PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Congressional Research Service
Version 36 · Passed House amended · Mar 31, 2009
(This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the House on March 23, 2009. The summary of that version is repeated here.)
Vision Care for Kids Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to award matching grants to states to complement existing state efforts to: (1) provide comprehensive eye examinations from a licensed optometrist or ophthalmologist to eligible children who have been previously identified through a vision screening or eye examination by a licensed health care provider or vision screener as needing such services, with priority given to children who are under the age of nine years; (2) provide treatment or services as necessary to correct identified vision problems; and (3) develop and disseminate to parents, teachers, and health care practitioners educational materials on recognizing signs of visual impairment in children. Defines "eligible child" as a low-income child who: (1) is not eligible for medical assistance under Medicaid; (2) is not eligible for child health assistance under the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), unless such plan does not provide coverage of such examination, treatment, or service; (3) does not have health insurance coverage unless no amount is payable under the coverage for such examination, treatment, or service; and (4) is not receiving assistance under state health compensation program or any other federal or state health benefits program.
Requires the Secretary to develop criteria: (1) governing the operation of the grant program; and (2) for the collection of data related to vision assessment and the utilization of follow-up services.
People & committees
Rep. Green, Gene [D-TX-29] · D–TX
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 404 - 17 (Roll no. 170). (text: CR 3/30/2009 H4090-4091)
House roll call 170 · Individual votesPassed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 404 - 17 (Roll no. 170).(text: CR 3/30/2009 H4090-4091)
House roll call 170 · Individual votesConsidered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H4186-4187)
At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 577.
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H4090-4093)
Mr. Pallone moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 16.
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Energy and Commerce. H. Rept. 111-46.
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Energy and Commerce. H. Rept. 111-46.
Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Subcommittee on Health Discharged.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.
Source last updated: Dec 5, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
AI Conversation Starters
Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.
Analyze H.R.577 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
Examine H.R.577 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.
Examine H.R.577 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.
Examine H.R.577 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.