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Expanding Capacity for Health Outcomes Act

Public Law 114-270 · S. 2873 · 114th Congress · began in the Senate

Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Dec 14, 2016 · Health

Sponsor: Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT)

Cosponsors (16): Sen. Brian Schatz,

Passage votesYeaNay

  • HouseVoice vote
  • SenateRecorded vote: 97 yea, 0 nay97–0
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.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Expanding Capacity for Health Outcomes Act or the ECHO Act

(Sec. 3) This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to report on technology-enabled collaborative learning and capacity building models, which connect specialists to primary care providers through videoconferencing to facilitate case-based learning, dissemination of best practices, and evaluation of outcomes.

The report must include: (1) an analysis of the use, integration, and impact of such models; (2) a list of such models recently funded by HHS; (3) recommendations to reduce barriers to adoption of such models; (4) opportunities for adoption of such models into HHS programs; and (5) recommendations regarding the role of such models in continuing medical education.

Who voted for it

Every senator of the 114th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 97 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

97 yea0 nay3 present or did not vote

ProEstablishmentAnti
Economic left–right
More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(45)

Republicans who voted yea(52)

Data notes

The Senate’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 493 in Voteview), matched to the vote the record cites and checked against its totals. Positions are each member’s DW-NOMINATE score for that Congress, as on the Ideology page; left to right is more liberal to more conservative. Paired and announced yea votes count as yea. Lists follow the compass, most liberal first. A name links to a profile only for members of the current Congress. A law passed by voice vote or unanimous consent has no member list, and neither does a vote Voteview has not yet recorded.

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Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

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.

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Related bills

1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.

  • H.R. 5395Identical bill

    Expanding Capacity for Health Outcomes Act

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.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 16 actions.

  1. Dec 14, 2016Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 114-270.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Dec 8, 2016FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Dec 6, 2016FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  5. FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
  6. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 2873.
  7. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  8. FloorFloor · Mr. Burgess moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
  9. Nov 29, 2016FloorFloor · Received in the House.
  10. FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  11. FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Yea-Nay Vote. 97 - 0. Record Vote Number: 154.Senate roll call 154
  12. FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
  13. CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
  14. CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions discharged by Unanimous Consent.
  15. Apr 28, 2016CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  16. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
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.

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Amendments

1 amendment offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.

  • S.Amdt. 5110SenateSen. Lamar AlexanderR-TN· offered Nov 17, 2016Agreed to

    In the nature of a substitute.

    Nov 29, 2016: Amendment SA 5110 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.

    Agreed to
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.

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Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.