Nursing homes must let visitors come during lockdowns with limits.
H.R. 9641 — Essential Caregivers Act of 2026 · Filed by Claudia Tenney (R-NY) · 57 cosponsors · Introduced Jul 13, 2026 · Reported out
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What it does
This bill requires nursing homes to let people pick two key visitors. These visitors can come in person even when the home stops regular visits. Homes can delay visits for 7 days and can refuse entry if a visitor is sick. Homes cannot stop visits at end of life. States must check complaints about visitor access within 3 days.
Who it affects
People in nursing homes and their loved ones gain the right to visit during lockdowns. Homes must set up health checks for visitors. States must handle complaints faster.
One thing to notice
Homes may pass new costs to people or payers. State offices may struggle to check complaints in 3 days.
From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.
Where it stands
57 cosponsors: 31 Republicans, 26 Democrats.
- Jul 13, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Jul 13, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means and House Committee on Energy and Commerce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a…”
- Jul 15, 2026 — Markup held in committee · Congress.gov: “Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held”
- Jul 15, 2026 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute by the Yeas and Nays: 38 - 0”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Words to know
- key visitors — Up to two people a person picks to visit in person during lockdowns.
- end of life — The time when a person is dying, when visits cannot be stopped.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (6,489 characters) on Jul 15, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 14,522 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-09-22.
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