Michelle's Law
Public Law 110-381 · H.R. 2851 · 110th Congress · began in the House
Signed by George W. Bush (R) on Oct 9, 2008 · Health
Sponsor: Rep. Paul Hodes (D-NH-2)
Cosponsors (150): Rep. Michael Castle, Rep. Carol Shea-Porter,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Michelle's Law - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit a group health plan from terminating coverage of a dependent child due to a medically necessary leave of absence from, or any other change in enrollment at, a postsecondary education institution that commences while such child is suffering from a serious illness or injury and that causes such child to lose student status for purposes of coverage under the plan, before the earlier of: (1) one year after the first day of the medically necessary leave of absence; or (2) the date on which such coverage would otherwise terminate under the terms of the plan. Requires written certification by the child's treating physician. Directs group health plans to include notice of the terms of this Act with any notice regarding a requirement for certification of student status for coverage under the plan.
Provides that coverage under this Act continues in the manner in which the participant or beneficiary is covered under the plan changes so long as the change of coverage continues to provide coverage of beneficiaries as dependent children.
Applies such requirement to coverage offered in the individual market.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Education and Workforce Committee · House · discharged from, referred toSubcommittee: Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee; Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcomittee- Energy and Commerce Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Health Subcommittee
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.
S. 400Related bill
Michelle's Law
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 27 actions.
- Oct 9, 2008Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 110-381.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Sep 30, 2008FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Sep 25, 2008FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions discharged by Unanimous Consent.
- OtherOther · Cleared for White House.
- Jul 31, 2008CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- Jul 30, 2008FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 2851.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Pallone moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 522.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Ways and Means discharged.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Education and Labor discharged.
- CommitteeCommittee · Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Energy and Commerce. H. Rept. 110-806, Part I.
- Jul 16, 2008CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 40 - 0.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Jul 9, 2008CommitteeCommittee · Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee (Amended) by Voice Vote .
- CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Sep 11, 2007CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness.
- Jul 3, 2007CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Trade.
- Jun 25, 2007CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Education and Labor, and Ways and Means, 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…
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.