No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act
Latest action. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act - Prohibits the expenditure of funds authorized or appropriated by federal law or funds in any trust fund to which funds are authorized or appropriated by federal law (federal funds) for any abortion.
Prohibits federal funds from being used for any health benefits coverage that includes coverage of abortion. (Currently, federal funds cannot be used for abortion services and plans receiving federal funds must keep federal funds segregated from any funds for abortion services.)
Prohibits the inclusion of abortion in any health care service furnished by a federal or District of Columbia health care facility or by any physician or other individual employed by the federal government or the District.
Excludes an abortion from such prohibitions if: (1) the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest; or (2) the woman suffers from a physical disorder, injury, or illness, including a life-endangering physical condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy itself, that would place her in danger of death unless an abortion is performed, as certified by a physician.
Applies such prohibitions to District of Columbia funds.
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to disqualify, for purposes of the tax deduction for medical expenses, any amounts paid for an abortion.
Excludes from the definition of "qualified health plan" after December 31, 2013, for purposes of the refundable tax credit for premium assistance for such plans, any plan that includes coverage for abortion.
Excludes from the definitions of "qualified health plan" and "health insurance coverage," for purposes of the tax credit for small employer health insurance expenses, any health plan or benefit that includes coverage for abortions.
Includes any reimbursements or distributions to pay for an abortion in the gross income of participants in flexible spending arrangements under a tax-exempt cafeteria plan, Archer Medical Savings Accounts (MSAs), and health savings accounts (HSAs).
Exempts from the application of such tax provisions: (1) abortions for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest or in cases where a woman suffers from a physical disorder, injury, or illness that would, as certified by a physician, endanger her life if an abortion were not performed; and (2) the treatment of any infection, injury, disease, or disorder that was caused by or exacerbated by the performance of an abortion.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on May 14, 2013. 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 May 14, 2013: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- 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 113th Congress (2013-14), 296 of the 9,091 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 3.3 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?
Roger Wicker (R-MS) introduced it on May 14, 2013, and 27 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 27 Republicans.
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 May 14, 2013, 4867 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 4867 days ago, on May 14, 2013.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 113th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2015 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
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers