1347 
(5) division B of the Coronavirus Preparedness 
and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 
2020 (Public Law 116–123). 
DIVISION L—VETERANS AND 
SERVICEMEMBERS PROVISIONS 
SEC. 101. INCREASE OF AMOUNT OF CERTAIN DEPARTMENT 
OF VETERANS AFFAIRS PAYMENTS DURING 
EMERGENCY 
PERIOD 
RESULTING 
FROM 
COVID–19 PANDEMIC. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—During the covered period, the Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs shall apply each of the following 
provisions of title 38, United States Code, by substituting 
for each of the dollar amounts in such provision the amount 
equal to 125 percent of the dollar amount that was in effect 
under such provision on the date of the enactment of this 
Act: 
(1) Subsections (l), (m), (r), and (t) of section 
1114. 
(2) Paragraph (1)(E) of section 1115. 
(3) Subsection (c) of section 1311. 
(4) Subsection (g) of section 1315. 
(5) Paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (d) of 
section 1521. 
(6) Paragraphs (2) and (4) of subsection (f) of 
section 1521.
1348 
(b) TREATMENT OF AMOUNTS.—Any amount payable 
to an individual under subsection (a) in excess of the 
amount otherwise in effect shall be in addition to any other 
benefit or any other amount payable to that individual 
under any provision of law referred to in subsection (a) 
or any other provision of law administered by the Secretary 
of Veterans Affairs. 
(c) COVERED PERIOD.—In this section, the covered pe-
riod is the period that begins on the date of the enactment 
of this Act and ends 60 days after the last day of the emer-
gency period (as defined in section 1135(g)(1) of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320b-5(g)(1))) resulting from the 
COVID–19 pandemic. 
SEC. 102. PROHIBITION ON COPAYMENTS AND COST SHAR-
ING FOR VETERANS RECEIVING PREVENTIVE 
SERVICES RELATING TO COVID–19. 
(a) PROHIBITION.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
may not require any copayment or other cost sharing under 
chapter 17 of title 38, United States Code, for qualifying 
coronavirus preventive services. The requirement described 
in this subsection shall take effect with respect to a quali-
fying coronavirus preventive service on the specified date. 
(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the terms ‘‘quali-
fying coronavirus preventive service’’ and ‘‘specified date’’
1349 
have the meaning given those terms in section 3203 of the 
CARES Act (Public Law 116–136). 
SEC. 103. EMERGENCY TREATMENT FOR VETERANS DURING 
COVID–19 EMERGENCY PERIOD. 
(a) EMERGENCY TREATMENT.—Notwithstanding sec-
tion 1725 or 1728 of title 38, United States Code, or any 
other provision of law administered by the Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs pertaining to furnishing emergency treatment 
to veterans at non-Department facilities, during the period 
of a covered public health emergency, the Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs shall furnish to an eligible veteran emergency 
treatment at a non-Department facility in accordance with 
this section. 
(b) AUTHORIZATION NOT REQUIRED.—The Secretary 
may not require an eligible veteran to seek authorization 
by the Secretary for emergency treatment furnished to the 
veteran pursuant to subsection (a). 
(c) PAYMENT RATES.— 
(1) DETERMINATION.—The rate paid for emer-
gency treatment furnished to eligible veterans pursu-
ant to subsection (a) shall be equal to the rate paid 
by the United States to a provider of services (as de-
fined in section 1861(u) of the Social Security Act 
(42 U.S.C. 1395x(u))) or a supplier (as defined in 
section 1861(d) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(d)))
1350 
under the Medicare program under title XI or title 
XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1301 et 
seq.), including section 1834 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395m), for the same treatment. 
(2) FINALITY.—A payment in the amount pay-
able under paragraph (1) for emergency treatment 
furnished to an eligible veteran pursuant to subsection 
(a) shall be considered payment in full and shall ex-
tinguish the veteran’s liability to the provider of such 
treatment, unless the provider rejects the payment 
and refunds to the United States such amount by not 
later than 30 days after receiving the payment. 
(d) CLAIMS PROCESSED BY THIRD PARTY ADMINIS-
TRATORS.— 
(1) REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 30 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary shall seek to award a contract to one or more 
entities, or to modify an existing contract, to process 
claims for payment for emergency treatment fur-
nished to eligible veterans pursuant to subsection (a). 
(2) 
PROMPT
PAYMENT
STANDARD.—Section 
1703D of title 38, United States Code, shall apply 
with respect to claims for payment for emergency 
treatment furnished to eligible veterans pursuant to 
subsection (a).
1351 
(e) PRIMARY PAYER.—The Secretary shall be the pri-
mary payer with respect to emergency treatment furnished 
to eligible veterans pursuant to subsection (a), and with re-
spect to the transportation of a veteran by ambulance. In 
any case in which an eligible veteran is furnished such 
emergency treatment for a non-service-connected disability 
described in subsection (a)(2) of section 1729 of title 38, 
United States Code, the Secretary shall recover or collect 
reasonable charges for such treatment from a health plan 
contract described in such section 1729 in accordance with 
such section. 
(f) APPLICATION.—This section shall apply to emer-
gency treatment furnished to eligible veterans during the 
period of a covered public health emergency, regardless of 
whether treatment was furnished before the date of the en-
actment of this Act. 
(g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) The term ‘‘covered public health emergency’’ 
means the declaration— 
(A) of a public health emergency, based on 
an outbreak of COVID–19 by the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services under section 319 
of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
247d); or
1352 
(B) of a domestic emergency, based on an 
outbreak of COVID–19 by the President, the Sec-
retary of Homeland Security, or a State or local 
authority. 
(2) The term ‘‘eligible veteran’’ means a veteran 
enrolled in the health care system established under 
section 1705 of title 38, United States Code. 
(3) The term ‘‘emergency treatment’’ means med-
ical care or services rendered in a medical emergency 
of such nature that a prudent layperson reasonably 
expects that delay in seeking immediate medical at-
tention would be hazardous to life or health. 
(4) The term ‘‘non-Department facility’’ has the 
meaning given that term in section 1701 of title 38, 
United States Code. 
SEC. 104. HUD–VASH PROGRAM. 
The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 
shall take such actions with respect to the supported housing 
program carried out under section 8(o)(19) of the United 
States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)(19)) in 
conjunction with the Department of Veterans Affairs (com-
monly referred to as ‘‘HUD–VASH’’), and shall require 
public housing agencies administering assistance under 
such program to take such actions, as may be appropriate 
to facilitate the issuance and utilization of vouchers for
1353 
rental assistance under such program during the period of 
the covered public health emergency (as such term is defined 
in section 1 of this Act), including the following actions: 
(1) Establishing mechanisms and procedures 
providing for referral and application documents 
used under such program to be received by fax, elec-
tronic mail, drop box, or other means not requiring 
in-person contact. 
(2) Establishing mechanisms and procedures for 
processing applications for participation in such pro-
gram that do not require identification or verification 
of identity by social security number or photo ID in 
cases in which closure of governmental offices prevents 
confirmation or verification of identity by such 
means. 
(3) Providing for waiver of requirements to con-
duct housing quality standard inspections with re-
spect to dwelling units for which rental assistance is 
provided under such program. 
SEC. 105. DEFERRAL OF CERTAIN DEBTS ARISING FROM 
BENEFITS UNDER LAWS ADMINISTERED BY 
THE SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—During the covered period, the Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs may not—
1354 
(1) take any action to collect a covered debt (in-
cluding the offset of any payment by the Secretary); 
(2) record a covered debt; 
(3) issue notice of a covered debt to a person or 
a consumer reporting agency; 
(4) allow any interest to accrue on a covered 
debt; or 
(5) apply any administrative fee to a covered 
debt. 
(b) EXCEPTION.—Notwithstanding subsection (a), the 
Secretary may collect a payment regarding a covered debt 
(including interest or any administrative fee) from a person 
(or the fiduciary of that person) who elects to make such 
a payment during the covered period. 
(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) The term ‘‘consumer reporting agency’’ has 
the meaning given that term in section 5701 of title 
38, United States Code. 
(2) The term ‘‘covered debt’’ means a debt— 
(A) owed by a person (including a fidu-
ciary) to the United States; 
(B) arising from a benefit under a covered 
law; and 
(C) that is not subject to recovery under—
1355 
(i) section 3729 of title 31, United 
States Code; 
(ii) section 1729 of title 38, United 
States Code; or 
(iii) Public Law 87–693 (42 U.S.C. 
2651). 
(3) The term ‘‘covered law’’ means any law ad-
ministered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
through— 
(A) the Under Secretary for Health; or 
(B) the Under Secretary for Benefits. 
(4) The term ‘‘covered period’’ means— 
(A) the COVID–19 emergency period; and 
(B) the 60 days immediately following the 
date of the end of the COVID–19 emergency pe-
riod. 
(5) The term ‘‘COVID–19 emergency period’’ 
means the emergency period described in section 
1135(g)(1)(B) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1320b-5(g)(1)(B)).
1356 
SEC. 106. TOLLING OF DEADLINES RELATING TO CLAIMS 
FOR 
BENEFITS 
ADMINISTERED 
BY 
SEC-
RETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 
(a) REQUIRED TOLLING.—With respect to claims and 
appeals made by a claimant, the covered period shall be 
excluded in computing the following: 
(1) In cases where an individual expresses an in-
tent to file a claim, the period in which the indi-
vidual is required to file the claim in order to have 
the effective date of the claim be determined based on 
the date of such intent, as described in section 
3.155(b)(1) of title 38, Code of Federal Regulations. 
(2) The period in which the claimant is required 
to take an action pursuant to section 5104C of title 
38, United States Code. 
(3) The period in which the claimant is required 
to appeal a change in service-connected or employ-
ability status or change in physical condition de-
scribed in section 5112(b)(6) of such title. 
(4) The period in which an individual is re-
quired to file a notice of appeal under section 7266 
of such title. 
(5) Any other period in which a claimant or 
beneficiary is required to act with respect to filing, 
perfecting, or appealing a claim, as determined ap-
propriate by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
1357 
(b) USE
OF POSTMARK DATES.—With respect to 
claims filed using nonelectronic means and appeals made 
during the covered period, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
and the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, as the case 
may be, shall administer the provisions of title 38, United 
States Code, as follows: 
(1) In section 5110— 
(A) in subsection (a)— 
(i) in paragraph (1), by substituting 
‘‘the earlier of the date of receipt of applica-
tion therefor and the date of the postmark 
or other official proof of mailing date of the 
application therefor’’ for ‘‘the date of receipt 
of application therefor’’; and 
(ii) in paragraph (3), by substituting 
‘‘the earlier of the date of receipt of the sup-
plemental claim and the date of the post-
mark or other official proof of mailing date 
of the supplemental claim’’ for ‘‘the date of 
receipt of the supplemental claim’’; and 
(B) in subsection (b)(2)(A), by substituting 
‘‘the earlier of the date of receipt of application 
and the date of the postmark or other official 
proof of mailing date of the application’’ for ‘‘the 
date of receipt of the application’’.
1358 
(2) In section 7266, without regard to subsection 
(d). 
(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) The term ‘‘claimant’’ has the meaning given 
that term in section 5100 of title 38, United States 
Code. 
(2) The term ‘‘covered period’’ means the period 
beginning on the date of the emergency period (as de-
fined in section 1135(g)(1) of the Social Security Act 
(42 
U.S.C. 
1320b-5(g)(1))) 
resulting 
from 
the 
COVID–19 pandemic and ending 90 days after the 
last day of such emergency period. 
SEC. 107. PROVISION OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF-
FAIRS HOSPITAL CARE AND MEDICAL SERV-
ICES TO CERTAIN VETERANS WHO ARE UNEM-
PLOYED 
OR 
LOST 
EMPLOYER-SPONSORED 
HEALTH CARE COVERAGE BY REASON OF A 
COVERED PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—During the 12-month period begin-
ning on the date on which a covered veteran applies for 
hospital care or medical services under this section, the Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs shall consider the covered veteran 
to be unable to defray the expenses of necessary care for 
purposes of section 1722 of title 38, United States Code,
1359 
and shall furnish to such veteran hospital care and medical 
services under chapter 17 of title 38, United States Code. 
(b) COVERED VETERAN.—For purposes of this section, 
a covered veteran is a veteran— 
(1) who— 
(A) is unemployed; or 
(B) has lost access to a group health plan 
or group health insurance coverage by reason of 
a covered public health emergency; and 
(2) whose projected attributable income for the 
12-month period beginning on the date of application 
for hospital care or medical services under this section 
is not more than the amount in effect under section 
1722(b) of title 38, United States Code. 
(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) The term ‘‘covered public health emergency’’ 
means the declaration— 
(A) of a public health emergency, based on 
an outbreak of COVID–19 by the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services under section 319 
of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
247d); or 
(B) of a domestic emergency, based on an 
outbreak of COVID–19 by the President, the Sec-
1360 
retary of Homeland Security, or State, or local 
authority. 
(2) The terms ‘‘group health plan’’ and ‘‘group 
health insurance coverage’’ have the meaning given 
such terms in section 2701 of the Public Health Serv-
ice Act (42 U.S.C. 300gg-3). 
SEC. 108. EXPANSION OF VET CENTER SERVICES TO VET-
ERANS 
AND 
MEMBERS 
OF 
THE 
ARMED 
FORCES WHO PERFORM CERTAIN SERVICE IN 
RESPONSE TO COVERED PUBLIC HEALTH 
EMERGENCY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1712A of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘clauses (i) through (iv)’’ both 
places it appears and inserting ‘‘clauses (i) through 
(v)’’; 
(2) by striking ‘‘in clause (v)’’ both places it ap-
pears and inserting ‘‘in clause (vi)’’; 
(3) in subsection (a)(1)(C)— 
(A) by redesignating clauses (iv) and (v) as 
clauses (v) and (vi), respectively; and 
(B) by inserting after clause (iii) the fol-
lowing new clause (iv): 
‘‘(iv) Any individual who is a veteran or mem-
ber of the Armed Forces (including the reserve compo-
1361 
nents), who, in response to a covered public health 
emergency, performed active service or State active 
duty for a period of at least 14 days.’’; and 
(4) in subsection (h), by adding at the end the 
following new paragraphs: 
‘‘(4) The term ‘active service’ has the meaning 
given that term in section 101 of title 10. 
‘‘(5) The term ‘covered public health emergency’ 
means the declaration— 
‘‘(A) of a public health emergency, based on 
an outbreak of COVID–19, by the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services under section 319 
of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
247d); or 
‘‘(B) of a domestic emergency, based on an 
outbreak of COVID–19, by the President, the 
Secretary of Homeland Security, or a State or 
local authority.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 201(q)(4) of 
the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental 
Health Care Improvement Act of 2019 is amended by strik-
ing ‘‘clauses (i) through (iv) of section 1712A(a)(1)(C)’’ and 
inserting 
‘‘clauses 
(i) 
through 
(v) 
of 
section 
1712A(a)(1)(C)’’.
1362 
DIVISION 
M—CONSUMER 
PRO-
TECTION AND TELECOMMUNI-
CATIONS PROVISIONS 
TITLE I—COVID–19 PRICE 
GOUGING PREVENTION 
SEC. 101. SHORT TITLE. 
This title may be cited as the ‘‘COVID–19 Price 
Gouging Prevention Act’’. 
SEC. 102. PREVENTION OF PRICE GOUGING. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—For the duration of a public health 
emergency declared pursuant to section 319 of the Public 
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d) as a result of con-
firmed cases of 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID–19), in-
cluding any renewal thereof, it shall be unlawful for any 
person to sell or offer for sale a good or service at a price 
that— 
(1) is unconscionably excessive; and 
(2) indicates the seller is using the circumstances 
related to such public health emergency to increase 
prices unreasonably. 
(b) FACTORS FOR CONSIDERATION.—In determining 
whether a person has violated subsection (a), there shall be 
taken into account, with respect to the price at which such 
person sold or offered for sale the good or service, factors 
that include the following:
1363 
(1) Whether such price grossly exceeds the aver-
age price at which the same or a similar good or serv-
ice was sold or offered for sale by such person— 
(A) during the 90-day period immediately 
preceding January 31, 2020; or 
(B) during the period that is 45 days before 
or after the date that is one year before the date 
such good or service is sold or offered for sale 
under subsection (a). 
(2) Whether such price grossly exceeds the aver-
age price at which the same or a similar good or serv-
ice was readily obtainable from other similarly situ-
ated competing sellers before January 31, 2020. 
(3) Whether such price reasonably reflects addi-
tional costs, not within the control of such person, 
that were paid, incurred, or reasonably anticipated 
by such person, or reasonably reflects the profitability 
of forgone sales or additional risks taken by such per-
son, to produce, distribute, obtain, or sell such good 
or service under the circumstances. 
(c) ENFORCEMENT.— 
(1) ENFORCEMENT BY FEDERAL TRADE COMMIS-
SION.— 
(A) UNFAIR OR DECEPTIVE ACTS OR PRAC-
TICES.—A violation of subsection (a) shall be
1364 
treated as a violation of a regulation under sec-
tion 18(a)(1)(B) of the Federal Trade Commis-
sion Act (15 U.S.C. 57a(a)(1)(B)) regarding un-
fair or deceptive acts or practices. 
(B) POWERS OF COMMISSION.—The Com-
mission shall enforce subsection (a) in the same 
manner, by the same means, and with the same 
jurisdiction, powers, and duties as though all ap-
plicable terms and provisions of the Federal 
Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 41 et seq.) 
were incorporated into and made a part of this 
section. Any person who violates such subsection 
shall be subject to the penalties and entitled to 
the privileges and immunities provided in the 
Federal Trade Commission Act. 
(2) EFFECT ON OTHER LAWS.—Nothing in this 
section shall be construed in any way to limit the au-
thority of the Commission under any other provision 
of law. 
(3) ENFORCEMENT BY STATE ATTORNEYS GEN-
ERAL.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—If the chief law enforce-
ment officer of a State, or an official or agency 
designated by a State, has reason to believe that 
any person has violated or is violating subsection
1365 
(a), the attorney general, official, or agency of 
the State, in addition to any authority it may 
have to bring an action in State court under its 
laws, may bring a civil action in any appro-
priate United States district court or in any 
other court of competent jurisdiction, including a 
State court, to— 
(i) enjoin further such violation by 
such person; 
(ii) enforce compliance with such sub-
section; 
(iii) obtain civil penalties; and 
(iv) obtain damages, restitution, or 
other compensation on behalf of residents of 
the State. 
(B) NOTICE
AND
INTERVENTION
BY
THE 
FTC.—The attorney general of a State shall pro-
vide prior written notice of any action under 
subparagraph (A) to the Commission and pro-
vide the Commission with a copy of the com-
plaint in the action, except in any case in which 
such prior notice is not feasible, in which case 
the attorney general shall serve such notice im-
mediately upon instituting such action. The 
Commission shall have the right—
1366 
(i) to intervene in the action; 
(ii) upon so intervening, to be heard 
on all matters arising therein; and 
(iii) to file petitions for appeal. 
(C) LIMITATION ON STATE ACTION WHILE 
FEDERAL ACTION IS PENDING.—If the Commis-
sion has instituted a civil action for violation of 
this section, no State attorney general, or official 
or agency of a State, may bring an action under 
this paragraph during the pendency of that ac-
tion against any defendant named in the com-
plaint of the Commission for any violation of 
this section alleged in the complaint. 
(D) 
RELATIONSHIP
WITH
STATE-LAW 
CLAIMS.—If the attorney general of a State has 
authority to bring an action under State law di-
rected at acts or practices that also violate this 
section, the attorney general may assert the 
State-law claim and a claim under this section 
in the same civil action. 
(4) SAVINGS CLAUSE.—Nothing in this section 
shall preempt or otherwise affect any State or local 
law. 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:
1367 
(1) 
COMMISSION.—The 
term 
‘‘Commission’’ 
means the Federal Trade Commission. 
(2) GOOD OR SERVICE.—The term ‘‘good or serv-
ice’’ means a good or service offered in commerce, in-
cluding— 
(A) food, beverages, water, ice, a chemical, 
or a personal hygiene product; 
(B) any personal protective equipment for 
protection from or prevention of contagious dis-
eases, filtering facepiece respirators, medical 
equipment and supplies (including medical test-
ing supplies), a drug as defined in section 
201(g)(1) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cos-
metic Act (21 U.S.C. 321(g)(1)), cleaning sup-
plies, disinfectants, sanitizers; or 
(C) any healthcare service, cleaning service, 
or delivery service. 
(3) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of the 
several States, the District of Columbia, each com-
monwealth, territory, or possession of the United 
States, and each federally recognized Indian Tribe.
1368 
TITLE II—E–RATE SUPPORT FOR 
WI-FI 
HOTSPOTS, 
OTHER 
EQUIPMENT, CONNECTED DE-
VICES, AND CONNECTIVITY 
SEC. 201. E–RATE SUPPORT FOR WI-FI HOTSPOTS, OTHER 
EQUIPMENT, 
CONNECTED 
DEVICES, 
AND 
CONNECTIVITY DURING EMERGENCY PERI-
ODS RELATING TO COVID–19. 
(a) REGULATIONS REQUIRED.—Not later than 7 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commission 
shall promulgate regulations providing for the provision, 
from amounts made available from the Emergency 
Connectivity Fund established under subsection (j)(1), of 
support under section 254(h)(1)(B) of the Communications 
Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 254(h)(1)(B)) to an elementary 
school, secondary school, or library (including a Tribal ele-
mentary school, Tribal secondary school, or Tribal library) 
for the purchase during an emergency period described in 
subsection (f) (including any portion of such a period oc-
curring before the date of the enactment of this Act) of 
equipment described in subsection (c), advanced tele-
communications and information services, or equipment de-
scribed in such subsection and advanced telecommuni-
cations and information services, for use by—
1369 
(1) in the case of a school, students and staff of 
such school at locations that include locations other 
than such school; and 
(2) in the case of a library, patrons of such li-
brary at locations that include locations other than 
such library. 
(b) TRIBAL ISSUES.— 
(1) RESERVATION
FOR
TRIBAL
LANDS.—The 
Commission shall reserve not less than 5 percent of 
the amounts available to the Commission under sub-
section (j)(2) to provide support under the regulations 
required by subsection (a) to schools and libraries 
that serve persons who are located on Tribal lands. 
