Henrietta Lacks Enhancing Cancer Research Act of 2019
Public Law 116-291 · H.R. 1966 · 116th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Donald Trump (R) on Jan 5, 2021 · Health
Sponsor: Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD-7)
Cosponsors (78): Rep. John Sarbanes, Rep. A. Dutch Ruppersberger,
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.
Henrietta Lacks Enhancing Cancer Research Act of 2019
This bill requires the Government Accountability Office to complete a study reviewing how federal agencies address barriers to participation in federally-funded cancer clinical trials by individuals from underrepresented populations and provide recommendations for addressing such barriers.
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.
Related bills
2 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.
H.R. 6637Related bill
Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2020
S. 946Identical bill
Henrietta Lacks Enhancing Cancer Research 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.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 17 actions.
- Jan 5, 2021Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 116-291.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Dec 24, 2020FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Dec 20, 2020FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Dec 18, 2020FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions discharged by Unanimous Consent.
- Dec 10, 2020CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- Dec 9, 2020FloorFloor · 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. 1966.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Pallone moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Oct 2, 2020FloorFloor · ASSUMING FIRST SPONSORSHIP - Mr. Mfume asked unanimous consent that he may hereafter be considered as the first sponsor of H.R. 1966, a bill originally introduced by Representative Cummings, for the purpose of adding cosponsors and requesting reprintings pursuant to clause 7 of …
- Mar 29, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.
- Mar 28, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, and Veterans' Affairs, 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 commi…
- 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.