Before you vote › Federal bills

H.R. 9641: Essential Caregivers Act of 2026

119th Congress · introduced 2026-07-13 · Health · Latest: Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute by the Yeas and Nays: 38 - 0.

federal

Save to my notebook What does this mean? Print

Official title

Essential Caregivers Act of 2026

Plain summary

Essential Caregivers Act of 2026 This bill requires certain nursing and long-term care facilities to ensure residents have access to their designated essential caregivers during periods of restricted visitation. Specifically, the bill requires Medicare skilled nursing facilities, long-term care hospitals, and inpatient rehabilitation facilities, as well as Medicaid nursing facilities and intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities, to allow residents to designate two essential caregivers and to allow these caregivers in-person access to residents even when visitation is otherwise restricted. Facilities may limit access of essential caregivers only in accordance with guidance from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, as specified. Essential caregivers must agree to follow all safety protocols established by the facility, which may be no more restrictive than the protocols for staff.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

The strongest published arguments

Alternatives

Needs sources: no published alternatives yet (for example a different bill, a law instead of an amendment, or keeping current law). We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Tenney, Claudia [R-NY-24] · 90 cosponsors

Cost estimate: CBO cost estimate: H.R. 9641, Essential Caregivers Act (2026-08-20)

Cosponsors on this site

John B. Larson (D-CT), Mike Carey (R-OH), Jack Bergman (R-MI), Angie Craig (D-MN), Glenn Thompson (R-PA), Brian K. Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Sarah McBride (D-DE), Scott Franklin (R-FL), Christopher R. Deluzio (D-PA), Johnny Olszewski, Jr. (D-MD), Bruce Westerman (R-AR), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA), Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA), Maxwell Frost (D-FL), Aaron Bean (R-FL), W. Gregory Steube (R-FL), Clay Fuller (R-GA), Russ Fulcher (R-ID), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Gabe Vasquez (D-NM), Nicholas A. Langworthy (R-NY), Thomas R. Suozzi (D-NY), Michael Lawler (R-NY), Pat Harrigan (R-NC), Troy Balderson (R-OH), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Blake D. Moore (R-UT), James R. Walkinshaw (D-VA), Robert J. Wittman (R-VA), Sheri Biggs (R-SC), Tracey Mann (R-KS), Jahana Hayes (D-CT), Mark Alford (R-MO), Adelita S. Grijalva (D-AZ), Donald G. Davis (D-NC), John James (R-MI), Joseph D. Morelle (D-NY), John W. Mannion (D-NY), Rosa L. DeLauro (D-CT), Rudy Yakym III (R-IN), Brad Finstad (R-MN), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Melanie A. Stansbury (D-NM), Darin LaHood (R-IL), Michael Guest (R-MS), Young Kim (R-CA), Carol D. Miller (R-WV), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Trent Kelly (R-MS), Randy Fine (R-FL), James A. Himes (D-CT), Susie Lee (D-NV), Mike Kelly (R-PA), Steve Womack (R-AR), Janelle S. Bynum (D-OR), Joe Courtney (D-CT), Robert B. Aderholt (R-AL), Ralph Norman (R-SC), Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), Gary J. Palmer (R-AL) and 30 more.

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Tenney, Claudia [R-NY-24] reported raising $3.1 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

Sources

• Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
• Congress.gov
• Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-119hr9641.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/119/hr>

Record fed-us-cong119-hr9641 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong119 · updated 2026-11-04 by psicol fed-bills