FEDERAL COVID-19 UPDATES – May 15, 2020 Total U.S. coronavirus deaths reported each morning this week: (last Friday, 76,942), Monday 80,787; Tuesday 81,796; Wednesday 83,455; Thursday 85,197

House Democrats HEROS Bill

Bill Text

section by section summary of bill

one pager on the legislation

State and Local Provisions

Democrats Ready Relief Vote: House Democrats proposed a $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill yesterday, combining aid to state and local governments with direct cash payments, expanded unemployment insurance, nationwide testing and contact tracing systems, and health insurance subsidies. While there’s little chance of the aid package gaining Senate approval and the president’s signature as written, passage in the Democratic-led House would give Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) a marker to set down in negotiations with the Trump administration and Senate Republicans.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) announced plans to have the House vote on the legislation Friday, but members of the party’s liberal wing want to delay that because the bill may not go far enough to address their priorities. House Progressive Caucus Co-Chairs Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) asked Pelosi in a letter yesterday for a meeting about “any amendments that might be needed to ensure that it truly reflects the priorities and the work of the entire caucus.” Read more from Erik Wasson and Laura Davison.

Democrats Forge Ahead With Remote Voting Plan: The House is also expected to hold a vote Friday to allow committees to debate legislation and vote remotely during national emergencies such as the current pandemic, despite the lack of a bipartisan agreement. The announcement yesterday by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) reflected party leaders’ impatience with the pace of negotiations to craft a bipartisan agreement on procedures to enable House members to vote remotely both in committee and on the floor. Read more from James Rowley.

GOP Reaction: The legislation has little chance of gaining the approval of President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans as it’s written, and is just the opening bid in negotiations. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) called the bill “aspirational” and Trump said last week

he’s in “no rush” to get another aid package. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee ranking member Sam Graves(R-Mo.) said the bill was “dead on arrival,” adding “Bipartisan solutions are how we ensure our transportation sector workers can continue to move goods and people safely and get us back on the road to recovery.”

It may take until June before any new deal is struck. No formal negotiations have taken place since the last relief bill was passed, though Trump chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow has said he’s talking with lawmakers of both parties on priorities.

Transit Would Get $16B in House Bill: Public transportation systems would see about $16 billion in aid to respond to the pandemic in the latest coronavirus relief bill introduced by House Democrats. Broken down, the bill (H.R. 6800) called the Heroes Act, would allocate $11.8 billion to urban areas with populations over three million, and $4 billion to transit agencies that require “significant additional assistance” and need to retain workers to keep up basic services.

Here are more transportation highlights:

• Multiple federal agencies would be required to create a national plan for aviation and communicable diseases. Airlines have recently struggled to provide passenger contact information to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who wants to be able to alert nearby passengers if a flyer is infected by the coronavirus.

• The Federal Highway Administration’s highway infrastructure programs would get $15 billion.

• Airlines couldn’t lay off employees until the aid they received under the third coronavirus aid package (Public Law 116-134) runs out.

• Amtrak passengers and employees wuld be required to wear masks. • Domestic biofuel producers would get aid through a Renewable Fuel Reimbursement

Program that offers 45 cents per gallon of gas, Ari Natter reports. The program is similar to Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit that lapsed at the end of 2011 and would be applicable for volumes produced between January and May. The bill would also provide lesser payments to biofuel producers “unable to produce” as determined by the Agriculture secretary.

The bill also includes funding for progressive priorities such as voting by mail and $25 billion for the troubled U.S. Postal Service to purchase personal protective equipment and sanitizing its facilities and delivery vehicles, Erik Wasson and Laura Davison reports.

Democrats Seek $3T Aid with Testing Funds: House Democrats proposed a $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill yesterday, combining aid to state and local governments with direct cash payments, expanded unemployment insurance, nationwide testing and contact tracing systems, and health insurance subsidies.

While there’s little chance of the aid package (H.R. 6800) gaining Senate approval and the president’s signature as written, passage in the Democratic-led House would give Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) a marker to set down in negotiations with the Trump administration and Senate Republicans. “Not acting is the most expensive course,” Pelosi said at the Capitol. “We face the biggest catastrophe in our nation’s history.”

Among its key provisions, the bill would create a contact tracing and disease surveillance workforce and bump billions more dollars into states’ Medicaid programs. It would give $75 billion to public health departments and workforce agencies to support expanding Covid-19 testing and create a contact tracing and surveillance system across the country. It would also increase Federal Medical Assistance Percentage payments to state Medicaid programs by 14% starting July 1 through June 30, 2021.

Other highlights include:

• $100 billion to the federal fund for health-care providers; • Slashing interest rates to 1% for providers who took Medicare advance payments; • Eliminating cost sharing for Covid-19 treatments for people in Medicare, Medicaid and

private insurance, TRICARE and at Veterans Affairs facilities; • Full subsidies for COBRA premiums for furloughed workers; • Special enrollment periods for Obamacare and Medicare; • A temporarily increase by 2.5% of Medicaid disproportionate share hospital allotments; • Regular reporting to Congress on requests by states to the Strategic National Stockpile;

and • A requirement for drug manufacturers to report foreign drug manufacturing sites.

The bill is a follow-up to the $3 trillion Congress has already spent on four bills in response to the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, which has ground the world’s biggest economy to a halt.

Republicans aren’t the only hurdle for Pelosi. Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) announced plans to have the House vote on the legislation on Friday, but members of the party’s liberal wing want to delay that because the bill may not go far enough to address their priorities.

House Progressive Caucus Co-Chairs Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) asked Pelosi in a letter yesterday for a meeting about “any amendments that might be needed to ensure that it truly reflects the priorities and the work of the entire caucus.” Read more from Erik Wasson and Laura Davison.

Happening on the Hill

White House

6:00 am – Interview: Maria Bartiromo on FBN (Pre-recorded airs between 6-9 am ET) 10:30 am – In-House Pool Call Time 10:55 am – Out of Town Pool Call Time 12:00 pm – Trump departs White House en route to Joint Base Andrews 12:20 pm – Trump departs Washington, DC en route to Allentown, PA 1:05 pm – Trump arrives at Lehigh Valley International Airport en route to Owens &

Minor, Inc. Distribution Center 1:40 pm – Trump arrives at Owens & Minor, Inc. Distribution Center for a tour 2:15 pm – Trump delivers remarks at Owens & Minor, Inc. Distribution Center 2:50 pm Trump departs Owens & Minor, Inc. Distribution Center 3:30 pm – Trump departs Allerton, PA en route to Washington, DC 4:35 pm – Trump arrives at the White House

Congress

House

• 10:00 am - House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hears from former NIH vaccine official Richard Bright on protecting scientific integrity in the Covid-19 response. 2123 Rayburn

• 3:00 pm - House meets in a pro forma session - House Rules Committee considers measure to allow proxy voting by the House and remote committee proceedings during the coronavirus pandemic

• 3:00 pm - Speaker Nancy Pelosi to hold weekly press conference

Senate

• 10:30 am - Senate meets to resume consideration of FISA reauthorization

Senate to Vote on Expired Surveillance Programs: The Senate will vote today on legislation that would revive expired surveillance authorities. Before the vote on final passage of the bill, the Senate will consider a proposal by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) that would strip the secret court that oversees national counterintelligence and counterterrorism eavesdropping of its authority to approve wiretaps and other surveillance on American citizens. Senate aides and privacy advocates said they don’t expected approval of Paul’s amendment because it would drastically alter the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, James Rowley reports.

• The Senate fell one vote short of adopting an amendment that would have required a search warrant for the government to conduct secret surveillance of online users’ browsing data. The 59-37 vote yesterday was a defeat for privacy advocates. The measure, from Sens. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), would have been added to the bill, Steven T. Dennis reports.

• A separate bipartisan amendment, by Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), was adopted 77-19. It bolsters provisions calling for independent legal advisers to help review cases in the secret FISA process overseeing the surveillance authorities, and strengthens a requirement for exculpatory evidence to be turned over to the secret court.

Feuding Clouds First Virus Panel Hearing: Republicans accused Democrats yesterday of using a new House subcommittee created to monitor coronavirus relief spending as a platform to attack Trump, immediately seizing on remarks from the opening witness at the panel’s first hearing. The complaints from the panel’s top Republican, Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) made for a rocky start for the subcommittee, as its members met through teleconferencing to tune into professionals on how to reopen the country. Read more from Billy House.

FBI Seizes Burr’s Phone in Insider-Trading Case: FBI agents seized the mobile phone of Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, as part of an investigation into stock sales, according to a published report. Burr and three other senators sold holdings after receiving closed-door briefings on Capitol Hill early this year about the emerging threat of the coronavirus. The Los Angeles Times, quoting an unnamed source, reported last night that agents, acting on a search warrant, took Burr’s phone at his home. The newspaper, citing another unnamed source, said the bureau took that step after issuing a warrant to Apple for information on the senator’s iCloud account.Read more from John Harney.

Chinese-Made Drone Use by Police Spurs Scrutiny: Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee are demanding information from Homeland Security officials on how a Chinese company’s drones are being used by public safety agencies during the virus outbreak. Read more from Alan Levin and Billy House

SBA Program

Trump administration said firms that took loans of more than $2 million that they didn’t need from a small business aid program would be allowed to repay the money without legal consequences ahead of a deadline today

If you're looking for a real-time list of public companies who have received SBA Cares Act loans, AI Margaret rom Factsquared has been reading SEC 8-Ks as they're filed.

https://factba.se/sba-loans

Healthcare

House Panel to Scrutinize Virus Response: Alleged missteps made by federal health officials in their response to the coronavirus outbreak—from dismissing early concerns about the contagion to pushing resources toward unproven treatments—will be on display today as a top federal health official makes his first public appearance since being removed from his post.

Rick Bright, who served as director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority until the end of last month, will testify before the House Energy and Commerce Committee to lay out his concerns that Health and Human Services Department leaders were

“dismissive” of his “dire predictions” earlier this year about the possible spread of the coronavirus, according to his written testimony.

Bright will also claim he was removed from his position at BARDA for resisting efforts to promote “an unproven drug” in hydroxycholoroquine as a potential cure for the virus. Bright filed a complaint earlier this month with HHS’s Office of Special Counsel over his removal.

Federal health officials appearing before Congress have been clashing with the administration’s messaging this week, with the heads of several key agencies warning that many states are not ready to reopen, but Bright is expected to be the first to showcase what he and others have characterized as fundamental problems plaguing the administration’s response.

“Our window of opportunity is closing,” Bright is expected to warn lawmakers. “If we fail to develop a national coordinated response, based in science, I fear the pandemic will get far worse and be prolonged, causing unprecedented illness and fatalities.” He says in his testimony that the U.S. faces its “darkest winter in modern history” if it doesn’t stop the coming second wave.

Aides to committee Democrats say that they expect to probe Bright about these missteps and how they might be corrected.

The ranking member on the health subcommittee, Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas), has said lawmakers should wait for HHS to investigate Bright’s complaint before bringing him before the panel.

A spokesperson for the HHS, Caitlin Oakley, said the issue is a “personnel matter that is currently under review” and that HHS “strongly disagrees with the allegations and characterizations in the complaint from Dr. Bright.”

Democrats Punt on Drug-Pricing Revamp: House Democratic leaders omitted drug pricing changes from their $3 trillion stimulus bill, signaling that pandemic-related legislation won’t address a main policy priority of their caucus. Some top Democrats and consumer advocacy groups have sought to include in every one of the five coronavirus bills introduced in the House this year “anti-profiteering” language aimed at denying pharmaceutical companies exclusive rights to create Covid-19 vaccines or treatments and measures to prohibit high pr ices for them. Read more from Alex Ruoff.

Republicans largely rejected House Democrats’ $3 trillion stimulus measure, but the draft plan has the seeds for an eventual, smaller compromise. With Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) pushing her chamber to a vote tomorrow on the legislation, a Senate Republican aide said that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) doesn’t plan to move on any GOP alternative until June at the earliest. Read more from Erik Wasson, Steven T. Dennis, and Laura Litvan.

Brady Rejects Reopening ACA Enrollment: The top Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee flatly rejected proposals to reopen Obamacare’s enrollment period or new insurance premium subsidies. Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) told reporters yesterday the “first priority is to get them back to their jobs,” when asked about the millions of Americans expected to lose their

insurance coverage as they lost employment in recent months. He pointed out that anyone who loses their employer-sponsored insurance is already eligible to get a plan on Obamacare’s individual insurance marketplace.

Congress has already approved billions of dollars to cover health services for the uninsured, Brady added. His remarks echo those from the administration, which has declined to open a special enrollment period. House Democrats’ $3 trillion stimulus proposal would create a special enrollment period and make other changes to extend insurance coverage to the uninsured.

GOP Wants Virus Panel to Probe China: House Republicans also want a new congressional panel to investigate “actions and inactions” of the World Health Organization, China and the House itself in the early stages of the pandemic. The demands are included in a list of rules that Republicans want the panel to adopt as safeguards against “partisan political ends.” House Republicans last week created a China Task Force to probe the origins of the coronavirus and how the WHO handled reports of the initial outbreak. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), top Republican of the House Foreign Affairs Committee who’s leading the task force, said in an interview that it will not be a “partisan exercise” but rather a look into Chinese influence through a “Covid-19 lens.” Read more from Billy House.

Schumer Move to Release CDC Guidance Blocked: Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) yesterday blocked an effort by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to pass a resolution supporting the release of CDC guidance on reopening that the Trump administration has blocked. Braun said the CDC guidance is “overly prescriptive” and regulators at the agency will bog down the economy. He said Democrats are trying to keep the economy closed. Schumer said Trump can’t be trusted to tell the truth about the virus, Catherine Dodge reports.

Trump Splits With Fauci Over Reopening: Trump yesterday accused Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, of wanting to “play all sides of the equation” with congressional testimony Tuesday that warned reopening the country too quickly could lead to coronavirus case flare ups. “I was surprised by his answer, actually,” Trump said. “Because you know, it’s just—to me it’s not an acceptable answer, especially when it comes to schools.” Fauci on Tuesday said that there wouldn’t likely be a vaccine or widely effective treatment for coronavirus before the fall term began for students, and said that the country needs to “be careful we are not cavalier in thinking that children are completely immune to the deleterious effects” of the virus. But Trump said virus data paint a “pretty amazing” picture suggesting younger Americans are largely untouched by the disease. Read more from Justin Sink and Mario Parker.

Trump to Tap Ex-Glaxo Official for Vaccine Force: Trump plans to tap Moncef Slaoui, the former head of GlaxoSmithKline’s vaccines division, and Gustave Perna, a four-star U.S. general, to spearhead a Manhattan Project-style effort to develop a vaccine for the coronavirus, two people familiar with the matter said. Slaoui and Perna will oversee the initiative known as Operation Warp Speed, according to the people. Slaoui will work on a volunteer basis. Read more from Jennifer Jacobs and Drew Armstrong.

U.S. to Get Sanofi Covid Vaccine First: Americans will likely get Sanofi’s Covid-19 vaccine before the rest of the world if the French pharmaceutical giant can successfully deliver one. That’s because the U.S. was first in line to fund Sanofi’s vaccine research, CEO Paul Hudson said in an interview with Bloomberg News. He warned that Europe risks falling behind unless it steps up its efforts to seek protection against the pandemic. Sanofi is one of the biggest players among the dozens of companies seeking a vaccine. Read more from James Paton, Riley Griffin and Cynthia Koons.

Abbott’s Test Found Missing Many Cases: Abbott Laboratories’ Covid-19 test used at the White House to get rapid answers to whether someone is infected may miss as many as half of positive cases, according to a study from New York University. The analysis, which has yet to be confirmed, found Abbott’s ID NOW missed at least one-third of positive cases detected by a rival test and much as 48% when using the currently recommended dry nasal swabs, according to the report on BioRxiv, a server where early studies are posted before peer reviews. Read more from Michelle Fay Cortez, Robert Langreth, and Kristen V. Brown.

U.S. Warns of Chinese Hackers Targeting Research: Hackers working for the Chinese government are trying to steal valuable research on Covid-19 vaccines and treatments from American pharmaceutical and research organizations, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security warned. “China’s efforts to target these sectors pose a significant threat to our nation’s response to Covid-19,” the Federal Bureau of Investigation and DHS’s Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency wrote in a statement, Alyza Sebenius and Chris Strohm report.

N.Y. Probes Illness in Kids: New York state is investigating 102 reported cases of an inflammatory disease in young children that’s thought to be related to the coronavirus, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said yesterday, after a 5 year-old boy in New York City, a 7 year-old boy in Westchester County, and an 18 year-old girl in Suffolk County died. The disease causes inflammation of the blood vessels and can affect the heart, he said. Of the cases being investigated, the children showed symptoms of an inflammatory disease like the Kawasaki disease or toxic shock-like syndrome, he said. At the request of the CDC, New York state is helping to develop the criteria for identifying and responding to the illness; 14 other states and five European countries have reported cases. About 60% of the children displaying the symptoms tested positive for Covid-19 and 40% tested positive for antibodies. Of those, 71% have resulted in intensive care unit admissions, 19% in intubations, and 43% remain hospitalized, Cuomo said. The state reported its first rise in new cases in five days after ramping up testing to 33,794 people from 20,463 the day before.

States Fret Over Pandemic Medicaid Relief: Health-care providers that serve the poorest populations are eager to get a piece of the Covid-19 relief fund, but state leaders and advocacy groups are worried it won’t be enough. Providers of Medicaid so far have seen very little of the $175 billion that lawmakers set aside for hospitals and providers in the CARES Act. The Trump administration signaled funding is on the way in a request for data that has sent states scrambling. Read more from Lydia Wheeler.

EPA Sends FEMA Some Protective Equipment: The EPA is shifting nearly 9,500 pieces of protective equipment to the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help it respond to the

coronavirus. The Environmental Protection Agency’s air and radiation office uses protective gear for laboratory work and to respond to emergencies. “EPA is transferring the excess equipment while still maintaining its emergency response readiness,” the EPA said in a press release. Read more from Sylvia Carignan.

HHS Awards $15 Million for Telehealth Training: HHS awarded $15 million to 159 health workforce programs at schools like Yale University and the University Of Tennessee promoting telehealth amid social distancing measures, the agency said yesterday. The funding from the HHS’s Health Resources and Services Administration will train physicians, nurses, and students in telehealth. Doctors have turned to telehealth during the pandemic in order to keep sick patients from infecting each other in waiting rooms. Read more from Ayanna Alexander.

Transportation

Luxury Jets, Sea Planes Get Virus Aid: Luxury charter airlines and companies that fly tourists on sea planes in Alaska received millions of dollars in federal aid under the $25 billion Treasury Department program to keep aviation workers on the job, along with medical-evacuation providers and other carriers.

The Treasury Department data reveal the breadth of the pandemic’s impact on the aviation industry, with the biggest carriers to the smallest airlines all suffering from a historic plunge in passenger traffic. Even well-heeled individual and corporate clients served by Jet Access and others have cut back.

The federal aid was provided as part of the $25 billion in grants earmarked to support payrolls at passenger air carriers that have seen demand plummet during the coronavirus pandemic. Treasury listed some 96 companies that have received funding through the program, with more than $19 billion going to large carriers.

Bigger airlines are required to repay 30% of the payroll grants through low-interest loans due within five years and offer financial stakes to the government. Smaller carriers receiving $100 million or less do not need to offer the government financial stake or pay compensation details. Read more from Ryan Beene and Saleha Mohsin.

Postal Service Among Senate GOP Aid Requests: Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), along with nine other lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, said in a letter that they want “significant emergency appropriations to help USPS survive this crisis.” The lawmakers are sharing concerns from their constituents that President Donald Trump’s opposition to postal aid will cost them their mail service.

The letter is just one example of how Senate Republicans are flooding Majority Leader Mitch McConnell‘s (R-Ky.) inbox with costly new proposals they want included in a recovery package they believe will move soon, even as McConnell pushes back on House Democrats’ latest offer.

Some Republicans are aligning with Democrats and stepping up their requests for their home-state priorities.Nancy Ognanovich details other requests.

Industry Impact of Pandemic

Democrats Want to Require Airline Refunds: Legislation from five Democratic senators would require struggling U.S. airlines to offer their customers full cash refunds for any flight canceled during the pandemic. All third-party ticket sellers would also have to offer cash refunds under the legislation introduced by Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and three others. Under existing rules, U.S. airlines must refund the cost of any tickets if they cancel or significantly disrupt an itinerary, but not if the customers themselves opt not to fly. Read more from Alan Levin.

Tesla Plant Gets Police Visit to Confirm Health-Order Compliance: Police visited Tesla’s sole U.S. car plant Wednesday to assess whether the electric-car maker was adhering to safety protocols agreed to with the county that Elon Musk publicly said he would defy earlier in the week. A lieutenant with the Fremont, California, police department went to the factory late in the afternoon to view employee screening and physical distancing measures, as well as to confirm universal use of face coverings. Findings from the visit -- which Tesla was notified of in advance -- will be present ed to the public health officer for Alameda County, which will determine compliance, according to a police spokeswoman. Read more from Dana Hull.

Days of Conn.-NYC Commute May End: Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont said the chief executives of some large companies have told him that telecommuting could help them save money by cutting office space by as much as 30%, signaling what may be a national shift by businesses. And with employees already stuck at home for weeks, they realize they can run just as well when they work at home.

“The old idea of the commuter going into New York City five days a week may be an idea that’s behind us,” Lamont said in an interview with Bloomberg Television. “Maybe you have a great job that seems to be geographically located in New York City, you can do it two-thirds of the time from your home in Stamford.” Read more from Martin Z. Braun and David Westin.

U.S., Canada to Extend Border Controls Until June: The Globe and Mail reported yesterday that the U.S. and Canada would keep the border shut until June 21 to help prevent further spread of the coronavirus. However, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau didn’t hint on a decision in his remarks yesterday, Kait Bolongaro reports. “We are a good week away from the expiry of the current phase of border restrictions with the United States. Conversations are ongoing, are constructive, are productive. I won’t make any announcements today but I can say thing are going well and we’re confident about being able to continue to keep Canadians safe,” Trudeau said, adding that he has spoken to Trump several times over the past weeks. The limits, which ban non-essential travel but allow goods and essential workers to go through, are in place to May 20.

FAA Aviation Safety Town Hall: Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, and FAA Administrator Steve Dickson host a live-streamed virtual town hall this afternoon on aviation safety. Federal officials will be joined by air carriers, cargo, labor groups and FAA experts. The event will be available via its YouTube channel, or its Facebook page.

Planes, Buses & Moving Objects to Get Broadband: The Federal Communications Commission adopted rules yesterday that will allow satellite signals to be transmitted on radio spectrum for broadband, navigation, and other services, paving the way for companies to beam high-speed satellite internet services to students on buses in rural areas, as well as on ships, planes, buses and other moving objects, Chairman Ajit Pai said. The changes will occur mainly through negotiations between companies, FCC said. The rules take effect when they are published in the Federal Register, Jon Reidreports.

The commission also voted yesterday to allow broadband services on 900 MHz airwaves that were previously reserved for radio communications by railroads, manufacturing facilities, and petrochemical companies, Reid reports. The order is aimed at spurring new high-speed broadband services to support smart electric grids, monitor oil pipelines, and provide other industrial services.

Battle Over Southwest’s Fingerprint Scanners: A challenge to Southwest Airlines’s practice of forcing employees to clock in and out of work using a fingerprint scanner won’t be heard in federal court, the Northern District of Illinois held.

The proposed class action, which accuses the airline of violating the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, must be resolved out of court before an adjustment board under the Railway Labor Act or through binding arbitration pursuant to the plaintiffs’ employment agreements, Judge Steven C. Seeger ruled. Jacklyn Wille has more on the case.

Economy

Ex-Glaxo Official and General to Lead Vaccine Race: Trump plans to name Moncef Slaoui, the former head of GlaxoSmithKline’s vaccines division, and Gustave Perna, a four-star U.S. general, to lead a Manhattan Project-style effort to develop a vaccine for the novel coronavirus, two people familiar with the matter said. Slaoui and Perna will oversee the initiative known as Operation Warp Speed, according to the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of an announcement expected later Wednesday. Slaoui will work on a volunteer basis. The Trump administration project seeks to produce 300 million doses of a Covid-19 vaccine by the end of the year, hastening development by simultaneously testing many different candidates and beginning production before they’ve completed clinical trials. Read more from Jennifer Jacobs and Drew Armstrong.

Mnuchin Seeks to Assuage Investors: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin sought to reassure investors about the U.S. economy after stocks slumped to a three-week low on warnings by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell of unprecedented risks. “I think what the chair was saying

is that there could be significant downside risk, but on the other hand” if the U.S. reopens its economy slowly and carefully, “next year we’ll be back to having a great economy just like we had before,” the Treasury chief told Fox News.

Powell earlier yesterday warned of broad dangers related to the coronavirus pandemic, saying a recovery would take time and that the U.S. is at risk of longer-term economic damage. Read more from Saleha Mohsin.

Credit Card Spending Plunges 40%: Monthly U.S. retail sales dropped in March by the most on record, but a new report by the JPMorgan Chase Institute found average weekly household credit card spending plummeted a staggering 40% by the end of the month from the prior year. Reade Pickert has more.

Sorting a $17 Billion Pot of National-Security Aid: There’s a $17 billion pot of money in the pandemic aid package for companies vital to national security -- and no one seems to want it. The $2 trillion rescue package Congress adopted in late March includes loans and loan guarantees specifically for companies “critical to maintaining national security.” The funds at first were seen as largely directed at Boeing, which at the time had been pleading for a government bailout. But after selling $25 billion in bonds to investors, the aircraft maker t urned down the aid, which would have come with strings attached that it didn’t like. With the $17 billion up for grabs, the U.S. defense industry is asking the Trump administration to change the criteria for getting some of it, arguing the terms are too strict. Read more from David McLaughlin and Tony Capaccio.

Campaign Trail

Oil Crash Hurts Trump in Texas, Helps Elsewhere: Gasoline prices of less than $2 a gallon ought to be good news for a U.S. president with an eye on reelection: It’s a truism that American voters are hypersensitive to the price of gas and factor it into their decisions in the voting booth. But with the U.S. now the world’s top energy producer, rock-bottom oil prices are inflicting major economic damage and pose a problem for Trump.

In the runup to November, the twin shocks of Covid-19 and the oil price collapse are jeopardizing Trump’s standing in Republican Texas, the second-biggest prize on the electoral map. Yet the same energy dynamics dragging down the economy in Texas could give Trump a boost in Pennsylvania. Read more from Gregory Korte.

Women Urge Stronger Biden Response in Reade Case: Democratic activists and women’s groups say they saw a familiar and distressing playbook unfolding when Joe Biden addressed the sexual assault allegation against him by denying them and largely moving on. Now, they’re trying to convince Biden that if he doesn’t continue to address the issue head on, he risks depressing turnout of women voters, potentially giving a boost to Trump.

Their goal is to get the party’s presumptive presidential nominee to unequivocally show that his views and behavior around women have changed since his rough questioning of Anita Hill during the Clarence Thomas Supreme Court confirmation hearings in 1991 and his history of inappropriate touching, both of which he has apologized for. Read more from Tyler Pager.

Judge Weighs Criminal Contempt for Flynn: The judge overseeing Michael Flynn’s prosecution asked whether Trump’s former national security adviser should be held in criminal contempt for perjury and named a former federal judge to argue in opposition to the government’s motion to dismiss Flynn’s case. U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan in Washington issued a one-page order on Wednesday appointing John Gleeson to present arguments in opposition to the government’s motion to dismiss and address whether Flynn should be held in contempt. Read more from Erik Larson and Patricia Hurtado.

Meanwhile, Republican senators shared a letter listing the names of government officials in the Obama administration who may have seen intelligence reports from late 2016 revealing the identity of Flynn. Ric Grenell, the new acting director of national intelligence, took the unprecedented and controversial step of releasing the information that was long demanded by the president and his supporters in Congress who say Obama-era officials sought to undermine the incoming Trump administration. Trum p told reporters at the White House yesterday that “the unmasking is a massive thing” and that Biden had falsely denied involvement. “How do you know nothing if you’re one of the unmaskers?” he asked. Read more from Chris Strohm and Steven T. Dennis.

Trump Holds Advantage in Battlegrounds: Trump is ahead by 6 points in 15 battleground states, though presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden is leading nationally, according to a CNN poll released yesterday. The poll showed that 52% of registered voters in battleground states favored Trump, while 45% backed Biden. But the numbers were nearly reversed among voters nationally, who backed Biden by 51% and Trump by 46%. Read more from Ryan Teague Beckwith.

Buttigieg to Host Training for Biden Volunteers: Pete Buttigieg will hold a virtual training tomorrow for organizers in Virginia with Joe Biden’s campaign. The training comes as Democrats have had to adjust their traditional door-to-door canvassing operations to respond to social distancing requirements due to the coronavirus. With Biden remaining under quarantine at his home in Delaware, the 38-year-old former South Bend, Indiana mayor will add some of the technological skills he showed during his failed presidential campaign to the training. Read more from Ryan Teague Beckwith.

Meet Mike Garcia, Succeeding Katie Hill: Mike Garcia, a former Navy fighter pilot, says he sees serving in Congress as a “natural desire to serve my country.” “I’m hearing my nation call for help, and this is why I’m looking to run,” Garcia said early in his campaign to represent California’s 25th District, a politically competitive area of northern Los Angeles County and southeastern Ventura County. Garcia, a first-time candidate for political office, defeated Democratic state Assemblywoman Christy Smith by 56%-44%, according to unof ficial results. Read more from Greg Giroux.

Other stories

Wisconsin Court Invalidates Stay-Home Order: A divided Wisconsin Supreme Court yesterday decided that an unelected state agency head’s emergency order shutting down the state because of the Covid-19 pandemic is not enforceable. In a 4-3 decision, the court concluded that Executive Order 28 was actually a rule, and that Andrea Palm, Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services secretary designee, didn’t follow statutory rulemaking procedures when she issued the order. The order required the state’s population of nearly 6 million people to shelter in place and shut down non-essential businesses to help keep the coronavirus from spreading.

The ruling lifts the stay-at-home requirement and allows shuttered businesses to reope n immediately Read more from Stephen Joyce.

Trump Says U.S. Is Looking at Chinese Companies on Exchanges: Trump said he is “looking at” Chinese companies that trade on the NYSE and Nasdaq exchanges but do not follow U.S. accounting rules, according to Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo. Read more from Elizabeth Wasserman.

Trump Sees Unemployment Rate Worse Than 10% Until September: Trump said he doesn’t see U.S. unemployment dropping below 10% by September, two moths before Election Day. Read more from Mario Parker and Kathleen Miller.

White House Says It Can Hire Labor Panel at Will: The Trump administration shot back at a lawsuit over the power of a federal panel that resolves labor disputes between the government and its employees. The suit, filed last month, claims that Trump stacked the obscure agency with anti-labor members. Read more from Erik Larson.

WTO Director-General Said Plans to Depart: The World Trade Organization’s top trade official, Roberto Azevedo, has told member governments he plans to step down before his term ends in 2021, according to four people familiar with the matter. Read more from Bryce Baschuk and Jenny Leonard.

Apple Says Government Affairs Chief to Leave: Apple Vice President of Public Policy and Government Affairs Cynthia Hogan is leaving the iPhone maker next month, the company said yesterday, Mark Gurman reports.

