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H.R. 596: ACCESS Act

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H.R. 596: ACCESS Act

117th Congress · introduced 2021-01-28 · Health · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2021-01-28 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. 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

ACCESS Act

Plain summary

Advancing Connectivity during the Coronavirus to Ensure Support for Seniors Act or the ACCESS Act This bill provides funding to increase access to telehealth services and virtual visits in skilled and other nursing facilities during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) emergency. The bill designates the funding as emergency spending, which is exempt from discretionary spending limits. Specifically, the bill provides additional funding for FY2021, to remain available through FY2022, to the Telehealth Resource Center Program to address barriers to telehealth faced by skilled and other nursing facilities. The Office for the Advancement of Telehealth within the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy in the Health Resources and Services Administration manages this program. In addition, the bill provides funding for FY2021, to remain available through one month after the emergency period ends, to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for grants to nursing facilities to support virtual visits for residents during the COVID-19 emergency. HHS must develop relevant guidance for these grants within 15 days. HHS must also coordinate with the Federal Communications Commission to ensure grantees have access to telecommunications and broadband services.

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

ACCESS Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

AI explanation – may be wrong, check the official text

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The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

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Arguments against (opponents)

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Alternatives

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9] · 52 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Rosa L. DeLauro (D-CT), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Peter Welch (D-VT), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-GA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Judy Chu (D-CA), Gus M. Bilirakis (R-FL), Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA), Joyce Beatty (D-OH), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Brendan F. Boyle (D-PA), Jesús G. "Chuy" García (D-IL), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Diana DeGette (D-CO), Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA), Brian K. Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Jahana Hayes (D-CT), David P. Joyce (R-OH), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), John B. Larson (D-CT), Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA), Grace Meng (D-NY), Joseph D. Morelle (D-NY), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA), Adam B. Schiff (D-CA), Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), Young Kim (R-CA), Seth Moulton (D-MA)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9] reported raising $415,385 (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 (2)
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.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong117-hr596 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong117 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong117