HR 644 · 115th Congress 2017–2019, ended

Conscience Protection Act of 2017

Introduced Jan 24, 2017 Originated House Sponsor Diane Black R-TN

Fact sheet

Latest action · Jan 24, 2017 Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

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.

  1. IntroducedJan 24, 2017
  2. Passed HouseNot reached
  3. Passed SenateNot reached
  4. To the PresidentNot reached
  5. Became lawNot reached

Summary

Conscience Protection Act of 2017

This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to codify the prohibition against the federal government and state and local governments that receive federal financial assistance for health-related activities penalizing or discriminating against a health care provider based on the provider's refusal to be involved in, or provide coverage for, abortion. Health care providers include health care professionals, health care facilities, social services providers, health care professional training programs, and health insurers.

The Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Health and Human Services, in coordination with the Department of Justice (DOJ), must investigate complaints alleging discrimination based on an individual's religious belief, moral conviction, or refusal to be involved in an abortion.

DOJ or any entity adversely affected by such discrimination may obtain equitable or legal relief in a civil action. Administrative remedies do not need to be sought or exhausted prior to commencing an action or granting relief. Such an action may be brought against a governmental entity.

Cosponsors 140

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jan 24, 2017 to Oct 23, 2018, with 72 there on the day it was introduced.

SeatCosponsorSigned on
R-WVAlexander X. MooneyOriginalJan 24, 2017
R-AZAndy BiggsOriginalJan 24, 2017
R-MDAndy HarrisOriginalJan 24, 2017
R-MOAnn WagnerOriginalJan 24, 2017
R-GABarry LoudermilkOriginalJan 24, 2017
R-MIBill HuizengaOriginalJan 24, 2017
R-OHBill JohnsonOriginalJan 24, 2017
R-MOBlaine LuetkemeyerOriginalJan 24, 2017
R-TXBlake FarentholdOriginalJan 24, 2017
R-OHBob GibbsOriginalJan 24, 2017
R-OHBrad R. WenstrupOriginalJan 24, 2017
R-KYBrett GuthrieOriginalJan 24, 2017
R-TXBrian BabinOriginalJan 24, 2017
R-TNCharles J. "Chuck" FleischmannOriginalJan 24, 2017
R-UTChris StewartOriginalJan 24, 2017
Show all 140 cosponsors

Actions 2

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. Jan 24, 2017Introduced in House
  2. Jan 24, 2017Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Related bills 3

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

BillTitleRelationshipLatest action
S 301Conscience Protection Act of 2017Identical billFeb 3, 2017
HR 3354Make America Secure and Prosperous Appropriations Act, 2018Related billSep 27, 2017
HR 6470Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2019Related billJul 23, 2018

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Health.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

  1. Jan 24, 2017Introduced in House

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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.