US Congress House Bill 897 (Prior Session Legislation)

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Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 64-1)
Status: Introduced on January 30 2019 - 25% progression, died in committee
Action: 2019-01-30 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Worker and Family Support.
Pending: House Subcommittee on Worker and Family Support Committee
Text: Latest bill text (Introduced) [PDF]

Prohibits discrimination or adverse action against a child welfare provider that declines to provide services due to the provider's sincerely held religious beliefs or moral convictions. The prohibition applies to the federal government and any state, tribal, or local government that receives federal funding for child and family services or foster care and adoption assistance. However, government entities may still take adverse action against a provider that denies adoption or foster care placement based on the prospective parent or child's race, color, or national origin. If a state, tribal, or local entity engages in such prohibited actions, the Department of Health and Human Services shall withhold 15% of the federal funds the entity would have received to provide child and family services or foster care and adoption. The bill also provides a private right of action for child welfare providers to sue the government entity for such discrimination, and a prevailing provider shall be entitled to recover reasonable attorney's fees and costs. A government entity that accepts federal funding for child and family services or foster care and adoption assistance shall have waived sovereign entity as a defense to such discrimination allegations.

Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act of 2019

Rep. Mike Kelly [R-PA]	Rep. Collin Peterson [D-MN]	Rep. Robert Aderholt [R-AL]	Rep. Tom Cole [R-OK]
Rep. Vicky Hartzler [R-MO]	Rep. Andy Biggs [R-AZ]	Rep. John Carter [R-TX]	Rep. James Comer [R-KY]
Rep. Jeff Duncan [R-SC]	Rep. Jeff Fortenberry [R-NE]	Rep. Bill Flores [R-TX]	Rep. Matt Gaetz [R-FL]
Rep. Greg Gianforte [R-MT]	Rep. Bob Gibbs [R-OH]	Rep. Louie Gohmert [R-TX]	Rep. Glenn Grothman [R-WI]
Rep. Jody Hice [R-GA]	Rep. Mike Johnson [R-LA]	Rep. Walter Jones [R-NC]	Rep. Doug Lamborn [R-CO]
Rep. Debbie Lesko [R-AZ]	Rep. Barry Loudermilk [R-GA]	Rep. Mark Meadows [R-NC]	Rep. Alexander Mooney [R-WV]
Rep. Gary Palmer [R-AL]	Rep. Bill Posey [R-FL]	Rep. David Roe [R-TN]	Rep. Francis Rooney [R-FL]
Rep. Christopher Smith [R-NJ]	Rep. Chris Stewart [R-UT]	Rep. Mark Walker [R-NC]	Rep. Randy Weber [R-TX]
Rep. Joe Wilson [R-SC]	Rep. Robert Wittman [R-VA]	Rep. Ralph Norman [R-SC]	Rep. Chris Collins [R-NY]
Rep. Rick Allen [R-GA]	Rep. John Rutherford [R-FL]	Rep. Paul Mitchell [R-MI]	Sen. Ted Budd [R-NC]
Rep. Virginia Foxx [R-NC]	Rep. Jim Banks [R-IN]	Rep. Trent Kelly [R-MS]	Rep. John Ratcliffe [R-TX]
Rep. Roger Williams [R-TX]	Rep. Robert Latta [R-OH]	Rep. Darin LaHood [R-IL]	Rep. Ken Calvert [R-CA]
Rep. David Schweikert [R-AZ]	Rep. Pete Olson [R-TX]	Rep. Don Bacon [R-NE]	Rep. Bill Johnson [R-OH]
Rep. Steve Chabot [R-OH]	Rep. Lloyd Smucker [R-PA]	Rep. Billy Long [R-MO]	Rep. Ron Estes [R-KS]
Rep. Jim Jordan [R-OH]	Rep. Guy Reschenthaler [R-PA]	Rep. Tom Rice [R-SC]	Rep. Michael Cloud [R-TX]
Rep. William Timmons [R-SC]	Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer [R-MO]	Rep. Kenny Marchant [R-TX]	Rep. Greg Steube [R-FL]
Rep. Dan Meuser [R-PA]

Date	Chamber	Action
2019-01-30	House	Referred to the Subcommittee on Worker and Family Support.
2019-01-30	House	Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
2019-01-30	House	Introduced in House

SB274 (Related) 2019-01-30 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Type	Source
Summary	https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/897/all-info
Text	https://www.congress.gov/116/bills/hr897/BILLS-116hr897ih.pdf