(2) ELIGIBILITY
OF
TRIBAL
LIBRARIES.—For 
purposes of determining the eligibility of a Tribal li-
brary for support under the regulations required by 
subsection (a), the portion of paragraph (4) of section 
254(h) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 
254(h)) relating to eligibility for assistance from a 
State library administrative agency under the Li-
brary Services and Technology Act shall not apply. 
(c) EQUIPMENT
DESCRIBED.—The equipment de-
scribed in this subsection is the following: 
(1) Wi-Fi hotspots. 
(2) Modems.
1370 
(3) Routers. 
(4) Devices that combine a modem and router. 
(5) Connected devices. 
(d) PRIORITIZATION OF SUPPORT.—The Commission 
shall provide in the regulations required by subsection (a) 
for a mechanism to require a school or library to prioritize 
the provision of equipment described in subsection (c), ad-
vanced telecommunications and information services, or 
equipment described in such subsection and advanced tele-
communications and information services, for which sup-
port is received under such regulations, to students and staff 
or patrons (as the case may be) that the school or library 
believes do not have access to equipment described in sub-
section (c), do not have access to advanced telecommuni-
cations and information services, or have access to neither 
equipment described in subsection (c) nor advanced tele-
communications and information services, at the residences 
of such students and staff or patrons. 
(e) SUPPORT AMOUNT.— 
(1) REIMBURSEMENT
OF
100
PERCENT
OF 
COSTS.—In providing support under the regulations 
required by subsection (a), the Commission shall re-
imburse 100 percent of the costs associated with the 
equipment described in subsection (c), advanced tele-
communications and information services, or equip-
1371 
ment described in such subsection and advanced tele-
communications and information services for which 
such support is provided, except that any reimburse-
ment of a school or library for the costs associated 
with any such equipment may not exceed an amount 
that the Commission determines, with respect to the 
request by such school or library for such reimburse-
ment, is reasonable. 
(2) SHORTFALL IN FUNDING.—If requests for re-
imbursement for equipment described in subsection 
(c), advanced telecommunications and information 
services, or equipment described in such subsection 
and advanced telecommunications and information 
services exceed amounts available from the Emergency 
Connectivity Fund established under subsection (j)(1), 
the Commission shall— 
(A) prioritize reimbursements based on the 
assigned discount percentage of each eligible 
school or library requesting reimbursement under 
subpart F of part 54 of title 47, Code of Federal 
Regulations (or any successor regulation), start-
ing with the eligible schools and libraries with 
the highest discount percentage established under 
such subpart; and
1372 
(B) not later than 2 days after the Commis-
sion determines that the shortfall in funding ex-
ists, notify the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation and the Committee on Ap-
propriations of the Senate and the Committee on 
Energy and Commerce and the Committee on 
Appropriations of the House of Representatives 
of such shortfall. 
(f) EMERGENCY PERIODS DESCRIBED.—An emergency 
period described in this subsection is a period that— 
(1) begins on the date of a determination by the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services pursuant to 
section 319 of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 247d) that a public health emergency exists as 
a result of COVID–19; and 
(2) ends on the June 30 that first occurs after 
the date on which such determination (including any 
renewal thereof) terminates. 
(g) TREATMENT OF EQUIPMENT AFTER EMERGENCY 
PERIOD.—The Commission shall provide in the regulations 
required by subsection (a) that, in the case of a school or 
library that purchases equipment described in subsection (c) 
using support received under such regulations, such school 
or library—
1373 
(1) may, after the emergency period with respect 
to which such support is received, use such equipment 
for such purposes as such school or library considers 
appropriate, subject to any restrictions provided in 
such regulations (or any successor regulation); and 
(2) may not sell or otherwise transfer such 
equipment in exchange for any thing (including a 
service) of value, except that such school or library 
may exchange such equipment for upgraded equip-
ment of the same type. 
(h) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this section 
shall be construed to affect any authority the Commission 
may have under section 254(h)(1)(B) of the Communica-
tions Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 254(h)(1)(B)) to allow support 
under such section to be used for the purposes described in 
subsection (a) other than as required by such subsection. 
(i) PROCEDURAL MATTERS.— 
(1) PART 54 REGULATIONS.—Nothing in this sec-
tion shall be construed to prevent the Commission 
from providing that the regulations in part 54 of title 
47, Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor reg-
ulation), shall apply in whole or in part to support 
provided under the regulations required by subsection 
(a), shall not apply in whole or in part to such sup-
1374 
port, or shall be modified in whole or in part for pur-
poses of application to such support. 
(2) EXEMPTION FROM CERTAIN RULEMAKING RE-
QUIREMENTS.—Section 553 of title 5, United States 
Code, shall not apply to a regulation promulgated 
under subsection (a) or a rulemaking to promulgate 
such a regulation. 
(3) PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT EXEMPTION.— 
A collection of information conducted or sponsored 
under the regulations required by subsection (a), or 
under section 254 of the Communications Act of 1934 
(47 U.S.C. 254) in connection with support provided 
under such regulations, shall not constitute a collec-
tion of information for the purposes of subchapter I 
of chapter 35 of title 44, United States Code (com-
monly referred to as the Paperwork Reduction Act). 
(j) EMERGENCY CONNECTIVITY FUND.— 
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in 
the Treasury of the United States a fund to be known 
as the Emergency Connectivity Fund. 
(2) USE OF FUNDS.—Amounts in the Emergency 
Connectivity Fund shall be available to the Commis-
sion to provide support under the regulations required 
by subsection (a).
1375 
(3) RELATIONSHIP TO UNIVERSAL SERVICE CON-
TRIBUTIONS.—Support provided under the regula-
tions required by subsection (a) shall be provided 
from amounts made available under paragraph (2) 
and not from contributions under section 254(d) of 
the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 254(d)). 
(k) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) ADVANCED
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
AND
IN-
FORMATION
SERVICES.—The term ‘‘advanced tele-
communications and information services’’ means ad-
vanced telecommunications and information services, 
as such term is used in section 254(h) of the Commu-
nications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 254(h)). 
(2) 
COMMISSION.—The 
term 
‘‘Commission’’ 
means the Federal Communications Commission. 
(3) CONNECTED DEVICE.—The term ‘‘connected 
device’’ means a laptop computer, tablet computer, or 
similar device that is capable of connecting to ad-
vanced telecommunications and information services. 
(4) LIBRARY.—The term ‘‘library’’ includes a li-
brary consortium. 
(5) TRIBAL
LAND.—The term ‘‘Tribal land’’ 
means— 
(A) any land located within the boundaries 
of—
1376 
(i) an Indian reservation, pueblo, or 
rancheria; or 
(ii) a former reservation within Okla-
homa; 
(B) any land not located within the bound-
aries of an Indian reservation, pueblo, or 
rancheria, the title to which is held— 
(i) in trust by the United States for the 
benefit of an Indian Tribe or an individual 
Indian; 
(ii) by an Indian Tribe or an indi-
vidual Indian, subject to restriction against 
alienation under laws of the United States; 
or 
(iii) by a dependent Indian commu-
nity; 
(C) any land located within a region estab-
lished pursuant to section 7(a) of the Alaska Na-
tive Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1606(a)); 
(D) Hawaiian Home Lands, as defined in 
section 801 of the Native American Housing As-
sistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996 (25 
U.S.C. 4221); or 
(E) those areas or communities designated 
by the Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs of
1377 
the Department of the Interior that are near, ad-
jacent, or contiguous to reservations where finan-
cial assistance and social service programs are 
provided to Indians because of their status as In-
dians. 
(6) TRIBAL
LIBRARY.—The term ‘‘Tribal li-
brary’’ means, only during an emergency period de-
scribed under subsection (f), a facility owned by an 
Indian Tribe, serving Indian Tribes, or serving 
American Indians, Alaskan Natives, or Native Ha-
waiian communities, including— 
(A) a Tribal library or Tribal library con-
sortium; or 
(B) a Tribal government building, chapter 
house, longhouse, community center, or other 
similar public building. 
(7) WI-FI.—The term ‘‘Wi-Fi’’ means a wireless 
networking protocol based on Institute of Electrical 
and Electronics Engineers standard 802.11 (or any 
successor standard). 
(8) WI-FI HOTSPOT.—The term ‘‘Wi-Fi hotspot’’ 
means a device that is capable of— 
(A) receiving mobile advanced telecommuni-
cations and information services; and
1378 
(B) sharing such services with another de-
vice through the use of Wi-Fi. 
TITLE III—EMERGENCY BENEFIT 
FOR BROADBAND SERVICE 
SEC. 301. BENEFIT FOR BROADBAND SERVICE DURING 
EMERGENCY PERIODS RELATING TO COVID– 
19. 
(a) PROMULGATION OF REGULATIONS REQUIRED.— 
Not later than 7 days after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, the Commission shall promulgate regulations im-
plementing this section. 
(b) REQUIREMENTS.—The regulations promulgated 
pursuant to subsection (a) shall establish the following: 
(1) EMERGENCY BROADBAND BENEFIT.—During 
an emergency period, a provider shall provide an eli-
gible household with an internet service offering, upon 
request by a member of such household. Such provider 
shall discount the price charged to such household for 
such internet service offering in an amount equal to 
the emergency broadband benefit for such household. 
(2) VERIFICATION
OF
ELIGIBILITY.—To verify 
whether a household is an eligible household, a pro-
vider shall either— 
(A) use the National Lifeline Eligibility 
Verifier; or
1379 
(B) rely upon an alternative verification 
process of the provider, if the Commission finds 
such process to be sufficient to avoid waste, 
fraud, and abuse. 
(3) USE
OF
NATIONAL
LIFELINE
ELIGIBILITY 
VERIFIER.—The Commission shall— 
(A) expedite the ability of all providers to 
access the National Lifeline Eligibility Verifier 
for purposes of determining whether a household 
is an eligible household; and 
(B) ensure that the National Lifeline Eligi-
bility Verifier approves an eligible household to 
receive the emergency broadband benefit not later 
than two days after the date of the submission of 
information necessary to determine if such 
household is an eligible household. 
(4) EXTENSION
OF
EMERGENCY
PERIOD.—An 
emergency period may be extended within a State or 
any portion thereof if the State, or in the case of 
Tribal land, a Tribal government, provides written, 
public notice to the Commission stipulating that an 
extension is necessary in furtherance of the recovery 
related to COVID–19. The Commission shall, within 
48 hours after receiving such notice, post the notice on 
the public website of the Commission.
1380 
(5) REIMBURSEMENT.—From the Emergency 
Broadband Connectivity Fund established in sub-
section (h), the Commission shall reimburse a pro-
vider in an amount equal to the emergency broadband 
benefit with respect to an eligible household that re-
ceives such benefit from such provider. 
(6) REIMBURSEMENT
FOR
CONNECTED
DE-
VICE.—A provider that, in addition to providing the 
emergency broadband benefit to an eligible household, 
supplies such household with a connected device may 
be reimbursed up to $100 from the Emergency 
Broadband Connectivity Fund established in sub-
section (h) for such connected device, if the charge to 
such eligible household is more than $10 but less than 
$50 for such connected device, except that a provider 
may receive reimbursement for no more than one con-
nected device per eligible household. 
(7) NO RETROACTIVE REIMBURSEMENT.—A pro-
vider may not receive a reimbursement from the 
Emergency Broadband Connectivity Fund for pro-
viding an internet service offering discounted by the 
emergency broadband benefit, or for supplying a con-
nected device, that was provided or supplied (as the 
case may be) before the date of the enactment of this 
Act.
1381 
(8) CERTIFICATION REQUIRED.—To receive a re-
imbursement under paragraph (5) or (6), a provider 
shall certify to the Commission the following: 
(A) That the amount for which the provider 
is seeking reimbursement from the Emergency 
Broadband Connectivity Fund for an internet 
service offering to an eligible household is not 
more than the normal rate. 
(B) That each eligible household for which 
a provider is seeking reimbursement for pro-
viding an internet service offering discounted by 
the emergency broadband benefit— 
(i) has not been and will not be 
charged— 
(I) for such offering, if the normal 
rate for such offering is less than or 
equal to the amount of the emergency 
broadband benefit for such household; 
or 
(II) more for such offering than 
the difference between the normal rate 
for such offering and the amount of the 
emergency broadband benefit for such 
household;
1382 
(ii) will not be required to pay an 
early termination fee if such eligible house-
hold elects to enter into a contract to receive 
such internet service offering if such house-
hold later terminates such contract; and 
(iii) was not subject to a mandatory 
waiting period for such internet service of-
fering based on having previously received 
broadband internet access service from such 
provider. 
(C) That each eligible household for which 
the provider is seeking reimbursement for sup-
plying such household with a connected device 
has not been and will not be charged $10 or less 
or $50 or more for such device. 
(D) A description of the process used by the 
provider to verify that a household is an eligible 
household, if the provider elects an alternative 
verification process under paragraph (2)(B), and 
that such verification process was designed to 
avoid waste, fraud, and abuse. 
(9) AUDIT
REQUIREMENTS.—The Commission 
shall adopt audit requirements to ensure that pro-
viders are in compliance with the requirements of this 
section and to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse in the
1383 
emergency broadband benefit program established 
under this section. 
(c) ELIGIBLE
PROVIDERS.—Notwithstanding sub-
section (e) of this section, the Commission shall provide a 
reimbursement to a provider under this section without re-
quiring such provider to be designated as an eligible tele-
communications carrier under section 214(e) of the Com-
munications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 214(e)). 
(d) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this section 
shall affect the collection, distribution, or administration 
of the Lifeline Assistance Program governed by the rules 
set forth in subpart E of part 54 of title 47, Code of Federal 
Regulations (or any successor regulation). 
(e) PART 54 REGULATIONS.—Nothing in this section 
shall be construed to prevent the Commission from pro-
viding that the regulations in part 54 of title 47, Code of 
Federal Regulations (or any successor regulation), shall 
apply in whole or in part to support provided under the 
regulations required by subsection (a), shall not apply in 
whole or in part to such support, or shall be modified in 
whole or in part for purposes of application to such sup-
port. 
(f) ENFORCEMENT.—A violation of this section or a 
regulation promulgated under this section, including the 
knowing or reckless denial of an internet service offering
1384 
discounted by the emergency broadband benefit to an eligi-
ble household that requests such an offering, shall be treated 
as a violation of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 
U.S.C. 151 et seq.) or a regulation promulgated under such 
Act. The Commission shall enforce this section and the regu-
lations promulgated under this section in the same manner, 
by the same means, and with the same jurisdiction, powers, 
and duties as though all applicable terms and provisions 
of the Communications Act of 1934 were incorporated into 
and made a part of this section. 
(g) EXEMPTIONS.— 
(1) CERTAIN
RULEMAKING
REQUIREMENTS.— 
Section 553 of title 5, United States Code, shall not 
apply to a regulation promulgated under subsection 
(a) or a rulemaking to promulgate such a regulation. 
(2) PAPERWORK
REDUCTION
ACT
REQUIRE-
MENTS.—A collection of information conducted or 
sponsored under the regulations required by sub-
section (a) shall not constitute a collection of informa-
tion for the purposes of subchapter I of chapter 35 of 
title 44, United States Code (commonly referred to as 
the Paperwork Reduction Act). 
(h) EMERGENCY BROADBAND CONNECTIVITY FUND.—
1385 
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in 
the Treasury of the United States a fund to be known 
as the Emergency Broadband Connectivity Fund. 
(2) USE OF FUNDS.—Amounts in the Emergency 
Broadband Connectivity Fund shall be available to 
the Commission for reimbursements to providers 
under the regulations required by subsection (a). 
(3) RELATIONSHIP TO UNIVERSAL SERVICE CON-
TRIBUTIONS.—Reimbursements provided under the 
regulations required by subsection (a) shall be pro-
vided from amounts made available under this sub-
section and not from contributions under section 
254(d) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 
254(d)), except the Commission may use such con-
tributions if needed to offset expenses associated with 
the reliance on the National Lifeline Eligibility 
Verifier to determine eligibility of households to re-
ceive the emergency broadband benefit. 
(i) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) BROADBAND INTERNET ACCESS SERVICE.— 
The term ‘‘broadband internet access service’’ has the 
meaning given such term in section 8.1(b) of title 47, 
Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor regula-
tion).
1386 
(2) CONNECTED DEVICE.—The term ‘‘connected 
device’’ means a laptop or desktop computer or a tab-
let. 
(3) ELIGIBLE HOUSEHOLD.—The term ‘‘eligible 
household’’ means, regardless of whether the household 
or any member of the household receives support 
under subpart E of part 54 of title 47, Code of Fed-
eral Regulations (or any successor regulation), and 
regardless of whether any member of the household has 
any past or present arrearages with a provider, a 
household in which— 
(A) at least one member of the household 
meets the qualifications in subsection (a) or (b) 
of section 54.409 of title 47, Code of Federal Reg-
ulations (or any successor regulation); 
(B) at least one member of the household 
has applied for and been approved to receive 
benefits under the free and reduced price lunch 
program under the Richard B. Russell National 
School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.) or the 
school breakfast program under section 4 of the 
Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1773); 
(C) at least one member of the household 
has experienced a substantial loss of income since 
February 29, 2020, documented by layoff or fur-
1387 
lough notice, application for unemployment in-
surance benefits, or similar documentation; or 
(D) at least one member of the household 
has received a Federal Pell Grant under section 
401 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1070a) in the current award year. 
(4) EMERGENCY
BROADBAND
BENEFIT.—The 
term ‘‘emergency broadband benefit’’ means a month-
ly discount for an eligible household applied to the 
normal rate for an internet service offering, in an 
amount equal to such rate, but not more than $50, or, 
if an internet service offering is provided to an eligi-
ble household on Tribal land, not more than $75. 
(5) EMERGENCY PERIOD.—The term ‘‘emergency 
period’’ means a period that— 
(A) begins on the date of a determination 
by the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
pursuant to section 319 of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d) that a public 
health emergency exists as a result of COVID–19; 
and 
(B) ends on the date that is 6 months after 
the date on which such determination (including 
any renewal thereof) terminates, except as such 
period may be extended under subsection (b)(4).
1388 
(6) INTERNET
SERVICE
OFFERING.—The term 
‘‘internet service offering’’ means, with respect to a 
provider, broadband internet access service provided 
by such provider to a household, offered in the same 
manner, and on the same terms, as described in any 
of such provider’s advertisements for broadband inter-
net access service to such household, as on September 
1, 2020. 
(7) NORMAL
RATE.—The term ‘‘normal rate’’ 
means, with respect to an internet service offering by 
a provider, the advertised monthly retail rate, as of 
September 1, 2020, including any applicable pro-
motions and excluding any taxes or other govern-
mental fees. 
(8) PROVIDER.—The term ‘‘provider’’ means a 
provider of broadband internet access service. 
SEC. 302. ENHANCED LIFELINE BENEFITS DURING EMER-
GENCY PERIODS. 
(a) ENHANCED MINIMUM SERVICE STANDARDS FOR 
LIFELINE BENEFITS DURING EMERGENCY PERIODS.— 
During an emergency period— 
(1) the minimum service standard for Lifeline 
supported mobile voice service shall provide an un-
limited number of minutes per month;
1389 
(2) the minimum service standard for Lifeline 
supported mobile data service shall provide an unlim-
ited data allowance each month and 4G speeds, where 
available; and 
(3) the Basic Support Amount and Tribal Lands 
Support Amount, as described in section 54.403 of 
title 47, Code of Federal Regulations (or any suc-
cessor regulation), shall be increased by an amount 
necessary, as determined by the Commission, to offset 
any incremental increase in cost associated with the 
requirements in paragraphs (1) and (2), but at a 
minimum the Basic Support Amount shall be not less 
than $25 per month and the Tribal Lands Support 
Amount shall be not less than $40 per month. 
(b) EXTENSION OF EMERGENCY PERIOD.—An emer-
gency period may be extended within a State or any por-
tion thereof for a maximum of six months, if the State, or 
in the case of Tribal land, a Tribal government, provides 
written, public notice to the Commission stipulating that 
an extension is necessary in furtherance of the recovery re-
lated to COVID–19. The Commission shall, within 48 hours 
after receiving such notice, post the notice on the public 
website of the Commission. 
(c) REGULATIONS.—
1390 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 7 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commission 
shall promulgate regulations implementing this sec-
tion. 
(2) EXEMPTIONS.— 
(A) 
CERTAIN
RULEMAKING
REQUIRE-
MENTS.—Section 553 of title 5, United States 
Code, shall not apply to a regulation promul-
gated under paragraph (1) or a rulemaking to 
promulgate such a regulation. 
(B) PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT REQUIRE-
MENTS.—A collection of information conducted 
or sponsored under the regulations promulgated 
under paragraph (1), or under section 254 of the 
Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 254) in 
connection with support provided under such 
regulations, shall not constitute a collection of 
information for the purposes of subchapter I of 
chapter 35 of title 44, United States Code (com-
monly referred to as the Paperwork Reduction 
Act). 
(d) EMERGENCY PERIOD DEFINED.—In this section, 
the term ‘‘emergency period’’ means a period that— 
(1) begins on the date of a determination by the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services pursuant to
1391 
section 319 of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 247d) that a public health emergency exists as 
a result of COVID–19; and 
(2) ends on the date that is 6 months after the 
date on which such determination (including any re-
newal thereof) terminates, except as such period may 
be extended under subsection (b). 
SEC. 303. GRANTS TO STATES TO STRENGTHEN NATIONAL 
LIFELINE ELIGIBILITY VERIFIER. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—From amounts appropriated to 
carry out this section, the Commission shall, not later than 
7 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, make 
a grant to each State, in an amount in proportion to the 
population of such State, for the purpose of connecting the 
database used by such State for purposes of the supple-
mental nutrition assistance program under the Food and 
Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.) to the Na-
tional Lifeline Eligibility Verifier, so that the receipt by 
a household of benefits under such program is reflected in 
the National Lifeline Eligibility Verifier. 
(b) DISBURSEMENT OF GRANT FUNDS.—Funds under 
each grant made under subsection (a) shall be disbursed to 
the State receiving such grant not later than 7 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act.
1392 
(c) CERTIFICATION TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 21 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commis-
sion shall certify to the Committee on Energy and Com-
merce of the House of Representatives and the Committee 
on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate 
that the grants required by subsection (a) have been made 
and that funds have been disbursed as required by sub-
section (b). 
