WASHINGTON, March 21 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., has introduced legislation (H.R. 6300) to "provide that under the Older Americans Act of 1965 the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman shall have continuing direct access (or other access through the use of technology) to residents of long-term care facilities to provide services during any portion of the COVID-19 public health emergency declared under section 319 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d) that occurs in fiscal year 2020."   more

WASHINGTON, March 21 -- Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., has introduced legislation (H.R. 6308) to "address root causes of homelessness, meet the needs of community members experiencing harms from homelessness, transition communities towards providing housing for all, and ensure full democratic participation and inclusion of persons experiencing homelessness." The bill was introduced on March 19 and has seven co-sponsors. Co-sponsors include Reps. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., Jesus Garcia, D-Ill., Ilhan O  more

WASHINGTON, March 21 -- Sen. Robert Casey Jr., D-Pa., has introduced legislation (S. 3544) to assist older Americans and people with disabilities affected by COVID-19. The bill was introduced on March 19 and has 23 co-sponsors. Co-sponsors include Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J., Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Robert Menendez, D-N.J., Doug Jones, D-Ala., Gary Peters, D-Mich., Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Tim Kaine, D-Va., Margaret  more

WASHINGTON, March 20 -- Sen. Christopher Coons, D-Del., has introduced legislation (S. 3519) to "authorize the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to subsidize payments on loans guaranteed under the 7(a) and 504 loan programs or made using funds under the microloan program." The bill was introduced on March 18 and has 11 co-sponsors. Co-sponsors include Sens. Benjamin Cardin, D-Md., Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., Jea  more

WASHINGTON, March 19 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., has introduced legislation (S. 3504) to "require the Secretary of Homeland Security to extend, until not earlier than September 30, 2021, the requirement that State-issued identification must be compliant with the REAL ID Act of 2005 to be accepted by Federal agencies for certain purposes." The bill was introduced on March 17 and was co-sponsored by Sens. Gary Peters, D-Mich., Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore. It was referred to the S  more

WASHINGTON, March 20 -- Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., has introduced legislation (S. 3529) to "require States to establish contingency plans for the conduct of elections for Federal office in response to national disasters and emergencies." The bill was introduced on March 18 and has 25 co-sponsors. Co-sponsors include Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., Christopher Coons, D-Del., Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Co  more

WASHINGTON, March 18 -- Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., has introduced legislation (S. 3503) to "authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to treat certain programs of education converted to distance learning by reason of emergencies and health-related situations in the same manner as programs of education pursued at educational institutions." The bill was introduced on March 16 and has 29 co-sponsors. Co-sponsors include Sens. Jon Tester, D-Mont., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.,   more

WASHINGTON, March 19 -- Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., has introduced legislation (S. 3513) to "provide Americans with paid sick time and paid leave so that they can address their own health needs and the health needs of their families." The bill was introduced on March 17 and has 14 co-sponsors. Co-sponsors include Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill., Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Kam  more

WASHINGTON, March 21 -- Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., has introduced legislation (S. 3552) to "require the Secretary of Agriculture to provide payments to cattle producers to offset losses due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)." The bill was introduced on March 20 and has nine co-sponsors. Co-sponsors include Sens. Jon Tester, D-Mont., Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Tina Smith, D-Minn., John Hoeven, R-N.D., Steve Daines, R-Mont., Deb Fischer, R-Neb., Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., Kevin Cramer, R-N.D.,  more

WASHINGTON, March 21 -- Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., has introduced legislation (S. 3535) to "extend the due date for the return and payment of Federal income taxes to July 15, 2020, for taxable year 2019." The bill was introduced on March 19 and has 28 co-sponsors. Co-sponsors include Sens. Steve Daines, R-Mont., Angus S. King Jr., I-Maine, Richard Burr, R-N.C., Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Susan M. Collins, R-Maine, Margaret Wood Hassan, D-N.H., Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., Mike  more

WASHINGTON, March 21 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., has introduced legislation (S. 3549) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 "to provide advance tax refunds to small businesses." The bill was introduced on March 20 and was co-sponsored by Sen. Benjamin Cardin, D-Md. It was referred to the Senate Finance Committee. For more information, Sen. Ron Wyden, 221 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510; 202/224-5244; or in the state at 707 13th St. S.E., Ste. 285, Salem, OR 97301; 503/  more