S. 610 · 117th Congress

Protecting Medicare and American Farmers from Sequester Cuts Act

Introduced on Mar 4, 2021 by Tim Kaine (D-VA). 29 cosponsors, 8 of them from another party. Became Public Law 117-71.

Stage
Became law
Public Law 117-71
Introduced
Mar 4, 2021
Cosponsors
29
8 from the other party
Policy area
Health
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Progress

The furthest stage the measure reached. Simple and concurrent resolutions do not go to the President.

  1. Introduced
  2. Reported by committee
  3. Passed one chamber
  4. Passed both chambers
  5. Sent to the President
  6. Became law

Official title

A bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals.

Subjects

  • Administrative law and regulatory procedures
  • Budget deficits and national debt
  • Budget process
  • Cancer
  • Cardiovascular and respiratory health
  • Congressional oversight
  • Department of Health and Human Services
  • Drug, alcohol, tobacco use
  • Education programs funding
  • Emergency medical services and trauma care
  • Government studies and investigations
  • Health care costs and insurance
  • Health care quality
  • Health personnel
  • Health programs administration and funding
  • Health promotion and preventive care
  • Infectious and parasitic diseases
  • Legislative rules and procedure
  • Medical education
  • Medicare
  • Mental health
  • Natural disasters
  • Nursing
  • Radiation
  • Worker safety and health

Summary

By the Congressional Research Service (Public Law, Dec 10, 2021). Public domain.

Protecting Medicare and American Farmers from Sequester Cuts Act

This bill makes several budgetary, technical, and procedural changes, particularly in relation to Medicare and increasing the debt limit.

Specifically, the bill continues to exempt Medicare from sequestration until March 31, 2022. (Sequestration is a process of automatic, usually across-the-board spending reductions under which budgetary resources are permanently cancelled to enforce specific budget policy goals.)

The bill also establishes expedited Senate procedures for considering legislation to increase the debt limit. The procedures limit debate, waive points of order, and prohibit amendments. The procedures may only be used once and expire after January 16, 2022.

Additionally, the bill (1) temporarily extends other provisions under Medicare, including a payment increase under the physician fee schedule; and (2) requires any debits recorded for FY2022 on the statutory pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) scorecards to be deducted from the scorecards for 2022 and added to the scorecards for 2023.

Sponsor and cosponsors

Cosponsors by party as of the day they signed on. Original cosponsors signed on the day of introduction.

Tim KaineD-VASponsor

Democrats · 19

Independents · 2

Republicans · 8

Roll calls

Recorded votes on the measure. Most measures move by voice vote or unanimous consent, which record no individual positions.

  1. On Passage
    Dec 7, 2021· House· Passage· Passed 222–212
  2. On the Cloture Motion
    Dec 9, 2021· Senate· Cloture· Cloture Motion Agreed to 64–36
  3. On the Motion
    Dec 9, 2021· Senate· Procedural· Motion Agreed to 59–35

History

Every action as published, oldest first. Roll calls link to how each member voted.