Yesterday’s Legislative Action

1. H.R.943 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)Never Again Education ActSponsor: Rep. Maloney, Carolyn B. [D-NY-12] (Introduced 01/31/2019) Cosponsors: (302)Committees: House - Education and Labor | Senate - Energy and Natural ResourcesLatest Action: Senate - 05/13/2020 Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote. (All Actions)Tracker:

2. H.R.6172 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)USA FREEDOM Reauthorization Act of 2020Sponsor: Rep. Nadler, Jerrold [D-NY-10] (Introduced 03/10/2020) Cosponsors: (1)Committees: House - Judiciary; Intelligence (Permanent Select); Oversight and Reform; Homeland SecurityLatest Action: Senate - 05/13/2020 S.Amdt.1584 Amendment SA 1584, under the order of 5/12/20, having achieved 60 votes in the affirmative, was agreed to in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 77 - 19. Record Vote Number: 90. (All Actions)Tracker:

3. H.R.6808 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)To provide for the establishment of a Health Force and a Resilience Force to respond to public health emergencies and

meet public health needs.Sponsor: Rep. Crow, Jason [D-CO-6] (Introduced 05/12/2020) Cosponsors: (17)Committees: House - Energy and Commerce; Transportation and Infrastructure; BudgetLatest Action: House - 05/13/2020 Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management. (All Actions)Tracker:

4. H.R.6828 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)To direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to establish a fund to provide financial assistance for funeral expenses related to a deceased individual who died of COVID-19, and for other purposes.Sponsor: Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, Alexandria [D-NY-14] (Introduced 05/12/2020) Cosponsors: (13)Committees: House - Transportation and InfrastructureLatest Action: House - 05/13/2020 Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management. (All Actions)Tracker:

5. H.R.6840 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)To provide for the coverage of non-congregate shelter under the Public Assistance program of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act for the emergency declared on March 13, 2020 relating to COVID-19, and for other purposes.Sponsor: Rep. Takano, Mark [D-CA-41] (Introduced 05/12/2020) Cosponsors: (23)Committees: House - Transportation and InfrastructureLatest Action: House - 05/13/2020 Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management. (All Actions)Tracker:

6. H.R.6842 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)To amend title 23, United States Code, to modify the apportionment formula for the congestion mitigation and air quality improvement program, and for other purposes.Sponsor: Rep. Titus, Dina [D-NV-1] (Introduced 05/12/2020) Cosponsors: (0)Committees: House - Transportation and InfrastructureLatest Action: House - 05/13/2020 Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit. (All Actions)Tracker:

7. H.R.6848 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)To temporarily preserve eligibility for foster care benefits, and suspend certain education and work requirements, for youth who would otherwise age out of eligibility for the benefits during a health emergency or disaster declared with respect to the coronavirus pandemic, and for other purposes.Sponsor: Rep. Bass, Karen [D-CA-37] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (4)Committees: House - Ways and MeansLatest Action: House - 05/13/2020 Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means. (All Actions)Tracker:

8. H.R.6849 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to require long term care facilities to report certain information relating to COVID-19 cases and deaths.Sponsor: Rep. Horsford, Steven [D-NV-4] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (0)Committees: House - Ways and Means; Energy and CommerceLatest Action: House - 05/13/2020 Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a

period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee... (All Actions)Tracker:

9. H.R.6850 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)To protect stimulus checks from garnishment and fees and from being used as an offset by a credit union or depository institution, and for other purposes.Sponsor: Rep. Meeks, Gregory W. [D-NY-5] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (2)Committees: House - Ways and Means; Financial ServicesLatest Action: House - 05/13/2020 Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee... (All Actions)Tracker:

10. H.R.6851 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)To require major corporations receiving Federal aid related to COVID-19 to make annual payments of equity to employees of the corporation while such aid is outstanding, and for other purposes.Sponsor: Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, Alexandria [D-NY-14] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (0)Committees: House - Financial ServicesLatest Action: House - 05/13/2020 Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services. (All Actions)Tracker:

11. H.R.6852 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)To prohibit the Secretary of the Treasury and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System from waiving provisions related to COVID-19 emergency relief and taxpayer protections related to such relief.Sponsor: Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, Alexandria [D-NY-14] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (0)Committees: House - Financial Services; Ways and MeansLatest Action: House - 05/13/2020 Referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee... (All Actions)Tracker:

12. H.R.6853 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)To mobilize individuals in the United States in the fight against coronavirus by expanding volunteer opportunities in AmeriCorps, expanding employment opportunities at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and utilizing the expertise of Peace Corps volunteer leaders whose service ended on March 15, 2020, and for other purposes.Sponsor: Rep. Phillips, Dean [D-MN-3] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (8)Committees: House - Education and Labor; Transportation and InfrastructureLatest Action: House - 05/13/2020 Referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of... (All Actions)Tracker:

13. H.R.6854 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit the misrepresentation of actions on behalf of candidates for purposes of soliciting contributions or donations.Sponsor: Rep. Porter, Katie [D-CA-45] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (1)Committees: House - House

AdministrationLatest Action: House - 05/13/2020 Referred to the House Committee on House Administration. (All Actions)Tracker:

14. H.R.6855 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to ensure communications accessibility for residents of skilled nursing facilities during the COVID-19 emergency period.Sponsor: Rep. Sanchez, Linda T. [D-CA-38] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (0)Committees: House - Ways and MeansLatest Action: House - 05/13/2020 Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means. (All Actions)Tracker:

15. H.R.6856 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended to allow a deduction for investment advisory expenses of certain funeral and cemetery trusts during suspension of miscellaneous itemized deductions.Sponsor: Rep. Sanchez, Linda T. [D-CA-38] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (1)Committees: House - Ways and MeansLatest Action: House - 05/13/2020 Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means. (All Actions)Tracker:

16. H.R.6857 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish a COVID-19 skilled nursing facility payment incentive program.Sponsor: Rep. Suozzi, Thomas R. [D-NY-3] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (0)Committees: House - Ways and Means; Energy and CommerceLatest Action: House - 05/13/2020 Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee... (All Actions)Tracker:

17. H.R.6858 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)To enhance authorities under the Defense Production Act of 1950 to respond to the COVID-19 emergency, to provide additional oversight of such authorities, and to require a strategy on securing supply chains for medical materials, and for other purposes.Sponsor: Rep. Vargas, Juan [D-CA-51] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (5)Committees: House - Financial Services; Energy and CommerceLatest Action: House - 05/13/2020 Referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee... (All Actions)Tracker:

18. H.R.6859 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)To authorize supplemental appropriations for public housing operations and tenant-based rental assistance, and for other purposes.Sponsor: Rep. Velazquez, Nydia M. [D-NY-7] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (1)Committees: House - Financial ServicesLatest Action: House - 05/13/2020 Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services. (All Actions)Tracker:

