Introduced:
Jan 9, 2025
Policy Area:
Health
Congress.gov:
Bill Statistics
2
Actions
0
Cosponsors
1
Summaries
16
Subjects
1
Text Versions
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Full Text
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Latest Action
Jan 9, 2025
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Summaries (1)
Introduced in Senate
- Jan 9, 2025
00
<p><strong>Defense of Conscience in Health Care Act</strong></p><p>This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to issue a final rule on protecting statutory conscience rights in health care that is identical or equivalent to the rule titled<em> </em><em>Protecting Statutory Conscience Rights in Health Care; Delegations of Authority</em>, <em></em>which was scheduled to take effect on July 22, 2019, but was vacated by courts. </p><p>Federal law generally prohibits discrimination based on conscience or religious beliefs with respect to federally funded health care programs, including prohibiting recipients of certain federal funding from requiring health care providers to take actions that they find religiously or morally objectionable (e.g., providing referrals for abortions). </p><p>In 2019, HHS issued a final rule revising the applicable regulations, including imposing certification and cooperation requirements, as well as establishing additional enforcement provisions and penalties. However, this rule was later vacated by federal courts and never took effect. In 2024, HHS issued another final rule that generally applied a pre-2019 enforcement framework while also maintaining certain aspects of the 2019 rule (e.g., specifically designating HHS' Office for Civil Rights as the entity with the authority to handle relevant complaints).</p><p>The bill requires HHS to reinstate the 2019 rule in its entirety. <br/></p>
Actions (2)
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Type: IntroReferral
| Source: Senate
Jan 9, 2025
Introduced in Senate
Type: IntroReferral
| Source: Library of Congress
| Code: 10000
Jan 9, 2025
Subjects (16)
Abortion
Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Department of Health and Human Services
Employment discrimination and employee rights
Health
(Policy Area)
Health personnel
Health programs administration and funding
Higher education
Medicaid
Medical education
Medical ethics
Medical research
Medicare
Religion
Sex and reproductive health
State and local government operations
Full Bill Text
Length: 1,830 characters
Version: Introduced in Senate
Version Date: Jan 9, 2025
Last Updated: Nov 15, 2025 2:21 AM
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 47 Introduced in Senate
(IS) ]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 47
To provide for regulations on protecting statutory conscience rights in
health care.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
January 9, 2025
Mr. Hawley introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for regulations on protecting statutory conscience rights in
health care.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 47 Introduced in Senate
(IS) ]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 47
To provide for regulations on protecting statutory conscience rights in
health care.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
January 9, 2025
Mr. Hawley introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for regulations on protecting statutory conscience rights in
health care.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1.
This Act may be cited as the ``Defense of Conscience in Health Care
Act''.
SEC. 2.
CARE.
(a) In General.--Not later than 6 months after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services
shall--
(1) issue, under the Federal conscience and anti-
discrimination laws, a final rule that is identical or
materially equivalent to the former rule stated in part 88 of
title 45, Code of Federal Regulations, as in effect on July 22,
2019 (84 Fed. Reg. 23170; relating to protecting statutory
conscience rights in health care; delegations of authority);
and
(2) specify in the final rule that the rule supersedes any
contrary rule in existence on the date of issuance.
(b)
(a) In General.--Not later than 6 months after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services
shall--
(1) issue, under the Federal conscience and anti-
discrimination laws, a final rule that is identical or
materially equivalent to the former rule stated in part 88 of
title 45, Code of Federal Regulations, as in effect on July 22,
2019 (84 Fed. Reg. 23170; relating to protecting statutory
conscience rights in health care; delegations of authority);
and
(2) specify in the final rule that the rule supersedes any
contrary rule in existence on the date of issuance.
(b)
=== Definition. ===
-In this section, the term ``Federal conscience and
anti-discrimination laws'' has the meaning given the term in the former
rule specified in subsection
(a)
(1) .
<all>