H.R. 6986 · 116th Congress
Protecting Human Rights During Pandemic Act
Key: what the circles and colors mean
Each circle is a bill. The ring fills as it moves through Congress:
Under the number: the Yea · Nay count of its final (or latest) recorded vote. On a member's page, the small badge is how that member voted: Y Yea / Aye, N Nay / No, P Present, – Not voting.
Gold and violet are only for Yea and Nay; they never mean a party. A member's party is the letter on their photo.
Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 116th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.
D
McGovernSponsor18 cosponsors · 15 D, 3 R
R
Bilirakis
BF
R
Fitzpatrick
TM
D
Malinowski
JR
D
Raskin
AW
R
Wagner
MC
D
Cartwright
IO
D
Omar
DT
D
Trone
SC
D
Cohen
AS
D
Spanberger
KB
D
Bass
WK
D
Keating
DC
D
Cicilline
BS
D
Sherman
TD
D
Deutch
AS
D
Sires
DT
D
Titus
DP
D
Phillips5 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.
This bill establishes strategies and reporting requirements related to internationally recognized human rights and COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019).
What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in House · May 22, 2020
Protecting Human Rights During Pandemic Act
This bill establishes strategies and reporting requirements related to internationally recognized human rights and COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019).
Specifically, the bill requires the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development to submit (1) a strategy for carrying out programs to support democratic institutions, freedom of the press, civil society, and human rights defenders in countries where government measures in response to COVID-19 violated or undermined internationally recognized human rights; and (2) a five-year strategic plan outlining the steps to address persistent human rights issues in the aftermath of COVID-19.
The bill also conditions the provision of security assistance to a foreign government on consideration of whether the foreign government used emergency laws, policies, or administrative procedures in violation of internationally recognized human rights.
Further, the bill requires the State Department to author initial, monthly, and final reports describing, among other things (1) specified countries' adherence to certain human rights principles in responding to COVID-19, (2) the actions of the U.S. government to address foreign governments' violations of human rights in responding to COVID-19, (3) the impact of such violations on things such as access to health care and the efforts and ability to control the pandemic, and (4) the U.S government's global efforts to counter disinformation and disseminate accurate information about the pandemic.
The bill also requires the inclusion of certain information, such as the misuse and abuse of emergency powers, in the annual country reports on human rights practices.
Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov
About this bill and sources
Official title: Protecting Human Rights During Pandemic Act
Latest action (Oct 1, 2020): Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organization Discharged.
Policy area: International Affairs · Origin: House · Introduced: May 22, 2020
Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)
No recorded floor vote found.