{"format":1,"id":"117-hr-4738","congress":117,"number":"H.R. 4738","kind":"bill","group":"bills","title":"COVID–19 American History Project Act","title_source":"Short Title(s) as Passed House","official_title":"To direct the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress to establish a history project to collect video and audio recordings of personal histories and testimonials, written materials, and photographs of those who were affected by COVID-19, and for other purposes.","titles":[{"type":"Official Title as Introduced","title":"To direct the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress to establish a history project to collect video and audio recordings of personal histories and testimonials, written materials, and photographs of those who were affected by COVID-19, and for other purposes."},{"type":"Short Titles from RFS (Referred to Senate) bill text","title":"COVID–19 American History Project Act"},{"type":"Display Title","title":"COVID–19 American History Project Act"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Passed House","title":"COVID–19 American History Project Act"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Introduced","title":"COVID–19 American History Project Act"}],"outcome":"passed_house","law_number":null,"introduced":"2021-07-28","chambers":{"house":{"status":"roll_call","date":"2022-03-29","vote":{"id":"117-2022-h89","question":"On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended","title":"COVID-19 American History Project Act","result":"Passed","yea":376,"nay":47,"present":0,"not_voting":8,"source":"https://clerk.house.gov/evs/2022/roll089.xml"}},"senate":{"status":"na","date":null,"vote":null}},"president":{"status":"na","date":null},"vice_president_tie_breaker":null,"latest_action":{"text":"Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.","date":"2022-03-30"},"nominees":null,"amendments":[],"other_votes":[],"crs_summary":{"date":"2022-03-29","stage":"Passed House","blocks":[{"k":"h","t":"COVID-19 American History Project Act"},{"k":"p","t":"This bill directs the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress to establish a history project to be known as the COVID-19 American History Project to collect and make publicly available individual stories and records of experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. The bill includes a requirement to collect video and audio recordings of personal histories and testimonials of those who were affected by the pandemic."},{"k":"p","t":"The Librarian of Congress may solicit and accept donations of funds and in-kind contributions to carry out the project, subject to this bill."}],"words":98},"summary":{"main_subject":{"text":"Directs the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress to establish the COVID-19 American History Project to collect recordings, written materials and photographs of the personal histories of people affected by COVID-19.","cites":[{"label":"Sec. 3","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4738/text/eh#H3764075306B74511856B521A1A1781E1"}]},"core_areas":["COVID-19 oral history and records collection at the American Folklife Center","Public access to the collected recordings, written materials and photographs","Donations and a gift account for the project","Authorization of appropriations for the project"],"what_it_does":[{"text":"Directs the Director of the American Folklife Center to establish the COVID-19 American History Project to collect video and audio recordings of personal histories and testimonials of people who contracted COVID-19, people who lost family members to it, and frontline healthcare workers.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 3","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4738/text/eh#H3764075306B74511856B521A1A1781E1"}},{"text":"Requires a collection of the recordings, including a catalog and index, to be available for public use through the National Digital Library of the Library of Congress and other methods the Director considers appropriate, to the extent feasible and subject to available resources.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 3","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4738/text/eh#H3764075306B74511856B521A1A1781E1"}},{"text":"Directs the Director to solicit, reproduce and collect written materials, such as letters and diaries, and photographs relevant to those personal histories, and to catalog them in a manner the Director considers appropriate.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 3","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4738/text/eh#H3764075306B74511856B521A1A1781E1"}},{"text":"Allows the Director to carry out collection of recordings and of written materials and photographs through agreements and partnerships with other government and private entities.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 3","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4738/text/eh#H3764075306B74511856B521A1A1781E1"}},{"text":"Allows the Librarian of Congress to solicit and accept donations of funds and in-kind contributions for the Project, and establishes a Treasury gift account for the Project that is available only as provided in advance in appropriations Acts.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 4","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4738/text/eh#HEFFA779D10E74EAC88B4CBBAC9F1C3A4"}},{"text":"Authorizes $250,000 for fiscal year 2023 and such sums as may be necessary for each later fiscal year, with no funds authorized for fiscal years beginning after 3 years from the termination of the public health emergency declared on January 31, 2020.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 5","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4738/text/eh#H21B8172738EF4663A59B24C65DC6763B"}}],"unexpected":[{"category":"process_change","items":[{"cite":{"label":"Sec. 6","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4738/text/eh#HF5C0BDD396CA43628FF89C914021A823"},"heading":"Determination of budgetary effects","effect":"Sets how the budgetary effects of this Act are determined under the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, by reference to a statement printed in the Congressional Record by the House Budget Committee Chairman.","amount":null,"quote":"The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall be determined by reference to the latest statement titled"}]}],"version":{"type":"Engrossed in House","date":"2022-03-29","rule":"passed","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4738/text/eh"},"current":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","approved":"2026-10-15","approved_by":"checks"},"sources":{"congress_gov":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4738","text":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4738/text"},"card":{"image":"card/item/117-hr-4738.png","v":"cb9c7a276d33","alt":"Votes on Record. H.R. 4738, 117th Congress: COVID–19 American History Project Act. House: 376 Yea, 47 Nay. Outcome: Passed House, 29 Mar 2022."}}