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Dan Bishop rose to prominence through his sponsorship of North Carolina’s so-called “Bathroom Bill.” While Bishop benefited politically from his decision to use the government to meddle in people’s bathroom choices, the people of North Carolina suffered after businesses and tourists pulled $3.7 billion in economic activity. Since then, Bishop has had his hand involved in some of the most extreme Republican issues of the past five years. Bishop cut food assistance benefits to 55,000 North Carolina children despite the program not costing the state anything. Bishop was also an opponent of lower healthcare costs during his time in the state legislature, voting against regulating Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) and requiring insurance companies to cover new cancer drugs. In Congress, Bishop opposed the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion. He continually supported bills and programs that would raise the price of health care and prescription drugs. On women’s healthcare, Bishop has been a strong opponent of abortion rights, including his sponsorship of the Life at Conception Act which put IVF treatment at risk. Despite his conservative views, Bishop has surprisingly opposed multiple crime bills during his time in Congress, including those to strengthen local police and address human trafficking. Bishop even invested in a right-wing social media site that was shut down after it was used by the 2018 Pittsburgh Synagogue Mass Shooter. Bishop supported efforts to overturn the 2020 election and leaked the name of a whistleblower during Trump’s first impeachment. Bishop opposed student loan forgiveness and signed onto a brief in a lawsuit to overturn Biden's plan to forgive the debts of millions of Americans. Bishop consistently portrayed himself as a stalwart champion of law enforcement and pledged to restore law and order, oppose legislation that defunded the police, and support law enforcement officials. However, Bishop voted several times against legislation that supported victims of crimes including children, domestic assault survivors, and 9/11 victims. Dan Bishop is an extreme ideologue who has proven in the past to be willing to sacrifice his constituent’s well-being to advance his agenda. Combined with his total allegiance to Trump, Bishop will enable the administration’s worst-instincts. |
2016: North Carolina’s ‘Bathroom Bill” Invalidate Legal Protections For LGBTQ People To Use Which Bathroom They Wanted. According to the Charlotte Observer, "The N.C. General Assembly on Wednesday approved a bill that invalidates Charlotte’s new legal protections for LGBT individuals, doing far more than striking down a controversial provision that allowed transgender people to use the bathroom of the gender with which they identify. Gov. Pat McCrory signed it into law hours later. The vote in the House was 84-25 after three hours of debate, with all Republicans voting for it and 11 Democrats breaking ranks with their party to support the bill.” [Charlotte Observer, 3/23/16]
2016: Dan Bishop Was The Sponsor Of North Carolina’s “Bathroom Bill.” According to the Charlotte Observer, "Before March, Rep. Dan Bishop was a freshman Republican legislator who largely was unknown outside of Mecklenburg County, where he’d previously been a county commissioner. That changed when House Speaker Tim Moore had Bishop sponsor House Bill 2, the law that has since drawn international attention. Bishop’s role in developing and lobbying for the bill has landed him on CNN and MSNBC and made him a lightning rod for criticism." [Charlotte Observer, 4/23/16]
The “Bathroom Bill” Cost North Carolina Over $3.7 Billion In Business And Tourism. According to Intelligencer, "The front-runner in limited public polling and the best-financed Republican in the race is State Senator Dan Bishop, a staunch conservative who gained some unsavory national attention as the author of North Carolina’s so-called bathroom bill, a law designed to force transgender folk to use restroom facilities denoted for the gender on their birth certificates. It was partially repealed in 2017 after Bishop’s bill earned the state terrible publicity and the loss of convention, tourism, and other business, with cost estimates reaching $3.7 billion." [Intelligencer, 5/13/19]
Dan Bishop Fundraised Off Of The Backlash To The Bathroom Bill. According to the Charlotte Observer, "Bishop has cited the backlash over HB2 in his fundraising emails: 'They’ve called my home,' he said. 'Threatened my business. And, of course, threatened my election. … they want to make us into a national example – SO THAT NO ONE WILL EVER STAND UP to the radical transgender agenda again.'" [Charlotte Observer, 4/23/16]
2017: Dan Bishop Voted To Cut Food Assistance Benefits To 133,000 North Carolinas Including 55,000 Children. In 2017, Dan Bishop voted for a bill that, according to WRAL, "could mean the end of federal food assistance for tens of thousands of low-income North Carolina households. Officials at the state Department of Health and Human Services estimate the change would cut food benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, to 133,000 people – 55,000 of them under 18. In 2010, during the depths of the recession, North Carolina expanded its eligibility as permitted under federal law. The state extended coverage to households earning between 133 and 200 percent of the federal poverty level that were also receiving some other public assistance, such as disability payments. A provision in Senate Bill 257 would roll that expansion back. Section 11C.11.c on page 142 of the budget bill would ban DHHS from granting 'categorical eligibility,' also known as broad-based or extended eligibility, 'unless expressly required by federal law.' Federal law covers only individuals who earn less than 133 percent of the federal poverty level and who also receive other assistance." The bill passed the State Senate by a vote of 34 - 14. [North Carolina General Assembly, Senate Roll Call #352, 6/27/17; WRAL, 5/15/17]
2017: Dan Bishop Was The Only Vote Against A Bill To Lower Healthcare Costs In North Carolina. In 2017, Dan Bishop voted against a bill that, according to North Carolina Health News, would address, "Pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) are the big companies that most patients don’t know exist. They’re big companies with fat profits that act as middlemen between insurers and patients. Those profits are generated by charging fees to insurance companies to handle the pesky business of getting drugs to patients on one side, and by using their large size to negotiate lower prices with drugmakers. And while patients may pay lower prices for their medications, pharmacists – in particular independent pharmacists – often feel squeezed by PBMs. That’s what’s behind bills (House Bill 466 and companion Senate Bill 384) making their way through the state legislature in Raleigh that would give independent pharmacies a little bit of leverage in their negotiations with PBMs. [...] That’s one of the changes HB 466 would make, prohibiting a PBM from collecting money from patients over and above what was billed by the pharmacy.The bill would also allow local pharmacists to discuss lower-priced options with their patients, something that many PBM contracts currently prohibit." The bill passed that State Senate by a vote of 45 to 1. [North Carolina General Assembly, Senate Roll Call #451, 6/28/17; North Carolina Health News, 4/27/17]
2015: Dan Bishop Voted Against Requiring Insurance Providers To Cover Newer Cancer Drugs. In 2015, Dan Bishop voted against a bill that, according to WRAL, "to require insurance companies to offer the same coverage and co-pays for newer, pricier oral chemotherapy drugs as they do for older, less-expensive intravenous chemotherapy drugs. House Bill 306 sponsor Rep. David Lewis, R-Harnett, said that, while orally administered chemotherapy is becoming a treatment standard for many cancers, and in some cases is the only option, out-of-pocket costs for oral chemo drugs under many insurance plans are far higher than for IV drugs. 'Studies show that, when out-of-pocket costs are more than $200 per prescription, patients are three times more likely not to fill their prescriptions than if the cost was $100 or less,' Lewis said. Lewis told the House that 37 states have already passed some form of chemotherapy parity legislation, 'and there is no empirical data in any state that such changes have caused insurance premiums to rise.' 'The old one-size-fits-all cancer treatment no longer fits many families,' he said. 'We cannot deny our citizens a better quality of life.'" The bill passed the State House by a vote of 104 - 10. [North Carolina General Assembly, House Roll Calls #283, 4/21/15; WRAL, 4/21/15]
Dan Bishop "Consistently Opposed Abortion Rights And Reproductive Healthcare” During His Political Career. According to Cardinal & Pine, "As both a state legislator and congressman, Bishop has consistently opposed abortion rights and reproductive healthcare in general. When Bishop was a member of the North Carolina Senate and running for Congress, he expressed opposition to abortion rights and made favorable comments towards extreme abortion bans such as an Alabama law that was among the most restrictive in the country, outlawing abortion, even in cases of rape and incest. 'I think it’s wrong to have an abortion in the case of rape or incest, just as it would be wrong to take the life of a child born to incest,' he said at the time. Bishop did note, however, that he would still support the legislation if it provided an exception for abortion in cases of rape or incest. Bishop also said he would support a bill like it in North Carolina as well." [Cardinal & Pine, 8/14/24]
2022: Dan Bishop Praised The End Of Roe V. Wade And Compared The Case To Dred Scott Ruling Which Ruled Slaves Were Not Citizens. According to Cardinal & Pine, "When the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, ending the constitutional right for women to have an abortion, Bishop celebrated the ruling. 'Every human life is sacred, including the unborn. Thankfully, today’s Supreme Court decision underscores that,' he wrote in a statement following the decision. Bishop also has a history of comparing the Roe ruling to the 1857 Dred Scott v. Sanford decision, in which the court ruled that enslaved people were not citizens of the US and, therefore, could not expect any protection from the federal government or the courts. That ruling is now considered among the worst, if not the worst, Supreme Court decisions of all time, and yet Bishop has argued that Roe is comparable — and continued making this comparison even after Roe was overturned. 'Now, Roe v. Wade will finally be joining Dredd Scott and Plessy v. Ferguson where it belongs, in the ash heap of history,' Bishop said in his statement about the end of Roe." [Cardinal & Pine, 8/14/24]
2023: Dan Bishop Co-Sponsored The Life At Conception Act, Which Restricted Abortion Rights And Did Not Include A Protection For IVF Treatment. According to Cardinal & Pine, "In January 2023, Bishop co-sponsored the Life At Conception Act. The bill sought to establish 'equal protection under the 14th article of amendment to the Constitution for the right to life of each born and preborn human person.' In other words, the bill would give a fetus the same rights as a person, which would almost certainly lead to legal challenges to abortion. For example, if a fetus is legally a person, under the law, having an abortion could be viewed as murder. The bill did not include a protection for In-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment, which could also open the door to legal challenges to fertility care. The future of IVF has come into question in recent months, after Alabama’s Supreme Court issued a ruling in February declaring embryos had the same rights as children, a move that threatened to limit or eliminate access to IVF treatments in the state." [Cardinal & Pine, 8/14/24]
2022: Bishop Voted Against H.R. 8373, The Right To Contraception Act, A Bill Designed To Protect Patients’ Access To Contraception. According to the News & Observer, “On Thursday, the U.S. House voted 228-195, mostly on party lines, to pass the Right to Contraception Act. Eight Republicans joined Democrats in supporting the bill. None were from North Carolina. […] Manning’s bill has four key elements: protecting access to contraception, ensuring health care workers can provide contraception and information to patients, giving the ability to sue if access is prevented and protecting a range of contraceptive models. […] Voting against the bill: Republicans Dan Bishop, Ted Budd, Madison Cawthorn, Virginia Foxx, Richard Hudson, Patrick McHenry, Greg Murphy and David Rouzer.” [The News & Observer, 7/23/22]
2017: Dan Bishop Invested In Social Media Site Gab; Platform Was Later Taken Down After Its Role In 2018 Pittsburgh Synagogue Mass Shooting. According to WFAE, "Mecklenburg State Senator Dan Bishop has drawn criticism over his decision last year to invest in Gab.com, the social media platform created as an alternative to traditional outlets like Twitter and Facebook — and that critics say has become a home to white supremacists. The alleged shooter in the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre, Robert Bowers, made numerous anti-Semitic posts on Gab, and the site has been temporarily shut down. In August 2017, Bishop wrote on Twitter that he would be investing in the new social media startup. 'So, I'm about done with SF (San Francisco) thought police tech giants, and so ... I just invested in Gab.' In a post on Twitter Wednesday, Bishop said he invested $500 during a crowdfunding effort. At the time Bishop invested, Gab described itself as a champion of free speech. And a number of conservatives were upset at Twitter and Facebook’s recent decision to ban what the companies called 'hate speech,' believing it would create a slippery slope that would target Republicans. Since the shooting, Gab.com has been taken down. The company provided a statement that said it has worked with the DOJ and FBI to 'bring justice to an alleged terrorist.'" [WFAE, 10/31/18]
Dan Bishop Spread Conspiracy Theories After The 2020 Election. According to Cardinal & Pine, "When Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 US Presidential election, Donald Trump and his allies began immediately to sow doubt about the legitimacy of Biden’s victory. Dan Bishop was one of these allies. Bishop falsely claimed there were irregularities with the voting process in his own district, which he and Trump both won handily. And as the results of the election were in the process of being certified at the state level, Bishop and other North Carolina Republicans joined a lawsuit to contest Biden’s victories in Arizona, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Nevada." [Cardinal & Pine, 8/14/24]
Dan Bishop Voted Against Certifying The 2020 Election And Downplayed The Capitol Insurrection. According to Cardinal & Pine, "Bishop continued his embrace of election conspiracies into 2021, and just hours after a violent mob of Trump supporters attacked the US Capitol on Jan. 6 in a deadly attempt to stop Congress from certifying the election results, Bishop still voted against certifying the election results in Arizona and Pennsylvania. While Bishop condemned those who attacked the capitol, he has downplayed the fact that the insurrection was indeed an insurrection. 'If it was an insurrection, it was the worst example of an insurrection in the history of mankind,' he said in May 2021." [Cardinal & Pine, 8/14/24]
Dan Bishop Downplayed 2018 Election Fraud Incident That Forced Election To Be Held Again. According to The Guardian, "A North Carolina Republican running to be the state’s attorney general dismissed a significant election fraud incident in 2018 that resulted in a new election as 'some fairly minor illegal ballot harvesting'. Dan Bishop, a congressman whose district is based outside of Charlotte, made the comments in an 1 April episode of the Reclaiming America podcast. In 2018, Mark Harris, a Republican, won the race to represent North Carolina’s ninth congressional district. But shortly after the election, the North Carolina state board of elections voted to overturn a congressional election and call a new one after an investigation revealed that a Harris operative was illegally collecting absentee ballots from voters. Harris decided not to run again and Bishop ultimately won the seat." [The Guardian, 5/21/24]
2019: Dan Bishop Leaked The Name Of A Trump Impeachment Whistleblower Despite Laws Against It. According to the Raleigh News & Observer, "U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop apparently became the first member of Congress to divulge the purported name of the whistleblower whose memo sparked the House impeachment inquiry. The Charlotte Republican published the name in a Monday tweet. Bishop was responding to a tweet from someone who said Republicans should refer to the person as 'the leaker' or 'the deep state spy in the White House.' '100%. I refuse to cower before the authoritarian intimidation campaign. He’s not Voldemort,' Bishop replied, alluding to the Harry Potter villain who’s rarely named. 'And he’s not a bona fide whistleblower. Even if he were, he wouldn’t be entitled to secrecy.' He went on to tweet the name of a person he called 'a deep state conspirator.' The federal Whistleblower Protection Act makes it illegal to divulge the name of a whistleblower." [Raleigh News & Observer, 11/14/19]
2022: Dan Bishop Opposed Two Crime Bills That Would Have Helped Local Police
Departments. According to American Journal News, "In September 2022, however, Bishop opposed two major crime bills: the VICTIM Act and the Break the Cycle Act. Both bills would have given local police departments resources to improve investigative practices and develop violence prevention strategies. Each bill passed the House with bipartisan support but stalled in the evenly-divided Senate." [American Journal News, 10/8/24]