19. H.Res.965 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)Authorizing remote voting by proxy in the House of Representatives and providing for official remote committee proceedings during a public health emergency due to a novel coronavirus, and for other purposes.Sponsor: Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (0)Committees: House - RulesLatest Action: House - 05/13/2020 Referred to the House Committee on Rules. (All Actions)Tracker:

20. H.Res.966 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)Recognizing National Foster Care Month as an opportunity to raise awareness about the challenges of children in the foster care system, and encouraging Congress to implement policy to improve the lives of children in the foster care system.Sponsor: Rep. Bass, Karen [D-CA-37] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (30)Committees: House - Ways and MeansLatest Action: House - 05/13/2020 Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means. (All Actions)Tracker:

21. S.2661 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2019Sponsor: Sen. Gardner, Cory [R-CO] (Introduced 10/22/2019) Cosponsors: (34)Committees: Senate - Commerce, Science, and TransportationLatest Action: Senate - 05/13/2020 Passed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote. (All Actions)Tracker:

22. S.3704 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)A bill to amend the Scientific and Advanced-Technology Act of 1992 to further support advanced technological manufacturing, and for other purposes.Sponsor: Sen. Wicker, Roger F. [R-MS] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (1)Committees: Senate - Commerce, Science, and TransportationLatest Action: Senate - 05/13/2020 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (All Actions)Tracker:

23. S.3705 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)A bill to establish a private-public partnership to preserve jobs in the aviation manufacturing industry, and for other purposes.Sponsor: Sen. Moran, Jerry [R-KS] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (1)Committees: Senate - Commerce, Science, and TransportationLatest Action: Senate - 05/13/2020 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (All Actions)Tracker:

24. S.3706 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)A bill to allow Federal law enforcement officers to purchase retired service weapons, and for other purposes.Sponsor: Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (1)Committees: Senate - JudiciaryLatest Action: Senate - 05/13/2020 Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (All Actions)Tracker:

25. S.3707 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)A bill to require clear disclosure of seller location and country-of-origin labeling for products advertised for sale on the internet and to prohibit false and misleading representation of United States origin on products, and for other purposes.Sponsor: Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (3)Committees: Senate - Commerce,

Science, and TransportationLatest Action: Senate - 05/13/2020 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (All Actions)Tracker:

26. S.3708 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)A bill to establish a Federal Agency Sunset Commission, and for other purposes.Sponsor: Sen. Scott, Rick [R-FL] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (3)Committees: Senate - Homeland Security and Governmental AffairsLatest Action: Senate - 05/13/2020 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. (All Actions)Tracker:

27. S.3709 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)A bill to increase the eligibility of nonprofit organizations for loans under the Paycheck Protection Program, and for other purposes.Sponsor: Sen. Loeffler, Kelly [R-GA] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (3)Committees: Senate - Small Business and EntrepreneurshipLatest Action: Senate - 05/13/2020 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. (All Actions)Tracker:

28. S.3710 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)A bill to require the Secretary of Labor to promulgate an emergency temporary standard to protect miners of coal or other mines from occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2, and for other purposes.Sponsor: Sen. Manchin, Joe, III [D-WV] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (7)Committees: Senate - Health, Education, Labor, and PensionsLatest Action: Senate - 05/13/2020 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (All Actions)Tracker:

29. S.3711 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)A bill to amend the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to reauthorize the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program, and for other purposes.Sponsor: Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (0)Committees: Senate - Energy and Natural ResourcesLatest Action: Senate - 05/13/2020 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (All Actions)Tracker:

30. S.3712 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)A bill to require the Secretary of Commerce to establish national cybersecurity grand challenges, and for other purposes.Sponsor: Sen. Wicker, Roger F. [R-MS] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (2)Committees: Senate - Commerce, Science, and TransportationLatest Action: Senate - 05/13/2020 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (All Actions)Tracker:

31. S.3713 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)A bill to require the Secretary of Defense to provide to certain members of the National Guard serving on active service in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) the transitional health benefits provided to members of the reserve components separating from active duty.Sponsor: Sen. Manchin, Joe, III [D-WV] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (1)Committees: Senate - Veterans' AffairsLatest Action: Senate - 05/13/2020 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. (All Actions)Tracker:

32. S.3714 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)A bill to extend the covered period for loan forgiveness and the rehiring period under the CARES Act, and for other purposes.Sponsor: Sen. Manchin, Joe, III [D-WV] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (4)Committees: Senate - Small Business and EntrepreneurshipLatest Action: Senate - 05/13/2020 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. (All Actions)Tracker:

33. S.3715 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)A bill to amend the Defense Production Act of 1950 to ensure the supply of certain medical articles essential to national defense, and for other purposes.Sponsor: Sen. McSally, Martha [R-AZ] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (1)Committees: Senate - Banking, Housing, and Urban AffairsLatest Action: Senate - 05/13/2020 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. (All Actions)Tracker:

34. S.3716 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)A bill to provide loan forgiveness under the Paycheck Protection Program for costs related to health and safety supplies, including personal protective equipment, needed to prepare for reopening, and for other purposes.Sponsor: Sen. McSally, Martha [R-AZ] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (0)Committees: Senate - Small Business and EntrepreneurshipLatest Action: Senate - 05/13/2020 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. (All Actions)Tracker:

35. S.3717 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)A bill to require the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to submit to Congress a plan for the modernization of the information technology systems of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, and for other purposes.Sponsor: Sen. Wicker, Roger F. [R-MS] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (3)Committees: Senate - Commerce, Science, and TransportationLatest Action: Senate - 05/13/2020 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (All Actions)Tracker:

36. S.3718 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)A bill to expand the waiver of affiliation rules for certain business concerns with more than 1 physical location, and for other purposes.Sponsor: Sen. Cantwell, Maria [D-WA] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (4)Committees: Senate - Small Business and EntrepreneurshipLatest Action: Senate - 05/13/2020 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. (All Actions)Tracker:

37. S.3719 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)A bill to amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to require that supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits be calculated using the value of the low-cost food plan, and for other purposes.Sponsor: Sen. Harris, Kamala D. [D-CA] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (2)Committees: Senate - Agriculture, Nutrition, and ForestryLatest Action: Senate - 05/13/2020 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. (All Actions)Tracker:

