3.0.0 6595 2023-01-11T13:43:08Z 2023-11-09T17:27:22Z House HR 2020-04-22 116 [Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 76 (Wednesday, April 22, 2020)][House]From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]By Mr. CASTRO of Texas:H.R. 6595.Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuantto the following:The Congress shall have power . . . To make all laws whichshall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution theforegoing powers, and all other powers vested by thisConstitution in the government of the United States, or inany department or officer thereof.[Page H1904]]]> hsfa00 Foreign Affairs Committee House Standing Referred to 2020-04-22T17:01:00Z Expanding Vital American Citizen Services Overseas (EVACS) Act of 2020 116 4026 S 2020-06-22 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. Identical bill CRS 2020-04-22 Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. IntroReferral H11100 2 House floor actions hsfa00 Foreign Affairs Committee 2020-04-22 Introduced in House IntroReferral Intro-H 9 Library of Congress 2020-04-22 Introduced in House IntroReferral 1000 9 Library of Congress C001091 Rep. Castro, Joaquin [D-TX-20] Joaquin Castro D TX 20 N International Affairs Cardiovascular and respiratory health Congressional oversight Department of State Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad Emergency medical services and trauma care Emergency planning and evacuation Employee hiring Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management Health technology, devices, supplies Infectious and parasitic diseases Transportation costs Travel and tourism Visas and passports Worker safety and health World health International Affairs 00 2020-04-22 Introduced in House 2021-01-06T17:06:23Z Expanding Vital American Citizen Services Overseas (EVACS) Act of 2020

This bill establishes requirements for the Department of State to expand American Citizen Services at U.S. embassies, consulates, and missions worldwide during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic.

American Citizen Services are the range of services provided by the State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs, such as emergency passports, consular reports of birth abroad, emergency financial assistance, and repatriation.

The State Department must petition the government of any country that closes borders and airspace or establishes travel restrictions due to COVID-19 to make provisions with the appropriate U.S. consular service in that country to ensure U.S. citizens, nationals, lawful permanent residents, or the immediate family members of such persons can travel to U.S. government evacuation points or access commercial travel. The State Department must also waive or reimburse certain repatriation travel expenses incurred due to COVID-19.

Further, the State Department must

  • provide U.S. embassies, consulates, and other diplomatic missions with explicit guidance to protect American lives abroad during the COVID-19 pandemic,
  • increase certain consular affairs staffing,
  • develop a comprehensive plan for COVID-19 infection risk mitigation procedures for all persons under chief of mission authority at overseas posts,
  • regularly report on the Bureau of Consular Affairs' response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and
  • prioritize regular and continued hiring of Foreign Service officers and specialists.
]]> Expanding Vital American Citizen Services Overseas (EVACS) Act of 2020 Display Title Expanding Vital American Citizen Services Overseas (EVACS) Act of 2020 Official Title as Introduced To expedite and expand provision of American Citizen Services worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic, and for other purposes. Introduced in House IH Short Title(s) as Introduced Expanding Vital American Citizen Services Overseas (EVACS) Act of 2020 Introduced in House IH Introduced in House 2020-04-22T04:00:00Z https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-116hr6595ih/xml/BILLS-116hr6595ih.xml 2020-04-22 Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress This file contains bill summaries and statuses for federal legislation. A bill summary describes the most significant provisions of a piece of legislation and details the effects the legislative text may have on current law and federal programs. Bill summaries are authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. As stated in Public Law 91-510 (2 USC 166 (d)(6)), one of the duties of CRS is "to prepare summaries and digests of bills and resolutions of a public general nature introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives". For more information, refer to the User Guide that accompanies this file.