HR 185 · 118th Congress 2023–2025, ended

To terminate the requirement imposed by the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for proof of COVID-19 vaccination for foreign travelers, and for other purposes.

Introduced Jan 9, 2023 Originated House Sponsor Thomas Massie R-KY

Latest action · Feb 13, 2023 Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 14.

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 9, 2023
Passed HouseFeb 8, 2023
Passed SenateNot reached
To the PresidentNot reached
Became lawNot reached

Summary

This bill nullifies the order issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) titled Amended Order Implementing Presidential Proclamation on Advancing the Safe Resumption of Global Travel During the COVID-19 Pandemic and published on April 7, 2022. (The order restricts the entry of noncitizens who are not immigrants into the United States by air travel unless they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or otherwise attest that they will take public health measures to prevent the spread of the disease.)

The bill also nullifies any successor or subsequent orders that require foreign persons traveling by air to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of entry and prohibits the use of federal funds to administer or enforce such a requirement. However, the bill does not affect the CDC order published on January 5, 2023, that governs COVID-19 testing or documentation of COVID-19 recovery for certain individuals traveling from China to the United States by aircraft.

In addition, the CDC must report to Congress about the number of visitors who were denied entry into the United States from April 7, 2022, until the date of the bill's enactment.

Recorded votes 7

Newest first. Open one to see how every member voted.

Roll call	Question	Result	Date
House 116	On Passage	Passed227–201	Feb 8, 2023

House 115	On Motion to Recommit	Failed208–220	Feb 8, 2023

House 114	On Agreeing to the Amendment	Failed209–224	Feb 8, 2023

House 113	On Agreeing to the Amendment	Agreed to426–8	Feb 8, 2023

House 112	On Agreeing to the Amendment	Failed207–220	Feb 8, 2023

Show all 7 votes

Cosponsors 32

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jan 9, 2023 to Feb 7, 2023; 4 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.

Seat	Cosponsor		Signed on
R-FL	Bill Posey	Original	Jan 9, 2023
R-IL	Mary E. Miller	Original	Jan 9, 2023
R-SC	Ralph Norman	Original	Jan 9, 2023
R-PA	Scott Perry	Original	Jan 9, 2023
R-FL	Brian J. Mast		Jan 10, 2023
R-FL	W. Gregory Steube		Jan 10, 2023
R-TX	Michael Cloud		Jan 11, 2023
R-AZ	Andy Biggs		Jan 20, 2023
R-TX	Chip Roy		Jan 20, 2023
R-MO	Eric Burlison		Jan 20, 2023
R-FL	Anna Paulina Luna		Jan 24, 2023
R-SC	Jeff Duncan		Jan 24, 2023
R-CA	Kevin Kiley		Jan 24, 2023
R-FL	Maria Elvira Salazar		Jan 24, 2023
R-AZ	Paul A. Gosar		Jan 24, 2023
R-CO	Ken Buck		Jan 25, 2023
R-ND	Kelly Armstrong		Jan 26, 2023
R-IN	Rudy Yakym III		Jan 26, 2023
R-NY	Brandon Williams		Jan 27, 2023
R-TN	Andrew Ogles		Jan 30, 2023
R-AR	Eric A. "Rick" Crawford		Jan 30, 2023
R-SC	Russell Fry		Jan 30, 2023
R-TX	Wesley Hunt		Feb 2, 2023
R-FL	Byron Donalds		Feb 6, 2023
R-CO	Lauren Boebert		Feb 6, 2023
R-GA	Marjorie Taylor Greene		Feb 6, 2023
R-TN	Mark E. Green		Feb 6, 2023
R-IN	Victoria Spartz		Feb 6, 2023
R-OH	Warren Davidson		Feb 6, 2023
R-FL	Gus M. Bilirakis		Feb 7, 2023
R-FL	Kat Cammack		Feb 7, 2023
R-CA	Ken Calvert		Feb 7, 2023

Committees 1

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

Chamber	Committee	What it did
House	Energy and Commerce Committee	Referred Jan 9, 2023 Feb 8, 2023
	Health Subcommittee	Referred Jan 20, 2023

Actions 35

Everything that happened, newest first.

Feb 13, 2023Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 14.
Feb 9, 2023Received in the Senate. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.
Feb 8, 2023Considered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 97. (consideration: CR H747-757; text: CR H752-753)
Feb 8, 2023Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 185, H.J. Res. 24 and H.J. Res. 26 with 1 hour of general debate. Previous question shall be considered as ordered without intervening motions except motion to recommit. Measure will be considered read. Specified amendments are in order.
Feb 8, 2023House resolved itself into the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union pursuant to H. Res. 97 and Rule XVIII.

