Conscience Protection Act of 2017
Latest action · Feb 3, 2017 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.
- IntroducedFeb 3, 2017
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- 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 28
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Feb 3, 2017 to Sep 17, 2018; 13 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-NE | Ben Sasse | Original | Feb 3, 2017 |
| R-LA | Bill Cassidy | Original | Feb 3, 2017 |
| R-ID | James E. Risch | Original | Feb 3, 2017 |
| R-OK | James M. Inhofe | Original | Feb 3, 2017 |
| R-KS | Jerry Moran | Original | Feb 3, 2017 |
| R-SD | John Thune | Original | Feb 3, 2017 |
| R-GA | Johnny Isakson | Original | Feb 3, 2017 |
| R-IA | Joni Ernst | Original | Feb 3, 2017 |
| R-UT | Mike Lee | Original | Feb 3, 2017 |
| R-KS | Pat Roberts | Original | Feb 3, 2017 |
| R-MO | Roy Blunt | Original | Feb 3, 2017 |
| R-MT | Steve Daines | Original | Feb 3, 2017 |
| R-TX | Ted Cruz | Original | Feb 3, 2017 |
| R-FL | Marco Rubio | Feb 6, 2017 | |
| R-NC | Thom Tillis | Feb 7, 2017 | |
| R-AR | John Boozman | Feb 14, 2017 | |
| R-SD | Mike Rounds | Feb 16, 2017 | |
| R-WY | John Barrasso | Feb 27, 2017 | |
| R-LA | John Kennedy | Mar 7, 2017 | |
| R-OH | Rob Portman | Mar 23, 2017 | |
| R-AL | Luther Strange | May 25, 2017 | |
| R-TX | John Cornyn | Jun 5, 2017 | |
| R-NE | Deb Fischer | Jun 7, 2017 | |
| R-MS | Roger F. Wicker | Jul 12, 2017 | |
| R-SC | Tim Scott | Oct 19, 2017 | |
| R-ND | John Hoeven | Oct 25, 2017 | |
| R-MS | Cindy Hyde-Smith | Jul 23, 2018 | |
| R-WY | Michael B. Enzi | Sep 17, 2018 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee | Referred Feb 3, 2017 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Feb 3, 2017Introduced in Senate
- Feb 3, 2017Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
CRS reports 1
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 1
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R45869 | Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education: FY2019 Appropriations Archived | Report | Aug 5, 2019 |
Related bills 4
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 183 | Conscience Protection Act of 2019 | Reintroduced Bill | Jan 17, 2019 |
| HR 644 | Conscience Protection Act of 2017 | Identical bill | Jan 24, 2017 |
| HR 3354 | Make America Secure and Prosperous Appropriations Act, 2018 | Related bill | Sep 27, 2017 |
| HR 6470 | Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2019 | Related bill | Jul 23, 2018 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to prohibit governmental discrimination against providers of health services that are not involved in abortion.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Conscience Protection Act of 2017
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Health.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Feb 3, 2017Introduced 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; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
