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ALS Disability Insurance Access Act of 2019

Public Law 116-250 · S. 578 · 116th Congress · began in the Senate

Signed by Donald Trump (R) on Dec 22, 2020 · Social Welfare

Sponsor: Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)

Cosponsors (67): Sen. Tom Cotton,

Passage votesYeaNay

  • HouseVoice vote
  • SenateRecorded vote: 96 yea, 1 nay96–1
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.

ALS Disability Insurance Access Act of 2019

This bill eliminates the five-month waiting period for disability benefits under the Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program for individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (a progressive neurodegenerative disease, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord). Under current law, individuals must wait five months after becoming disabled before their disability insurance benefit payments may begin.

Who voted for it

Every senator of the 116th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 96 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

96 yea1 nay3 present or did not vote

ProEstablishmentAnti
Economic left–right
More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(46)

Republicans who voted yea(50)

Data notes

The Senate’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 678 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. 1407Related bill

    ALS Disability Insurance Access Act of 2019

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 22, 2020Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 116-250.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Dec 11, 2020FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Dec 8, 2020FloorFloor · 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. 578.
  7. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  8. FloorFloor · Mr. Larson (CT) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
  9. Dec 3, 2020FloorFloor · Held at the desk.
  10. FloorFloor · Received in the House.
  11. FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  12. Dec 2, 2020FloorFloor · Passed Senate, under the order of 12/01/20, having achieved 60 votes in the affirmative, without amendment by Yea-Nay Vote. 96 - 1. Record Vote Number: 250.Senate roll call 250
  13. FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
  14. CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on Finance discharged by Unanimous Consent.
  15. Feb 27, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
  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. 2689SenateSen. Chuck GrassleyR-IA· offered Dec 2, 2020Rejected

    To increase the overpayment collection threshold for old-age, survivors, and disability insurance benefits.

    Dec 2, 2020: Amendment SA 2689, under the order of 12/01/20, not having achieved 60 votes in the affirmative, was not agreed to in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 48 - 49. Record Vote Number: 249.

    Rejected
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.