2021: Dan Bishop Opposed Renewal Of Violence Against Women Act Which Increased Efforts To Stop Human Trafficking. According to American Journal News, "In 2021, Bishop opposed renewing the Violence Against Women Act. The renewal included new provisions to combat human trafficking and improve law enforcement in tribal communities, both of which could have directly benefited Bishop’s constituents. North Carolina ranks twelfth in the nation for the most human trafficking. The city of Charlotte, portions of which are in Bishop’s district, is a hotbed for this activity. Bishop’s district is also home to the Lumbee Native American tribe. Since 1998, there have been 31 unsolved cases of missing Native American women in North Carolina." [American Journal News, 10/8/24]
2019: Dan Bishop Voted Against Amendment To Increase North Carolina’s Department Of Justice’s Budget By $3 Million. According to American Journal News, "Prior to joining Congress, Bishop was a state senator. In 2019, he voted to kill an appropriations amendment that would have increased the annual North Carolina Department of Justice budget by $3 million." [American Journal News, 10/8/24]
Bishop Signed Onto An Amicus Brief That Opposed And Sought To Overturn Biden’s Student Loan Bailout. According to a press release from Congressman Jeff Duncan’s Office, “On Friday, Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Representative Jeff Duncan (R-SC) led 126 House Republicans in filing an amicus brief to the Supreme Court of the United States in the upcoming case considering the Biden administration’s student loan bailout, which exploits legislation drafted in the wake of September 11, 2001, meant to assist service members and veterans. […] Other Members signing onto the brief include: […] Dan Bishop.” [Office Of Rep. Jeff Duncan, 2/6/23]
Bishop Voted Against H.R. 1425, The Patient Protection And Affordable Care Enhancement Act, Which Would Establish Price Controls For Prescription Drugs, Punish States That Failed To Expand Their Medicaid Programs, And Expand Eligibility For Federal Premium Subsidies. According to Heritage Action For America, “This legislation includes a wish list of the Left’s health care priorities, as it would establish price controls for prescription drugs, punish states that haven’t expanded their Medicaid programs, create an expensive new federal program, and attack free market alternatives to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchanges by putting an end to the Trump Administration’s section 1332 waivers. On top of this, the bill would provide a windfall to insurance companies through an expansion of the ACA by broadening eligibility for federal premium subsidies to everyone, regardless of income, while also expanding the size of the subsidies themselves.” [Heritage Action For America, accessed 1/19/24]
Bishop Supported The Repeal And Replacement Of The Affordable Care Act, Calling It “A Disaster.” According to WFAE, “Bishop: ‘Look, as I, we said yesterday, I agree with Dan McCready that the Affordable Care Act is a disaster. It needs to be fixed. I think the right way to do it is to repeal and replace it. But he seems to agree that it has not been the panacea it was promised to be. So that certainly is something we ought to all keep in mind with the next - whether it's going to be Medicare for all or whatever the newest idea is from the socialist left - that we've already taken a big step with Obamacare, the ACA, which even the consensus is didn't work. So I agree with him that it's a defective law and it needs to be fixed.’” [WFAE, 5/16/19]
Bishop Sponsored Legislation That Could Remove Coverage For People With Pre-Existing Conditions By Allowing Insurers To Avoid Covering The Affordable Care Act’s 10 Essential Benefits. According to The News & Observer, “At the federal level, Bishop has stated that he wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, which protects people with pre-existing conditions. Bishop has said he wants to replace it with something better. At the state level, Bishop sponsored SB 86. The bill aims to provide coverage for small businesses, trade associations and other groups of professionals who are in the same industry or line of work through what’s called an ‘association health plan.’ […] Bishop’s bill explicitly states that association health plans would be subject to the ACA’s ‘group health plan’ requirements, which means insurers ‘cannot deny individuals coverage if they have preexisting conditions, cannot impose annual and lifetime limits on certain benefits, and must provide free access to certain preventative services.’ But that doesn’t mean that people with pre-existing conditions would be guaranteed coverage for services they need. […] That’s what health policy experts say could happen under Bishop’s bill. While the ACA requires plans to cover 10 ‘essential benefits’ — from prescription drugs and rehabilitative services to chronic disease management — association plans are subject to looser standards and aren’t required to cover those essential benefits, she said. […] The proliferation of association health plans could also affect people with pre-existing conditions on ACA plans. McCready’s claim is partially accurate but leaves out important details or takes things out of context. We rate his claim Half True.” [The News & Observer, 8/23/19]
Bishop Sponsored Senate Bill 86, Legislation That Critics Warned Would Allow Employers To Opt-Out Of Providing 10 Essential Health Benefits Required By The Affordable Care Act. According to The Winston-Salem Journal, “Senate Bill 86 would loosen the requirements for AHPs in North Carolina in response to federal Labor Department changes made in June by the Trump administration. […] Critics of AHPs say giving small employers access to the flexibility of larger employers could lead to those plans opting out of providing 10 essential health benefits required in the federal marketplace under the Affordable Care Act. […] Primary bill sponsor Sen. Dan Bishop, R-Mecklenburg, said small businesses have struggled to provide affordable health insurance to their employees despite recent laws that have reduced their state tax expenses.” [Winston-Salem Journal, 2/19/19]