SEC. 304. DEFINITIONS. 
In this title: 
(1) 
COMMISSION.—The 
term 
‘‘Commission’’ 
means the Federal Communications Commission. 
(2) 
NATIONAL
LIFELINE
ELIGIBILITY 
VERIFIER.—The term ‘‘National Lifeline Eligibility 
Verifier’’ has the meaning given such term in section 
54.400 of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations (or 
any successor regulation). 
(3) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ has the meaning 
given such term in section 3 of the Communications 
Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 153).
1393 
TITLE IV—CONTINUED 
CONNECTIVITY 
SEC. 401. CONTINUED CONNECTIVITY DURING EMERGENCY 
PERIODS RELATING TO COVID–19. 
Title VII of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 
U.S.C. 601 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘SEC. 723. CONTINUED CONNECTIVITY DURING EMER-
GENCY PERIODS RELATING TO COVID–19. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—During an emergency period de-
scribed in subsection (c), it shall be unlawful— 
‘‘(1) for a provider of advanced telecommuni-
cations service or voice service to— 
‘‘(A) terminate, reduce, or change such serv-
ice provided to any individual customer or small 
business because of the inability of the individual 
customer or small business to pay for such serv-
ice if the individual customer or small business 
certifies to such provider that such inability to 
pay is a result of disruptions caused by the pub-
lic health emergency to which such emergency pe-
riod relates; or 
‘‘(B) impose late fees on any individual 
customer or small business because of the inabil-
ity of the individual customer or small business
1394 
to pay for such service if the individual customer 
or small business certifies to such provider that 
such inability to pay is a result of disruptions 
caused by the public health emergency to which 
such emergency period relates; 
‘‘(2) for a provider of advanced telecommuni-
cations service to, during such emergency period— 
‘‘(A) employ a limit on the amount of data 
allotted to an individual customer or small busi-
ness during such emergency period, except that 
such provider may engage in reasonable network 
management; or 
‘‘(B) charge an individual customer or 
small business an additional fee for exceeding the 
limit on the data allotted to an individual cus-
tomer or small business; or 
‘‘(3) for a provider of advanced telecommuni-
cations service that had functioning Wi-Fi hotspots 
available to subscribers in public places on the day 
before the beginning of such emergency period to fail 
to make service provided by such Wi-Fi hotspots 
available to the public at no cost during such emer-
gency period. 
‘‘(b) WAIVER.—Upon a petition by a provider ad-
vanced telecommunications service or voice service, the pro-
1395 
visions in subsection (a) may be suspended or waived by 
the Commission at any time, in whole or in part, for good 
cause shown. 
‘‘(c) EMERGENCY PERIODS DESCRIBED.—An emer-
gency period described in this subsection is any portion be-
ginning on or after the date of the enactment of this section 
of the duration of a public health emergency declared pursu-
ant to section 319 of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 247d) as a result of COVID–19, including any re-
newal thereof. 
‘‘(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) ADVANCED
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
SERV-
ICE.—The term ‘advanced telecommunications service’ 
means a service that provides advanced telecommuni-
cations capability (as defined in section 706 of the 
Telecommunications Act of 1996 (47 U.S.C. 1302)). 
‘‘(2) BROADBAND INTERNET ACCESS SERVICE.— 
The term ‘broadband internet access service’ has the 
meaning given such term in section 8.1(b) of title 47, 
Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor regula-
tion). 
‘‘(3) INDIVIDUAL
CUSTOMER.—The term ‘indi-
vidual customer’ means an individual who contracts 
with a mass-market retail provider of advanced tele-
1396 
communications service or voice service to provide 
service to such individual. 
‘‘(4) REASONABLE
NETWORK
MANAGEMENT.— 
The term ‘reasonable network management’— 
‘‘(A) means the use of a practice that— 
‘‘(i) has a primarily technical network 
management justification; and 
‘‘(ii) is primarily used for and tailored 
to achieving a legitimate network manage-
ment purpose, taking into account the par-
ticular network architecture and technology 
of the service; and 
‘‘(B) does not include other business prac-
tices. 
‘‘(5) SMALL BUSINESS.—The term ‘small busi-
ness’ has the meaning given such term under section 
601(3) of title 5, United States Code. 
‘‘(6) VOICE SERVICE.—The term ‘voice service’ 
has the meaning given such term under section 
227(e)(8) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 
U.S.C. 227(e)(8)). 
‘‘(7) WI-FI.—The term ‘Wi-Fi’ means a wireless 
networking protocol based on Institute of Electrical 
and Electronics Engineers standard 802.11 (or any 
successor standard).
1397 
‘‘(8) WI-FI HOTSPOT.—The term ‘Wi-Fi hotspot’ 
means a device that is capable of— 
‘‘(A) receiving mobile broadband internet 
access service; and 
‘‘(B) sharing such service with another de-
vice through the use of Wi-Fi.’’. 
TITLE V—DON’T BREAK UP THE 
T–BAND 
SEC. 501. REPEAL OF REQUIREMENT TO REALLOCATE AND 
AUCTION T–BAND SPECTRUM. 
(a) REPEAL.—Section 6103 of the Middle Class Tax 
Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 1413) is 
repealed. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents in 
section 1(b) of such Act is amended by striking the item 
relating to section 6103. 
TITLE 
VI—COVID–19 
COMPAS-
SION AND MARTHA WRIGHT 
PRISON PHONE JUSTICE 
SEC. 601. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Prison, jails, and other confinement facilities 
in the United States have unique telecommunications 
needs due to safety and security concerns.
1398 
(2) Unjust and unreasonable charges for tele-
phone and advanced communications services in con-
finement facilities negatively impact the safety and 
security of communities in the United States by dam-
aging relationships between incarcerated persons and 
their support systems, thereby exacerbating recidi-
vism. 
(3) The COVID–19 pandemic has greatly inten-
sified these concerns. Jails and prisons have become 
epicenters for the spread of the virus, with incarcer-
ated persons concentrated in small, confined spaces 
and often without access to adequate health care. At 
Cook County jail alone, hundreds of incarcerated per-
sons and jail staff have tested positive for the virus 
since its outbreak. 
(4) To prevent the spread of the virus, many 
jails and prisons across the country suspended public 
visitation, leaving confinement facility communica-
tions services as the only way that incarcerated per-
sons can stay in touch with their families. 
(5) All people in the United States, including 
anyone who pays for confinement facility commu-
nications services, should have access to communica-
tions services at charges that are just and reasonable.
1399 
(6) Unemployment has risen sharply as a result 
of the COVID–19 pandemic, straining the incomes of 
millions of Americans and making it even more dif-
ficult for families of incarcerated persons to pay the 
high costs of confinement facility communications 
services. 
(7) Certain markets for confinement facility 
communications services are distorted due to reverse 
competition, in which the financial interests of the 
entity making the buying decision (the confinement 
facility) are aligned with the seller (the provider of 
confinement facility communications services) and 
not the consumer (the incarcerated person or a mem-
ber of his or her family). This reverse competition oc-
curs because site commission payments to the confine-
ment facility from the provider of confinement facil-
ity communications services are the chief criterion 
many facilities use to select their provider of confine-
ment facility communications services. 
(8) Charges for confinement facility communica-
tions services that have been shown to be unjust and 
unreasonable are often a result of site commission 
payments that far exceed the costs incurred by the 
confinement facility in accommodating these services.
1400 
(9) Unjust and unreasonable charges have been 
assessed for both audio and video services and for both 
intrastate and interstate communications from con-
finement facilities. 
(10) Though Congress enacted emergency legisla-
tion to allow free communications in Federal prisons 
during the pandemic, it does not cover communica-
tions to or from anyone incarcerated in State and 
local prisons or jails. 
(11) Mrs. Martha Wright-Reed led a campaign 
for just communications rates for incarcerated people 
for over a decade. 
(12) Mrs. Wright-Reed was the lead plaintiff in 
Wright v. Corrections Corporation of America, CA 
No. 00–293 (GK) (D.D.C. 2001). 
(13) That case ultimately led to the Wright Peti-
tion at the Federal Communications Commission, CC 
Docket No. 96–128 (November 3, 2003). 
(14) As a grandmother, Mrs. Wright-Reed was 
forced to choose between purchasing medication and 
communicating with her incarcerated grandson. 
(15) Mrs. Wright-Reed passed away on January 
18, 2015, before fully realizing her dream of just com-
munications rates for all people.
1401 
SEC. 602. REQUIREMENTS FOR CONFINEMENT FACILITY 
COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES, DURING THE 
COVID–19 PANDEMIC AND OTHER TIMES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 276 of the Communications 
Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 276) is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘(e) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR CONFINEMENT 
FACILITY COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES.— 
‘‘(1) AUTHORITY.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—All charges, practices, 
classifications, and regulations for and in con-
nection with confinement facility communica-
tions services shall be just and reasonable, and 
any such charge, practice, classification, or regu-
lation that is unjust or unreasonable is declared 
to be unlawful. 
‘‘(B) RULEMAKING
REQUIRED.—Not later 
than 18 months after the date of the enactment 
of this subsection, the Commission shall issue 
rules to adopt, for the provision of confinement 
facility communications services, rates and an-
cillary service charges that are just and reason-
able, which shall be the maximum such rates and 
charges that a provider of confinement facility 
communications services may charge for such 
services. In determining rates and charges that
1402 
are just and reasonable, the Commission shall 
adopt such rates and charges based on the aver-
age industry costs of providing such services 
using data collected from providers of confine-
ment facility communications services. 
‘‘(C) BIENNIAL
REVIEW.—Not less fre-
quently than every 2 years following the issuance 
of rules under subparagraph (B), the Commis-
sion shall— 
‘‘(i) determine whether the rates and 
ancillary service charges authorized by the 
rules issued under such subparagraph re-
main just and reasonable; and 
‘‘(ii) if the Commission determines 
under clause (i) that any such rate or 
charge does not remain just and reasonable, 
revise such rules so that such rate or charge 
is just and reasonable. 
‘‘(2) INTERIM RATE CAPS.—Until the Commis-
sion issues the rules required by paragraph (1)(B), a 
provider of confinement facility communications serv-
ices may not charge a rate for any voice service com-
munication using confinement facility communica-
tions services that exceeds the following:
1403 
‘‘(A) For debit calling or prepaid calling, 
$0.04 per minute. 
‘‘(B) For collect calling, $0.05 per minute. 
‘‘(3) ASSESSMENT ON PER-MINUTE BASIS.—Ex-
cept as provided in paragraph (4), a provider of con-
finement facility communications services— 
‘‘(A) shall assess all charges for a commu-
nication using such services on a per-minute 
basis for the actual duration of the communica-
tion, measured from communication acceptance 
to termination, rounded up to the next full 
minute, except in the case of charges for services 
that the confinement facility offers free of charge 
or for amounts below the amounts permitted 
under this subsection; and 
‘‘(B) may not charge a per-communication 
or per-connection charge for a communication 
using such services. 
‘‘(4) ANCILLARY SERVICE CHARGES.— 
‘‘(A) GENERAL PROHIBITION.—A provider 
of confinement facility communications services 
may not charge an ancillary service charge other 
than— 
‘‘(i) if the Commission has not yet 
issued the rules required by paragraph
1404 
(1)(B), a charge listed in subparagraph (B) 
of this paragraph; or 
‘‘(ii) a charge authorized by the rules 
adopted by the Commission under para-
graph (1). 
‘‘(B) PERMITTED CHARGES AND RATES.—If 
the Commission has not yet issued the rules re-
quired by paragraph (1)(B), a provider of con-
finement facility communications services may 
not charge a rate for an ancillary service charge 
in excess of the following: 
‘‘(i) In the case of an automated pay-
ment fee, 2.9 percent of the total charge on 
which the fee is assessed. 
‘‘(ii) In the case of a fee for single-call 
and related services, the exact transaction 
fee charged by the third-party provider, 
with no markup. 
‘‘(iii) In the case of a live agent fee, 
$5.95 per use. 
‘‘(iv) In the case of a paper bill or 
statement fee, $2 per use. 
‘‘(v) In the case of a third-party finan-
cial transaction fee, the exact fee, with no
1405 
markup, charged by the third party for the 
transaction. 
‘‘(5) PROHIBITION
ON
SITE
COMMISSIONS.—A 
provider of confinement facility communications serv-
ices may not assess a site commission. 
‘‘(6) RELATIONSHIP TO STATE LAW.—A State or 
political subdivision of a State may not enforce any 
law, rule, regulation, standard, or other provision 
having the force or effect of law relating to confine-
ment facility communications services that allows for 
higher rates or other charges to be assessed for such 
services than is permitted under any Federal law or 
regulation relating to confinement facility commu-
nications services. 
‘‘(7) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 
‘‘(A) ANCILLARY
SERVICE
CHARGE.—The 
term ‘ancillary service charge’ means any charge 
a consumer may be assessed for the setting up or 
use of a confinement facility communications 
service that is not included in the per-minute 
charges assessed for individual communications. 
‘‘(B) AUTOMATED PAYMENT FEE.—The term 
‘automated payment fee’ means a credit card 
payment, debit card payment, or bill processing 
fee, including a fee for a payment made by
1406 
means of interactive voice response, the internet, 
or a kiosk. 
‘‘(C) COLLECT CALLING.—The term ‘collect 
calling’ means an arrangement whereby a credit- 
qualified party agrees to pay for charges associ-
ated with a communication made to such party 
using confinement facility communications serv-
ices and originating from within a confinement 
facility. 
‘‘(D) CONFINEMENT
FACILITY.—The term 
‘confinement facility’— 
‘‘(i) means a jail or a prison; and 
‘‘(ii) includes any juvenile, detention, 
work release, or mental health facility that 
is used primarily to hold individuals who 
are— 
‘‘(I) awaiting adjudication of 
criminal charges or an immigration 
matter; or 
‘‘(II) serving a sentence for a 
criminal conviction. 
‘‘(E) CONFINEMENT FACILITY COMMUNICA-
TIONS SERVICE.—The term ‘confinement facility 
communications service’ means a service that al-
lows incarcerated persons to make electronic
1407 
communications (whether intrastate, interstate, 
or international and whether made using video, 
audio, or any other communicative method, in-
cluding advanced communications services) to 
individuals outside the confinement facility, or 
to individuals inside the confinement facility, 
where the incarcerated person is being held, re-
gardless of the technology used to deliver the 
service. 
‘‘(F) CONSUMER.—The term ‘consumer’ 
means the party paying a provider of confine-
ment facility communications services. 
‘‘(G) DEBIT CALLING.—The term ‘debit call-
ing’ means a presubscription or comparable serv-
ice which allows an incarcerated person, or 
someone acting on an incarcerated person’s be-
half, to fund an account set up through a pro-
vider that can be used to pay for confinement fa-
cility communications services originated by the 
incarcerated person. 
‘‘(H) FEE FOR SINGLE-CALL AND RELATED 
SERVICES.—The term ‘fee for single-call and re-
lated services’ means a billing arrangement 
whereby communications made by an incarcer-
ated person using collect calling are billed
1408 
through a third party on a per-communication 
basis, where the recipient does not have an ac-
count with the provider of confinement facility 
communications services. 
‘‘(I) INCARCERATED
PERSON.—The term 
‘incarcerated person’ means a person detained at 
a confinement facility, regardless of the duration 
of the detention. 
‘‘(J) JAIL.—The term ‘jail’— 
‘‘(i) means a facility of a law enforce-
ment agency of the Federal Government or 
of a State or political subdivision of a State 
that is used primarily to hold individuals 
who are— 
‘‘(I) awaiting adjudication of 
criminal charges; 
‘‘(II) post-conviction and com-
mitted to confinement for sentences of 
one year or less; or 
‘‘(III) post-conviction and await-
ing transfer to another facility; and 
‘‘(ii) includes— 
‘‘(I) city, county, or regional fa-
cilities that have contracted with a pri-
1409 
vate company to manage day-to-day 
operations; 
‘‘(II) privately-owned and oper-
ated facilities primarily engaged in 
housing city, county, or regional incar-
cerated persons; and 
‘‘(III) facilities used to detain in-
dividuals pursuant to a contract with 
U.S. Immigration and Customs En-
forcement. 
‘‘(K) LIVE
AGENT
FEE.—The term ‘live 
agent fee’ means a fee associated with the op-
tional use of a live operator to complete a con-
finement facility communications service trans-
action. 
‘‘(L) PAPER BILL OR STATEMENT FEE.— 
The term ‘paper bill or statement fee’ means a 
fee associated with providing a consumer an op-
tional paper billing statement. 
‘‘(M) PER-COMMUNICATION OR PER-CONNEC-
TION CHARGE.—The term ‘per-communication or 
per-connection charge’ means a one-time fee 
charged to a consumer at the initiation of a 
communication.
1410 
‘‘(N) PREPAID
CALLING.—The term ‘pre-
paid calling’ means a calling arrangement that 
allows a consumer to pay in advance for a speci-
fied amount of confinement facility communica-
tions services. 
‘‘(O) PRISON.—The term ‘prison’— 
‘‘(i) means a facility operated by a 
State or Federal agency that is used pri-
marily to confine individuals convicted of 
felonies and sentenced to terms in excess of 
one year; and 
‘‘(ii) includes— 
‘‘(I) public and private facilities 
that provide outsource housing to State 
or Federal agencies such as State De-
partments of Correction and the Fed-
eral Bureau of Prisons; and 
‘‘(II) facilities that would other-
wise be jails but in which the majority 
of incarcerated persons are post-convic-
tion or are committed to confinement 
for sentences of longer than one year. 
‘‘(P) PROVIDER OF CONFINEMENT FACILITY 
COMMUNICATIONS
SERVICES.—The term ‘pro-
vider of confinement facility communications
1411 
services’ means any communications service pro-
vider that provides confinement facility commu-
nications services, regardless of the technology 
used. 
‘‘(Q) SITE
COMMISSION.—The term ‘site 
commission’ means any monetary payment, in- 
kind payment, gift, exchange of services or goods, 
fee, technology allowance, or product that a pro-
vider of confinement facility communications 
services or an affiliate of a provider of confine-
ment facility communications services may pay, 
give, donate, or otherwise provide to— 
‘‘(i) an entity that operates a confine-
ment facility; 
‘‘(ii) an entity with which the provider 
of confinement facility communications 
services enters into an agreement to provide 
confinement facility communications serv-
ices; 
‘‘(iii) a governmental agency that over-
sees a confinement facility; 
‘‘(iv) the State or political subdivision 
of a State where a confinement facility is 
located; or
1412 
‘‘(v) an agent or other representative of 
an entity described in any of clauses (i) 
through (iv). 
‘‘(R) THIRD-PARTY FINANCIAL TRANSACTION 
FEE.—The term ‘third-party financial trans-
action fee’ means the exact fee, with no markup, 
that a provider of confinement facility commu-
nications services is charged by a third party to 
transfer money or process a financial trans-
action to facilitate the ability of a consumer to 
make an account payment via a third party. 
‘‘(S) VOICE SERVICE.—The term ‘voice serv-
ice’— 
‘‘(i) means any service that is inter-
connected with the public switched telephone 
network and that furnishes voice commu-
nications to an end user using resources 
from the North American Numbering Plan 
or any successor to the North American 
Numbering Plan adopted by the Commis-
sion under section 251(e)(1); and 
‘‘(ii) includes— 
‘‘(I) transmissions from a tele-
phone facsimile machine, computer, or
1413 
other device to a telephone facsimile 
machine; and 
‘‘(II) without limitation, any 
service that enables real-time, two-way 
voice communications, including any 
service that requires internet protocol- 
compatible customer premises equip-
ment (commonly known as ‘CPE’) and 
permits out-bound calling, whether or 
not the service is one-way or two-way 
voice over internet protocol.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 276(d) of the 
Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 276(d)) is amend-
ed by striking ‘‘inmate telephone service in correctional in-
stitutions’’ and inserting ‘‘confinement facility communica-
tions services (as defined in subsection (e)(7))’’. 
(c) EXISTING CONTRACTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—In the case of a contract that 
was entered into and under which a provider of con-
finement facility communications services was pro-
viding such services at a confinement facility on or 
before the date of the enactment of this Act— 
(A) paragraphs (1) through (5) of sub-
section (e) of section 276 of the Communications 
Act of 1934, as added by subsection (a) of this
1414 
section, shall apply to the provision of confine-
ment facility communications services by such 
provider at such facility beginning on the earlier 
of— 
(i) the date that is 60 days after such 
date of enactment; or 
(ii) the date of the termination of the 
contract; and 
(B) the terms of such contract may not be 
extended after such date of enactment, whether 
by exercise of an option or otherwise. 
(2) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection, the terms 
‘‘confinement facility’’, ‘‘confinement facility commu-
nications service’’, and ‘‘provider of confinement fa-
cility communications services’’ have the meanings 
given such terms in paragraph (7) of subsection (e) 
of section 276 of the Communications Act of 1934, as 
added by subsection (a) of this section. 
SEC. 603. AUTHORITY. 
Section 2(b) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 
U.S.C. 152(b)) is amended by inserting ‘‘section 276,’’ after 
‘‘227, inclusive,’’.
1415 
DIVISION N—AGRICULTURE 
PROVISIONS 
SEC. 100. DEFINITIONS. 
In this division: 
(1) The term ‘‘COVID–19’’ means the disease 
caused by SARS–CoV–2, or any viral strain mutat-
ing therefrom with pandemic potential. 
(2) The term ‘‘COVID–19 public health emer-
gency’’ means the public health emergency declared by 
the Secretary of Health and Human Services under 
section 319 of the Public Health Services Act (42 
U.S.C. 247d) on January 31, 2020, with respect to 
COVID–19 (including any renewal of that declara-
tion). 
(3) The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary of 
Agriculture. 
TITLE I—LIVESTOCK AND 
POULTRY 
SEC. 101. ESTABLISHMENT OF TRUST FOR BENEFIT OF UN-
PAID CASH SELLERS OF LIVESTOCK. 
The Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921, is amended by 
inserting after section 317 (7 U.S.C. 217a) the following 
new section: 
‘‘SEC. 318. STATUTORY TRUST ESTABLISHED; DEALER. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—
1416 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—All livestock purchased by a 
dealer in cash sales and all inventories of, or receiv-
ables or proceeds from, such livestock shall be held by 
such dealer in trust for the benefit of all unpaid cash 
sellers of such livestock until full payment has been 
received by such unpaid cash sellers. 
‘‘(2) EXEMPTION.—Any dealer whose average an-
nual purchases of livestock do not exceed $100,000 
shall be exempt from the provisions of this section. 
‘‘(3) EFFECT OF DISHONORED INSTRUMENTS.— 
For purposes of determining full payment under 
paragraph (1), a payment to an unpaid cash seller 
shall not be considered to have been made if the un-
paid cash seller receives a payment instrument that 
is dishonored. 
‘‘(b) PRESERVATION OF TRUST.—An unpaid cash sell-
er shall lose the benefit of a trust under subsection (a) if 
the unpaid cash seller has not preserved the trust by giving 
written notice to the dealer involved and filing such notice 
with the Secretary— 
‘‘(1) within 30 days of the final date for making 
a payment under section 409 in the event that a pay-
ment instrument has not been received; or 
‘‘(2) within 15 business days after the date on 
which the seller receives notice that the payment in-
1417 
strument promptly presented for payment has been 
dishonored. 
‘‘(c) NOTICE TO LIEN HOLDERS.—When a dealer re-
ceives notice under subsection (b) of the unpaid cash seller’s 
intent to preserve the benefits of the trust, the dealer shall, 
within 15 business days, give notice to all persons who have 
recorded a security interest in, or lien on, the livestock held 
in such trust. 
‘‘(d) CASH SALES DEFINED.—For the purpose of this 
section, a cash sale means a sale in which the seller does 
not expressly extend credit to the buyer. 
‘‘(e) PURCHASE OF LIVESTOCK SUBJECT TO TRUST.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A person purchasing live-
stock subject to a dealer trust shall receive good title 
to the livestock if the person receives the livestock— 
‘‘(A) in exchange for payment of new value; 
and 
‘‘(B) in good faith without notice that the 
transfer is a breach of trust. 
‘‘(2) DISHONORED
PAYMENT
INSTRUMENT.— 
Payment shall not be considered to have been made 
if a payment instrument given in exchange for the 
livestock is dishonored. 
‘‘(3) TRANSFER
IN
SATISFACTION
OF
ANTE-
CEDENT DEBT.—A transfer of livestock subject to a
1418 
dealer trust is not for value if the transfer is in satis-
faction of an antecedent debt or to a secured party 
pursuant to a security agreement. 
‘‘(f) ENFORCEMENT.—Whenever the Secretary has rea-
son to believe that a dealer subject to this section has failed 
to perform the duties required by this section or whenever 
the Secretary has reason to believe that it will be in the 
best interest of unpaid cash sellers, the Secretary shall do 
one or more of the following— 
‘‘(1) Appoint an independent trustee to carry out 
the duties required by this section, preserve trust as-
sets, and enforce the trust. 
‘‘(2) Serve as independent trustee, preserve trust 
assets, and enforce the trust. 
‘‘(3) File suit in the United States district court 
for the district in which the dealer resides to enjoin 
the dealer’s failure to perform the duties required by 
this section, preserve trust assets, and to enforce the 
trust. Attorneys employed by the Secretary may, with 
the approval of the Attorney General, represent the 
Secretary in any such suit. Nothing herein shall pre-
clude unpaid sellers from filing suit to preserve or en-
force the trust.’’.
1419 
SEC. 102. EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE FOR MARKET-READY 
LIVESTOCK AND POULTRY LOSSES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall make payments 
to covered producers to offset the losses of income related 
to the intentional depopulation of market-ready livestock 
and poultry due to insufficient regional access to meat and 
poultry processing related to the COVID–19 public health 
emergency, as determined by the Secretary. 
(b) PAYMENT RATE FOR COVERED PRODUCERS.— 
(1) PAYMENTS FOR FIRST 30-DAY PERIOD.—For 
a period of 30 days beginning, with respect to a cov-
ered producer, on the initial date of depopulation de-
scribed in subsection (a) of the market-ready livestock 
or poultry of the covered producer, the Secretary shall 
reimburse such covered producer for 85 percent of the 
value of losses as determined under subsection (c). 
(2) SUBSEQUENT
30-DAY
PERIODS.—For each 
30-day period subsequent to the 30-day period de-
scribed in paragraph (1), the Secretary shall reduce 
the value of the losses as determined under subsection 
(c) with respect to a covered producer by 10 percent. 
(c) VALUATION.—In calculating the amount of losses 
for purposes of the payment rates under subsection (b), the 
Secretary shall use the average fair market value, as deter-
mined by the Secretary in collaboration with the Chief 
Economist of the Department of Agriculture and the Ad-
1420 
ministrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service, for mar-
ket-ready livestock, where applicable, and market-ready 
poultry, where applicable, during the period beginning on 
March 1, 2020, and ending on the date of the enactment 
of this section. In no case shall a payment made under sub-
section (b) and compensation received from any other source 
exceed the average market value of market-ready livestock 
or poultry on the date of depopulation. 
(d) PACKER-OWNED ANIMALS EXCLUDED.—The Sec-
retary may not make payments under this section for the 
actual losses of livestock owned by a packer or poultry 
owned by a live poultry dealer. 
(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) COVERED
PRODUCER.—The term ‘‘covered 
producer’’ means a person or legal entity that as-
sumes the production and market risks associated 
with the agricultural production of livestock and 
poultry (as such terms are defined in section 2(a) of 
the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 (7 U.S.C. 
182(a)). 
(2) PACKER.—The term ‘‘packer’’ has the mean-
ing given the term in section 201 of the Packers and 
Stockyards Act, 1921 (7 U.S.C. 191). 
(3) LIVE
POULTRY
DEALER.—The term ‘‘live 
poultry dealer’’ has the meaning given the term in
1421 
section 2(a) of the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 
(7 U.S.C. 182(a)). 
(4) INTENTIONAL
DEPOPULATION.—The term 
‘‘intentional depopulation’’ means— 
(A) the destruction of livestock or poultry; 
and 
(B) the transfer of livestock or poultry to a 
noncommercial interest. 
(f) FUNDING.—Out of any amounts of the Treasury 
not otherwise appropriated, there is appropriated to carry 
out this section such sums as may be necessary, to remain 
available until expended. 
SEC. 103. ANIMAL DISEASE PREVENTION AND MANAGE-
MENT RESPONSE. 
Out of any amounts in the Treasury not otherwise ap-
propriated, there is appropriated to carry out section 
10409A of the Animal Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 
8308A) $300,000,000, to remain available until expended. 
SEC. 104. GRANTS FOR IMPROVEMENTS TO MEAT AND 
POULTRY FACILITIES TO ALLOW FOR INTER-
STATE SHIPMENT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through the 
Administrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service and 
in consultation with the Administrator of the Food Safety 
Inspection Service, shall make grants to meat and poultry
1422 
processing facilities (including facilities operating under 
State inspection or facilities that are exempt from Federal 
inspection) in operation as of the date on which an applica-
tion for such a grant is made to assist such facilities with 
respect to costs incurred in making improvements to such 
facilities and carrying out other planning activities nec-
essary to be subject to inspection under the Federal Meat 
Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 601 et seq.), or the Poultry Prod-
ucts Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 451 et seq.). 
(b) GRANT AMOUNT.—The amount of a grant under 
this section shall not exceed $100,000. 
(c) CONDITION.—As a condition on receipt of a grant 
under this section, a grant recipient shall agree that if the 
recipient is not subject to inspection or making a good faith 
effort to be subject to inspection under the Federal Meat 
Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) or the Poultry Prod-
ucts Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 451 et seq.) within 36 
months of receiving such grant, the grant recipient shall 
make a payment (or payments) to the Secretary in an 
amount equal to the amount of the grant. 
(d) MATCHING FUNDS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), the Secretary shall require a grant recipi-
ent under this section to provide matching non-Fed-
1423 
eral funds in an amount equal to the amount of a 
grant. 
(2) EXCEPTION.—The Secretary shall not require 
any recipient of a grant under this section to provide 
matching funds with respect to a grant awarded in 
fiscal year 2021. 
(e) REPORTS.— 
(1) REPORTS ON GRANTS MADE.—Beginning not 
later than one year after the date on which the first 
grant is awarded under this section, and annually 
thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Com-
mittee on Agriculture and the Committee on Appro-
priations of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 
and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate 
a report on grants made under this section and any 
facilities that were upgraded using such funds during 
the year covered by the report. 
(2) REPORT ON THE COOPERATIVE INTERSTATE 
SHIPMENT PROGRAM.—Beginning not later than one 
year after the date of the enactment of this section, the 
Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agri-
culture and the Committee on Appropriations of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Agri-
culture, Nutrition, and Forestry and the Committee
1424 
on Appropriations of the Senate a report of any rec-
ommendations, developed in consultation with all 
States, for possible improvements to the cooperative 
interstate shipment programs under section 501 of the 
Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 683) and sec-
tion 31 of the Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 
U.S.C. 472). 
(f) FUNDING.—Of the funds of the Treasury not other-
wise appropriated, there is appropriated to carry out this 
section $100,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2021 
through 2023. 
SEC. 105. PAYMENTS TO CONTRACT PRODUCERS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall make payments 
to contract growers of livestock or poultry to cover revenue 
losses in response to the COVID–19 pandemic. 
(b) LIVESTOCK AND POULTRY LOSSES NOT COVERED 
BY THE FIRST OR SECOND CORONAVIRUS FOOD ASSIST-
ANCE PROGRAM.—In the case of livestock or poultry related 
revenue losses for which a contract grower is ineligible to 
receive direct payments under the first coronavirus food as-
sistance program or the second coronavirus food assistance 
program, the Secretary shall base payments required under 
subsection (a), per commodity, by comparing—
1425 
(1) the revenue losses for the period beginning on 
January 15, 2020, and ending on December 31, 2020; 
and 
(2) historical revenue. 
(c) ADJUSTED GROSS INCOME LIMITATIONS.—A pay-
ment under this section shall be deemed to be a covered ben-
efit under section 1001D(b)(2) of the Food Security Act of 
1985 (7 U.S.C. 1308–3a(b)(2)), unless at least 75 percent 
of the adjusted gross income of the recipient of the payment 
is derived from activities related to farming, ranching, or 
forestry. 
(d) PAYMENTS.—The Secretary shall begin making 
payments under subsection (a) not later than 60 days after 
the date of the enactment of this section. 
(e) FUNDING.—There is appropriated, out of any 
funds in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, to carry 
out this section $1,250,000,000, to remain available until 
expended. 
(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) CFAP DEFINITIONS.— 
(A) FIRST CORONAVIRUS FOOD ASSISTANCE 
PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘first coronavirus food as-
sistance program’’ means the first coronavirus 
food assistance program (CFAP1) of the Depart-
1426 
ment of Agriculture under sections 9.101 and 
9.102 of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations. 
(B) SECOND
CORONAVIRUS
FOOD
ASSIST-
ANCE PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘second coronavirus 
food assistance program’’ means the second 
coronavirus food assistance program (CFAP2) of 
the Department of Agriculture under sections 
9.201 and 9.202 of title 7, Code of Federal Regu-
lations. 
(2) CONTRACT
GROWER.—The term ‘‘contract 
grower’’ means a grower of livestock or poultry, in-
cluding poultry used for egg production, and does not 
include a packer, live poultry dealer, processor, inte-
grator, or any other business entity relating to live-
stock or poultry production that does not raise live-
stock or poultry. 
(3) LIVE
POULTRY
DEALER.—The term ‘‘live 
poultry dealer’’ has the meaning given the term in 
section 2(a) of the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 
(7 U.S.C. 182(a)). 
(4) PACKER.— The term ‘‘packer’’ has the mean-
ing given the term in section 201 of the Packers and 
Stockyards Act, 1921 (7 U.S.C. 191).
1427 
(5) REVENUE.—The term ‘‘revenue’’ means in-
come derived only from contract livestock or poultry 
production. 
SEC. 106. REPORTS AND OUTREACH RELATED TO MEAT AND 
POULTRY PROCESSING. 
(a) STUDY AND REPORT ON PROCESSING CAPACITY 
REQUIRED.— 
(1) STUDY REQUIRED.—The Secretary shall con-
duct a study on covered processing facilities, which 
shall assess with respect to such facilities in each 
State and region— 
(A) the available monthly and annual 
slaughter 
capacity 
of 
such 
facilities, 
disaggregated by type of facility and whether 
that capacity is sufficient to meet the national, 
State, and regional need, including on a local 
basis; 
(B) the available cold storage capacity of 
such facilities, disaggregated by type of facility; 
(C) the number and age of established proc-
essing facilities, disaggregated by type of facility; 
(D) the ownership demographics of covered 
processing facilities, including— 
(i) whether such facilities are foreign 
or domestically-owned; and
1428 
(ii) the business structure of such proc-
essing facilities; 
(E) the available slaughter capacity for 
livestock and poultry not grown under contract, 
disaggregated by type of facility and species so 
slaughtered; 
(F) with respect to each species slaughtered 
at covered processing facilities, the estimated dis-
tance between livestock and poultry production 
and processing and the transportation costs asso-
ciated with such processing; 
(G) any opportunities to support new or in-
novative processing partnerships that would in-
crease resiliency and flexibility of slaughter and 
processing capacity; and 
(H) the barriers to increasing the avail-
ability of slaughter and processing of meat and 
poultry, including with respect to— 
(i) expanding existing facilities; 
(ii) creating additional facilities; and 
(iii) reactivating closed facilities. 
(2) COVERED PROCESSING FACILITY DEFINED.— 
In this section, the term ‘‘covered processing facility’’ 
means a facility that slaughters or otherwise processes
1429 
meat or poultry in the United States, including the 
following types of facilities: 
(A) Facilities subject to Federal inspection 
under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 
U.S.C. 601 et seq.) or the Poultry Products In-
spection Act (21 U.S.C. 451 et seq.), as applica-
ble. 
(B) Facilities subject to State inspection 
under a meat and poultry inspection program 
agreement. 
(C) Custom facilities exempt from inspec-
tion under the Acts referred to in subparagraph 
(A). 
(3) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 1 
year after the date of the enactment of this section, the 
Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agri-
culture of the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the 
Senate a report that includes the results of the study 
conducted under paragraph (1). 
(b) STUDY AND REPORT ON FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE 
AVAILABILITY.— 
(1) STUDY REQUIRED.—The Secretary shall con-
duct a study on the availability and effectiveness of—
1430 
(A) Federal loan programs, Federal loan 
guarantee programs, and grant programs for 
which— 
(i) facilities that slaughter or otherwise 
process meat and poultry in the United 
States, which are in operation and subject 
to inspection under the Federal Meat In-
spection Act (21 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) or the 
Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 
451 et seq.), as of the date of the enactment 
of this section, and 
(ii) entities seeking to establish such a 
facility in the United States, 
may be eligible; and 
(B) Federal grant programs intended to 
support— 
(i) business activities relating to in-
creasing the slaughter or processing capac-
ity in the United States; and 
(ii) feasibility or marketing studies on 
the practicality and viability of specific 
new or expanded projects to support addi-
tional slaughter or processing capacity in 
the United States.
1431 
(2) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 60 
days after the date of the enactment of this section, 
the Secretary, in consultation with applicable Federal 
agencies, shall submit a report to the Committee on 
Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of 
the Senate that includes the results of the study re-
quired under paragraph (1). 
(3) PUBLICATION.—Not later than 90 days after 
the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary 
shall make publicly available on the website of the 
Food Safety and Inspection Service of the Depart-
ment of Agriculture a list of each loan program, loan 
guarantee program, and grant program identified 
under paragraph (1). 
(c) OUTREACH ACTIVITIES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—To the maximum extent prac-
ticable, the Secretary shall conduct outreach and edu-
cation activities to inform the current or prospective 
owners and operators of facilities or other entities de-
scribed in subsection (b)(1)(A), producer groups, and 
institutions of higher education, of the availability of 
each loan program, loan guarantee program, and 
grant program identified under paragraph (1).
1432 
(2) FEASIBILITY OR MARKETING STUDIES.—In 
carrying out paragraph (1), the Secretary may enter 
into cooperative agreements with eligible entities to 
conduct feasibility or marketing studies to determine 
the practicality and viability of specific projects to 
support additional slaughter or processing capacity 
in the United States. 
(3) MAXIMUM AMOUNT.—The amount of assist-
ance provided through a cooperative agreement under 
paragraph (2) with respect to a particular project 
may not exceed $75,000. 
(4) REPORTING.—The Secretary shall publish 
(and update as necessary) on the public website of the 
Department of Agriculture, an accounting of outreach 
activities conducted pursuant to this subsection, in-
cluding a description of each such activity and the 
amount of Federal funds expended to conduct each 
such activity. 
(d) FUNDING.—To carry out this section, there is ap-
propriated, out of the funds of the Treasury not otherwise 
appropriated— 
(1) $2,000,000 to carry out subsection (a); 
(2) $2,000,000 to carry out subsection (b); and 
(3) $16,000,000 to carry out subsection (c).
1433 
TITLE II—DAIRY 
SEC. 201. DAIRY DIRECT DONATION PROGRAM. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) ELIGIBLE DAIRY ORGANIZATION.—The term 
‘‘eligible dairy organization’’ is defined in section 
1431(a) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 
9071(a)). 
(2) ELIGIBLE DAIRY PRODUCTS.—The term ‘‘eli-
gible dairy products’’ means products primarily made 
from milk. 
(3) ELIGIBLE DISTRIBUTOR.—The term ‘‘eligible 
distributor’’ means a public or private nonprofit or-
ganization that distributes donated eligible dairy 
products to recipient individuals and families. 
(4) ELIGIBLE PARTNERSHIP.—The term ‘‘eligible 
partnership’’ means a partnership between an eligible 
dairy organization and an eligible distributor. 
(b) ESTABLISHMENT AND PURPOSES.—Not later than 
45 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary shall establish and administer a direct dairy dona-
tion program for the purposes of— 
(1) facilitating the timely donation of eligible 
dairy products; and 
(2) preventing and minimizing food waste. 
(c) DONATION AND DISTRIBUTION PLANS.—
1434 
(1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to receive reim-
bursement under this section, an eligible partnership 
shall submit to the Secretary a donation and dis-
tribution plan that describes the process that the eligi-
ble partnership will use for the donation, processing, 
transportation, temporary storage, and distribution of 
eligible dairy products. 
(2) REVIEW AND APPROVAL.—No later than 15 
business days after receiving a plan described in 
paragraph (1), the Secretary shall— 
(A) review such plan; and 
(B) issue an approval or disapproval of 
such plan. 
(d) REIMBURSEMENT.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—On receipt of appropriate 
documentation under paragraph (2), the Secretary 
shall reimburse an eligible dairy organization at a 
rate equal to the raw milk cost for the product as 
priced in the Federal milk marketing orders multi-
plied by the volume of milk required to make the do-
nated product. 
(2) DOCUMENTATION.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—An eligible dairy organi-
zation shall submit to the Secretary such docu-
mentation as the Secretary may require to dem-
1435 
onstrate the eligible dairy product production 
and donation to the eligible distributor. 
(B) VERIFICATION.—The Secretary may 
verify the accuracy of documentation submitted 
under subparagraph (A). 
(3) RETROACTIVE
REIMBURSEMENT.—In pro-
viding reimbursements under paragraph (1), the Sec-
retary may provide reimbursements for milk costs in-
curred before the date on which the donation and dis-
tribution plan for the applicable participating part-
nership was approved by the Secretary. 
(e) PROHIBITION ON RESALE OF PRODUCTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible distributor that 
receives eligible dairy products donated under this 
section may not sell the products into commercial 
markets. 
(2) PROHIBITION ON FUTURE PARTICIPATION.— 
An eligible distributor that the Secretary determines 
has violated paragraph (1) shall not be eligible for 
any future participation in the program established 
under this section. 
(f) REVIEWS.—The Secretary shall conduct appro-
priate reviews or audits to ensure the integrity of the pro-
gram established under this section.
1436 
(g) PUBLICATION OF DONATION ACTIVITY.—The Sec-
retary, acting through the Administrator of the Agricultural 
Marketing Service, shall publish on the publicly accessible 
website of the Agricultural Marketing Service periodic re-
ports containing donation activity under this section. 
(h) SUPPLEMENTAL REIMBURSEMENTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may make a 
supplemental reimbursement to an eligible dairy or-
ganization for an approved donation and distribution 
plan in accordance with the milk donation program 
established under section 1431 of the Agricultural Act 
of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9071). 
(2) REIMBURSEMENT CALCULATION.—A supple-
mental reimbursement described in paragraph (1) 
shall be equal to the value of— 
(A) raw milk cost for the product as priced 
in the Federal milk marketing orders, less any 
reimbursement provided under section 1431 of 
the Agricultural Act of 2014, multiplied by 
(B) the volume of eligible dairy products 
under such approved donation plan. 
(i) FUNDING.—Out of any amounts of the Treasury 
not otherwise appropriated, there is appropriated to carry 
out this section $500,000,000, to remain available until ex-
pended.
1437 
(j) AUTHORITY TO CARRY OUT SECTION.—The Sec-
retary may only carry out this section during a period in 
which— 
(1) a public health emergency is— 
(A) declared under section 319 of the Public 
Health Services Act (42 U.S.C. 247d); or 
(B) renewed under such section; or 
(2) a disaster is designated by the Secretary. 
SEC. 202. SUPPLEMENTAL DAIRY MARGIN COVERAGE PAY-
MENTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall provide supple-
mental dairy margin coverage payments to eligible dairy 
operations described in subsection (b)(1) whenever the aver-
age actual dairy production margin (as defined in section 
1401 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9051)) for 
a month is less than the coverage level threshold selected 
by such eligible dairy operation under section 1406 of such 
Act (7 U.S.C. 9056). 
(b) ELIGIBLE DAIRY OPERATION DESCRIBED.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible dairy operation 
described in this subsection is a dairy operation 
that— 
(A) is located in the United States; and 
(B) during a calendar year in which such 
dairy operation is a participating dairy oper-
1438 
ation (as defined in section 1401 of the Agricul-
tural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9051)), has a pro-
duction history established under the dairy mar-
gin coverage program under section 1405 of the 
Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9055) of less 
than 5 million pounds, as determined in accord-
ance with subsection (c) of such section 1405. 