Show all 35 actions

In the Congressional Record 7

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
Senate	Debate and remarks S1073–S1075	Cory A. Booker D-NJ, Mike Lee R-UT	Mar 30, 2023
Senate	Debate and remarks S896–S898	Mike Lee R-UT, Peter Welch D-VT	Mar 22, 2023
Senate	Debate and remarks S361	Charles E. Schumer D-NY	Feb 13, 2023
Senate · Extensions	Debate and remarks E113, S332	Betty McCollum D-MN, Gary C. Peters D-MI	Feb 9, 2023
House	Debate and remarks H747–H762Text printed H752Amendments H750, H753, H754, H755, H756Motions H760Recorded votes H757, H758, H759, H760, H761Boebert amendment (report to Congress on number of visitors denied entry to U.S.)McGovern amendment (clarify CDC authority to mandate disease vaccination requirements for foreign travelers)Rose amendment (clarify that termination shall not impact order to require negative pre-departure coronavirus test for travelers from China)Schrier motion to recommitTorres of California amendment (Dept. of HHS certification that termination will not result in increase in hospitalizations)	Brett Guthrie R-KY, Debbie Dingell D-MI, Eric A. "Rick" Crawford R-AR, Frank Pallone, Jr. D-NJ, Gus M. Bilirakis R-FL, James P. McGovern D-MA (amendment), Jared F. Golden D-ME (amendment), John W. Rose R-TN (amendment), Kim Schrier D-WA (amendment, motion), Larry Bucshon R-IN, Lauren Boebert R-CO (amendment), Lloyd Smucker R-PA, Mariannette Miller-Meeks R-IA, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez D-WA (amendment), Norma J. Torres D-CA (amendment), Sheila Jackson Lee D-TX, Steve Cohen D-TN, Thomas Massie R-KY	Feb 8, 2023

Show all 7 days

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.

Congressional Budget Office cost estimate

Feb 6, 2023H.R. 185, A bill to terminate the requirement imposed by the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for proof of COVID-19 vaccination for foreign travelers, and for other purposesAs introduced on January 9, 2023

Constitutional authority

Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: Article 1, section 9, clause 7 which states: ``No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in consequence of appropriations made by law . . . . .'' and Article l, Section 8, which gives Congress the authority to ``regulate commerce with foreign nations,'' and to ``provide for the general welfare of the United States.''

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 169, no. 7, January 9, 2023, page H112.

Amendments 5

Amendments offered to this bill.

Amendment	Description	Offered by	Status
HAmdt 80	An amendment numbered 1 printed in House Report 118-3 to clarify that this legislation will not affect the authority of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to mandate vaccination requirements against any other disease in the future for noncitizens who are nonimmigrants entering the U.S.	James P. McGovern D-MA	On agreeing to the McGovern amendment (A001) Failed by recorded vote: 210 - 222 (Roll no. 110).
HAmdt 81	An amendment numbered 2 printed in House Report 118-3 to require the CDC to produce a report to Congress on the number of visitors denied entry under this policy.	Lauren Boebert R-CO	On agreeing to the Boebert amendment (A002) Agreed to by recorded vote: 253 - 168 (Roll no. 111).
HAmdt 82	Amendment sought to prohibit application of subsections (a) and (b) to any successor or subsequent order of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requiring foreign persons traveling by air to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination.	Jared F. Golden D-ME	On agreeing to the Golden (ME) amendment (A003) Failed by recorded vote: 207 - 220 (Roll no. 112).
HAmdt 83	Amendment clarifies that nothing in the underlying bill impacts the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention order requiring negative COVID-19 tests for proof of recovery from COVID-19 for travelers coming from the People's Republic of China.	John W. Rose R-TN	On agreeing to the Rose amendment (A004) Agreed to by recorded vote: 426 - 8 (Roll no. 113).
HAmdt 84	Amendment sought to delay termination of the COVID-19 vaccination air travel requirement until the Secretary of Health and Human Services submits a certification that COVID-19 hospitalizations will not increase as a result.	Norma J. Torres D-CA	On agreeing to the Torres (CA) amendment (A005) Failed by recorded vote: 209 - 224 (Roll no. 114).

Related bills 3

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

Bill	Title	Relationship	Latest action
HRES 97	Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 185) to terminate the requirement imposed by the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for proof of COVID-19 vaccination for foreign travelers, and for other purposes; providing for consideration of the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 24) disapproving the action of the District of Columbia Council in approving the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022; and providing for consideration of the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 26) disapproving the action of the District of Columbia Council in approving the Revised Criminal Code Act of 2022.	Related bill	Feb 7, 2023
S 455	Travel Freedom Act	Related bill	Feb 15, 2023
HR 3094	To terminate the requirement imposed by the Secretary of Homeland Security for proof of COVID-19 vaccination for foreign travelers, and for other purposes.	Related bill	May 5, 2023

Titles 1

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

Official Title as Introduced: To terminate the requirement imposed by the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for proof of COVID-19 vaccination for foreign travelers, and for other purposes.

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Health.

Text 3

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

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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.