H.R. 6376: To amend the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to exempt the reimbursement for certain travel to return to the United States, and for other purposes.

116th Congress · introduced 2020-03-23 · International Affairs · Latest: Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2020-03-23 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Velazquez, Nydia M. [D-NY-7] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

To amend the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to exempt the reimbursement for certain travel to return to the United States, and for other purposes.

Plain summary

This bill waives certain requirements related to Department of State travel reimbursement and loan programs in the event that the federal government has issued a travel alert or warning related to a communicable disease. Specifically, the bill waives (1) a limitation specifying that the amount of reimbursement for the evacuation of a private individual may not be greater than the amount that the evacuee would have paid for reasonable commercial airfare immediately prior to the events giving rise to the evacuation; and (2) various requirements related to State Department repatriation loans, such as those requiring the borrower to provide a verifiable address and Social Security number when applying.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

To amend the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to exempt the reimbursement for certain travel to return to the United States, and for other purposes.

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Velazquez, Nydia M. [D-NY-7] · 35 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ), Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY), Joe Neguse (D-CO), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), James P. McGovern (D-MA), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Jahana Hayes (D-CT), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Adam B. Schiff (D-CA), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Janice D. Schakowsky (D-IL), Darren Soto (D-FL), Lucy McBath (D-GA), Chris Pappas (D-NH), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Bill Foster (D-IL), Mike Quigley (D-IL), André Carson (D-IN), Josh Harder (D-CA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Velazquez, Nydia M. [D-NY-7] reported raising $180,257 (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (3)

Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Exemption: A rule that removes certain people, property or activities from a tax or requirement.
Securities: Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-116hr6376.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/116/hr>

Record fed-us-cong116-hr6376 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116