Bishop Was The Only State Senator To Vote Against North Carolina’s Pharmacy Patient Fair Practices Act, Which Allowed Pharmacists To Inform Patients About Lower Cost Alternative Drugs. According to The Charlotte Observer, “In 2017 Bishop was the only senator to vote against the final version of a bill called the Pharmacy Patient Fair Practices Act. Now law, it allows pharmacists to talk to patients about lower-cost alternative drugs. However, he had voted for an earlier Senate version and has said he didn’t vote for the House bill because he hadn’t had time to review it.” [The Charlotte Observer, 7/12/19]
Bishop Voted Against The Cancer Treatment Fairness Act In The North Carolina House, Which Would Have Mandated Health Plans Not To Charge Patients More For Oral Chemotherapy Than The Standard Intravenous Method. According to The Charlotte Observer, “In 2015, Bishop, then in the House, was one of just 10 members to vote against the Cancer Treatment Fairness Act, which would have required health plans to charge cancer patients no more for oral chemotherapy than for standard intravenous treatment. Bishop has called it ‘a pro-big pharma bill’ that would ‘increase the cost of insurance by adding mandates for expensive new drugs . . . rather than allowing proven and effective older drugs to be used first.’” [The Charlotte Observer, 7/12/19]
Bishop Called Medicaid Expansion “A Pig In A Poke,” Arguing That “Bringing In More Government” Would “Destroy The Market Even More.” Accord to The Charlotte Observer, “Bishop calls expansion ‘a pig in a poke.’ ‘The answer is bring in . . . competition,’ he said. ‘The wrong answer is bringing in more government to destroy the market even more.’” [The Charlotte Observer, 7/12/19]
Bishop Argued That Rural Hospitals Would Not Be Helped By Expanding Medicaid, Blaming Supposedly Low Reimbursement Rates For His Reasoning. According to North Carolina Health News, “Bishop said that rural hospitals will not be aided by expanding Medicaid because the reimbursement rates the program offers are so low.” [NC Health News, accessed 1/19/24]
Bishop Proposed A Health Care Reform Package That Sought To Appropriate $41 Million For People With Intellectual Disabilities By Adding Clients To Medicaid’s Innovations Waiver, But Refused To Expand Medicaid. According to NC Health News, “Two Republican state senators on Tuesday proposed a package of health-care reforms, saying specifically that North Carolina should beef up help for people with intellectual disabilities before expanding Medicaid to additional hundreds of thousands of people. Sens. Joyce Krawiec (R-Kernersville) and Dan Bishop (R-Charlotte) proposed $41 million in state funding for the IDD population, adding about 2,000 clients during a two-year period to the 12,000 already receiving services under Medicaid’s Innovations Waiver. ‘There are another 12,000 on waiting lists and some people don’t bother to sign up because what’s the use?’ said Donna Beckmann, director of advocacy of the Triangle Down Syndrome Network and the mother of Thomas, 18, who has Down syndrome. […] But lobbyist Julia Adams-Scheurich, who represents groups advocating for people with disabilities, said the legislature should be investing in both closing the gap in Medicaid coverage and providing for additional waiver slots, ‘because you’re trying to lift up two different populations, both of whom are needing help.’” [NC Health News, 3/27/19]
Bishop Opposed A Bill That Would Have Guaranteed One Year Of Continuous Medical Coverage For Children Who Qualified For Medicaid. According to the Virginia Mercury, “Congress unveiled a $1.7 trillion spending package early Tuesday that would fund the federal government for the rest of the fiscal year, completing the annual process that began this spring when President Joe Biden sent lawmakers his budget request. […] Ten House Republicans and three members elect sent a letter to their GOP colleagues in the Senate late Monday, calling on them to use the legislative filibuster to block the omnibus from moving forward. […] They wrote that if their Senate colleagues didn’t prevent the bill from moving forward, ‘there is no point in pretending we are a united party, and we must prepare for a new political reality.’ Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, North Carolina Rep. Dan Bishop, Georgia Rep. Andrew Clyde, Arizona Rep-elect Eli Crane, Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, Virginia Rep. Bob Good, Florida Rep-elect Anna Paulina Luna, Tennessee Rep-elect Andy Ogles, Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry and Montana Rep. Matt Rosendale were among those who signed the letter. […] The bill includes provisions that would ensure for the first time that ‘every child in America who qualifies for Medicaid or CHIP will now be guaranteed at least one year of continuous health coverage,’ according to Schumer. ‘This is a major change that will make a big difference in improving the health care for millions of kids,’ he said. The measure would ‘permanently extend a policy from the American Rescue Plan that lets states give a full year of postpartum coverage for mothers on Medicaid and CHIP,’ Schumer said Tuesday.” [Virginia Mercury, 12/20/22]
Bishop Opposed Allowing Medicare To Negotiate Drug Prices. According to The Charlotte Observer, “Bishop opposes allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices. Instead he’d consider steps such as indexing U.S. drug prices to those of other countries and forcing drug makers to be more transparent in pricing. He also would look at changing patent rules that can keep lower-cost generic drugs from the market for years. ‘Striking the right balance between intellectual property and patents is worth reviewing,’ he says.” [The Charlotte Observer, 7/12/19]
