Health Care Provider and Hospital Conscience Protection Act
Latest action · Jan 24, 2013 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJan 24, 2013
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Health Care Provider and Hospital Conscience Protection Act - Prohibits the federal government and any state or local government that receives federal financial assistance from discriminating or retaliating against any individual or health care entity because of a refusal to recommend, refer for, provide coverage for, pay for, provide, perform, assist, or participate in any abortion. Includes within such prohibited discrimination: (1) denial, deprivation, or disqualification in licensing; (2) withholding accreditations, authorizations, loans, grants, aids, assistance, benefits, or privileges; and (3) withholding authorization to expand, improve, finance, or create facilities or programs.
Creates a cause of action for any violation of this Act. Gives federal courts jurisdiction to order any form of legal or equitable relief, including injunctive relief or an order preventing the disbursement of all or a portion of federal financial assistance to a state government until the prohibited conduct has ceased.
Authorizes the Attorney General to file a civil action seeking injunctive or declaratory relief to enforce compliance with this Act. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to designate the Director of the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to receive and investigate complaints alleging a violation of this Act.
Requires this Act to be construed in favor of broad conscience protection for individuals and health care entities to the maximum extent permitted by the terms of this Act and the Constitution.
Cosponsors
Members who signed on, in the order they did.
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jan 24, 2013Introduced in Senate
- Jan 24, 2013Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Health.
- Abortion
- Administrative remedies
- Civil actions and liability
- Department of Health and Human Services
- Government studies and investigations
- Health
- Health care costs and insurance
- Health care coverage and access
- Health facilities and institutions
- Health personnel
- Health programs administration and funding
- Licensing and registrations
- State and local finance
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jan 24, 2013Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.