(2) LIMITATION
ON
ELIGIBILITY.—An eligible 
dairy operation shall only be eligible for payments 
under this section during a calendar year in which 
such eligible dairy operation is enrolled in dairy 
margin coverage (as defined in section 1401 of the 
Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9051)). 
(c) SUPPLEMENTAL PRODUCTION HISTORY CALCULA-
TION.—For purposes of determining the production history 
of an eligible dairy operation under this section, such dairy 
operation’s production history shall be equal to— 
(1) the production volume of such dairy oper-
ation for the 2019 milk marketing year; minus 
(2) the dairy margin coverage production history 
of such dairy operation established under section 1405 
of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9055). 
(d) COVERAGE PERCENTAGE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of calculating 
payments to be issued under this section during a cal-
1439 
endar year, an eligible dairy operation’s coverage per-
centage shall be equal to the coverage percentage se-
lected by such eligible dairy operation with respect to 
such calendar year under section 1406 of the Agricul-
tural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9056). 
(2) 5-MILLION POUND LIMITATION.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall not 
provide supplemental dairy margin coverage on 
an eligible dairy operation’s actual production 
for a calendar year such that the total covered 
production history of such dairy operation ex-
ceeds 5 million pounds. 
(B) DETERMINATION OF AMOUNT.—In cal-
culating the total covered production history of 
an eligible dairy operation under subparagraph 
(A), the Secretary shall multiply the coverage 
percentage selected by such operation under sec-
tion 1406 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 
U.S.C. 9056) by the sum of— 
(i) the supplemental production history 
calculated under subsection (c) with respect 
to such dairy operation; and 
(ii) the dairy margin coverage produc-
tion history described in subsection (c)(2) 
with respect to such dairy operation.
1440 
(e) PREMIUM COST.—The premium cost for an eligible 
dairy operation under this section for a calendar year shall 
be equal to the product of multiplying— 
(1) the Tier I premium cost calculated with re-
spect to such dairy operation for such year under sec-
tion 1407(b) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 
9057(b)); by 
(2) the production history calculation with re-
spect to such dairy operation determined under sub-
section (c) (such that total covered production history 
does not exceed 5 million pounds). 
(f) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 45 days after the 
date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall 
issue regulations to carry out this section. 
(g) PROHIBITION WITH RESPECT TO DAIRY MARGIN 
COVERAGE ENROLLMENT.—The Secretary may not reopen 
or otherwise provide a special enrollment for dairy margin 
coverage (as defined in section 1401 of the Agricultural Act 
of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9051)) for purposes of establishing eligi-
bility for supplemental dairy margin coverage payments 
under this section. 
(h) RETROACTIVE APPLICATION FOR CALENDAR YEAR 
2020.—The Secretary shall make payments under this sec-
tion to eligible dairy operations described in subsection 
(b)(1) for months after and including January, 2020.
1441 
(i) SUNSET.—The authority to make payments under 
this section shall terminate on December 31, 2023. 
(j) FUNDING.—There is appropriated, out of any funds 
in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, to carry out 
this section such sums as necessary, to remain available 
until the date specified in subsection (i). 
SEC. 203. RECOURSE LOAN PROGRAM FOR COMMERCIAL 
PROCESSORS OF DAIRY PRODUCTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall make recourse 
loans available to qualified applicants during the COVID– 
19 pandemic. 
(b) AMOUNT OF LOAN.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—A recourse loan made under 
this section shall be provided to qualified applicants 
up to the value of the eligible dairy product inventory 
of the applicant as determined by the Secretary and 
in accordance with subsection (c). 
(2) VALUATION.—For purposes of making re-
course loans under this section, the Secretary shall 
conduct eligible dairy product valuations to provide, 
to the maximum extent practicable, funds to continue 
the operations of qualified applicants. 
(c) INVENTORY
USED
AS
COLLATERAL.—Eligible 
dairy product inventory used as collateral for the recourse
1442 
loan program under this section shall be pledged on a rotat-
ing basis to prevent spoilage of perishable products. 
(d) TERM OF LOAN.—A recourse loan under this sec-
tion may be made for a period as determined by the Sec-
retary, except that no such recourse loan may end after the 
date that is 24 months after the date of the enactment of 
this section. 
(e) FUNDING.—Out of any amounts in the Treasury 
not otherwise appropriated, there is appropriated to carry 
out this section $500,000,000. 
(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) ELIGIBLE DAIRY PRODUCTS.—The term ‘‘eli-
gible dairy products’’ means all dairy products 
whether in base commodity or finished product form. 
(2) QUALIFIED APPLICANT.—The term ‘‘qualified 
applicant’’ means any commercial processor, pack-
ager, or merchandiser of eligible dairy products that 
is impacted by COVID–19. 
SEC. 204. DAIRY MARGIN COVERAGE PREMIUM DISCOUNT 
FOR A 3-YEAR SIGNUP. 
The Secretary shall provide a 15 percent discount for 
the premiums described in subsections (b) and (c) of section 
1407 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9051) and 
the premium described in section 202(e) for a dairy oper-
ation (as defined in section 1401 of the Agricultural Act
1443 
of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9051)) that makes a 1-time, 3-year elec-
tion to enroll in dairy margin coverage under part I of 
subtitle D of such Act for calendar years 2021 through 2024. 
TITLE III—SPECIALTY CROPS 
AND OTHER COMMODITIES 
SEC. 301. SUPPORT FOR SPECIALTY CROP SECTOR. 
Section 101(l) of the Specialty Crops Competitiveness 
Act of 2004 (7 U.S.C. 1621 note) is amended by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘(3) COVID–19 OUTBREAK SUPPORT.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 
make grants to States eligible to receive a grant 
under this section to assist State efforts to sup-
port the specialty crop sector for impacts related 
to the COVID–19 public health emergency. 
‘‘(B) FUNDING.—There is appropriated, out 
of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise ap-
propriated, to carry out subparagraph (A) not 
less than $500,000,000, to remain available until 
expended.’’. 
SEC. 302. SUPPORT FOR LOCAL AGRICULTURAL MARKETS. 
Section 210A(i) of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 
1946 (7 U.S.C. 1627c(i)) is amended by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘(4) GRANTS FOR COVID–19 ASSISTANCE.—
1444 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In addition to grants 
made under the preceding provisions of this sub-
section, the Secretary shall make grants to eligi-
ble entities specified in paragraphs (5)(B) and 
(6)(B) of subsection (d) to provide assistance in 
response to the COVID–19 pandemic. 
‘‘(B) MATCHING
FUNDS
APPLICABILITY.— 
The Secretary may not require a recipient of a 
grant under subparagraph (A) to provide any 
non-Federal matching funds. 
‘‘(C) FUNDING.—There is appropriated, out 
of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise ap-
propriated, 
to 
carry 
out 
this 
paragraph, 
$350,000,000, to remain available until ex-
pended.’’. 
SEC. 303. SUPPORT FOR FARMING OPPORTUNITIES TRAIN-
ING AND OUTREACH. 
Section 2501 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, 
and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 2279) is amended by add-
ing at the end the following: 
‘‘(m) ADDITIONAL FUNDING.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall make 
grants to, or enter into cooperative agreements or con-
tracts with, eligible entities specified in subsection 
(c)(1) or entities eligible for grants under subsection
1445 
(d) to provide training, outreach, and technical as-
sistance on operations, financing, and marketing, in-
cluding identifying Federal, State, or local assistance 
available, to beginning farmers and ranchers, socially 
disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, and veteran 
farmers and ranchers in response to the COVID–19 
pandemic. 
‘‘(2) MATCHING
FUNDS
APPLICABILITY.—The 
Secretary may not require a recipient of a grant 
under this subsection to provide any non-Federal 
matching funds. 
‘‘(3) FUNDING.—There is appropriated, out of 
any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appro-
priated, to carry out this subsection, $50,000,000, to 
remain available until expended.’’. 
SEC. 304. SUPPORT FOR FARM STRESS PROGRAMS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall make grants to 
State departments of agriculture (or such equivalent de-
partment) to expand or sustain stress assistance programs 
for individuals who are engaged in farming, ranching, and 
other agriculture-related occupations, including— 
(1) programs that meet the criteria specified in 
section 7522(b)(1) of the Food, Conservation, and En-
ergy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 5936(b)(1)); and
1446 
(2) any State initiatives carried out as of the 
date of the enactment of this Act that provide stress 
assistance for such individuals. 
(b) GRANT TIMING AND AMOUNT.—In making grants 
under subsection (a), not later than 60 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act and subject to subsection (c), 
the Secretary shall— 
(1) make awards to States submitting State 
plans that meet the criteria specified in paragraph 
(1) of subsection (c) within the time period specified 
by the Secretary, in an amount not to exceed 
$1,500,000 for each State; and 
(2) of the amounts made available under sub-
section (f) and remaining after awards to States 
under paragraph (1), allocate among such States, an 
amount to be determined by the Secretary. 
(c) STATE PLAN.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—A State department of agri-
culture seeking a grant under subsection (b) shall sub-
mit to the Secretary a State plan to expand or sus-
tain stress assistance programs described in sub-
section (a) that includes— 
(A) a description of each activity and the 
estimated amount of funding to support each
1447 
program and activity carried out through such a 
program; 
(B) an estimated timeline for the operation 
of each such program and activity; 
(C) the total amount of funding sought; and 
(D) an assurance that the State department 
of agriculture will comply with the reporting re-
quirement under subsection (e). 
(2) GUIDANCE.—Not later than 20 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
issue guidance for States with respect to the submis-
sion of a State plan under paragraph (1) and the al-
location criteria under subsection (b). 
(3) REALLOCATION.—If, after the first grants are 
awarded pursuant to allocation made under sub-
section (b), any funds made available under sub-
section (f) to carry out this subsection remain unobli-
gated, the Secretary shall— 
(A) inform States that submit plans as de-
scribed in subsection (b), of such availability; 
and 
(B) reallocate such funds among such 
States, as the Secretary determines to be appro-
priate and equitable.
1448 
(d) COLLABORATION.—The Secretary may issue guid-
ance to encourage State departments of agriculture to use 
funds provided under this section to support programs de-
scribed in subsection (a) that are operated by— 
(1) Indian tribes (as defined in section 4 of the 
Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 
Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)); 
(2) State cooperative extension services; and 
(3) nongovernmental organizations. 
(e) REPORTING.—Not later than 180 days after the 
COVID–19 public health emergency ends, each State receiv-
ing additional grants under subsection (b) shall submit a 
report to the Secretary describing— 
(1) the activities conducted using such funds; 
(2) the amount of funds used to support each 
such activity; and 
(3) the estimated number of individuals served 
by each such activity. 
(f) FUNDING.—Out of the funds of the Treasury not 
otherwise appropriated, there is appropriated to carry out 
this section $84,000,000, to remain available until ex-
pended. 
(g) STATE
DEFINED.—In this section, the term 
‘‘State’’ means— 
(1) a State;
1449 
(2) the District of Columbia; 
(3) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and 
(4) any other territory or possession of the 
United States. 
SEC. 305. SUPPORT FOR PROCESSED COMMODITIES. 
(a) RENEWABLE FUEL REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall make 
payments in accordance with this subsection to eligi-
ble entities that experienced unexpected market losses 
as a result of the COVID–19 pandemic during the ap-
plicable period. 
(2) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(A) APPLICABLE PERIOD.—The term ‘‘ap-
plicable period’’ means January 1, 2020, 
through May 1, 2020. 
(B) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible 
entity’’ means any domestic entity or facility 
that produced any qualified fuel in the calendar 
year 2019. 
(C) QUALIFIED FUEL.—The term ‘‘qualified 
fuel’’ means any advanced biofuel, biomass-based 
diesel, cellulosic biofuel, conventional biofuel, or 
renewable fuel, as such terms are defined in sec-
tion 211(o)(1) of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C.
1450 
7545(o)(1)), that is produced in the United 
States. 
(3) AMOUNT OF PAYMENT.—The amount of the 
payment payable to an eligible entity shall be the 
sum of— 
(A) $0.45 multiplied by the number of gal-
lons of qualified fuel produced by the eligible en-
tity during the applicable period; and 
(B) if the Secretary determines that the eli-
gible entity was unable to produce any qualified 
fuel throughout 1 or more calendar months dur-
ing the applicable period due to the COVID–19 
pandemic, $0.45 multiplied by 50 percent of the 
number of gallons produced by the eligible entity 
in the corresponding month or months in cal-
endar year 2019. 
(4) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House 
of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, 
Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report on the 
payments made under this subsection, including the 
identity of each payment recipient and the amount of 
the payment paid to the payment recipient.
1451 
(5) FUNDING.—There is appropriated, out of 
any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appro-
priated, to carry out this subsection such sums as nec-
essary, to remain available until expended. 
(6) ADMINISTRATION.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may use 
the facilities and authorities of the Commodity 
Credit Corporation to carry out this subsection. 
(B) REGULATIONS.— 
(i) IN GENERAL.—Except as otherwise 
provided in this subsection, not later than 
30 days after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, the Secretary and the Commodity 
Credit Corporation, as appropriate, shall 
prescribe such regulations as are necessary 
to carry out this subsection. 
(ii) PROCEDURE.—The promulgation 
of regulations under, and administration of, 
this subsection shall be made without regard 
to— 
(I) the notice and comment provi-
sions of section 553 of title 5, United 
States Code; and
1452 
(II) chapter 35 of title 44, United 
States Code (commonly known as the 
‘‘Paperwork Reduction Act’’). 
(b) EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE FOR TEXTILE MILLS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall make 
emergency assistance available to domestic users of 
upland cotton and extra long staple cotton in the 
form of a payment in an amount determined under 
paragraph (2), regardless of the origin of such upland 
cotton or extra long staple cotton, during the 10- 
month period beginning on March 1, 2020. 
(2) CALCULATION OF ASSISTANCE.—The amount 
of the assistance provided under paragraph (1) to a 
domestic user described in such paragraph shall be 
equal to 10 multiplied by the product of— 
(A) the domestic user’s historical monthly 
average consumption; and 
(B) 6 cents per pound so consumed. 
(3) ALLOWABLE USE.—Any emergency assistance 
provided under this section shall be made available 
only to domestic users of upland cotton and extra 
long staple cotton that certify that the assistance shall 
be used only for operating expenses. 
(4) HISTORICAL MONTHLY AVERAGE CONSUMP-
TION DEFINED.—The term ‘‘historical monthly aver-
1453 
age consumption’’ means the average consumption for 
each month occurring during the period beginning on 
January 1, 2017, and ending on December 31, 2019. 
(5) FUNDING.—There is appropriated, out of 
any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appro-
priated, to carry out this subsection, such sums as 
necessary, to remain available until expended. 
TITLE IV—COMMODITY CREDIT 
CORPORATION 
SEC. 401. EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE. 
Section 5 of the Commodity Credit Corporation Char-
ter Act (15 U.S.C. 714c) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsection (h) as subsection 
(i); and 
(2) by inserting after subsection (g) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(h) Remove and dispose of or aid in the removal or 
disposition of surplus livestock and poultry due to signifi-
cant supply chain interruption during an emergency pe-
riod.’’. 
SEC. 402. CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICATION AND REPORT. 
(a) NOTIFICATION.—The Commodity Credit Corpora-
tion Charter Act (15 U.S.C. 714 et seq.) is amended by add-
ing at the end the following new section:
1454 
‘‘SEC. 20. CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICATION. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall notify in 
writing, by first-class mail and electronic mail, the Com-
mittee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and 
the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of 
the Senate in advance of any obligation or expenditure au-
thorized under this Act. 
‘‘(b) WRITTEN NOTICE.—A written notice required 
under subsection (a) shall specify the commodities that will 
be affected, the maximum financial benefit per commodity, 
the expected legal entities or individuals that would receive 
financial benefits, the intended policy goals, and the pro-
jected impacts to commodity markets. 
‘‘(c) EXCEPTION TO THE WRITTEN NOTICE REQUIRE-
MENT.—Subsection (a) shall not apply if, prior to obli-
gating or spending any funding described in such sub-
section, the Secretary obtains approval in writing from 
each of the following individuals— 
‘‘(1) the Chair of the Committee on Agriculture 
of the House of Representatives; 
‘‘(2) the Ranking Member of the Committee on 
Agriculture of the House of Representatives; 
‘‘(3) the Chair of the Committee on Agriculture, 
Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate; and 
‘‘(4) the Ranking Member of the Committee on 
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate.
1455 
‘‘(d) EXCLUSION
FOR
PREEXISTING
AUTHORIZA-
TIONS.—This section shall not apply to obligations and ex-
penditures authorized under the Agriculture Improvement 
Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–334).’’. 
(b) CLARIFICATION.—Section 3003 of the Federal Re-
ports Elimination and Sunset Act of 1995 (31 U.S.C. 1113 
note) shall not apply to the second sentence of section 13 
of the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act (15 
U.S.C. 714k). 
TITLE V—CONSERVATION 
SEC. 501. EMERGENCY SOIL HEALTH AND INCOME PROTEC-
TION PILOT PROGRAM. 
(a) DEFINITION OF ELIGIBLE LAND.—In this section, 
the term ‘‘eligible land’’ means cropland that— 
(1) is selected by the owner or operator of the 
land for proposed enrollment in the pilot program 
under this section; and 
(2) as determined by the Secretary, had a crop-
ping history or was considered to be planted during 
each of the 3 crop years preceding enrollment. 
(b) ESTABLISHMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish 
a voluntary emergency soil health and income protec-
tion pilot program under which eligible land is en-
rolled through the use of contracts to assist owners
1456 
and operators of eligible land to conserve and improve 
the soil, water, and wildlife resources of the eligible 
land. 
(2) DEADLINE
FOR
PARTICIPATION.—Eligible 
land may be enrolled in the program under this sec-
tion through December 31, 2021. 
(c) CONTRACTS.— 
(1) REQUIREMENTS.—A contract described in 
subsection (b) shall— 
(A) be entered into by the Secretary, the 
owner of the eligible land, and (if applicable) the 
operator of the eligible land; and 
(B) provide that, during the term of the 
contract— 
(i) the lowest practicable cost perennial 
conserving use cover crop for the eligible 
land, as determined by the applicable State 
conservationist after considering the advice 
of the applicable State technical committee, 
shall be planted on the eligible land; 
(ii) subject to paragraph (4), the eligi-
ble land may be harvested for seed, hayed, 
or grazed outside the primary nesting sea-
son established for the applicable county;
1457 
(iii) the eligible land may be eligible 
for a walk-in access program of the applica-
ble State, if any; and 
(iv) a nonprofit wildlife organization 
may provide to the owner or operator of the 
eligible land a payment in exchange for an 
agreement by the owner or operator not to 
harvest the conserving use cover. 
(2) PAYMENTS.— 
(A) RENTAL RATE.—Except as provided in 
paragraph (4)(B)(ii), the annual rental rate for 
a payment under a contract described in sub-
section (b) shall be $70 per acre. 
(B) ADVANCE PAYMENT.—At the request of 
the owner and (if applicable) the operator of the 
eligible land, the Secretary shall make all rental 
payments under a contract entered into under 
this section within 30 days of entering into such 
contract. 
(C) COST
SHARE
PAYMENTS.—A contract 
described in subsection (b) shall provide that, 
during the term of the contract, the Secretary 
shall pay, of the actual cost of establishment of 
the conserving use cover crop under paragraph 
(1)(B)(i), not more than $30 per acre.
1458 
(3) TERM.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 
subparagraph (B), each contract described in 
subsection (b) shall be for a term of 3 years. 
(B) EARLY TERMINATION.— 
(i) SECRETARY.—The Secretary may 
terminate a contract described in subsection 
(b) before the end of the term described in 
subparagraph (A) if the Secretary deter-
mines that the early termination of the con-
tract is appropriate. 
(ii) OWNERS
AND
OPERATORS.—An 
owner and (if applicable) an operator of eli-
gible land enrolled in the pilot program 
under this section may terminate a contract 
described in subsection (b) before the end of 
the term described in subparagraph (A) if 
the owner and (if applicable) the operator 
pay to the Secretary an amount equal to the 
amount of rental payments received under 
the contract. 
(4) HARVESTING, HAYING, AND GRAZING OUT-
SIDE APPLICABLE PERIOD.—The harvesting for seed, 
haying, or grazing of eligible land under paragraph 
(1)(B)(ii) outside of the primary nesting season estab-
1459 
lished for the applicable county shall be subject to the 
conditions that— 
(A) with respect to eligible land that is so 
hayed or grazed, adequate stubble height shall be 
maintained to protect the soil on the eligible 
land, as determined by the applicable State con-
servationist after considering the advice of the 
applicable State technical committee; and 
(B) with respect to eligible land that is so 
harvested for seed— 
(i) the eligible land shall not be eligible 
to be insured or reinsured under the Federal 
Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.); 
and 
(ii) the annual rental rate for a pay-
ment under a contract described in sub-
section (b) shall be $52.50 per acre. 
(d) ACREAGE LIMITATION.—Not more than 5,000,000 
total acres of eligible land may be enrolled under the pilot 
program under this section. 
(e) FUNDING.—There is appropriated, out of any 
funds in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, such 
sums as may be necessary to carry out this section.
1460 
TITLE VI—NUTRITION 
SEC. 601. DEFINITION OF SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION AS-
SISTANCE PROGRAM. 
In this title, the term ‘‘supplemental nutrition assist-
ance program’’ has the meaning given such term in section 
3(t) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 
2012(t)). 
SEC. 602. SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PRO-
GRAM. 
(a) VALUE OF BENEFITS.—Notwithstanding any other 
provision of law, beginning on November 1, 2020, and for 
each subsequent month through September 30, 2021, the 
value of benefits determined under section 8(a) of the Food 
and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2017(a)), and consoli-
dated block grants for Puerto Rico and American Samoa 
determined under section 19(a) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 
2028(a)), shall be calculated using 115 percent of the June 
2020 value of the thrifty food plan (as defined in section 
3 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 2012)) if the value of the benefits 
and block grants would be greater under that calculation 
than in the absence of this subsection. 
