Healthcare Broadband Expansion During COVID-19 Act
Latest action · Apr 10, 2020 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.
- IntroducedApr 10, 2020
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Healthcare Broadband Expansion During COVID-19 Act
This bill temporarily expands the Rural Health Care Program of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in response to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). It also establishes and provides funding for the Emergency Rural Health Care Connectivity Fund through FY2022 to carry out the Rural Health Care Program.
Currently, the FCC subsidizes 65% of the cost of broadband for eligible public and nonprofit rural health care facilities through the Rural Health Care Program. This bill expands the program to encompass health care providers not located in rural areas, including mobile and temporary facilities, and it increases the subsidy rate to 85%.
The bill also requires the FCC to (1) promulgate regulations to expedite the receipt of funds under the program, and (2) release funding for all requests within a designated time frame.
Cosponsors 28
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Apr 10, 2020 to Dec 18, 2020, with 1 there on the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-AK | Don Young | Original | Apr 10, 2020 |
| D-CA | Alan S. Lowenthal | Apr 14, 2020 | |
| D-IA | Cynthia Axne | Apr 14, 2020 | |
| D-MD | David J. Trone | Apr 14, 2020 | |
| D-CA | Mike Levin | Apr 14, 2020 | |
| D-MI | Rashida Tlaib | Apr 14, 2020 | |
| D-AZ | Raúl M. Grijalva | Apr 14, 2020 | |
| D-CA | Ro Khanna | Apr 14, 2020 | |
| D-CA | Scott H. Peters | Apr 14, 2020 | |
| D-CA | TJ Cox | Apr 14, 2020 | |
| D-CA | Jared Huffman | Apr 17, 2020 | |
| D-OH | Joyce Beatty | Apr 17, 2020 | |
| D-OR | Peter A. DeFazio | Apr 17, 2020 | |
| D-TX | Sheila Jackson Lee | Apr 17, 2020 | |
| D-VA | Elaine G. Luria | Apr 21, 2020 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Apr 10, 2020Introduced in House
- Apr 10, 2020Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 3838 | Health Care Broadband Expansion During COVID–19 Act | Related bill | May 21, 2020 |
| HR 6800 | The Heroes Act | Related bill | Jul 23, 2020 |
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications.
- Administrative law and regulatory procedures
- Appropriations
- Cardiovascular and respiratory health
- Emergency medical services and trauma care
- Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
- Government trust funds
- Health care coverage and access
- Health programs administration and funding
- Health technology, devices, supplies
- Infectious and parasitic diseases
- Internet and video services
- Internet, web applications, social media
- Rural conditions and development
- Science, Technology, Communications
- Telecommunication rates and fees
- Telephone and wireless communication
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Apr 10, 2020Introduced in House
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.