  1. Mar 4, 2021Introduced in Senate
  2. Mar 4, 2021 · SenateRead twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  3. May 25, 2021 · SenateCommittee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
  4. Jun 8, 2021Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Reported by Senator Murray with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
  5. Jun 8, 2021 · SenateCommittee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Reported by Senator Murray with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
  6. Jun 8, 2021 · SenatePlaced on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 69.
  7. Aug 6, 2021 · SenateMeasure laid before Senate by unanimous consent. (consideration: CR S5985-5987; text: CR S5985-5986)
  8. Aug 6, 2021 · SenateThe committee substitute as amended agreed to by Unanimous Consent.
  9. Aug 6, 2021Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote.(text: CR S5986-5987)
  10. Aug 6, 2021 · SenatePassed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote. (text: CR S5986-5987)
  11. Aug 9, 2021 · SenateMessage on Senate action sent to the House.
  12. Aug 10, 2021 · HouseReceived in the House.
  13. Aug 10, 2021 · HouseHeld at the desk.
  14. Dec 7, 2021 · HouseRules Committee Resolution H. Res. 838 Reported to House. Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 5314, S. 1605 and S. 610 with 1 hour of general debate. Previous question shall be considered as ordered without intervening motions except motion to recommit. Measure will be considered read. Specified amendments are in order. Rule makes in order for the Speaker may entertain motions offered by the Majority Leader or a designee that the House suspend the rules as though under clause 1 of rule XV with respect to multiple measures that were the object of motions to suspend the rules on certain legislative days.
  15. Dec 7, 2021 · HouseRule H. Res. 838 passed House.
  16. Dec 7, 2021 · HouseConsidered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 838. (consideration: CR H6920-6927, H6927-6933)
  17. Dec 7, 2021 · HouseRule provides for consideration of H.R. 5314, S. 1605 and S. 610 with 1 hour of general debate. Previous question shall be considered as ordered without intervening motions except motion to recommit. Measure will be considered read. Specified amendments are in order. Rule makes in order for the Speaker may entertain motions offered by the Majority Leader or a designee that the House suspend the rules as though under clause 1 of rule XV with respect to multiple measures that were the object of motions to suspend the rules on certain legislative days.
  18. Dec 7, 2021 · HouseDEBATE - The House proceeded with one hour of debate on S. 610.
  19. Dec 7, 2021 · HouseThe previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule.
  20. Dec 7, 2021 · HousePOSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on S. 610, the Chair put the question on passage of S. 610 and by voice vote, announced that the ayes had prevailed. Mr. Brady demanded the yeas and nays and the Chair postponed further proceedings on on S. 610 until a time to be announced.
  21. Dec 7, 2021 · HouseConsidered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H7222-7223)
  22. Dec 7, 2021Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 222 - 212 (Roll no. 404).(text: CR H6929-6930)House · Roll call 404
  23. Dec 7, 2021 · HouseOn passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 222 - 212 (Roll no. 404). (text: CR H6929-6930)House · Roll call 404
  24. Dec 7, 2021 · HouseMotion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  25. Dec 7, 2021 · SenateMessage on House action received in Senate and at desk: House amendment to Senate bill.
  26. Dec 7, 2021 · SenateMeasure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
  27. Dec 7, 2021 · SenateMotion by Senator Schumer to concur in the House amendment to S. 610 made in Senate. (CR S8956)
  28. Dec 7, 2021 · SenateCloture motion on the motion to concur in the House amendment to S. 610 presented in Senate.
  29. Dec 7, 2021 · SenateMotion by Senator Schumer to concur in the House amendment to S. 610 with an amendment (SA 4871) made in Senate. (CR S8956)
  30. Dec 7, 2021 · SenateMotion by Senator Schumer to refer to Senate Committee on Finance the House message to accompany S. 610 with instructions to report back forthwith with the following amendment (SA 4873) made in Senate. (CR S8956)
  31. Dec 9, 2021 · SenateConsidered by Senate (Message from the House considered). (consideration: CR S9053)
  32. Dec 9, 2021 · SenateCloture on the motion to concur in the House amendment to S. 610 invoked in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 64 - 36. Record Vote Number: 490. (CR S9057)Senate · Roll call 490
  33. Dec 9, 2021 · SenateMotion by Senator Schumer to refer to Senate Committee on Finance the House message to accompany S. 610 with instructions to report back forthwith with the following amendment (SA 4873) fell when cloture invoked on the motion to concur in the House amendment to S. 610 in Senate.
  34. Dec 9, 2021 · SenateMotion by Senator Schumer to concur in the House amendment to S. 610 with an amendment (SA 4871) withdrawn in Senate by Unanimous Consent.
  35. Dec 9, 2021Resolving differences -- Senate actions: Senate agreed to the House amendment to S. 610 by Yea-Nay Vote. 59 - 35. Record Vote Number: 491.(consideration: CR S9081)Senate · Roll call 491
  36. Dec 9, 2021 · SenateSenate agreed to the House amendment to S. 610 by Yea-Nay Vote. 59 - 35. Record Vote Number: 491. (consideration: CR S9081)Senate · Roll call 491
  37. Dec 10, 2021 · SenateMessage on Senate action sent to the House.
  38. Dec 10, 2021Presented to President.
  39. Dec 10, 2021 · HousePresented to President.
  40. Dec 10, 2021Signed by President.
  41. Dec 10, 2021Signed by President.
  42. Dec 10, 2021Became Public Law No: 117-71.
  43. Dec 10, 2021Became Public Law No: 117-71.

Committees

Committees and subcommittees the measure was referred to.

Agencies in its committees' jurisdiction

Analisa's mapping of committee jurisdiction to federal agencies; the bill may touch others, or none of these.

Who lobbied on it

Organizations whose lobbying reports (LD-2) name this measure. Spending is what they reported for those quarters on all issues, not on this measure alone.

  1. AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY5 reports
    $2.3M reported (all issues)
  2. AMERICAN COLLEGE OF GASTROENTEROLOGY1 report

Reports filed in 2023, 2024.

Sources and method

Every figure on this page traces to these records.

  • Bill status: bills and resolutions, sponsors, actions, subjects and CRS summaries (U.S. Government Publishing Office (GovInfo), from Congress.gov (Library of Congress))GovInfo Bill Status bulk data (Congress.gov; summaries by the Congressional Research Service) · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Members of Congress, their terms, committees and identifiers (The @unitedstates project (from the Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress, the House and the Senate))unitedstates/congress-legislators: legislators, committees and current committee membership · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: CC0 1.0 (public domain dedication)
  • House roll-call votes (Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives)Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, roll-call vote records · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Senate roll-call votes and DW-NOMINATE scores (Voteview (UCLA Department of Political Science))Lewis, Jeffrey B., Keith Poole, Howard Rosenthal, Adam Boche, Aaron Rudkin, and Luke Sonnet (2026). Voteview: Congressional Roll-Call Votes Database. https://voteview.com/ · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Free to use with the required citation
  • Lobbying disclosures (LD-1 registrations, LD-2 quarterly reports, LD-203 contribution reports) (Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives)Clerk of the House, Lobbying Disclosure Act filings (organizations only; lobbyists' names are not loaded) · data current to Oct 5, 2026 · loaded Oct 5, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Positions are shown only where a roll call recorded them; voice votes and unanimous consent record none.
  • Money and votes are shown side by side; neither explains the other.