(b) MINIMUM AMOUNT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The minimum value of bene-
fits determined under section 8(a) of the Food and
1461 
Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2017(a)) for a house-
hold of not more than 2 members shall be $30. 
(2) EFFECTIVENESS.—Paragraph (1) shall re-
main in effect through September 30, 2021. 
(c) REQUIREMENTS FOR THE SECRETARY.—In car-
rying out this section, the Secretary shall— 
(1) consider the benefit increases described in 
subsections (a) and (b) to be a ‘‘mass change’’; 
(2) require a simple process for States to notify 
households of the increase in benefits; 
(3) consider section 16(c)(3)(A) of the Food and 
Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2025(c)(3)(A)) to 
apply to any errors in the implementation of this sec-
tion without regard to the 120-day limit described in 
that section; 
(4) disregard the additional amount of benefits 
that a household receives as a result of this section in 
determining the amount of overissuances under sec-
tion 13 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 
U.S.C. 2022); and 
(5) set the tolerance level for excluding small er-
rors for the purposes of section 16(c) of the Food and 
Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2025(c)) at $50 
through September 30, 2021. 
(d) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—
1462 
(1) IN GENERAL.—For the costs of State admin-
istrative expenses associated with carrying out this 
section and administering the supplemental nutrition 
assistance program established under the Food and 
Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.), the Sec-
retary shall make available $200,000,000 for fiscal 
year 2021 and $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2022. 
(2) TIMING FOR FISCAL YEAR 2021.—Not later 
than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary shall make available to States 
amounts for fiscal year 2021 under paragraph (1). 
(3) ALLOCATION OF FUNDS.—Funds described in 
paragraph (1) shall be made available as grants to 
State agencies for each fiscal year as follows: 
(A) 75 percent of the amounts available for 
each fiscal year shall be allocated to States based 
on the share of each State of households that par-
ticipate in the supplemental nutrition assistance 
program as reported to the Department of Agri-
culture for the most recent 12-month period for 
which data are available, adjusted by the Sec-
retary (as of the date of the enactment of this 
Act) for participation in disaster programs 
under section 5(h) of the Food and Nutrition Act 
of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2014(h)); and
1463 
(B) 25 percent of the amounts available for 
each fiscal year shall be allocated to States based 
on the increase in the number of households that 
participate in the supplemental nutrition assist-
ance program as reported to the Department of 
Agriculture over the most recent 12-month period 
for which data are available, adjusted by the 
Secretary (as of the date of the enactment of this 
Act) for participation in disaster programs 
under section 5(h) of the Food and Nutrition Act 
of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2014(h)). 
(e) PROVISIONS FOR IMPACTED WORKERS.—Notwith-
standing any other provision of law, the requirements of 
subsections (d)(1)(A)(ii) and (o) of section 6 of the Food 
and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2015) shall not be in 
effect during the period beginning on November 1, 2020, 
and ending 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act. 
(f) CERTAIN EXCLUSIONS FROM SNAP INCOME.—A 
Federal pandemic unemployment compensation payment 
made to an individual under section 2104 of the 
Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (Pub-
lic Law 116–136) shall not be regarded as income and shall 
not be regarded as a resource for the month of receipt and 
the following 9 months, for the purpose of determining eligi-
bility of such individual or any other individual for benefits
1464 
or assistance, or the amount of benefits or assistance, under 
any programs authorized under the Food and Nutrition Act 
of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.). 
(g) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—Not later than 10 days 
after the date of the receipt or issuance of each document 
listed below, the Secretary shall make publicly available on 
the website of the Department of Agriculture the following 
documents: 
(1) Any State agency request to participate in 
the supplemental nutrition assistance program online 
program under section 7(k) of the Food and Nutrition 
Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2016(k)). 
(2) Any State agency request to waive, adjust, or 
modify statutory or regulatory requirements of the 
Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 related to the 
COVID–19 outbreak. 
(3) The Secretary’s approval or denial of each 
such request under paragraphs (1) or (2). 
(h) PROVISIONS FOR IMPACTED STUDENTS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other 
provision of law, not later than 20 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, eligibility for supple-
mental nutrition assistance program benefits shall not 
be limited under section 6(e) of the Food and Nutri-
1465 
tion Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2015(e)) for an individual 
who— 
(A) is enrolled at least half-time in an in-
stitution of higher education; and 
(B) is eligible to participate in a State or 
federally financed work study program during 
the regular school year as determined by the in-
stitution of higher education. 
(2) SUNSET.— 
(A) INITIAL APPLICATIONS.—The eligibility 
standards authorized under paragraph (1) shall 
be in effect for initial applications for the sup-
plemental nutrition assistance program until 90 
days after the COVID–19 public health emer-
gency is lifted. 
(B) 
RECERTIFICATIONS.—The 
eligibility 
standards authorized under paragraph (1) shall 
be in effect until the first recertification of a 
household beginning no earlier than 90 days 
after the COVID–19 public health emergency is 
lifted. 
(3) GUIDANCE.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 10 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary shall issue guidance to State agencies on
1466 
the temporary student eligibility requirements 
established under this subsection. 
(B) COORDINATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT 
OF EDUCATION.—The Secretary of Education, in 
consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture 
and institutions of higher education, shall carry 
out activities to inform applicants for Federal 
student financial aid under the Higher Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.) and 
students at institutions of higher education of the 
temporary student eligibility requirements estab-
lished under this subsection. 
(i) FUNDING.—There are hereby appropriated to the 
Secretary, out of any money not otherwise appropriated, 
such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section. 
SEC. 603. SNAP HOT FOOD PURCHASES. 
During the period beginning 10 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act and ending on the termination 
date of the COVID–19 public health emergency, the term 
‘‘food’’, as defined in section 3 of the Food and Nutrition 
Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2012), shall be deemed to exclude 
‘‘hot foods or hot food products ready for immediate con-
sumption other than those authorized pursuant to clauses 
(3), (4), (5), (7), (8), and (9) of this subsection,’’ for pur-
poses of such Act, except that such exclusion shall be limited
1467 
to retail food stores authorized to accept and redeem supple-
mental nutrition assistance program benefits as of the date 
of enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 604. SNAP NUTRITION EDUCATION FLEXIBILITY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provi-
sion of law, the Secretary may issue nationwide guidance 
to allow funds allocated under section 28 of the Food and 
Nutrition Act (7 U.S.C. 2036a) to be used for individuals 
distributing food in a non-congregate setting under com-
modity distribution programs and child nutrition pro-
grams administered by the Food and Nutrition Service of 
the Department of Agriculture in States affected by the 
COVID–19 outbreak, provided that any individuals who 
distribute school meals under— 
(1) the school lunch program established under 
the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act 
(42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.); and 
(2) the school breakfast program established 
under section 4 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 
U.S.C. 1773); 
using funds allocated under section 28 of the Food and Nu-
trition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2036a) supplement, not sup-
plant, individuals who are employed by local educational 
authorities as of the date of enactment of this Act.
1468 
(b) SUNSET.—The authority provided in this section 
shall expire 30 days after the COVID–19 public health 
emergency is terminated. 
SEC. 605. FLEXIBILITIES FOR SENIOR FARMERS’ MARKET 
NUTRITION PROGRAM. 
(a) AUTHORITY TO MODIFY OR WAIVE RULES.—Not-
withstanding any other provision of law and if requested 
by a State agency, the Secretary may modify or waive any 
rule issued under section 4402 of the Farm Security and 
Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 3007) that applies 
to such State agency if the Secretary determines that— 
(1) such State agency is unable to comply with 
such rule as a result of COVID–19; and 
(2) the requested modification or waiver is nec-
essary to enable such State agency to provide assist-
ance to low-income seniors under such section. 
(b) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—Not later than 10 days 
after the date of the receipt or issuance of each document 
listed in paragraphs (1) and (2) of this subsection, the Sec-
retary shall make publicly available on the website of the 
Department of Agriculture the following documents: 
(1) Any request submitted by State agencies 
under subsection (a). 
(2) The Secretary’s approval or denial of each 
such request.
1469 
(c) DEFINITION OF STATE AGENCY.—The term ‘‘State 
agency’’ has the meaning given such term in section 249.2 
of title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations. 
(d) EFFECTIVE PERIOD.—Subsection (a) shall be in 
effect during the period that begins on the date of the enact-
ment of this Act and ends 30 days after the termination 
of the COVID–19 public health emergency. 
SEC. 606. FLEXIBILITIES FOR THE FOOD DISTRIBUTION 
PROGRAM ON INDIAN RESERVATIONS. 
(a) WAIVER
OF NON-FEDERAL SHARE REQUIRE-
MENT.—Funds provided in division B of the Coronavirus 
Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (Public Law 116– 
136) for the food distribution program on Indian reserva-
tions authorized by section 4(b) of the Food and Nutrition 
Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2013(b)) shall not be subject to the 
payment of the non-Federal share requirement described in 
section 4(b)(4)(A) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 2013(b)(4)(A)). 
(b) FLEXIBILITIES FOR CERTAIN HOUSEHOLDS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other 
provision of law, the Secretary of Agriculture may 
issue guidance to waive or adjust section 4(b)(2)(C) 
of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 
2013(b)(2)(C) for any Tribal organization (as defined 
in section 3(v) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 2012(v)), or for 
an appropriate State agency administering the pro-
1470 
gram established under section 4(b) of such Act (7 
U.S.C. 2013(b)), to ensure that households on the In-
dian reservation who are participating in the supple-
mental nutrition assistance program and who are un-
able to access approved retail food stores due to the 
outbreak of COVID–19 have access to commodities 
distributed under section 4(b) of such Act. 
(2) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Secretary shall 
make available the guidance document issued under 
paragraph (1) on the public website of the Depart-
ment of Agriculture not later than 10 days after the 
date of the issuance of such guidance. 
(3) SUNSET.—The authority under this sub-
section shall expire 30 days after the termination of 
the COVID–19 public health emergency. 
TITLE VII—RURAL 
DEVELOPMENT 
SEC. 701. ASSISTANCE FOR RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE BOR-
ROWERS. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) ELIGIBLE LOAN.—The term ‘‘eligible loan’’ 
means a loan made by the Secretary under section 4 
or 201 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 
U.S.C. 904 or 922), or made by the Federal Financ-
1471 
ing Bank and guaranteed by the Secretary under sec-
tion 306 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 936). 
(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti-
ty’’ means a borrower to whom an eligible loan is 
made. 
(3) RATEPAYER.—The term ‘‘ratepayer’’ means 
an individual who receives utility services from an 
entity to whom the Rural Utilities Service has made 
a loan. 
(b) IN GENERAL.— 
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall make 
grants on a competitive basis to eligible entities to 
mitigate the effects of the COVID–19 pandemic and 
support their continued or expanded delivery of crit-
ical services (as defined by the Secretary), including 
covering the cost of forgiving or refinancing ratepayer 
debt outstanding as of such date of enactment. 
(2) TIMELINE.— 
(A) NOTICE OF FUNDING AVAILABILITY.— 
Within 60 days after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary shall publish a Notice 
of Funding Availability to solicit applications 
for a grant under this section. 
(B) GRANT AWARDS.—The Secretary shall 
announce the grants awarded under this section
1472 
no later than 60 days after the publication of the 
Notice of Funding Availability pursuant to sub-
paragraph (A). 
(3) MAXIMUM GRANT AMOUNT.—The amount of 
the grant awarded to an eligible entity under this sec-
tion shall not exceed $1,000,000. 
(c) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a grant 
under this section, an eligible entity shall submit to the Sec-
retary an application containing such information as the 
Secretary may require. 
(d) SELECTION CRITERIA.—In awarding grants under 
this section, the Secretary shall consider— 
(1) the degree to which applicants who are eligi-
ble entities are experiencing economic hardship due to 
reduced or delayed payments from ratepayers; 
(2) whether applicants who are eligible entities 
are using eligible loans to provide services primarily 
to socially disadvantaged groups, as defined in section 
355(e) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Develop-
ment Act; and 
(3) the degree to which applicants who are eligi-
ble entities are using eligible loans in providing serv-
ices in persistent poverty counties, as defined by the 
Secretary.
1473 
(e) REPORT TO THE CONGRESS.—Not later than 1 
year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Agri-
culture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report de-
tailing, for each eligible entity awarded a grant under this 
section, the name of the eligible entity and the geographic 
areas benefitting from the grant. 
(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To carry 
out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated not 
more than $2,600,000,000 for fiscal year 2021, to remain 
available through fiscal year 2022. 
DIVISION O—COVID–19 HERO 
ACT 
SEC. 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This division may be cited as the ‘‘COVID–19 Hous-
ing, Economic Relief, and Oversight Act’’ or the ‘‘COVID– 
19 HERO Act’’.
1474 
TITLE 
I—PROVIDING 
MEDICAL 
EQUIPMENT FOR FIRST RE-
SPONDERS 
AND 
ESSENTIAL 
WORKERS 
SEC. 101. COVID–19 EMERGENCY MEDICAL SUPPLIES EN-
HANCEMENT. 
(a) DETERMINATION ON EMERGENCY SUPPLIES AND 
RELATIONSHIP TO STATE AND LOCAL EFFORTS.— 
(1) DETERMINATION.—For the purposes of sec-
tion 101 of the Defense Production Act of 1950 (50 
U.S.C. 4511), the following materials shall be deemed 
to be scarce and critical materials essential to the na-
tional defense and otherwise meet the requirements of 
section 101(b) of such Act during the COVID–19 
emergency period: 
(A) Diagnostic tests, including serological 
tests, for COVID–19 and the reagents and other 
materials necessary for producing or conducting 
such tests. 
(B) Personal protective equipment, includ-
ing face shields, N–95 respirator masks, and any 
other masks determined by the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services to be needed to re-
spond to the COVID–19 pandemic, and the ma-
terials to produce such equipment.
1475 
(C) Medical ventilators, the components nec-
essary to make such ventilators, and medicines 
needed to use a ventilator as a treatment for any 
individual who is hospitalized for COVID–19. 
(D) Pharmaceuticals and any medicines de-
termined by the Food and Drug Administration 
or another Government agency to be effective in 
treating COVID–19 (including vaccines for 
COVID–19) and any materials necessary to 
produce or use such pharmaceuticals or medi-
cines (including self-injection syringes or other 
delivery systems). 
(E) Any other medical equipment or sup-
plies determined by the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services or the Secretary of Homeland 
Security to be scarce and critical materials es-
sential to the national defense for purposes of 
section 101 of the Defense Production Act of 
1950 (50 U.S.C. 4511). 
(2) EXERCISE OF TITLE I AUTHORITIES IN RELA-
TION TO CONTRACTS BY STATE AND LOCAL GOVERN-
MENTS.—In exercising authorities under title I of the 
Defense Production Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 4511 et 
seq.) during the COVID–19 emergency period, the 
President (and any officer or employee of the United
1476 
States to which authorities under such title I have 
been delegated)— 
(A) may exercise the prioritization or allo-
cation authority provided in such title I to ex-
clude any materials described in paragraph (1) 
ordered by a State or local government that are 
scheduled to be delivered within 15 days of the 
time at which— 
(i) the purchase order or contract by 
the Federal Government for such materials 
is made; or 
(ii) the materials are otherwise allo-
cated by the Federal Government under the 
authorities contained in such Act; and 
(B) shall, within 24 hours of any exercise of 
the prioritization or allocation authority pro-
vided in such title I— 
(i) notify any State or local govern-
ment if the exercise of such authorities 
would delay the receipt of such materials 
ordered by such government; and 
(ii) take such steps as may be nec-
essary to ensure that such materials ordered 
by such government are delivered in the 
shortest possible period.
1477 
(3) UPDATE TO THE FEDERAL ACQUISITION REG-
ULATION.—Not later than 15 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Federal Acquisition 
Regulation shall be revised to reflect the requirements 
of paragraph (2)(A). 
(b) ENGAGEMENT WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR.— 
(1) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—The Congress— 
(A) appreciates the willingness of private 
companies not traditionally involved in pro-
ducing items for the health sector to volunteer to 
use their expertise and supply chains to produce 
essential medical supplies and equipment; 
(B) encourages other manufacturers to re-
view their existing capacity and to develop ca-
pacity to produce essential medical supplies, 
medical equipment, and medical treatments to 
address the COVID–19 emergency; and 
(C) commends and expresses deep apprecia-
tion to individual citizens who have been pro-
ducing personal protective equipment and other 
materials for, in particular, use at hospitals in 
their community. 
(2) OUTREACH REPRESENTATIVE.— 
(A) DESIGNATION.—Consistent with the au-
thorities in title VII of the Defense Production
1478 
Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 4551 et seq.), the Admin-
istrator of the Federal Emergency Management 
Agency, in consultation with the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services, shall designate or 
shall appoint, pursuant to section 703 of such 
Act (50 U.S.C. 4553), an individual to be known 
as the ‘‘Outreach Representative’’. Such indi-
vidual shall— 
(i) be appointed from among individ-
uals with substantial experience in the pri-
vate sector in the production of medical 
supplies or equipment; and 
(ii) act as the Government-wide single 
point of contact during the COVID–19 
emergency for outreach to manufacturing 
companies and their suppliers who may be 
interested in producing medical supplies or 
equipment, including the materials de-
scribed under subsection (a). 
(B) 
ENCOURAGING
PARTNERSHIPS.—The 
Outreach Representative shall seek to develop 
partnerships between companies, in coordination 
with the Supply Chain Stabilization Task Force 
or any overall coordinator appointed by the 
President to oversee the response to the COVID–
1479 
19 emergency, including through the exercise of 
the authorities under section 708 of the Defense 
Production Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 4558). 
(c) ENHANCEMENT OF SUPPLY CHAIN PRODUCTION.— 
In exercising authority under title III of the Defense Pro-
duction Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 4531 et seq.) with respect 
to materials described in subsection (a), the President shall 
seek to ensure that support is provided to companies that 
comprise the supply chains for reagents, components, raw 
materials, and other materials and items necessary to 
produce or use the materials described in subsection (a). 
(d) OVERSIGHT OF CURRENT ACTIVITY AND NEEDS.— 
(1) RESPONSE TO IMMEDIATE NEEDS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 7 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
President, in coordination with the National Re-
sponse Coordination Center of the Federal Emer-
gency Management Agency, the Administrator of 
the Defense Logistics Agency, the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services, the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs, and heads of other Federal 
agencies (as appropriate), shall submit to the ap-
propriate congressional committees a report as-
sessing the immediate needs described in sub-
paragraph (B) to combat the COVID–19 pan-
1480 
demic and the plan for meeting those immediate 
needs. 
(B) ASSESSMENT.—The report required by 
this paragraph shall include— 
(i) an assessment of the needs for med-
ical supplies or equipment necessary to ad-
dress the needs of the population of the 
United States infected by the virus SARS– 
CoV–2 that causes COVID–19 and to pre-
vent an increase in the incidence of 
COVID–19 throughout the United States, 
including diagnostic tests, serological tests, 
medicines that have been approved by the 
Food and Drug Administration to treat 
COVID–19, and ventilators and medicines 
needed to employ ventilators; 
(ii) based on meaningful consultations 
with relevant stakeholders, an identification 
of the target rate of diagnostic testing for 
each State and an assessment of the need for 
personal protective equipment and other 
supplies (including diagnostic tests) re-
quired by— 
(I) health professionals, health 
workers, and hospital staff including
1481 
supplies needed for worst case scenarios 
for surges of COVID–19 infections and 
hospitalizations; 
(II) workers in industries and sec-
tors described in the ‘‘Advisory Memo-
randum on Identification of Essential 
Critical Infrastructure Workers during 
the COVID–19 Response’’ issued by the 
Director of Cybersecurity and Infra-
structure Security Agency of the De-
partment of Homeland Security on 
April 17, 2020 (and any expansion of 
industries and sectors included in up-
dates to such advisory memorandum); 
(III) students, teachers, and ad-
ministrators at primary and sec-
ondary schools; and 
(IV) other workers determined to 
be essential based on such consultation; 
(iii) an assessment of the quantities of 
equipment and supplies in the Strategic 
National Stockpile (established under sec-
tion 319F–2 of the Public Health Service 
Act ((42 U.S.C. 247d–6b(a)(1))) as of the 
date of the report, and the projected gap be-
1482 
tween the quantities of equipment and sup-
plies identified as needed in the assessment 
under clauses (i) and (ii) and the quantities 
in the Strategic National Stockpile; 
(iv) an identification of the industry 
sectors and manufacturers most ready to 
fulfill purchase orders for such equipment 
and supplies (including manufacturers that 
may be incentivized) through the exercise of 
authority under section 303(e) of the De-
fense Production Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 
4533(e)) to modify, expand, or improve pro-
duction processes to manufacture such 
equipment and supplies to respond imme-
diately to a need identified in clause (i) or 
(ii); 
(v) an identification of Government- 
owned and privately-owned stockpiles of 
such equipment and supplies not included 
in the Strategic National Stockpile that 
could be repaired or refurbished; 
(vi) an identification of previously dis-
tributed critical supplies that can be redis-
tributed based on current need;
1483 
(vii) a description of any exercise of 
the authorities described under paragraph 
(1)(E) or (2)(A) of subsection (a); and 
(viii) an identification of critical areas 
of need, by county and by areas identified 
by the Indian Health Service, in the United 
States and the metrics and criteria for 
identification as a critical area. 
(C) PLAN.—The report required by this 
paragraph shall include a plan for meeting the 
immediate needs to combat the COVID–19 pan-
demic, including the needs described in subpara-
graph (B). Such plan shall include— 
(i) each contract the Federal Govern-
ment has entered into to meet such needs, 
including the purpose of each contract, the 
type and amount of equipment, supplies, or 
services to be provided under the contract, 
the entity performing such contract, and the 
dollar amount of each contract; 
(ii) each contract that the Federal Gov-
ernment intends to enter into within 14 
days after submission of such report, in-
cluding the information described in sub-
paragraph (B) for each such contract; and
1484 
(iii) whether any of the contracts de-
scribed in clause (i) or (ii) have or will 
have a priority rating under the Defense 
Production Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 4501 et 
seq.), including purchase orders pursuant to 
Department of Defense Directive 4400.1 (or 
any successor directive), subpart A of part 
101 of title 45, Code of Federal Regulations, 
or any other applicable authority. 
(D) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.—The re-
port required by this paragraph, and each up-
date required by subparagraph (E), shall in-
clude— 
(i) any requests for equipment and 
supplies from State or local governments 
and Indian Tribes, and an accompanying 
list of the employers and unions consulted 
in developing these requests; 
(ii) any modeling or formulas used to 
determine allocation of equipment and sup-
plies, and any related chain of command 
issues on making final decisions on alloca-
tions; 
(iii) the amount and destination of 
equipment and supplies delivered;
1485 
(iv) an explanation of why any por-
tion of any contract described under sub-
paragraph (C), whether to replenish the 
Strategic National Stockpile or otherwise, 
will not be filled; 
(v) of products procured under such 
contract, the percentage of such products 
that are used to replenish the Strategic Na-
tional Stockpile, that are targeted to 
COVID–19 hotspots, and that are used for 
the commercial market; 
(vi) a description of the range of prices 
for goods described in subsection (a), or 
other medical supplies and equipment that 
are subject to shortages, purchased by the 
United States Government, transported by 
the Government, or otherwise known to the 
Government, which shall also identify all 
such prices that exceed the prevailing mar-
ket prices of such goods prior to March 1, 
2020, and any actions taken by the Govern-
ment under section 102 of the Defense Pro-
duction Act of 1950 or similar provisions of 
law to prevent hoarding of such materials 
and charging of such increased prices be-
1486 
tween March 1, 2020, and the date of the 
submission of the first report required by 
this paragraph, and, for all subsequent re-
ports, within each reporting period; 
(vii) metrics, formulas, and criteria 
used to determine COVID–19 hotspots or 
areas of critical need for a State, county, or 
an area identified by the Indian Health 
Service; 
(viii) production and procurement 
benchmarks, where practicable; and 
(ix) results of the consultation with the 
relevant stakeholders required by subpara-
graph (B)(ii). 
(E) UPDATES.—The President, in coordina-
tion with the National Response Coordination 
Center of the Federal Emergency Management 
Agency, the Administrator of the Defense Logis-
tics Agency, the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and 
heads of other Federal agencies (as appropriate), 
shall update such report every 14 days. 
(F) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The President 
shall make the report required by this paragraph 
and each update required by subparagraph (E)
1487 
available to the public, including on a Govern-
ment website. 
(2) RESPONSE TO LONGER-TERM NEEDS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 14 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Presi-
dent, in coordination with the National Response 
Coordination Center of the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency, the Administrator of the 
Defense Logistics Agency, the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services, the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs, and heads of other Federal agencies (as 
appropriate), shall submit to the appropriate 
congressional committees a report containing an 
assessment of the needs described in subpara-
graph (B) to combat the COVID–19 pandemic 
and the plan for meeting such needs during the 
6-month period beginning on the date of submis-
sion of the report. 
(B) ASSESSMENT.—The report required by 
this paragraph shall include— 
(i) an assessment of the elements de-
scribe in clauses (i) through (v) and clause 
(viii) of paragraph (1)(B); 
(ii) an assessment of needs related to 
COVID–19 vaccines;
1488 
(iii) an assessment of the manner in 
which the Defense Production Act of 1950 
could be exercised to increase services re-
lated to health surveillance to ensure that 
the appropriate level of contact tracing re-
lated to detected infections is available 
throughout the United States to prevent fu-
ture outbreaks of COVID–19 infections; and 
(iv) an assessment of any additional 
services needed to address the COVID–19 
pandemic. 
(C) PLAN.—The report required by this 
paragraph shall include a plan for meeting the 
longer-term needs to combat the COVID–19 pan-
demic, including the needs described in subpara-
graph (B). This plan shall include— 
(i) a plan to exercise authorities under 
the Defense Production Act of 1950 (50 
U.S.C. 4501 et seq.) necessary to increase 
the production of the medical equipment, 
supplies, and services that are essential to 
meeting the needs identified in subpara-
graph (B), including the number of N–95 
respirator masks and other personal protec-
tive equipment needed, based on meaningful
1489 
consultations with relevant stakeholders, by 
the private sector to resume economic activ-
ity and by the public and nonprofit sectors 
to significantly increase their activities; 
(ii) results of the consultations with the 
relevant stakeholders required by clause (i); 
(iii) an estimate of the funding and 
other measures necessary to rapidly expand 
manufacturing production capacity for such 
equipment and supplies, including— 
(I) any efforts to expand, retool, 
or reconfigure production lines; 
(II) any efforts to establish new 
production lines through the purchase 
and installation of new equipment; or 
(III) the issuance of additional 
contracts, purchase orders, purchase 
guarantees, or other similar measures; 
(iv) each contract the Federal Govern-
ment has entered into to meet such needs or 
expand such production, the purpose of each 
contract, the type and amount of equip-
ment, supplies, or services to be provided 
under the contract, the entity performing
1490 
such contract, and the dollar amount of 
each contract; 
(v) each contract that the Federal Gov-
ernment intends to enter into within 14 
days after submission of such report, in-
cluding the information described in clause 
(iv) for each such contract; 
(vi) whether any of the contracts de-
scribed in clause (iv) or (v) have or will 
have a priority rating under the Defense 
Production Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 4501 et 
seq.), including purchase orders pursuant to 
Department of Defense Directive 4400.1 (or 
any successor directive), subpart A of part 
101 of title 45, Code of Federal Regulations, 
or any other applicable authority; and 
(vii) the manner in which the Defense 
Production Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 4501 et 
seq.) could be used to increase services nec-
essary to combat the COVID–19 pandemic, 
including services described in subpara-
graph (B)(ii). 
(D) UPDATES.—The President, in coordina-
tion with the National Response Coordination 
Center of the Federal Emergency Management
1491 
Agency, the Administrator of the Defense Logis-
tics Agency, the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and 
heads of other Federal agencies (as appropriate), 
shall update such report every 14 days. 
(E) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The President 
shall make the report required by this subsection 
and each update required by subparagraph (D) 
available to the public, including on a Govern-
ment website. 
(3) 
REPORT
ON
EXERCISING
AUTHORITIES 
UNDER THE DEFENSE PRODUCTION ACT OF 1950.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 14 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
President, in consultation with the Adminis-
trator of the Federal Emergency Management 
Agency, the Secretary of Defense, and the Sec-
retary of Health and Human Services, shall sub-
mit to the appropriate congressional committees 
a report on the exercise of authorities under titles 
I, III, and VII of the Defense Production Act of 
1950 (50 U.S.C. 4501 et seq.) prior to the date 
of such report. 
(B) CONTENTS.—The report required under 
subparagraph (A) and each update required
1492 
under subparagraph (C) shall include, with re-
spect to each exercise of such authority— 
(i) an explanation of the purpose of the 
applicable contract, purchase order, or other 
exercise of authority (including an alloca-
tion of materials, services, and facilities 
under section 101(a)(2) of the Defense Pro-
duction Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 4511(a)(2)); 
(ii) the cost of such exercise of author-
ity; and 
(iii) if applicable— 
(I) the amount of goods that were 
purchased or allocated; 
(II) an identification of the entity 
awarded a contract or purchase order 
or that was the subject of the exercise 
of authority; and 
(III) an identification of any en-
tity that had shipments delayed by the 
exercise of any authority under the De-
fense Production Act of 1950 (50 
U.S.C. 4501 et seq.). 
(C) UPDATES.—The President shall update 
the report required under subparagraph (A) 
every 14 days.
1493 
(D) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The President 
shall make the report required by this subsection 
and each update required by subparagraph (C) 
available to the public, including on a Govern-
ment website. 
(4) QUARTERLY
REPORTING.—The President 
shall submit to Congress, and make available to the 
public (including on a Government website), a quar-
terly report detailing all expenditures made pursuant 
to titles I, III, and VII of the Defense Production Act 
of 1950 50 U.S.C. 4501 et seq.). 
(5) EXERCISE OF LOAN AUTHORITIES.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Any loan made pursu-
ant to section 302 or 303 of the Defense Produc-
tion Act of 1950, carried out by the Inter-
national Development Finance Corporation pur-
suant to the authorities delegated by Executive 
Order 13922, shall be subject to the notification 
requirements contained in section 1446 of the 
BUILD Act of 2018 (22 U.S.C. 9656). 
(B) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT-
TEES.—For purposes of the notifications re-
quired by subparagraph (A), the term ‘‘appro-
priate congressional committees’’, as used section 
1446 of the BUILD Act of 2018, shall be deemed
1494 
to include the Committee on Financial Services 
of the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Banking, Housing and Urban Devel-
opment of the Senate. 
(6) SUNSET.—The requirements of this sub-
section shall terminate on the later of— 
(A) December 31, 2021; or 
(B) the end of the COVID–19 emergency pe-
riod. 
(e) ENHANCEMENTS TO THE DEFENSE PRODUCTION 
ACT OF 1950.— 
(1) HEALTH EMERGENCY AUTHORITY.—Section 
107 of the Defense Production Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 
4517) is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(c) HEALTH EMERGENCY AUTHORITY.—With respect 
to a public health emergency declaration by the Secretary 
of Health and Human Services under section 319 of the 
Public Health Service Act, or preparations for such a health 
emergency, the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
and the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Manage-
ment Agency are authorized to carry out the authorities 
provided under this section to the same extent as the Presi-
dent.’’. 
(2) EMPHASIS ON BUSINESS CONCERNS OWNED 
BY
WOMEN, MINORITIES, VETERANS, AND
NATIVE
1495 
AMERICANS.—Section 108 of the Defense Production 
Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 4518) is amended— 
(A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘MOD-
ERNIZATION
OF
SMALL
BUSINESS
SUP-
PLIERS’’ and inserting ‘‘SMALL
BUSINESS 
PARTICIPATION AND FAIR INCLUSION’’; 
(B) by amending subsection (a) to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(a) PARTICIPATION AND INCLUSION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In providing any assistance 
under this Act, the President shall accord a strong 
preference for subcontractors and suppliers that are— 
‘‘(A) small business concerns; or 
‘‘(B) businesses of any size owned by 
women, minorities, veterans, and the disabled. 
‘‘(2) SPECIAL
CONSIDERATION.—To the max-
imum extent practicable, the President shall accord 
the preference described under paragraph (1) to small 
business concerns and businesses described in para-
graph (1)(B) that are located in areas of high unem-
ployment or areas that have demonstrated a con-
tinuing pattern of economic decline, as identified by 
the Secretary of Labor.’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following:
1496 
‘‘(c) MINORITY DEFINED.—In this section, the term 
‘minority’— 
‘‘(1) has the meaning given the term in section 
308(b) of the Financial Institutions Reform, Recov-
ery, and Enforcement Act of 1989; and 
‘‘(2) includes any indigenous person in the 
United States, including any territories of the United 
States.’’. 
(3) ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IN ANNUAL RE-
PORT.—Section 304(f)(3) of the Defense Production 
Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 4534(f)(3)) is amended by 
striking ‘‘year.’’ and inserting ‘‘year, including the 
percentage of contracts awarded using Fund amounts 
to each of the groups described in section 108(a)(1)(B) 
(and, with respect to minorities, disaggregated by eth-
nic group), and the percentage of the total amount ex-
pended during such fiscal year on such contracts.’’. 
(4) DEFINITION OF NATIONAL DEFENSE.—Sec-
tion 702(14) of the Defense Production Act of 1950 is 
amended by striking ‘‘and critical infrastructure pro-
tection and restoration’’ and inserting ‘‘, critical in-
frastructure protection and restoration, and health 
emergency preparedness and response activities’’. 
(f) SECURING ESSENTIAL MEDICAL MATERIALS.—
1497 
(1) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—Section 2(b) of the 
Defense Production Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 4502) is 
amended— 
(A) 
by 
redesignating 
paragraphs 
(3) 
through (8) as paragraphs (4) through (9), re-
spectively; and 
(B) by inserting after paragraph (2) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(3) authorities under this Act should be used 
when appropriate to ensure the availability of med-
ical materials essential to national defense, including 
through measures designed to secure the drug supply 
chain, and taking into consideration the importance 
of United States competitiveness, scientific leadership 
and cooperation, and innovative capacity;’’. 
(2) STRENGTHENING
DOMESTIC
CAPABILITY.— 
Section 107 of the Defense Production Act of 1950 (50 
U.S.C. 4517) is amended— 
(A) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘(includ-
ing medical materials)’’ after ‘‘materials’’; and 
(B) in subsection (b)(1), by inserting ‘‘(in-
cluding medical materials such as drugs to diag-
nose, cure, mitigate, treat, or prevent disease 
that essential to national defense)’’ after ‘‘essen-
tial materials’’.
1498 
(3) STRATEGY ON SECURING SUPPLY CHAINS FOR 
MEDICAL ARTICLES.—Title I of the Defense Produc-
tion Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 4511 et seq.) is amended 
by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 109. STRATEGY ON SECURING SUPPLY CHAINS FOR 
MEDICAL MATERIALS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this section, the President, in con-
sultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Serv-
ices, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Homeland 
Security, and the Secretary of Defense, shall transmit a 
strategy to the appropriate Members of Congress that in-
cludes the following: 
‘‘(1) A detailed plan to use the authorities under 
this title and title III, or any other provision of law, 
to ensure the supply of medical materials (including 
drugs to diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat, or prevent 
disease) essential to national defense, to the extent 
necessary for the purposes of this Act. 
‘‘(2) An analysis of vulnerabilities to existing 
supply chains for such medical articles, and rec-
ommendations to address the vulnerabilities. 
‘‘(3) Measures to be undertaken by the President 
to diversify such supply chains, as appropriate and 
as required for national defense; and
1499 
‘‘(4) A discussion of— 
‘‘(A) any significant effects resulting from 
the plan and measures described in this sub-
section on the production, cost, or distribution of 
vaccines or any other drugs (as defined under 
section 201 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cos-
metic Act (21 U.S.C. 321)); 
‘‘(B) a timeline to ensure that essential 
components of the supply chain for medical ma-
terials are not under the exclusive control of a 
foreign government in a manner that the Presi-
dent determines could threaten the national de-
fense of the United States; and 
‘‘(C) efforts to mitigate any risks resulting 
from the plan and measures described in this 
subsection to United States competitiveness, sci-
entific leadership, and innovative capacity, in-
cluding efforts to cooperate and proactively en-
gage with United States allies. 
‘‘(b) PROGRESS REPORT.—Following submission of 
the strategy under subsection (a), the President shall submit 
to the appropriate Members of Congress an annual progress 
report evaluating the implementation of the strategy, and 
may include updates to the strategy as appropriate. The
1500 
strategy and progress reports shall be submitted in unclassi-
fied form but may contain a classified annex. 
‘‘(c) APPROPRIATE MEMBERS
OF CONGRESS.—The 
term ‘appropriate Members of Congress’ means the Speaker, 
majority leader, and minority leader of the House of Rep-
resentatives, the majority leader and minority leader of the 
Senate, the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Commit-
tees on Armed Services and Financial Services of the House 
of Representatives, and the Chairman and Ranking Member 
of the Committees on Armed Services and Banking, Hous-
ing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate.’’. 
(g) GAO REPORT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 270 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually 
thereafter, the Comptroller General of the United 
States shall submit to the appropriate congressional 
committees a report on ensuring that the United 
States Government has access to the medical supplies 
and equipment necessary to respond to future 
pandemics and public health emergencies, including 
recommendations with respect to how to ensure that 
the United States supply chain for diagnostic tests 
(including serological tests), personal protective 
equipment, vaccines, and therapies is better equipped 
to respond to emergencies, including through the use
1501 
of funds in the Defense Production Act Fund under 
section 304 of the Defense Production Act of 1950 (50 
U.S.C. 4534) to address shortages in that supply 
chain. 
(2) REVIEW OF ASSESSMENT AND PLAN.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days 
after each of the submission of the reports de-
scribed in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection 
(d), the Comptroller General of the United States 
shall submit to the appropriate congressional 
committees an assessment of such reports, includ-
ing identifying any gaps and providing any rec-
ommendations regarding the subject matter in 
such reports. 
(B) MONTHLY REVIEW.—Not later than a 
month after the submission of the assessment 
under subparagraph (A), and monthly thereafter, 
the Comptroller General shall issue a report to 
the appropriate congressional committees with 
respect to any updates to the reports described in 
paragraph (1) and (2) of subsection (d) that 
were issued during the previous 1-month period, 
containing an assessment of such updates, in-
cluding identifying any gaps and providing any
1502 
recommendations regarding the subject matter in 
such updates. 
(h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) 
APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional commit-
tees’’ means the Committees on Appropriations, 
Armed Services, Energy and Commerce, Financial 
Services, Homeland Security, and Veterans’ Affairs of 
the House of Representatives and the Committees on 
Appropriations, Armed Services, Banking, Housing, 
and Urban Affairs, Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions, Homeland Security and Governmental Af-
fairs, and Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate. 
(2) COVID–19 EMERGENCY PERIOD.—The term 
‘‘COVID–19 emergency period’’ means the period be-
ginning on the date of enactment of this Act and end-
ing after the end of the incident period for the emer-
gency declared on March 13, 2020, by the President 
under Section 501 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 4121 
et seq.) relating to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 
(COVID–19) pandemic. 
(3) RELEVANT STAKEHOLDER.—The term ‘‘rel-
evant stakeholder’’ means— 
(A) representative private sector entities;
1503 
(B) representatives of the nonprofit sector; 
(C) representatives of primary and sec-
ondary school systems; and 
(D) representatives of labor organizations 
representing workers, including unions that rep-
resent health workers, manufacturers, teachers, 
other public sector employees, and service sector 
workers. 
(4) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of the 
several States, the District of Columbia, the Common-
wealth of Puerto Rico, and any territory or possession 
of the United States. 
TITLE II—PROTECTING RENTERS 
AND 
HOMEOWNERS 
FROM 
EVICTIONS 
AND 
FORE-
CLOSURES 
SEC. 201. EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE AND RENTAL 
MARKET STABILIZATION. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian tribe’’ has 
the meaning given the such term in section 4 of the 
Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Deter-
mination Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 4103). 
(2) PUBLIC HOUSING AGENCY.—The term ‘‘pub-
lic housing agency’’ has the meaning given such term
1504 
in section 3(b) of the United States Housing Act of 
1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437a(b)). 
(3) SECRETARY .—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. 
(4) TRIBALLY DESIGNATED HOUSING ENTITY.— 
The term ‘‘tribally designated housing entity’’ has the 
meaning given such term in section 4 of the Native 
American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination 
Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 4103). 
(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized 
to 
be 
appropriated 
to 
the 
Secretary 
$50,000,000,000 for an additional amount for grants under 
the Emergency Solutions Grants program under subtitle B 
of title IV of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act 
(42 U.S.C. 11371 et seq.), to remain available until ex-
pended (subject to subsection (e) of this section), to be used 
for providing short- or medium-term assistance with rent 
and rent-related costs (including tenant-paid utility costs, 
utility- and rent-arrears, fees charged for those arrears, and 
security and utility deposits) in accordance with para-
graphs (4) and (5) of section 415(a) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 
11374(a)) and this section. 
(c) DEFINITION OF AT RISK OF HOMELESSNESS.— 
Notwithstanding section 401(1) of the McKinney-Vento 
Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11360(1)), for purposes
1505 
of assistance made available with amounts made available 
pursuant to subsection (b), the term ‘‘at risk of homeless-
ness’’ means, with respect to an individual or family, that 
the individual or family— 
(1) except as provided in subsection (d)(1)(C), 
has an income below 80 percent of the median income 
for the area as determined by the Secretary; and 
(2) has an inability to attain or maintain hous-
ing stability or has insufficient resources to pay for 
rent or utilities. 
(d) INCOME TARGETING AND CALCULATION.—For pur-
poses of assistance made available with amounts made 
available pursuant to subsection (b)— 
(1) each recipient of such amounts shall use— 
(A) not less than 40 percent of the amounts 
received only for providing assistance to individ-
uals or families experiencing homelessness, or for 
persons or families at risk of homelessness who 
have incomes not exceeding 30 percent of the me-
dian income for the area as determined by the 
Secretary; 
(B) not less than 70 percent of the amounts 
received only for providing assistance to individ-
uals or families experiencing homelessness, or for 
persons or families at risk of homelessness who
1506 
have incomes not exceeding 50 percent of the me-
dian income for the area as determined by the 
Secretary; and 
(C) the remainder of the amounts received 
only for providing assistance to individuals or 
families experiencing homelessness, or for persons 
or families at risk of homelessness who have in-
comes not exceeding 80 percent of the median in-
come for the area as determined by the Sec-
retary, except that the recipient may establish a 
higher percentage limit for purposes of subsection 
(c)(1), which shall not in any case exceed 120 
percent of the area median income, provided that 
the recipient— 
(i) proposes to permit such assistance 
to individuals and households in its plan to 
carry out activities under this section; and 
(ii) solicits public comment on the pro-
posal; and 
(2) in determining the income of a household for 
homelessness prevention assistance— 
(A) the calculation of income performed at 
the time of application for the assistance, includ-
ing arrearages, shall consider only income that 
the household is receiving at the time of the ap-
1507 
plication, and any income recently terminated 
shall not be included; 
(B) any subsequent calculation of income 
performed with respect to households receiving 
ongoing assistance shall consider only the income 
that the household is receiving at the time of the 
review; and 
(C) the calculation of income performed 
with respect to households receiving assistance 
for arrearages shall consider only the income 
that the household was receiving at the time the 
arrearages were incurred. 
(e) 3-YEAR AVAILABILITY.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Each recipient of amounts 
made available pursuant to subsection (b) shall— 
(A) expend not less than 60 percent of the 
grant amounts within 2 years of the date on 
which the funds became available to the recipient 
for obligation; and 
(B) expend 100 percent of the grant 
amounts within 3 years of the date on which the 
funds became available to the recipient for obli-
gation. 
(2) REALLOCATION AFTER 2 YEARS.—
1508 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may re-
capture any amounts not expended in compli-
ance with paragraph (1)(A) and reallocate those 
amounts to recipients in compliance with the 
formula described in subsection (i) and this 
paragraph. 
(B) STATES, METROPOLITAN
CITIES, AND 
URBAN COUNTIES.—Funds recaptured under sub-
paragraph (A) with respect to a recipient de-
scribed in subsection (i)(1)(B) shall be reallo-
cated to other participating recipients of funds 
described in subsection (i)(1)(B). 
