H.R. 7423, America Reopens Act
Summary
H.R. 7423, the America Reopens Act, introduced in the House of Representatives on April 6, 2022 by Mr. Gimenez, Mrs. Cammack, Mr. Donalds and Ms. Salazar and referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, among others. The bill's stated purpose is to prohibit imposing certain COVID–19 face covering and vaccine mandates. One section bars any Federal agency or entity receiving Federal funds from imposing requirements to show proof of vaccination or testing or to wear a face covering when using a conveyance or transportation hub, and another concerns land ports of entry.
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Cite this document
“H.R. 7423, America Reopens Act.”
Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/bills-bills-117hr7423ih-bills-117hr7423ih/
, SHA-256 08fdecc2c9c452bee8e2052de362c225c32f09cb0d1fe3b507f2c9b006243bd8.Full text
I
117TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 7423
To prohibit imposing certain COVID–19 face covering and vaccine mandates,
and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APRIL 6, 2022
Mr. GIMENEZ (for himself, Mrs. CAMMACK, Mr. DONALDS, and Ms. SALAZAR)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committees on Transpor-
tation and Infrastructure, Energy and Commerce, and the Judiciary, for
a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee concerned
A BILL
To prohibit imposing certain COVID–19 face covering and
vaccine mandates, and for other purposes.
1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘America Reopens Act’’.
5 SEC. 2. TRANSPORTATION.
6 (a) TRAVEL.—Beginning on the date of the enact-
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7 ment of this Act and notwithstanding any other provision
8 of law, no Federal agency or any entity that receives Fed-
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2
1 eral funds shall impose any Federal requirement related
2 to COVID–19 that requires a citizen or alien lawfully ad-
3 mitted for permanent residence in the United States to
4 show proof of vaccination or recent COVID–19 testing or
5 wear a face covering when using any conveyance (as de-
6 fined in section 70.1 of title 42, Code of Federal Regula-
7 tions, or any successor regulation) or transportation hub.
8 (b) TRAVEL CLARIFICATION.—A citizen or alien law-
9 fully admitted for permanent residence in the United
10 States may travel domestically in the United States with-
11 out regard to COVID–19 vaccine status, testing, or wear-
12 ing a face covering, including citizens and such aliens re-
13 turning to the United States from a foreign country.
14 SEC. 3. LAND PORT OF ENTRY.
15 An individual who is a national of Canada or of Mex-
16 ico and is seeking to temporarily enter the United States
17 for business through a land port of entry of the United
18 States or who is involved in interstate commerce may
19 enter the United States without regard to COVID–19 vac-
20 cination status, including any commercial truck driver.
21 SEC. 4. TAXPAYER FUNDS.
22 No Federal funds may be used to develop, implement,
23 or enforce any COVID–19 vaccine passport system or
24 plan.
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1 SEC. 5. REQUIREMENTS FOR INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER
2 EDUCATION.
3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in subsection
4 (b), no funds shall be made available under any applicable
5 program to a public institution of higher education un-
6 less—
7 (1) in-person instruction is available to all stu-
8 dents at such institution; and
9 (2) a student may opt-out of any requirement
10 of the institution to wear a face covering, to be vac-
11 cinated against COVID–19, or to take a COVID–19
12 test.
13 (b) EXCEPTIONS.—
14 (1) CERTAIN DISTANCE EDUCATION PRO-
15 GRAMS.—The requirement of subsection (a)(1) shall
16 not apply to a course or program of study that an
17 institution offers via distance education for reasons
18 unrelated to COVID–19.
19 (2) HEALTH CARE FACILITIES.—The require-
20 ment of subsection (a)(2) shall not apply to—
21 (A) a medical school;
22 (B) a nursing school; or
23 (C) a health care facility that is—
24 (i) owned or operated by an institu-
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25 tion of higher education; or
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1 (ii) at which the institution carries out
2 academic programs.
3 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:
4 (1) APPLICABLE PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘appli-
5 cable program’’ has the meaning given the term in
6 section 400(c) of the General Education Provisions
7 Act (20 U.S.C. 1221(c)).
8 (2) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The
9 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the
10 meaning given that term in section 102 of the High-
11 er Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002).
12 SEC. 6. GRANTS FOR STUDENTS WITHOUT ACCESS TO IN-
13 PERSON INSTRUCTION.
14 (a) GRANTS FOR STUDENTS WITHOUT ACCESS TO
15 IN-PERSON INSTRUCTION.—From amounts made avail-
16 able under subsection (e), the Secretary of Education shall
17 carry out a program under which the parent of a child
18 who has an application approved by the Secretary under
19 subsection (c) shall receive a grant to pay certain edu-
20 cational expenses on behalf of such child.
21 (b) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive grant
22 under this section, the parent of a child shall submit an
23 application to the Secretary of Education at such time,
24 in such manner, and containing such information as the
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25 Secretary may require.
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1 (c) APPROVAL.—Subject to the availability of funds
2 to carry out this section, the Secretary of Education shall
3 make a grant under subsection (a) to the parent of a child
4 if—
5 (1) the parent submits a true and correct appli-
6 cation under subsection (b); and
7 (2) as part of such application the parent—
8 (A) certifies that the child does not have
9 access to in-person instruction at a public ele-
10 mentary school or public secondary school due
11 to COVID–19; and
12 (B) provides an assurance that the parent
13 will use the grant only for the purposes author-
14 ized under this section.
15 (d) USE OF FUNDS.—A parent who receives grant
16 under this section on behalf of a child may use the grant
17 to pay the following educational expenses:
18 (1) Costs of attendance for the child at a pri-
19 vate elementary school or private secondary school.
20 (2) Costs incurred by the parent to homeschool
21 the child.
22 (3) Such other educational expenses as may be
23 approved by the Secretary for purposes of this sub-
24 section.
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1 (e) FUNDING.—Notwithstanding any other provision
2 of law, this section shall be carried out using amounts
3 made available to the Secretary of Education under the
4 CARES Act (Public Law 116–136) that are unobligated
5 as of the date of the enactment of this Act and no addi-
6 tional amounts are authorized to be appropriated to carry
7 out this section.
8 (f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the terms ‘‘child’’,
9 ‘‘elementary school’’, ‘‘parent’’, ‘‘secondary school’’, and
10 ‘‘State’’ have the meanings given those terms in section
11 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
12 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
Æ
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