Bishop Sponsored A Bill That Would Exempt Certain Medical Facilities From Requiring A Certificate Of Need To Begin Or Expand Operations While Tightening Minimum Revenue Requirements From Medicare. According to the Winston-Salem Journal, “A bipartisan bill would exempt several types of medical facilities from needing a certificate of need to begin or expand operations. A certificate is currently required before a health-care system or provider can build a medical facility, buy equipment or offer a medical procedure. Introduced Tuesday, House Bill 200 would exempt diagnostic centers, ambulatory surgical centers, gastrointestinal endoscopy rooms and psychiatric hospitals from CON review. Bill sponsors are Reps. Marilyn Avila, R-Wake; Dan Bishop, R-Mecklenburg; Jeff Collins, R-Nash; and Mickey Michaux Jr., D-Durham. The bill initially was referred in the House committee on Health. If recommended, it would then go to the Judiciary committee and Appropriations committee before being presented to the full House for a vote. […] The bill would tighten regulations on ambulatory surgical centers, such as minimum revenue requirements from Medicare; reporting to DHHS the total number of surgical cases by self-pay, Medicare, Medicaid, commercial insurance, managed care and other options; and providing written documentation of support and a transfer agreement from hospitals in a county for licensees to operate in a county with less than 100,000 in population.” [Winston-Salem Journal, 3/12/15]
2022: Bishop Voted Against Expanding And Reauthorizing The Violence Against Women Act Through FY 2027, Including $222 Million Annually For Justice Department STOP Grants And $100 Million For Rape Prevention And Education Grants. In March 2022, according to Congressional Quarterly, Bishop voted against the second portion of the Fiscal 2022 Omnibus Appropriations, which would “expand and reauthorize through fiscal 2027 programs enacted under the Violence Against Women Act, including authorizing $222 million annually for Justice Department STOP grants to support state and local law enforcement response and victim services related to violent crimes against women and $100 million for Health and Human Services Department rape prevention and education grants.” The vote was on the motion to concur in the Senate amendment with a House amendment. The bill was divided and this vote was the second portion of the bill. The House concurred with the Senate by a vote of 260-171. After resolving differences, the bill was sent to the President and became law. [House Vote 66, 3/9/22; Congressional Quarterly, 3/9/22; Congressional Actions, H.R. 2471]
2021: Bishop Voted Against An Amendment That Allocated $14 Million For Programs Offering Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Exams And Sexual Assault Victim Services In Tribal Communities. In March 2021, Bishop voted against en bloc amendments no.1 which would, according to Congressional Quarterly, “reserve $14 million of the funding authorized by the bill for sexual assault victim services grants for grants to establish and expand programs offering sexual assault medical forensic exams and sexual assault victim services in tribal communities.” The vote was on the adoption of amendments. The House adopted the amendments by a vote of 228-197. [House Vote 83, 3/17/21; Congressional Quarterly, 3/17/21; Congressional Actions, H.Amdt. 31; Congressional Actions, H.R. 1620]
2021: Bishop Voted Against Providing Funding For Programs Under The Violence Against Women Act Annually Through FY 2026, Including $110 Million For Rape Prevention And Education Grants And $40 Million For Culturally Specific Victim Services. In March 2021, Bishop voted against the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2021 which would, according to Congressional Quarterly, “authorize or reauthorize programs enacted under VAWA, including $222 million for Justice Department STOP grants to support state and local law enforcement and victim services in response to violent crimes against women; $110 million for Health and Human Services Department rape prevention and education grants; $75 million for legal services to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, stalking or sexual assault; $60 million for states to support sexual assault services; $50 million to address domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking in rural communities; $45 million for Justice Department SMART violence prevention grants focused on teen dating, children exposed to violence at home and men as role models; $40 million to support culturally specific victim services.” The vote was on passage. The House passed the bill by a vote of 244-172. The Senate did not take substantive action on the bill. [House Vote 86, 3/17/21; Congressional Quarterly, 3/17/21; Congressional Actions, H.R. 1620]
2021: Bishop Voted Against Reauthorizing The Violence Against Women Act Through FY 2026 Which Expanded Numerous Programs And Policies In Order To Assist Survivors Of Domestic Violence, Sexual Violence And Sex Trafficking. In March 2021, Bishop voted against the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2021 which would, according to Congressional Quarterly, “reauthorize programs enacted under the Violence Against Women Act through fiscal 2026. It would also expand a number of these programs and other programs and policies aimed at addressing and assisting victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual violence, stalking and sex trafficking.” The vote was on passage. The House passed the bill by a vote of 244-172. The Senate did not take substantive action on the bill. [House Vote 86, 3/17/21; Congressional Quarterly, 3/17/21; Congressional Actions, H.R. 1620]