(C) INDIAN TRIBES, TRIBALLY DESIGNATED 
HOUSING ENTITIES, AND DEPARTMENT OF HA-
WAIIAN HOME LANDS.—Funds recaptured under 
subparagraph (A) with respect to a recipient de-
scribed in subsection (i)(1)(A)(i)(I) shall be re-
allocated to other participating recipients of 
funds described in subsection (i)(1)(A)(i)(I). 
(D) INSULAR
AREAS.—Funds recaptured 
under subparagraph (A) with respect to a recipi-
ent described in subsection (i)(1)(A)(i)(II) shall 
be reallocated to other participating recipients of 
funds described in subsection (i)(1)(A)(i)(II). 
(f) RENT RESTRICTIONS.—
1509 
(1) INAPPLICABILITY.—Section 576.106(d) of 
title 24, Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor 
regulation, shall not apply with respect to homeless-
ness prevention assistance made available with 
amounts made available pursuant to subsection (b). 
(2) AMOUNT OF RENTAL ASSISTANCE.—In pro-
viding 
homelessness 
prevention 
assistance 
with 
amounts made available pursuant to subsection (b), 
the maximum amount of rental assistance that may 
be provided shall be the greater of— 
(A) 120 percent of the higher of— 
(i) the fair market rent established by 
the Secretary for the metropolitan area or 
county; or 
(ii) the applicable small area fair mar-
ket rent established by the Secretary; or 
(iii) such higher amount as the Sec-
retary shall determine is needed to cover 
market rents in the area. 
(g) SUBLEASES.—A recipient of amounts made avail-
able pursuant to subsection (b) shall not be prohibited from 
providing assistance authorized under subsection (b) with 
respect to subleases that are valid under State law.
1510 
(h) UTILITY PAYMENT AND RENTAL ARREARAGES.— 
In providing assistance with amounts made available pur-
suant to subsection (b) of this section— 
(1) sections 576.105(a)(5) and 576.106(a)(3) of 
title 24, Code of Federal Regulations, shall each be 
applied by substituting ‘‘12 months’’ for ‘‘6 months’’; 
and 
(2) notwithstanding section 576.106(g) of title 
24, Code of Federal Regulations, where such assist-
ance is solely with respect to rental arrears, the re-
cipient shall not be required to provide a written 
lease or evidence of an oral agreement. 
(i) ALLOCATION OF ASSISTANCE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—In allocating amounts made 
available pursuant to subsection (b), the Secretary 
shall— 
(A)(i) for any purpose authorized in this 
section— 
(I) allocate 2 percent of such amount 
for Indian tribes and tribally designated 
housing entities under the formula estab-
lished under section 302 of the Native 
American Housing Assistance and Self-De-
termination Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 4152), 
except that 0.3 percent of the amount allo-
1511 
cated under this subclause shall be allocated 
for the Department of Hawaiian Home 
Lands; and 
(II) allocate 0.3 percent of such 
amount for the Virgin Islands, Guam, 
American Samoa, and the Northern Mar-
iana Islands; and 
(ii) not later than 30 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, obligate and disburse the 
amounts allocated under clause (i) in accordance 
with those allocations and provide the recipients 
with any necessary guidance for use of the funds; 
and 
(B)(i) not later than 7 days after the date 
of enactment of this Act and after setting aside 
amounts under subparagraph (A)— 
(I) allocate 50 percent of any such re-
maining amounts under the formula speci-
fied in subsections (a), (b), and (e) of sec-
tion 414 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless 
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11373) for each 
State, metropolitan city, and urban county 
that is to receive a direct grant of such 
amounts;
1512 
(II) allocate 50 percent of any such re-
maining amounts through the formula used 
by the Secretary to distribute the second al-
location of grants in accordance with the 
formula described in the matter under the 
heading ‘‘Department of Housing and 
Urban Development—Community Planning 
and 
Development—Homeless 
Assistance 
Grants’’ in title XII of division B of the 
CARES Act (Public Law 116–136) for each 
State, metropolitan city, and urban county 
that is to receive a direct grant of such 
amounts; and 
(III) notify each direct grantee of the 
total amount to be allocated under this 
clause; and 
(ii) not later than 30 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, obligate and disburse the 
amounts allocated under clause (i) in accordance 
with those allocations and provide the recipient 
with any necessary guidance for use of the funds. 
(2) ALLOCATIONS TO STATES.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding section 
414(a) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assist-
ance Act (42 U.S.C. 11373(a)) and section
1513 
576.202(a) of title 24, Code of Federal Regula-
tions, or any successor regulation, a State recipi-
ent of an allocation under this section may elect 
to use up to 100 percent of its allocation to carry 
out activities eligible under this section directly. 
(B) REQUIREMENT.—Any State recipient 
making an election described in subparagraph 
(A) shall serve households throughout the entire 
State, including households in rural commu-
nities and small towns. 
(3) ELECTION NOT TO ADMINISTER.— 
(A) METROPOLITAN
CITIES
AND
URBAN 
COUNTIES.—If a recipient under paragraph 
(1)(B) other than a State elects not to receive 
funds under this section, such funds shall be allo-
cated to the State recipient in which the recipi-
ent is located. 
(B) INDIAN TRIBES, TRIBALLY DESIGNATED 
HOUSING ENTITIES, AND DEPARTMENT OF HA-
WAIIAN HOMELANDS.—If a recipient under para-
graph (1)(A)(i)(I) elects not to receive funds 
under this section, such funds shall be allocated 
to other participating recipients of funds under 
paragraph (1)(A)(i)(I).
1514 
(C) INSULAR AREAS.—If a recipient under 
paragraph (1)(A)(i)(II) elects not to receive 
funds under this section, such funds shall be allo-
cated to other participating recipients of funds 
under paragraph (1)(A)(i)(II). 
(D) PARTNERSHIPS, SUBGRANTS, AND CON-
TRACTS.—A recipient of a grant under this sec-
tion may distribute funds through partnerships, 
subgrants, or contracts with an entity, such as a 
public housing agency, that is capable of car-
rying out activities under this section. 
(j) INAPPLICABILITY OF MATCHING REQUIREMENT.— 
Section 416(a) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance 
Act (42 U.S.C. 11375(a)) shall not apply to any amounts 
made available pursuant to subsection (b) of this section. 
(k) REIMBURSEMENT
OF ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.— 
Amounts made available pursuant to subsection (b) may 
be used by a recipient to reimburse expenditures incurred 
for eligible activities under this section carried out after the 
date of enactment of this Act. 
(l) PROHIBITION ON PREREQUISITES.—None of the 
funds made available under this section may be used to re-
quire any individual or household receiving assistance 
under this section to receive treatment or perform any other
1515 
prerequisite activities as a condition for receiving such as-
sistance. 
(m) WAIVERS AND ALTERNATIVE REQUIREMENTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.— 
(A) AUTHORITY.—In administering the 
amounts made available pursuant to subsection 
(b), the Secretary may waive, or specify alter-
native requirements for, any provision of any 
statute or regulation that the Secretary admin-
isters in connection with the obligation by the 
Secretary or the use by the recipient of such 
amounts (except for requirements related to fair 
housing, nondiscrimination, labor standards, 
prohibition on prerequisites, minimum data re-
porting, and the environment), if the Secretary 
finds that good cause exists for the waiver or al-
ternative requirement and such waiver or alter-
native requirement is necessary to expedite the 
use of funds made available pursuant to this sec-
tion, to respond to public health orders or condi-
tions related to the COVID–19 emergency, or to 
ensure that eligible individuals can attain or 
maintain housing stability. 
(B) PUBLIC NOTICE.—The Secretary shall 
notify the public through the Federal Register or
1516 
other appropriate means of any waiver or alter-
native requirement under this paragraph, and 
that such public notice shall be provided, at a 
minimum, on the internet at the appropriate 
Government website or through other electronic 
media, as determined by the Secretary. 
(C) ELIGIBILITY
REQUIREMENTS.—Eligi-
bility for rental assistance or housing relocation 
and stabilization services shall not be restricted 
based upon the prior receipt of assistance under 
the program during the preceding three years. 
(D) INSPECTIONS
OF
CURRENT
HOUSING 
UNITS.—A recipient of funds made available 
pursuant to subsection (b) may elect not to con-
duct inspections for minimum habitability 
standards described in section 576.403 of title 
24, Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor 
regulation, for any assistance under this section 
that is provided on behalf of an individual or 
household who will continue to reside in the 
same housing unit in which they resided imme-
diately before receiving the assistance. 
(2) PUBLIC HEARINGS.—
1517 
(A) INAPPLICABILITY OF IN-PERSON HEAR-
ING
REQUIREMENTS
DURING
THE
COVID–19 
EMERGENCY.— 
(i) IN
GENERAL.—A recipient under 
this section shall not be required to hold in- 
person public hearings in connection with 
its citizen participation plan, but shall pro-
vide citizens with notice, including publica-
tion of its plan for carrying out this section 
on the internet, and a reasonable oppor-
tunity to comment of not less than 5 days. 
(ii) RESUMPTION OF IN-PERSON HEAR-
ING REQUIREMENTS.—After the period be-
ginning on the date of enactment of this Act 
and ending on the date of the termination 
by the Federal Emergency Management 
Agency of the emergency declared on March 
13, 2020, by the President under the Robert 
T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 4121 et seq.) re-
lating to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 
(COVID–19) pandemic, and after the period 
described in subparagraph (B)(i), the Sec-
retary shall direct recipients under this sec-
1518 
tion to resume pre-crisis public hearing re-
quirements. 
(B) VIRTUAL PUBLIC HEARINGS.— 
(i) IN GENERAL.—During the period 
that national or local health authorities rec-
ommend social distancing and limiting 
public gatherings for public health reasons, 
a recipient may fulfill applicable public 
hearing requirements for all grants from 
funds made available pursuant to this sec-
tion by carrying out virtual public hear-
ings. 
(ii) 
REQUIREMENTS.—Any 
virtual 
hearings held under clause (i) by a recipi-
ent under this section shall provide reason-
able notification and access for citizens in 
accordance with the recipient’s certifi-
cations, timely responses from local officials 
to all citizen questions and issues, and pub-
lic access to all questions and responses. 
(n) CONSULTATION.—In addition to any other citizen 
participation and consultation requirements, in developing 
and implementing a plan to carry out this section, each 
recipient of funds made available pursuant to this section 
shall consult with—
1519 
(1) the applicable Continuum or Continuums of 
Care for the area served by the recipient; 
(2) organizations representing underserved com-
munities and populations; and 
(3) organizations with expertise in affordable 
housing, fair housing, and services for people with 
disabilities. 
(o) ADMINISTRATION.— 
(1) BY
SECRETARY.—Of any amounts made 
available pursuant to subsection (b)— 
(A) not more than the lesser of 0.5 percent, 
or $15,000,000, may be used by the Secretary for 
staffing, training, technical assistance, tech-
nology, monitoring, research, and evaluation ac-
tivities necessary to carry out the program car-
ried out under this section, and such amounts 
shall remain available until September 30, 2024; 
and 
(B) not more than $2,000,000 shall be 
available to the Office of the Inspector General of 
the Department of Housing and Urban Develop-
ment for audits and investigations of the pro-
gram authorized under this section. 
(2) BY
RECIPIENTS.—Notwithstanding section 
576.108 of title 24 of the Code of Federal Regulations,
1520 
or any successor regulation, with respect to amounts 
made available pursuant to subsection (b), a recipient 
may use up to 10 percent of funds received for pay-
ment of administrative costs related to the planning 
and execution of eligible activities carried out under 
this section. 
SEC. 202. HOMEOWNER ASSISTANCE FUND. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) FUND.—The term ‘‘Fund’’ means the Home-
owner Assistance Fund established under subsection 
(b). 
(2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Treasury. 
(3) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means any State 
of the United States, the District of Columbia, any 
territory of the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, 
American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, and the North-
ern Mariana Islands. 
(b) ESTABLISHMENT OF FUND.—There is established 
at the Department of the Treasury a Homeowner Assistance 
Fund to provide such funds as are made available under 
subsection (g) to State housing finance agencies for the pur-
pose of preventing homeowner mortgage defaults, fore-
closures, and displacements of individuals and families ex-
periencing financial hardship after January 21, 2020.
1521 
(c) ALLOCATION OF FUNDS.— 
(1) ADMINISTRATION.—Of any amounts made 
available for the Fund, the Secretary of the Treasury 
may allocate, in the aggregate, an amount not exceed-
ing 5 percent— 
(A) to the Office of Financial Stability es-
tablished under section 101(a) of the Emergency 
Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (12 U.S.C. 
5211(a)) to administer and oversee the Fund, 
and to provide technical assistance to States for 
the creation and implementation of State pro-
grams to administer assistance from the Fund; 
and 
(B) to the Inspector General of the Depart-
ment of the Treasury for oversight of the pro-
gram under this section. 
(2) FOR STATES.—The Secretary shall establish 
such criteria as are necessary to allocate the funds 
available within the Fund for each State. The Sec-
retary shall allocate such funds among all States tak-
ing into consideration the number of unemployment 
claims within a State relative to the nationwide num-
ber of unemployment claims.
1522 
(3) SMALL STATE MINIMUM.—The amount allo-
cated for each State shall not be less than 
$80,000,000. 
(4) SET-ASIDE FOR INSULAR AREAS.—Notwith-
standing any other provision of this section, of the 
amounts appropriated under subsection (g), the Sec-
retary shall reserve $65,000,000 to be disbursed to 
Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, and the 
Northern Mariana Islands based on each such terri-
tory’s share of the combined total population of all 
such territories, as determined by the Secretary. For 
the purposes of this paragraph, population shall be 
determined based on the most recent year for which 
data are available from the United States Census Bu-
reau. 
(5) SET-ASIDE FOR INDIAN TRIBES AND NATIVE 
HAWAIIANS.— 
(A) INDIAN TRIBES.—Notwithstanding any 
other provision of this section, of the amounts 
appropriated under subsection (g), the Secretary 
shall use 5 percent to make grants in accordance 
with subsection (f) to eligible recipients for the 
purposes described in subsection (e)(1). 
(B) NATIVE HAWAIIANS.—Of the funds set 
aside under subparagraph (A), the Secretary
1523 
shall use 0.3 percent to make grants to the De-
partment of Hawaiian Home Lands in accord-
ance with subsection (f) for the purposes de-
scribed in subsection (e)(1). 
(d) DISBURSEMENT OF FUNDS.— 
(1) ADMINISTRATION.—Except for amounts made 
available for assistance under subsection (f), State 
housing finance agencies shall be primarily respon-
sible for administering amounts disbursed from the 
Fund, but may delegate responsibilities and sub-allo-
cate amounts to community development financial in-
stitutions and State agencies that administer Low-In-
come Home Energy Assistance Program of the De-
partment of Health and Human Services. 
(2) NOTICE OF FUNDING.—The Secretary shall 
provide public notice of the amounts that will be 
made available to each State and the method used for 
determining such amounts not later than the expira-
tion of the 14-day period beginning on the date of the 
enactment of this Act of enactment. 
(3) SHFA PLANS.— 
(A) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to receive 
funding allocated for a State under the section, 
a State housing finance agency for the State 
shall submit to the Secretary a plan for the im-
1524 
plementation of State programs to administer, 
in part or in full, the amount of funding the 
state is eligible to receive, which shall provide for 
the commencement of receipt of applications by 
homeowners for assistance, and funding of such 
applications, not later than the expiration of the 
6-month period beginning upon the approval 
under this paragraph of such plan. 
(B) MULTIPLE PLANS.—. A State housing 
finance agency may submit multiple plans, each 
covering a separate portion of funding for which 
the State is eligible. 
(C) TIMING.—The Secretary shall approve 
or disapprove a plan within 30 days after the 
plan’s submission and, if disapproved, explain 
why the plan could not be approved. 
(D) DISBURSEMENT UPON APPROVAL.—The 
Secretary shall disburse to a State housing fi-
nance agency the appropriate amount of funding 
upon approval of the agency’s plan. 
(E) AMENDMENTS.—A State housing fi-
nance agency may subsequently amend a plan 
that has previously been approved, provided that 
any plan amendment shall be subject to the ap-
proval of the Secretary. The Secretary shall ap-
1525 
prove any plan amendment or disapprove such 
amendment explain why the plan amendment 
could not be approved within 45 days after sub-
mission to the Secretary of such amendment. 
(F) TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE.—The Sec-
retary shall provide technical assistance for any 
State housing finance agency that twice fails to 
have a submitted plan approved. 
(4) PLAN TEMPLATES.—The Secretary shall, not 
later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, publish templates that States may utilize in 
drafting the plans required under paragraph (3)(A). 
The template plans shall include standard program 
terms and requirements, as well as any required legal 
language, which State housing finance agencies may 
modify with the consent of the Secretary. 
(e) PERMISSIBLE USES OF FUND.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Funds made available to 
State housing finance agencies pursuant to this sec-
tion may be used for the purposes established under 
subsection (b), which may include— 
(A) mortgage payment assistance, including 
financial assistance to allow a borrower to rein-
state their mortgage or to achieve a more afford-
able mortgage payment, which may include
1526 
principal reduction or rate reduction, provided 
that any mortgage payment assistance is tai-
lored to a borrower’s needs and their ability to 
repay, and takes into consideration the loss miti-
gation options available to the borrower; 
(B) assistance with payment of taxes, haz-
ard insurance, flood insurance, mortgage insur-
ance, or homeowners’ association fees; 
(C) utility payment assistance, including 
electric, gas, water, and internet service, includ-
ing broadband internet access service (as such 
term is defined in section 8.1(b) of title 47, Code 
of Federal Regulations (or any successor regula-
tion)); 
(D) reimbursement of funds expended by a 
State or local government during the period be-
ginning on January 21, 2020, and ending on the 
date that the first funds are disbursed by the 
State under the Fund, for the purpose of pro-
viding housing or utility assistance to individ-
uals or otherwise providing funds to prevent 
foreclosure or eviction of a homeowner or prevent 
mortgage delinquency or loss of housing or crit-
ical utilities as a response to the coronavirus dis-
ease 2019 (COVID–19) pandemic; and
1527 
(E) any other assistance for homeowners to 
prevent eviction, mortgage delinquency or de-
fault, foreclosure, or the loss of essential utility 
services. 
(2) TARGETING.— 
(A) REQUIREMENT.—Not less than 60 per-
cent of amounts made available for each State or 
other entity allocated amounts under subsection 
(c) shall be used for activities under paragraph 
(1) that assist homeowners having incomes equal 
to or less than 80 percent of the area median in-
come. 
(B) DETERMINATION OF INCOME.—In deter-
mining the income of a household for purposes of 
this paragraph, income shall be considered to in-
clude only income that the household is receiving 
at the time of application for assistance from the 
Fund and any income recently terminated shall 
not be included, except that for purposes of 
households receiving assistance for arrearages in-
come shall include only the income that the 
household was receiving at the time such arrear-
ages were incurred. 
(C) LANGUAGE
ASSISTANCE.—Each State 
housing finance agency or other entity allocated
1528 
amounts under subsection (c) shall make avail-
able to each applicant for assistance from 
amounts from the Fund language assistance in 
any language for which such language assistance 
is available to the State housing finance agency 
or entity in and shall provide notice to each such 
applicant that such language assistance is avail-
able. 
(3) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—Not more than 
15 percent of the amount allocated to a State pursu-
ant to subsection (c) may be used by a State housing 
financing agency for administrative expenses. Any 
amounts allocated to administrative expenses that are 
no longer necessary for administrative expenses may 
be used in accordance with paragraph (1). 
(f) TRIBAL AND NATIVE HAWAIIAN ASSISTANCE.— 
(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 
(A) DEPARTMENT
OF
HAWAIIAN
HOME 
LANDS.—The term ‘‘Department of Hawaiian 
Home Lands’’ has the meaning given the term in 
section 801 of the Native American Housing As-
sistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996 (42 
U.S.C. 4221). 
(B) ELIGIBLE RECIPIENT.—The term ‘‘eligi-
ble recipient’’ means any entity eligible to re-
1529 
ceive a grant under section 101 of the Native 
American Housing Assistance and Self-Deter-
mination Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 4111). 
(2) REQUIREMENTS.— 
(A) ALLOCATION.—Except for the funds set 
aside under subsection (c)(5)(B), the Secretary 
shall allocate the funds set aside under subsection 
(c)(5)(A) using the allocation formula described 
in subpart D of part 1000 of title 24, Code of 
Federal Regulations (or any successor regula-
tions). 
(B) NATIVE
HAWAIIANS.—The Secretary 
shall use the funds made available under sub-
section (c)(5)(B) in accordance with part 1006 of 
title 24, Code of Federal Regulations (or suc-
cessor regulations). 
(3) TRANSFER.—The Secretary shall transfer 
any funds made available under subsection (c)(5) that 
have not been allocated by an eligible recipient or the 
Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, as applicable, 
to provide the assistance described in subsection (e)(1) 
by December 31, 2030, to the Secretary of Housing 
and Urban Development to carry out the Native 
American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination 
Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 4101 et seq.).
1530 
(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to the Homeowner Assistance 
Fund established under subsection (b), $21,000,000,000, to 
remain available until expended. 
(h) USE OF HOUSING FINANCE AGENCY INNOVATION 
FUND
FOR
THE
HARDEST
HIT
HOUSING
MARKETS 
FUNDS.—A State housing finance agency may reallocate 
any administrative or programmatic funds it has received 
as an allocation from the Housing Finance Agency Innova-
tion Fund for the Hardest Hit Housing Markets created 
pursuant to section 101(a) of the Emergency Economic Sta-
bilization Act of 2008 (12 U.S.C. 5211(a)) that have not 
been otherwise allocated or disbursed as of the date of enact-
ment of this Act to supplement any administrative or pro-
grammatic funds received from the Housing Assistance 
Fund. Such reallocated funds shall not be considered when 
allocating resources from the Housing Assistance Fund 
using the process established under subsection (c) and shall 
remain available for the uses permitted and under the terms 
and conditions established by the contract with Secretary 
created pursuant to subsection (d)(1) and the terms of sub-
section (i). 
(i) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretary shall 
provide public reports not less frequently than quarterly re-
garding the use of funds provided by the Homeowner Assist-