Holding the Chinese Communist Party Accountable for Infecting Americans Act of 2020
Latest action · Apr 17, 2020 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
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 17, 2020
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Holding the Chinese Communist Party Accountable for Infecting Americans Act of 2020
This bill allows foreign states to be sued in a U.S. court for physical or economic harms occurring in the United States as a result of COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus 2019). (Typically, a foreign state is immune from lawsuits filed against it in a U.S. court.)
Specifically, a foreign state shall not have immunity from a lawsuit seeking damages for (1) the foreign state's spread of COVID-19, or (2) tortious acts intended to deliberately conceal or distort the existence or nature of COVID-19.
If the United States is in discussions with a foreign state that is seeking to resolve claims related to COVID-19 against the foreign state, the Department of Justice may intervene and seek a stay in a case filed under this bill involving the foreign state.
Cosponsors 10
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Apr 17, 2020 to Jul 1, 2020; 1 is an original cosponsor, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-FL | W. Gregory Steube | Original | Apr 17, 2020 |
| R-OK | Kevin Hern | Apr 28, 2020 | |
| R-FL | Matt Gaetz | Apr 28, 2020 | |
| R-LA | Mike Johnson | Apr 28, 2020 | |
| R-NC | Ted Budd | Apr 28, 2020 | |
| R-TX | Brian Babin | May 12, 2020 | |
| R-FL | Ross Spano | May 12, 2020 | |
| R-IN | Jim Banks | May 15, 2020 | |
| R-MS | Steven M. Palazzo | May 28, 2020 | |
| R-WV | Alexander X. Mooney | Jul 1, 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 Apr 17, 2020 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Apr 17, 2020Introduced in House
- Apr 17, 2020Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
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
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 166, no. 73, April 17, 2020, page H1894.
CRS reports 2
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 2
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| LSB10467 | Foreign Sovereign Immunity and COVID-19 Lawsuits Against China | Insight | May 15, 2020 |
| R46319 | Novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19): Q&A on Global Implications and Responses Archived | Report | May 14, 2020 |
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 3662 | Holding the Chinese Communist Party Accountable for Infecting Americans Act of 2020 | Related bill | May 7, 2020 |
| HR 3984 | Holding the Chinese Communist Party Accountable for Infecting Americans Act of 2021 | Reintroduced Bill | Nov 1, 2022 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend title 28, United States Code, to provide a civil action against a foreign state for deliberate concealment or distortion of information with respect to an international public health emergency, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Holding the Chinese Communist Party Accountable for Infecting Americans Act of 2020
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Law.
- California
- Cardiovascular and respiratory health
- Civil actions and liability
- Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad
- Emergency medical services and trauma care
- Federal appellate courts
- Federal district courts
- Fraud offenses and financial crimes
- Government liability
- Illinois
- Infectious and parasitic diseases
- Law
- New York City
- Sovereignty, recognition, national governance and status
- Texas
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Apr 17, 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; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
