October 02, 2020

Weekly Wrap-up

Week 40 (September 27)

As the devastating COVID-19 death toll continues to rise, the House is working to provide much-needed assistance to the American people.

This week, the House voted to pass an updated version of the Heroes Act — a $2.2 trillion stimulus package that provides funding to address the health and economic downturn in our country, strengthen food security and ensure safe elections.

Additionally, the House continued efforts to address the Chinese government’s terrible treatment of Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang, most notably the Uyghurs, by passing the Uyghur Forced Labor Disclosure Act of 2020. This bill requires publicly traded companies to report on their annual imports from Xinjiang in China and ensures human rights violations are met with the strongest scrutiny.

The House ended the week by passing H.Res. 1153, which condemns unwanted and unnecessary medical procedures on individuals without their consent, practices allegedly happening at the Irwin County Detention Center (ICDC). It also urges the Department of Homeland Security to comply with all investigations.

This Week’s Work 

This week, Congressman Correa:

This Week’s Votes

This week, House Democrats passed: 

Senate Amendment to H.R. 925 - The Heroes Act (Updated)

  • Supports state, local, territorial, and tribal governments with $436 billion to provide one year of funding assistance to help protect the jobs of vital workers like first responders and health workers. 

  • Provides a second round of economic impact payments of $1200 per taxpayer and $500 per dependent. 

  • Allocates $75 billion for coronavirus testing, contact tracing, and isolation measures, with special supports to address the disparities impacting communities of color.

  • Restores federal unemployment benefits to $600 weekly payments and prevents unemployed workers from exhausting their eligibility. 

  • Strengthens food security by increasing the maximum SNAP benefit by 15%, allocating additional funding to nutrition assistance programs, and providing targeted assistance to farmers and producers.

  • Prepares communities for a vaccine with $28 billion for vaccine procurement, distribution, and education campaigns.

  • Allocates tens of billions in new financial support for renters and homeowners to prevent homelessness.

  • Extends the Payroll Support Program to keep airline industry workers paid.

  • Supports small businesses by improving the Paycheck Protection Program, providing struggling businesses and nonprofits with second loans, and delivering targeted assistance to hard-hit businesses such as restaurants and live venue operators. 

  • Bolsters education through $225 billion to support schools, universities, and childcare.

  • Protects payrolls by enhancing the employee retention tax credit.

  • Provides new resources to ensure an accurate Census and preserve the Postal Service.

H.Res. 1153 - Condemning unwanted, unnecessary medical procedures on individuals without their full, informed consent

  • Calls on the Department of Homeland Security to pause removals of any individual who experiences any medical procedures at Irwin County Detention Center and provide safe and consensual medical care to those who may have experienced unwanted medical procedures. 

  • Urges the Department of Homeland Security to immediately comply with all investigations and hold individuals involved in these incidents accountable and bring them to justice.

  • Recognizes that everyone deserves to control their own reproductive choices and make informed choices about their body. 

  • Recognizes that greater accountability is needed to protect people in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

H.Res. 1154 — Condemning QAnon and rejecting the conspiracy theories it promotes

  • Condemns QAnon and all other groups and ideologies that contribute to the spread of unfounded conspiracy theories and that encourage Americans to destroy public and private property and attack law enforcement officers.

  • Encourages the FBI and other Federal law enforcement agencies to continue their work to prevent violence, threats, harassment, and other criminal activity motivated by conspiracy theories.

  • Encourages the intelligence community to uncover any foreign support or online amplification of QAnon.

  • Urges all Americans to seek information from authoritative sources and engage in a political debate from a common factual foundation. 

H.R. 362 – Energy Emergency Leadership Act - Creates a new Department of Energy Assistant Secretary position with jurisdiction over all energy emergency and security functions related to energy supply, infrastructure, and cybersecurity. 

  • Requires the Secretary of Energy to implement the bill in coordination with other relevant federal agencies, such as the Department of Homeland Security. 

H.R. 360 – Cyber Sense Act of 2020 - Requires the Secretary of Energy to establish the Cyber Sense Program.  

  • Identifies cyber-secure products that could be used in the bulk-power system. 

  • Requires the Secretary of Energy to implement the bill in coordination with other relevant federal agencies, such as the Department of Homeland Security. 

