S. 3544: Coronavirus Relief for Seniors and People with Disabilities Act of 2020

116th Congress · introduced 2020-03-19 · Social Welfare · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2020-03-19 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Casey, Robert P., Jr. [D-PA] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. 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

Coronavirus Relief for Seniors and People with Disabilities Act of 2020

Plain summary

Coronavirus Relief for Seniors and People with Disabilities Act of 2020 This bill expands support programs for older adults and individuals with disabilities during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency. Specifically, the bill provides supplemental appropriations for (1) the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for quality improvement and laboratory certification activities; (2) the Administration on Community Living to expand nutrition and other programs for older adults; and (3) the Department of Agriculture to provide food packages to low-income, elderly individuals. The funds are designated as an emergency requirement and are therefore exempt from discretionary funding limits and other budget enforcement rules. In addition, the bill (1) temporarily requires state Medicaid programs to provide Medicare cost-sharing assistance to certain individuals who qualify for, or are enrolled in, the low-income subsidy program under the Medicare prescription drug benefit; and (2) authorizes a grant program to support Medicaid home- and community-based services during the public health emergency. The bill also allows states to transfer funds, in greater amounts and without prior approval, between congregate and home-delivered nutrition programs, The Department of Health and Human Services must prioritize home-delivered nutrition services for individuals who are unable to obtain nutrition as a result of the emergency, such as those under quarantine, just as it prioritizes delivery to individuals who are homebound by illness.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), 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

Coronavirus Relief for Seniors and People with Disabilities Act of 2020

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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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: Sen. Casey, Robert P., Jr. [D-PA] · 28 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Cory A. Booker (D-NJ), Gary C. Peters (D-MI), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Margaret Wood Hassan (D-NH), Jack Reed (D-RI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Christopher A. Coons (D-DE), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Michael F. Bennet (D-CO), Maria Cantwell (D-WA)

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 (4)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
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.
Rulemaking: The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-116s3544.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/116/s>

Record fed-us-cong116-s3544 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116