Nurs490assignm4week5

Review of a Bill Assignment – S. 3846: COVID-19 Pandemic Moment of Silence Act

This paper reviews the proposed COVID-19 Pandemic Moment of Silence Act. It provides a thorough summary of the bill and its intended outcomes on the nation. The paper further provides the background legislation of this bill and in-depth analysis. It details a history of actions related to the bill and finalizes by revealing and analyzing the key supporters of this bill as well as their supporting arguments. This paper will also consider the impact the bill has on professional nursing.

Summary of the Bill

The bill, COVID-19 Pandemic Moment of Silence Act got sponsored by the Senator for Hawaii, Brian Schatz. Senator Schatz serves with the Democratic party. He has been in office since 2012 and has already publicized his plans for reelection in 2022 through media (GovTrack, 2020). Senator Schatz was appointed to hold the Senator's office by the sitting governor of the Hawaii State, Neil Abercrombie, after the death of former Senator Daniel Inouye. Senator Schatz sponsored the COVID-19 Pandemic Moment of Silence Act and suggested that it would be a great way to observe the many lives lost in the U.S. due to the current severe COVID-19 pandemic. The bill got introduced to Congress on 1st June 2020. The Senate has already passed the bill, and approval is now awaited from the House of Representatives so that the President can finally enact the bill into law. The significant provisions of the bill are to allow the U.S. president to issue a proclamation that calls on the people of America to observe a moment of silence on 1st June at noon, as a way of respecting the memory of the more than 100,000 lives lost due to the COVID-19 and the families of the deceased. Eighteen more Senators helped Schatz to sponsor the bill in Congress, such as Marsha Blackburn, Lisa Murkowski, Richard J. Durbin, Sheldon Whitehouse, Tina Smith, Micheal Bennet, Tummy Duckworth, Jeanne Shaheen, and Tim Kaine.       

History Related to Legislation

This bill got initiated in response to the current global pandemic, COVID-19, which has led to the death of hundreds of thousands around the world. According to the CDC (2020), nearly 2 million people around the U.S. have tested positive with COVID-19. The pandemic has resulted in almost 110,000 American deaths (CDC, 2020). The entire globe is shocked because of COVID-19's high rate of spread. Many countries have had to initiate curfews and lockdowns to limit the spread of the virus. The first case of COVID-19 got discovered in Wuhan, China. Once the infection spread rapidly across the globe, it disrupted every state's normal social, cultural, political, and economic functioning. Members of the Senate unanimously consented to the passing of this legislation (GovTrack, 2020). The bill awaits getting passed by the House Representatives and getting signed into law by the U.S. president. 

Supporters and Non-Supporters

COVID-19 has displayed its wrath throughout, not only in the U.S. but the entire globe. It is a public health issue rather than an ordinary political issue that sparks heated debate among citizens and politicians. Everyone is scared of this infectious disease because it is not biased, and it does not spare, whether big or all, rich or poor or even in authority or not. The patterns of the disease's progression have shown that everyone is vulnerable and can be affected. Therefore, indeed the supporters of this bill are almost every American citizen or legislator. Everyone can attest that things are no longer the way they used to be since the global pandemic hit America. For example, the deterioration of the economy has resulted in poor outcomes for most individuals because they are now struggling to sustain their livelihoods. Most businesses, such as hotels and dance clubs, have had to shut down to limit the spread of the disease. Therefore, it is hard to spot any person that could be against such a bill. The COVID-19 pandemic will get marked as one of the most crucial events throughout history, just like the 1918 Influenza pandemic that led to the death of millions around the globe. Without a doubt, individuals that support this bill are obviously after commemorating the deaths caused by COVID-19. Hardly would anyone deny the passing of this bill into law. Even the GovTrack (2020) website claims that the proposed legislation has up to 94% chances of being enacted into law. 

Key Stakeholders

Of course, the bill's key stakeholders are the civilians themselves because COVID-19 is a public health issue. It has affected the U.S. as a whole. There are limited stakeholders in this case because there are no individual or private parties with a vested interest in seeing the bill transform into law. In essence, there is no loss or profit to gain suppose the bill gets signed into law or not. 

The Bill's Impact on a Nurse

The bill impacts professional nursing practice by the sense that it takes into consideration the severe challenges that practitioners go through in maintaining public health. Nurses are always the frontline staff in providing care. Furthermore, they represent the most significant healthcare staff, and they spend the most time with patients. It is essential to acknowledge that they too have suffered amidst this COVID-19 outbreak. Many have placed their life on the line in fighting the infectious disease. According to Feibel (2020), the fight against COVID-19 has resulted in the death of about 300 healthcare workers in the U.S. The presented bill has no impact on a nurse's ability to provide quality care. However, nurses can lobby policymakers to pass the legislation because commemorating the dead will also reflect the struggle that they go through in maintaining public health.   

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