H.R. 359 – Enhancing Grid Security through Public-Private Partnerships Act - Directs the Secretary of Energy, in consultation with States, other Federal agencies, and industry stakeholders, to create and implement a program to enhance the physical and cybersecurity of electric utilities. 

  • Requires an update to the Interruption Cost Estimate (ICE) Calculator, an electric reliability planning tool for estimating electricity interruption costs and the benefits associated with reliability improvements, at least once every 2 years. 

  • Requires the Secretary of Energy to implement the bill in coordination with other relevant federal agencies, such as the Department of Homeland Security.

H.R. 1289 – PHONE Act of 2020 - Prohibits providers of voice service from reassigning phone numbers of subscribers in certain designated areas, within an area subject to a major disaster declaration, for at least a year after the declaration. 

  • Allows for an extension for a period of up to one additional year if requested by the subscriber.

  • Prohibits providers of voice service from assessing early termination fees to cancel service, or connection fees to re-subscribe at a new address, for subscribers whose residence is rendered inaccessible or uninhabitable due to a major disaster.

H.R. 1754 – Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act of 2020 - Establishes minimum standards for racing surfaces, pre-race inspections, equine medical directors, workout requirements, and safety stewards.

  • Provides federal recognition and enforcement power to the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (the Authority), an independent, non-governmental regulatory body, for purposes of developing and implementing both a horse racing anti-doping and medication control program and a racetrack safety program.

H.R. 8134 – Consumer Product Safety Inspection Enhancement Act - Amends the Consumer Product Safety Act to enhance the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) ability to identify unsafe consumer products entering the United States, especially small value e-commerce shipments.

  •  Requires the CPSC to enhance the targeting, surveillance, and screening of consumer products.

H.R. 8128 – Consumer Safety Technology Act - Requires the CPSC to establish a pilot program to explore the use of artificial intelligence for at least one of the following purposes: 1) tracking injury trends; 2) identifying consumer product hazards; 3) monitoring the retail marketplace for the sale of recalled consumer products, or 4) identifying unsafe imported consumer products. 

  • Directs the Department of Commerce (DOC) to conduct a study and submit to Congress a report on the state of blockchain technology in commerce. 

  • Requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to submit to Congress a report and recommendations on unfair or deceptive acts or practices relating to digital tokens.

H.R. 8132 – American COMPETE Act - Directs the DOC and the FTC to study and report to Congress on the state of artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, blockchain, and new and advanced materials. 

  • Requires the DOC to study and report to Congress on the state of the Internet of Things (IOT), IOT manufacturing, three-dimensional printing, and unmanned delivery services and directs the FTC to study how AI may be used to address online harms.

H.R. 5373 – United States Anti-Doping Agency Reauthorization Act of 2020 - Authorizes the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), the entity charged with administering anti-doping programs for certain sports in the United States, through the end of fiscal year (FY) 2029.

  • Steadily increases the authorization past the Olympic year through FY 2029 in anticipation of hosting the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. 

  • Directs USADA to promote positive youth sports experiences. 

  • Requires certain federal agencies to coordinate with USADA on efforts to prevent the use of performance-enhancing drugs or prohibit performance-enhancing methods by sharing information that may be relevant to preventing the use of such drugs or prohibiting such methods.

H.R. 4439 – Creating Hope Reauthorization Act - Extends the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Pediatric Rare Disease Priority Review Voucher (PRV) program for four years. 

  • Prescribes that certain manufacturers of rare pediatric disease drugs can be eligible for a voucher that can be used or transferred to obtain a priority review for a subsequent drug after the date of approval of the rare pediatric disease drug.

H.R. 4078 – EARLY Act Reauthorization of 2019 - Reauthorizes the “Young Women’s Breast Health Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young Act of 2009.” 

  • Aims to educate young people and those at risk of breast cancer.

  • Increase funding authorization from $4.9 million each year from Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 through FY 2019 to $9 million each year from FY 2020 through FY 2024.

H.R. 4996 – Helping MOMS Act of 2020

  • Provides a state option to extend Medicaid coverage for postpartum mothers to up to a year after birth.

