Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act of 2021
Summary
Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act of 2021 This bill generally prohibits the federal government, states, tribal nations, or localities from discriminating or taking adverse action against a child welfare provider that declines to provide services due to the provider's sincerely held religious beliefs or moral convictions. However, government entities may still take adverse action against a provider that declines to provide adoption or foster care services based on race, color, or national origin. The Department of Health and Human Services must withhold a portion of federal funding for family services and child welfare activities from a government entity that discriminates against a child welfare provider in violation of this bill. Child welfare providers may also sue the government entity for such discrimination. A prevailing provider may recover reasonable attorney's fees and costs. Furthermore, government entities that accept certain federal funding for family services and child welfare activities must waive sovereign immunity as a defense to lawsuits brought under this bill. (In many cases, sovereign immunity shields states, territories, tribal nations, and some localities against private suits.)
Bill status
in committee
1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2021
Committee Review
Floor Vote
President
Introduced Mar 10, 2021
Last action Mar 10, 2021
Floor votes
How they voted
No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
2
Key actions
0
Committee
1
Mar 10, 2021
Committee
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
upper
Mar 10, 2021
Introduced
Introduced in Senate
upper
1 primary · 25 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Tim Scott
RRepublican
Co
Ben Sasse
RRepublican
Co
Bill Cassidy
RRepublican
Co
Bill Hagerty
RRepublican
Co
Cindy Hyde-Smith
RRepublican
Co
James E. Risch
RRepublican
Co
James Lankford
RRepublican
Co
James M. Inhofe
RRepublican
Co
John Boozman
RRepublican
Co
John Cornyn
RRepublican
Co
John Hoeven
RRepublican
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