2021: Bishop Voted Against Creating Criminal Penalties For A Law Enforcement Officer To Participate In Sexual Acts With An Imprisoned Individual. In March 2021, Bishop voted against the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2021 which would, according to Congressional Quarterly, “make it a crime for a law enforcement officer to engage in a sexual act with an individual under custody and authorize supplemental grants to states that have a similar law in effect.” The vote was on passage. The House passed the bill by a vote of 244-172. The Senate did not take substantive action on the bill. [House Vote 86, 3/17/21; Congressional Quarterly, 3/17/21; Congressional Actions, H.R. 1620]
2021: Bishop Voted Against Prohibiting Police Officers From Engaging In Sexual Acts With An Individual Under Custody. In March 2021, Bishop voted against the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021 which would, according to Congressional Quarterly, “make it a crime for an officer to engage in a sexual act with an individual under custody.” The vote was on passage. The House passed the bill by a vote of 220-212. The Senate did not take substantive action on the bill. [House Vote 60, 3/3/21; Congressional Quarterly, 3/3/21; Congressional Actions, H.R. 1280]
2022: Bishop Voted Against Requiring FBI Investigations Of Child Sexual Or Trafficking Crimes To Include A Multidisciplinary Team And A Trained Child Adolescent Forensic Interviewer. In December 2022, according to Congressional Quarterly, Bishop voted against the Respect for Child Survivors Act, which would “require FBI investigations of child sexual or trafficking crimes to include a multidisciplinary team and a trained FBI child adolescent forensic interviewer, including by coordinating with children’s advocacy center-based multidisciplinary teams.” The vote was on passage. The House passed the bill by a vote of 385 – 28, thus the bill was sent to President Biden and it ultimately became law. [House Vote 534, 12/21/22; Congressional Quarterly, 12/21/22; Congressional Actions, S. 4926]
2021: Bishop Voted Against Authorizing $270 Million For FY 2022 To Develop And Operate Certain Child Protective Service Programs In States And $270 Million For Community-Based Programs To Combat Child Abuse And Neglect. In March 2021, Bishop voted against the Stronger Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act which would, according to Congressional Quarterly, “authorize $270 million for Health and Human Services Department grants to states for development and operations of certain child protective service programs and $270 million for HHS grants for community-based programs to prevent child abuse and neglect. It would authorize such sums as may be necessary through fiscal 2027 for both grant programs and make a number of modifications to grant program requirements and administration.” The vote was on passage. The House passed the bill by a vote of 345-73. The House passed the bill by a vote of 345-73. The Senate did not take substantive action on the bill. [House Vote 81, 3/16/21; Congressional Quarterly, 3/16/21; Congressional Actions, H.R. 485]
2021: Bishop Voted Against Extending Child Abuse Prevention And Treatment Programs And Authorities Through FY 2027. In March 2021, Bishop voted against the Stronger Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act which would, according to Congressional Quarterly, “extend through fiscal 2027 the programs and authorities under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act.” The vote was on passage. The House passed the bill by a vote of 345-73. The Senate did not take substantive action on the bill. [House Vote 81, 3/16/21; Congressional Quarterly, 3/16/21; Congressional Actions, H.R. 485]
Bishop Was Absent During Voting For House Bill 301, Which Made Revisions To The Juvenile Code As Recommended By The Juvenile Code Revision Subcommittee Of The North Carolina Court Improvement Program. According to the North Carolina General Assembly, “S.L. 2019-33 makes revisions to the Juvenile Code as recommended by Juvenile Code Revision Subcommittee of the North Carolina Court Improvement Program (CIP).” The bill was signed into law after passing a vote of 43 to 0 in the state senate and 111 to 0 in the state house. [HB 301, 7/22/19; North Carolina General Assembly, Roll Call 301, 6/12/19]
Bishop Was Absent For Voting On Senate Bill 9, A Bill He Co-Sponsored, That Clarified The Prohibition Of Female Genital Mutilation For Minors. According to the North Carolina General Assembly, Bill 9 was “an act to clarify the prohibition on the mutilation of the genitals of a female under the age of 18 years.” The bill was signed by the governor after passing a vote of 116 to 0 in the state house and 46 to 0 in the state senate. [SB 9, 8/1/19; SB 9, Roll Call 508, 7/22/19]
2021: Bishop Voted Against Authorizing $55 Million Annually Through FY 2026 For Rental Assistance And Transitional Housing Services For Survivors Of Domestic And Sexual Assault. In March 2021, Bishop voted against the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2021 which would, according to Congressional Quarterly, “expand certain housing protections for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking and authorize $55 million annually through fiscal 2026 for rental assistance vouchers and transitional housing services for such individuals.” The vote was on passage. The House passed the bill by a vote of 244-172. The Senate did not take substantive action on the bill. [House Vote 86, 3/17/21; Congressional Quarterly, 3/17/21; Congressional Actions, H.R. 1620]
2022: Bishop Voted Against Permanently Extending A Requirement For Federal Judicial Districts To Host At Least One Yearly Event To Promote Pro Bono Legal Services For Domestic Violence And Sexual Assault Victims. In December 2022, according to Congressional Quarterly, Bishop voted against the Pro Bono Work to Empower and Represent Act of 2021, which would “remove the sunset period to permanently extend provisions in current law that require each federal judicial district to host at least one annual event that promotes pro bono legal services to empower survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault and engage citizens in assisting survivors.” The vote was on passage. The House passed the bill by a vote of 406-14, thus the bill was sent to President Biden and it ultimately became law. [House Vote 499, 12/1/22; Congressional Quarterly, 12/1/22; Congressional Actions, S. 3115]