H.R. 2468 – School-Based Allergies and Asthma Management Program Act - Expands upon the current Children’s Asthma Treatment Grant Program to include additional funding prioritization for states with comprehensive plans in place for school-based allergies and asthma management programs at all of the elementary and secondary schools.

  • Creates plans that maintain a school nurse or other trained personnel on the premises of those schools during all operating hours.    

H.R. 3131 – South Asian Heart Health Awareness and Research Act of 2020 - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award heart health promotion grants to States for heart health awareness initiatives, educational materials, and training workshops for communities disproportionately impacted by heart disease. 

  • Authorizes the Secretary to conduct or support research regarding cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and other heart health-related ailments among at-risk populations, including the South Asian populations.

  • Allows The Secretary to additionally establish research catalogs for existing heart health research and treatment options.

H.R. 2075 – School-Based Health Centers Reauthorization Act of 2019 - Reauthorize funding for the school-based health centers program through Fiscal Year (FY) 2024.

  • Introduces technical changes, including allowing more health centers serving medically underserved children and adolescents to qualify for funding.

H.R. 7948 – Tribal Health Data Improvement Act of 2020 - Addresses longstanding disparities in the collection and availability of public health data with respect to Indian Tribes by amending the Public Health Service Act to strengthen the ability of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to address and improve public health data sharing to Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, and Tribal epidemiology centers (TECs). 

  • Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to report on existing data-sharing agreements between states, the CDC, and tribal communities and identify best practices. 

  • Reauthorizes CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics.

H.R. 5469 – Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act - Authorizes federal funding to address mental health disparities among underserved populations, including communities of color.  

  • Includes provisions that would create a grant program targeted at high-poverty communities for culturally and linguistically appropriate mental health services

  • Supports research into disparities in mental health 

  • Reauthorizes the Minority Fellowship Program to support more students of color entering the mental health workforce

  • Encourages studies of the impact that smartphones and social media have on adolescents.

H.R. 1109 – Mental Health Services for Students Act of 2020 - Authorizes grants to fund school-based mental health services. 

  • Supports screening for social, emotional, mental, and behavioral issues, including suicide or substance use disorders. Treat and referral is enabled for these issues. 

  • Develops evidence-based programs for students experiencing these issues, and other strategies for schools to support students and the communities that surround them. 

  • Create partnerships between schools and community-based mental health professionals across the country, which is the goal of the program.  

H.R. 2519 – Improving Mental Health Access from the Emergency Department Act of 2020 - Authorizes the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to award grants to qualifying emergency departments for the purpose of supporting mental health services. 

  • Requires grant recipients to use funds to support the provision of follow-up services for individuals who present for the care of acute mental health episodes, such as placement in appropriate facilities.

H.R. 4861 – Effective Suicide Screening and Assessment in the Emergency Department Act of 2020 - Creates a grant program to improve the identification, assessment, and treatment of patients in emergency departments who are at risk for suicide.

  • Develops policies and procedures for identifying and assessing individuals who are at risk of suicide.

  • Enhances the coordination of care for such individuals after discharge.

H.R. 7293 – STANDUP Act of 2020 - Requires State and Tribal educational agencies that receive priority mental health grants under Section 520A of the Public Health Service Act to establish and implement a school-based student suicide awareness and prevention training policy, and collect information on training activities. 

  • Focuses on grades six through twelve and would train students on self-harm and suicidal ideation.

  • Ensures the school-based policies are culturally and linguistically appropriate and to make technical and conforming changes to the bill.

H.R. 3539 – Behavioral Intervention Guidelines Act of 2020 - Requires Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)to develop best practices for schools to establish behavioral intervention teams and properly train them on how to intervene and avoid inappropriate use of mental health assessments and law enforcement. 

  • Requires that no later than one year after enactment, best practices shall be made publicly available on a website of the Department of Health and Human Services.

H.R. 5760 – Grid Security Research and Development Act - Authorizes a comprehensive interdisciplinary research, development, and demonstration initiative to strengthen the capacity of the energy sector to prepare for and withstand cyber and physical attacks and improve the security of the energy sector.

  • Department of Energy shall develop grants to address cybersecurity risks; funding for research and development activities

H.R. 5901 – Technology Modernization Centers of Excellence Program Act - Codifies GSA’s Centers of Excellence program

  • Modernizes information technology and customer service by efficient use of data management, analysis, and reporting; and optimizing infrastructure (including data centers) to reduce operating costs.

  • Improves cooperation between commercial and executive agency information technology sectors 

  • Assists executive agencies with planning and adoption of a more efficient commercial cloud computing system

H.R. 7340 – Chai Suthammanont Remembrance Act of 2020 - Requires federal agencies to create evidence-based reentry plans for employees required to return to federal offices after a public health emergency 

  • Requires agency officials to develop and make public the requirements and specifications for how the government would protect the health and safety of federal employees while continuing operations and providing vital services to the public.  

H.R. 7496 – COVID PREPARE Act of 2020 - Creates action plans to address and manage any resurgence in coronavirus cases

  • Requires each Federal agency, within 30 days of enactment, and quarterly thereafter to submit reports to Congress.

  • Provides measurable goals and timelines for each agency priority; plans for addressing anticipated challenges and issuing relevant guidance; and plans for consulting with Congress, the public, state and local governments, and other relevant stakeholders.

H.R. 5736 – Transnational White Supremacist Extremism Review Act 

  • Directs the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis to develop and disseminate a terrorist threat assessment and reference aid regarding the threat posed by foreign, violent white supremacist extremist groups, including a guide to the symbols that such groups use.

 

H.R. 5780 – Safe Communities Act of 2020 - Requires the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to maintain and make an online Security Resources Clearinghouse available to critical infrastructure owners and operators.

  • Directs CISA to develop a strategy to ensure that CISA is delivering infrastructure security services across sectors and throughout regions.

H.R. 5823 – State and Local Cybersecurity Improvement Act - Authorizes a new DHS grant program to address cybersecurity vulnerabilities on State and local government networks. 

  • Authorizes a $400 million dollar grant with a graduating cost-share that incentivizes States to increase funding for cybersecurity in their budgets.

  • Requires State, tribal, and territorial governments to develop comprehensive cybersecurity plans to guide the use of grant funds.

H.R. 5822 – Homeland Security Acquisition Professional Career Program Act - Authorizes an acquisition professional career program (APCP) within DHS. 

  • Supports a program, which DHS established in 2008, is a pipeline for a cadre of acquisition professionals to support the Department’s multi-billion dollar investments in goods and services.

H.R. 5811 – TSA Personnel Workplace Improvement Act of 2020 - Require the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to ensure personnel has adequate access to facilities designated for use by nursing mothers in the workplace. 

  • Requires that such facilities be assessed for cleanliness, safety, and accessibility provided free of charge, private and free from intrusion, and available for personnel to use with reasonable break time.

  • Ensures that eligible employees receive at least 12 weeks of paternity leave. 

H.R. 5804 – DHS Blue Campaign Enhancement Act - Enhance human trafficking prevention training opportunities and the development of such training and materials. 

  • Requires DHS Blue Campaign, a Department-wide coordinated effort to address human trafficking, to develop and provide online training videos to individuals including, law enforcement officers and transportation sector personnel (e.g. airline employees), among others.

H.R. 4764 – TRANSPLANT Act - Reauthorizes the C.W. Bill Young Transplantation Program (the Program) at level funding of $30 million each year from fiscal year (FY) 2021 through FY 2025. 

  • Requires Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Advisory Council on Blood Stem Cell Transplantation to meet at least twice a year 

  • Requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to review the state of the science related to adult stem cells and birthing tissues for the purpose of potentially including these innovative therapies in the Program. 

  • Authorizes the cord blood inventory program under the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005 at level funding of $23 million for each year from FY 2021 through FY 2025.

H.R. 6270 - Uyghur Forced Labor Disclosure Act of 2020 

  • Requires issuers of securities to publicly disclose their activities related to China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in an annual report. Specifically, issuers must disclose whether any of these goods or materials are from forced labor camps.

  • Directs The Congressional-Executive Commission on China to issue an annual report to Congress.

Catch Us In The News

What We’re Reading

Looking Ahead

Next week, Congressman Correa will be back in the district meeting with his constituents and learning what federal resources they need to protect their families and communities from the outbreak. Tune for more updates!