Pandemic-Related Provisions Expiring in the 117th Congress. CRS Report R46704, Version 5. Updated

Since March 2020, a number of laws have been enacted to provide relief to people and businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. These include the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA; P.L. 116-127) and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act; P.L. 116-136), both enacted in March 2020; the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (P.L. 116-260), enacted in December 2020; and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA; P.L. 117-2), enacted in March 2021. The laws enacted in response to the pandemic include a wide array of provisions, some of which are amendments to existing programs, benefits, and authorities, and others that are newly established. Many of these provisions were enacted on a temporary basis, where Congress specified an expiration date or a limited period during which they would remain in effect. Some provisions had been set to expire in 2020 or 2021 and were extended with the enactment of P.L. 116-260 or P.L. 117-2, both of which also established a number of additional pandemic relief provisions. For certain other provisions, Congress specified that availability would be tied to the duration of a declared emergency or disaster. This report identifies provisions enacted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that are set to expire during the 117th Congress (i.e., before January 3, 2023). These provisions are presented in a series of tables organized by subject matter. The expiring provisions that are within the scope of this report are primarily those that define the authority of government agencies or other entities to act, usually by authorizing a policy, project, or activity. These include provisions that temporarily suspend or delay the period during which a provision of law, regulation, requirement, or deadline is in effect; establish a moratorium on a particular activity; or provide authorization for certain provisions of law, regulation, or other requirements to be waived.