38. S.3720 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)A bill to amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to establish the Pandemic Jail and Prison Emergency Response grant programs, and for other purposes.Sponsor: Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (2)Committees: Senate - JudiciaryLatest Action: Senate - 05/13/2020 Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (All Actions)Tracker:

39. S.3721 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)A bill to provide for the establishment of a COVID-19 Racial and Ethnic Disparities Task Force to gather data about disproportionately affected communities and provide recommendations to combat the racial and ethnic disparities in the COVID-19 response.Sponsor: Sen. Harris, Kamala D. [D-CA] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (18)Committees: Senate - Health, Education, Labor, and PensionsLatest Action: Senate - 05/13/2020 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (All Actions)Tracker:

40. S.3722 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)A bill to authorize funding for a bilateral cooperative program with Israel for the development of health technologies with a focus on combating COVID-19.Sponsor: Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (7)Committees: Senate - Foreign RelationsLatest Action: Senate - 05/13/2020 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. (All Actions)Tracker:

41. S.3723 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)A bill to provide services to victims of sexual abuse who are incarcerated, and for other purposes.Sponsor: Sen. Schatz, Brian [D-HI] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (1)Committees: Senate - JudiciaryLatest Action: Senate - 05/13/2020 Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (All Actions)Tracker:

42. S.3724 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)A bill to prohibit the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from charging veterans copayments for preventive services relating to COVID-19.Sponsor: Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (2)Committees: Senate - Veterans' AffairsLatest Action: Senate - 05/13/2020 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. (All Actions)Tracker:

43. S.3725 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)A bill to expand vote by mail and early voting, and to improve the safety, accessibility, and efficiency of in-person voting during elections for Federal office.Sponsor: Sen. Harris, Kamala D. [D-CA] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (0)Committees: Senate - Rules and AdministrationLatest Action: Senate - 05/13/2020 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration. (All Actions)Tracker:

44. S.3726 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)A bill to recruit qualified foreign nationals residing in the United States to provide healthcare during a public health emergency at healthcare facilities operated by the Department of Health and

Human Services, the Department of Defense, or the Department of Veterans Affairs.Sponsor: Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (0)Committees: Senate - Health, Education, Labor, and PensionsLatest Action: Senate - 05/13/2020 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (All Actions)Tracker:

45. S.3727 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)A bill to provide for cash refunds for canceled airline flights and tickets during the COVID-19 emergency.Sponsor: Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (4)Committees: Senate - Commerce, Science, and TransportationLatest Action: Senate - 05/13/2020 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (All Actions)Tracker:

46. S.3728 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)A bill to require the Secretary of Transportation to support the efforts of State and local governments to provide for priority testing of essential critical infrastructure workers with respect to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), and for other purposes.Sponsor: Sen. Wicker, Roger F. [R-MS] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (3)Committees: Senate - Commerce, Science, and TransportationLatest Action: Senate - 05/13/2020 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (All Actions)Tracker:

47. S.3729 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)A bill to provide relief for the recipients of financial assistance awards from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and for other purposes.Sponsor: Sen. Wicker, Roger F. [R-MS] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (4)Committees: Senate - Commerce, Science, and TransportationLatest Action: Senate - 05/13/2020 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (All Actions)Tracker:

48. S.3730 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)A bill to amend title 49, United States Code, to authorize and modernize the registered traveler program of the Transportation Security Administration, and for other purposes.Sponsor: Sen. Sullivan, Dan [R-AK] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (4)Committees: Senate - Commerce, Science, and TransportationLatest Action: Senate - 05/13/2020 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (All Actions)Tracker:

49. S.Res.572 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the report of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention entitled "Guidance for Implementing the Opening Up America Again Framework" be released immediately.Sponsor: Sen. Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (0)Committees: Senate - Health, Education, Labor, and PensionsLatest Action: Senate - 05/13/2020 Referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (All Actions)Tracker:

50. S.Res.573 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)A resolution honoring the life and achievement of Pro Football Hall of Fame Coach Donald Francis Shula and

expressing condolences to his family on his passing.Sponsor: Sen. Rubio, Marco [R-FL] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (2)Latest Action: Senate - 05/13/2020 Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (All Actions)Tracker:

51. S.Res.574 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)A resolution designating the week of April 18, 2020, through April 26, 2020, as "National Park Week".Sponsor: Sen. Daines, Steve [R-MT] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (34)Latest Action: Senate - 05/13/2020 Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (All Actions)Tracker:

52. S.Res.575 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)A resolution reaffirming a strong commitment to United States producers and commodities made in the United States.Sponsor: Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (4)Committees: Senate - FinanceLatest Action: Senate - 05/13/2020 Referred to the Committee on Finance. (All Actions)Tracker:

53. S.Res.576 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)A resolution recognizing the essential role of public safety telecommunicators in emergency response and the important work performed by public safety telecommunicators to protect the public and police, fire, and emergency medical officials during emergencies, such as the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.Sponsor: Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (1)Committees: Senate - Homeland Security and Governmental AffairsLatest Action: Senate - 05/13/2020 Referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. (All Actions)Tracker:

54. S.Res.577 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)A resolution designating the week of May 10 through May 16, 2020, as "National Police Week".Sponsor: Sen. Graham, Lindsey [R-SC] (Introduced 05/13/2020) Cosponsors: (87)Latest Action: Senate - 05/13/2020 Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (All Actions)Tracker:

55. S.Amdt.1583 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)Purpose: To remove internet website browsing information and search history from scope of authority to access certain business records for foreign intelligence and international terrorism investigations.Amends Bill: H.R.6172Sponsor: Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (Submitted 05/13/2020) (Proposed 05/13/2020)Latest Action: 05/13/20 Amendment SA 1583, under the order of 5/12/20, not having achieved 60 votes in the affirmative, was not agreed to in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 59 - 37. Record Vote Number: 89. (All Actions)

56. S.Amdt.1584 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)Purpose: To improve the amicus provisions and require the disclosure of relevant information.Amends Bill: H.R.6172Sponsor: Sen. Lee, Mike [R-UT] (Submitted 05/13/2020) (Proposed 05/13/2020)Latest Action: 05/13/20 Amendment SA 1584, under the order of 5/12/20, having achieved 60 votes in the affirmative, was agreed to in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 77 - 19. Record Vote Number: 90. (All Actions)

57. S.Amdt.1585 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)Purpose: In the nature of a substitute.Amends Bill: S.2661Sponsor: Sen. Gardner, Cory [R-CO] (Submitted 05/13/2020) (Proposed 05/13/2020)Latest Action: 05/13/20 Amendment SA 1585 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent. (All Actions)

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