Territorial Equity Act of 2021
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Territorial Equity Act of 2021
This bill alters provisions relating to the treatment of U.S. territories under Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare Advantage, the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, and other federal assistance programs.
The bill modifies provisions under several health care programs with respect to U.S. territories. Among other changes, the bill
eliminates Medicaid funding limitations for U.S. territories beginning in FY2022,
repeals provisions that exclude residents of Puerto Rico from a certain automatic enrollment process for Medicare medical services,
establishes minimum criteria for certain elements used in Medicare Advantage payment calculations for areas within U.S. territories, and
allows residents of U.S. territories who are unable to obtain health insurance through their employer or a health insurance exchange to instead obtain coverage that is at least as broad as the coverage available to Members of Congress and their staff through the District of Columbia exchange.
The bill also modifies provisions under other federal assistance programs. Among other changes, the bill
allows Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands to participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program);
makes residents of Puerto Rico eligible for the federal earned income tax credit; and
extends the SSI program to Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, and American Samoa.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on April 20, 2021. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on June 15, 2021: Referred to the Subcommittee on Nutrition, Oversight, and Department Operations.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 117th Congress (2021-22), 362 of the 15,242 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.4 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
NYDIA VELAZQUEZ (D-NY) introduced it on April 20, 2021, and 4 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 4 Democrats.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on April 20, 2021, 1969 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 1913 days ago, on June 15, 2021.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 117th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2023 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers