Strengthening and Amplifying Vaccination Efforts to Locally Immunize All Veterans and Every Spouse Act
Public Law 117-4 · H.R. 1276 · 117th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Joe Biden (D) on Mar 24, 2021 · Armed Forces and National Security
Sponsor: Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA-41)
Cosponsors (54): Rep. Mike Bost, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz,
Passage votes
- HouseUnanimous consent
- SenateVoice vote
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.
Strengthening and Amplifying Vaccination Efforts to Locally Immunize All Veterans and Every Spouse Act or the SAVE LIVES Act
This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to furnish a COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) vaccine to covered individuals during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
Under the bill, covered individuals are
• veterans who are not eligible to enroll in the VA health care system;
• specified veterans who are eligible for hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care abroad;
• beneficiaries who are eligible for care due to a specified disability or death of a veteran;
• family caregivers of veterans who are participating in the VA's Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers;
• caregivers of veterans participating in the VA's Program of General Caregiver Support Services;
• caregivers of veterans participating in the VA's Medical Foster Home Program, Bowel and Bladder Program, Home Based Primary Care Program, or Veteran Directed Care Program; and
• the spouses of veterans.
The VA must prioritize the vaccination of (1) veterans who are enrolled in the VA health care system, (2) veterans who fail to enroll but receive hospital care and medical services for specified disabilities in their first 12 months of separation from service, and (3) caregivers accompanying such prioritized veterans.
Under the bill, the VA is authorized to determine the timing for offering a vaccine to the spouse of a veteran.
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
1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.
S. 682Related bill
SAVE LIVES 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.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 19 actions.
- Jun 16, 2021CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
- Mar 24, 2021Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 117-4.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Mar 23, 2021FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Mar 19, 2021Resolving differencesResolving differences · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · On motion that the House agree to the Senate amendment Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Takano asked unanimous consent to take the bill, H.R. 1276, from the Speaker's Table and agree to the Senate amendment.
- OtherOther · Resolving differences -- House actions: On motion that the House agree to the Senate amendment Agreed to without objection.
- Mar 18, 2021FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Mar 17, 2021FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- Mar 10, 2021CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate, read twice.
- Mar 9, 2021FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On passage Passed without objection.
- FloorFloor · Considered by unanimous consent.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Takano asked unanimous consent to discharge from committee and consider.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Veterans' Affairs discharged.
- Feb 24, 2021CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
- 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
2 amendments offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.
- Agreed to
H.Amdt. 27HouseRep. Mark TakanoD-CA-41· offered Mar 9, 2021Agreed to
Mar 9, 2021: On agreeing to the Takano amendment (A001) Agreed to without objection.
- Agreed to
S.Amdt. 1400SenateSen. Jon TesterD-MT· offered Mar 17, 2021Agreed to
In the nature of a substitute.
Mar 17, 2021: Amendment SA 1400 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.
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.