HELP Act of 2021
Latest action · May 11, 2021 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.
- IntroducedMay 11, 2021
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Human-Services Emergency Logistic Program Act of 2021 or the HELP Act of 2021
This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to allot funding to states, tribal nations, and territories to improve the 2-1-1 and 9-8-8 telecommunication systems. The 2-1-1 system provides callers with information and referrals with respect to health and human services and other provider agencies, and the 9-8-8 system provides callers with mental health or suicide crisis support and resources through the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
The funds must be used solely for making the call systems available to all individuals in the service area, enhancing community information and referrals with respect to human services, or both. As a condition of this funding, recipients must appoint a lead entity to manage activities to improve the call systems. Recipients must also establish a Human Services State Oversight Council to provide the lead entity with guidance and oversight related to the call systems.
In addition, HHS must establish a Human Services National Board, comprised of federal and non-federal representatives, to manage the allocation of funds and evaluate the call systems.
Cosponsors 12
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 11, 2021 to May 13, 2021, with 11 there on the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I-VT | Bernard Sanders | Original | May 11, 2021 |
| D-CT | Christopher Murphy | Original | May 11, 2021 |
| D-OR | Jeff Merkley | Original | May 11, 2021 |
| R-KS | Jerry Moran | Original | May 11, 2021 |
| D-NY | Kirsten E. Gillibrand | Original | May 11, 2021 |
| D-AZ | Mark Kelly | Original | May 11, 2021 |
| D-HI | Mazie K. Hirono | Original | May 11, 2021 |
| D-CT | Richard Blumenthal | Original | May 11, 2021 |
| D-NJ | Robert Menendez | Original | May 11, 2021 |
| D-WI | Tammy Baldwin | Original | May 11, 2021 |
| D-IL | Tammy Duckworth | Original | May 11, 2021 |
| R-AK | Lisa Murkowski | May 13, 2021 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- May 11, 2021Introduced in Senate
- May 11, 2021Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Social Welfare.
- Aging
- Child care and development
- Community life and organization
- Department of Health and Human Services
- Disability and paralysis
- Domestic violence and child abuse
- Emergency communications systems
- Emergency medical services and trauma care
- Executive agency funding and structure
- Family services
- Government information and archives
- Health programs administration and funding
- Health promotion and preventive care
- Homelessness and emergency shelter
- Housing and community development funding
- Indian social and development programs
- Internet and video services
- Internet, web applications, social media
- Law enforcement administration and funding
- Mental health
- Performance measurement
- Social Welfare
- Social work, volunteer service, charitable organizations
- State and local government operations
- Telephone and wireless communication
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- May 11, 2021Introduced 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.