HR 490 · 116th Congress 2019–2021, ended

Heartbeat Protection Act of 2019

Introduced Jan 11, 2019 Originated House Sponsor Steve King R-IA

Latest action · Jan 11, 2019 Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.

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 11, 2019
Passed HouseNot reached
Passed SenateNot reached
To the PresidentNot reached
Became lawNot reached

Summary

Heartbeat Protection Act of 2019

This bill makes it a crime for a physician to knowingly perform an abortion (1) without determining whether the fetus has a detectable heartbeat, (2) without informing the mother of the results, or (3) after determining that a fetus has a detectable heartbeat.

It provides an exception for an abortion that is necessary to save the life of a mother whose life is endangered by a physical (but not psychological or emotional) disorder, illness, or condition.

A physician who performs a prohibited abortion is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, up to five years in prison, or both.

A woman who undergoes a prohibited abortion may not be prosecuted for violating or conspiring to violate the provisions of this bill.

Cosponsors 101

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jan 11, 2019 to Feb 21, 2020; 72 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.

Seat	Cosponsor		Signed on
R-NE	Adrian Smith	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-WV	Alexander X. Mooney	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-AZ	Andy Biggs	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-MD	Andy Harris	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-MO	Ann Wagner	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-GA	Austin Scott	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-MI	Bill Huizenga	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-MO	Billy Long	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-OH	Bob Gibbs	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-AL	Bradley Byrne	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-KY	Brett Guthrie	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-TX	Brian Babin	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-AR	Bruce Westerman	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-TN	Charles J. "Chuck" Fleischmann	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-LA	Clay Higgins	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-FL	Daniel Webster	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-IL	Darin LaHood	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-TN	David Kustoff	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-NC	David Rouzer	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-AZ	Debbie Lesko	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-NE	Don Bacon	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-CO	Doug Lamborn	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-GA	Earl L. "Buddy" Carter	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-AR	Eric A. "Rick" Crawford	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-AL	Gary J. Palmer	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-NC	George Holding	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-WI	Glenn Grothman	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-MT	Greg Gianforte	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-FL	Gus M. Bilirakis	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-AR	J. French Hill	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-SC	Jeff Duncan	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-NE	Jeff Fortenberry	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-IN	Jim Banks	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-OH	Jim Jordan	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-TX	Jodey C. Arrington	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-GA	Jody B. Hice	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-FL	John H. Rutherford	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-TX	John R. Carter	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-MI	John R. Moolenaar	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-TX	John Ratcliffe	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-TX	K. Michael Conaway	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-TX	Louie Gohmert	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-NC	Mark Meadows	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-NC	Mark Walker	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-TX	Michael Cloud	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-PA	Mike Kelly	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-FL	Neal P. Dunn	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-AZ	Paul A. Gosar	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-TX	Pete Olson	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-LA	Ralph Lee Abraham	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-SC	Ralph Norman	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-TX	Randy K. Weber, Sr.	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-NC	Richard Hudson	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-GA	Rick W. Allen	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-UT	Rob Bishop	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-AL	Robert B. Aderholt	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-OH	Robert E. Latta	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-VA	Robert J. Wittman	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-KS	Roger Marshall	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-TX	Roger Williams	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-KS	Ron Estes	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-PA	Scott Perry	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-OH	Steve Chabot	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-AR	Steve Womack	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-MS	Steven M. Palazzo	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-NC	Ted Budd	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-FL	Ted S. Yoho	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-KY	Thomas Massie	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-MN	Tom Emmer	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-MS	Trent Kelly	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-NC	Walter B. Jones	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-OH	Warren Davidson	Original	Jan 11, 2019
R-MO	Blaine Luetkemeyer		Jan 15, 2019
R-CA	Duncan Hunter		Jan 15, 2019
R-IN	Larry Bucshon		Jan 15, 2019
R-PA	Glenn Thompson		Jan 16, 2019
R-MO	Sam Graves		Jan 16, 2019
R-MI	Tim Walberg		Jan 16, 2019
R-OK	Tom Cole		Jan 16, 2019
R-AL	Mo Brooks		Feb 6, 2019
R-AL	Martha Roby		Feb 13, 2019
R-TN	David P. Roe		Feb 22, 2019
R-TX	Ron Wright		Feb 28, 2019
R-FL	Matt Gaetz		Mar 5, 2019
R-SC	Tom Rice		Mar 11, 2019
R-FL	Mario Diaz-Balart		May 17, 2019
R-FL	W. Gregory Steube		Jun 12, 2019
R-OH	Bill Johnson		Jul 16, 2019
R-OH	Brad R. Wenstrup		Jul 25, 2019
R-IN	James R. Baird		Jan 8, 2020
R-CA	Doug LaMalfa		Jan 16, 2020
R-NC	Gregory F. Murphy		Jan 16, 2020
R-TX	Kevin Brady		Jan 24, 2020
R-PA	Lloyd Smucker		Jan 24, 2020
R-ID	Michael K. Simpson		Jan 24, 2020
R-WI	Mike Gallagher		Jan 24, 2020
R-GA	Tom Graves		Jan 28, 2020
R-PA	Guy Reschenthaler		Feb 4, 2020
R-IL	John Shimkus		Feb 5, 2020
R-FL	Brian J. Mast		Feb 6, 2020
R-FL	Ross Spano		Feb 21, 2020

Committees 1

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

Chamber	Committee	What it did
House	Judiciary Committee	Referred Jan 11, 2019
	Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee	Referred Jan 11, 2019

Actions 3

Everything that happened, newest first.

Jan 11, 2019Introduced in House
Jan 11, 2019Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Jan 11, 2019Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.

In the Congressional Record 2

Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.

Where	In the Record	Members	Date
House	Debate and remarks H288, H292	Andy Biggs R-AZ, Steve King R-IA	Jan 15, 2020
House	Debate and remarks H1558	Joe Wilson R-SC	Feb 13, 2019

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.

Constitutional authority

Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: Congress has authority to extend protection to unborn children with a detectable heartbeat under the Constitution's grants of powers to Congress under the Equal Protection, Due Process, and Enforcement Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 165, no. 6, January 11, 2019, page H519.

Related bills 2

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

Bill	Title	Relationship	Latest action
HR 490	Heartbeat Protection Act of 2017	Reintroduction of	Feb 6, 2017
HR 3985	Every New Heart Deserves a Chance Act of 2019	Related bill	Sep 25, 2019

Titles 2

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced: To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit abortion in cases where a fetal heartbeat is detectable.
Short Title(s) as Introduced: Heartbeat Protection Act of 2019

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

Jan 11, 2019Introduced 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; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.