Who it affects
- Residents of covered care facilities
- Residents’ designated essential caregivers
- Covered Medicare and Medicaid care facilities
In committeeHealth careDisability services
Essential Caregivers Act of 2026
H.R. 9641 · House bill · Introduced July 13, 2026
The Essential Caregivers Act of 2026 would require certain care facilities to let residents receive visits from two designated caregivers during visitation restrictions.
At a glance
Where it stands
In committee
How South Carolina voted
No recorded votes yet.
See each vote ↓Lobbying and money
No lobbying reported yet
Lobbyists report every three months, about 20 days after each quarter ends. We have January 2025 through September 2026 reports. Newer reports will be added once filed and published.
What it would do
- Residents could designate two essential caregivers who must be allowed in-person visits even when other visits are restricted.
- The requirement covers certain Medicare and Medicaid nursing, long-term care, rehabilitation, and intellectual disability care facilities.
- Facilities could limit caregiver access only as allowed by guidance from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
- Caregivers must agree to follow facility safety rules.
- Those rules could be no stricter than rules for staff.
Written with AI from the official summary by Congress's research office.
How South Carolina voted
No recorded roll-call vote on this bill yet.
Groups that lobbied on it and gave to SC's members
PAC, lobbyist campaign and qualifying employee money this election, shown separately and never added together. Lobbying reports name the bills a group worked on, not which side it took.
No lobbying reported yet. Lobbyists report every three months, about 20 days after each quarter ends. We have January 2025 through September 2026 reports. Newer reports will be added once filed and published.
Official record
Official title, sponsor and status
- Official title
- To amend titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act to require certain facilities to permit visits from an essential caregiver during certain periods.
- Sponsor
- Rep. Tenney, Claudia (R-NY)
- Introduced
- July 13, 2026
- Cosponsors
- 101
- Committees
- House Ways and Means Committee; House Energy and Commerce Committee
- Latest action
- July 15, 2026 · Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute by the Yeas and Nays: 38 - 0.
Official summary from the Congressional Research Service
Essential Caregivers Act of 2026 This bill requires certain nursing and long-term care facilities to ensure residents have access to their designated essential caregivers during periods of restricted visitation. Specifically, the bill requires Medicare skilled nursing facilities, long-term care hospitals, and inpatient rehabilitation facilities, as well as Medicaid nursing facilities and intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities, to allow residents to designate two essential caregivers and to allow these caregivers in-person access to residents even when visitation is otherwise restricted. Facilities may limit access of essential caregivers only in accordance with guidance from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, as specified. Essential caregivers must agree to follow all safety protocols established by the facility, which may be no more restrictive than the protocols for staff.
Summary on Congress.gov ↗Everyone who lobbied on this bill (0 groups)
No lobbying report we have loaded names this bill. That doesn't mean no lobbying took place.
Lobbyists report every three months, about 20 days after each quarter ends. We have January 2025 through September 2026 reports. Newer reports will be added once filed and published. Reports for October through December 2026 are due January 20, 2027.