Reform; Judiciary (2/15/21)—A bill to eliminate discrimination and promote women’s health and economic security by ensuring reasonable workplace accommodations for workers whose ability to perform the functions of a job are limited by pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition.

Family Support

S. 304—Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)/Finance (2/8/21)—A bill to provide targeted funding for states and other eligible entities through the Social Services Block Grant program to address the increased burden that maintaining the health and hygiene of infants and toddlers, medically complex children, and low-income adults or adults with disabilities who rely on adult incontinence materials and supplies place on families in need, the resultant adverse health effects on children and families, and the limited child care options available for infants and toddlers who lack sufficient diapers and diapering supplies, and for other purposes.

S. 313—Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL)/Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry (2/12/21)—A bill to expand online benefit redemption options under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and for other purposes.

Health 

S. 287—Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)/ Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (2/8/21)—A bill to direct the secretary of Health and Human Services to issue guidance to states to educate providers, managed care entities, and other insurers about the value and process of delivering respectful maternal health care through diverse and multidisciplinary care provider models, and for other purposes.

H.R. 909—Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE-At Large)/Energy and Commerce (2/8/21)—A bill to direct the secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the assistant secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, to establish a program to award grants to eligible entities to address maternal mental health conditions and substance use disorders with respect to pregnant and postpartum individuals, with a focus on racial and ethnic minority groups, and for other purposes. 

H.R. 925—Rep. Sharice Davids (D-KS)/Energy and Commerce; Natural Resources (2/8/21)—A bill to authorize funding for maternal mortality review committees to promote representative community engagement, and for other purposes.

H.R. 926—Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL)/Appropriations (2/8/21)—A bill to provide emergency funding for home visiting programs during the pandemic, and for other purposes.

H.R. 937—Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX)/Energy and Commerce (2/8/21)—A bill to integrate telehealth models in maternity care services, and for other purposes.

H.R. 943—Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA)/Energy and Commerce; Financial Services; Transportation and Infrastructure; Agriculture; Education and Labor (2/8/21)—A bill to address social determinants of maternal health with respect to pregnant and postpartum individuals, and for other purposes. 

H.R. 945—Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI)/Energy and Commerce (2/8/21)—A bill to direct the secretary of Health and Human Services to issue guidance to states to educate providers, managed care entities, and other insurers about the value and process of delivering respectful maternal health care through diverse and multidisciplinary care provider models, and for other purposes.

H.R. 948—Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA)/Judiciary; Energy and Commerce (2/8/21)—A bill to improve maternal health outcomes for incarcerated individuals, and for other purposes.

H.R. 950—Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL)/Energy and Commerce (2/8/21)—A bill to require the secretary of Health and Human Services to establish and implement a Perinatal Care Alternative Payment Model Demonstration Project, and for other purposes.

H.R. 951—Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL)/Energy and Commerce (2/8/21)—A bill to direct the secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out a national campaign to increase awareness of the importance of maternal vaccinations for the health of pregnant and postpartum individuals and their children, and for other purposes.

H.R. 957—Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL)/Energy and Commerce (2/8/21)—A bill to direct the secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a grant program to protect vulnerable mothers and babies from climate change risks, and for other purposes. 

H.R. 959—Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL)/Energy and Commerce; Financial Services; Transportation and Infrastructure; Education and Labor; Judiciary; Natural Resources; Agriculture; Veterans’ Affairs (2/8/21)—A bill to end preventable maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity in the United States and close disparities in maternal health outcomes, and for other purposes.

Miscellaneous 

H.R. 1012—Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI)/Financial Services; House Administration (2/11/21)—A bill to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the members of the Women’s Army Corps who were assigned to the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, known as the “Six Triple Eight.”

S. 321—Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS)/Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs (2/12/21)—A bill to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the members of the Women’s Army Corps who were assigned to the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, known as the “Six Triple Eight.”

STEM

H. Res. 112—Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC)/Science, Space, and Technology (2/11/21)—A resolution expressing the sense of Congress that February 11, 2021, be observed as the 6th annual International Day of Women and Girls in Science.

Tax Policy 

S. 271—Sen. Bob Casey, Jr. (D-PA)/Finance (2/8/21)—A bill to enhance the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit and make the credit fully refundable.

H.R. 927—Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL)/Ways and Means (2/8/21)—A bill to enhance the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit and make the credit fully refundable.

H.R. 928—Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)/Ways and Means (2/8/21)—A bill to make the child tax credit fully refundable, establish an increased child tax credit for young children, and for other purposes. 

Veterans

H.R. 958—Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL)/Veterans’ Affairs (2/8/21)—A bill to codify maternity care coordination programs at the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

Violence Against Women 

H.R. 1034—Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA)/Judiciary (2/11/21)—A bill to require the attorney general to issue guidance to law enforcement agencies as they respond to increased levels of domestic violence during the COVID-19 public health emergency, and for other purposes.