2022: Bishop Voted Against Developing Policies And Procedures To Address Sexual Assault And Harassment In Passenger Transportation. In March 2022, according to Congressional Quarterly, Bishop voted against the Stop Sexual Assault and Harassment in Transportation Act, which would “require passenger transportation carriers, within 180 days of enactment, to develop policies and procedures for addressing and reporting sexual assault or harassment incidents that occur on their vehicles.” The vote was on passage. The House passed the bill by a vote of 339-85, thus the bill was sent to the Senate. [House Vote 90, 3/30/22; Congressional Quarterly, 3/30/22; Congressional Actions, H.R. 5706]
2022: Bishop Voted Against Requiring A Study On Assault And Sexual Assault Incidents Between Rideshare And Taxi Passengers And Drivers And The Background Checks And Safety Measures Taken By Rideshare And Taxi Companies. In December 2022, according to Congressional Quarterly, Bishop voted against the “automatic passage of / agreement to: […] a bill (HR 1082) related to rideshare safety; […] HR 1082 would require the Government Accountability Office, within one year of enactment and every two years thereafter, to conduct a study and report to Congress on incidents of assault and sexual assault between rideshare and taxi passengers and drivers and assaults perpetrated by individuals posing as rideshare drivers, as well as information on background checks and additional safety measures taken by rideshare, taxi and other for-hire vehicle companies.” The vote was on the adoption of the rule and automatic passage of the bill. The House adopted the rule and passed the bill by a vote of 215-206. The Senate passed the bill, sent it to President Biden, and it ultimately became law. [House Vote 547, 12/23/22; Congressional Quarterly, 12/23/22; Congressional Actions, H.Res. 1531; Congressional Actions, H.R. 1082]
2021: Bishop Voted Against An Amendment That Would Add Mental Health And Substance Abuse Treatment Providers To The List Of Which Domestic Violence Coalitions May Collaborate With To Be Eligible For A Cooperative Agreement With Health And Human Services. In October 2021, Bishop voted against en bloc amendments no. 1 to the Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act of 2021 which would, according to Congressional Quarterly, “add mental health and substance use disorder treatment providers to the list of local community representatives with which domestic violence coalitions can partner in order to be eligible for a cooperative agreement with the Health and Human Services Department to implement and evaluate local and culturally specific violence prevention strategies.” The vote was on the adoption of amendments. The House adopted the amendments by a vote of 238-189. [House Vote 334, 10/26/21; Congressional Quarterly, 10/26/21; Congressional Actions, H.Amdt. 134; Congressional Actions, H.R. 2119]
2021: Bishop Voted Against An Amendment That Would Expand Housing Protections For Domestic Violence Survivors Who Participated In Federal Housing Programs. In March 2021, Bishop voted against en bloc amendments no.1 which would, according to Congressional Quarterly, “expand certain housing protections for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking participating in federal housing programs.” The vote was on the adoption of amendments. The House adopted the amendments by a vote of 228-197. [House Vote 83, 3/17/21; Congressional Quarterly, 3/17/21; Congressional Actions, H.Amdt. 31; Congressional Actions, H.R. 1620]
2021: Bishop Voted Against Reauthorizing The “Family Violence Prevention And Services Improvement” Act Of 2021 With $328 Million Annually Through FY 2026 For New And Existing Programs. In October 2021, Bishop voted against the Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act of 2021 which would, according to Congressional Quarterly, “reauthorize and modify programs to address domestic, dating and family violence under the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act. It would authorize $328 million annually through fiscal 2026 for new and existing programs, including $26 million for grants to state coalitions to support local and culturally specific violence prevention efforts; $14 million for the National Domestic Violence Hotline and $4 million for a new National Native American Domestic Violence Hotline; $10 million for new grants to organizations serving underserved populations; and $3.5 million for research and evaluation activities.” The vote was on passage. The House passed the bill by a vote of 228-200. [House Vote 336, 10/26/21; Congressional Quarterly, 10/26/21; Congressional Actions, H.R. 2119]
2022: Bishop Voted Against Providing Approximately $6 Billion For The Department Of Justice To Grant Lump-Sum “Catch-Up” Payments To 9/11 Survivors, Spouses And Dependents Eligible For Claims. According to Congressional Quarterly, Bishop voted against with the Fairness for 9/11 Families Act, which would “authorize the Justice Department to issue lump-sump ‘catch-up’ payments to 9/11 survivors, spouses, and dependents who are eligible for claims from the Justice Department's Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund. The catch-up payments would be made to match proportions of payments received from the fund by other eligible family members, such as parents and non-dependent children. It would authorize such sums as necessary for the payments and, as an offset, rescind $3 billion in unspent COVID-relief funds appropriated by the March 2020 coronavirus relief law (PL 116-136).” The vote was on passage. The House passed the bill by a vote of 400-31. The Senate did not take substantive action on the bill. [House Vote 477, 9/30/22; Congressional Quarterly, 9/30/22; Congressional Actions, H.R. 8987]