H.R. 4099: Ensuring Women’s Right to Reproductive Freedom Act
Sponsor
Lizzie Fletcher
Democrat · TX-7
Bill Progress
Latest Action · Jun 24, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
States shouldn’t block legal abortion travel
Why it matters
145 House members signed onto H.R. 4099 because the fight is no longer just about abortion inside one state — it's about whether your home state can target you, your doctor, your ride, or your medication after you cross a border for care that is legal where you go. This bill would create a federal shield against that kind of interstate interference.
H.R. 4099 is built around a simple rule: if abortion care is legal where it happens, another state cannot step in and block it just because you crossed a border. The bill says state actors could not interfere with a provider treating an out-of-state patient, a patient traveling for care, or a person or group helping that travel happen.
It also protects abortion medication moving through interstate commerce. If a drug is approved or licensed by the Food and Drug Administration for ending a pregnancy and is used under federal law, the bill says states could not interfere with its interstate shipment.
The enforcement piece is what gives the bill weight. The U.S. Attorney General could sue to stop violations, and private people who say they were harmed could also sue in federal court for injunctions, economic damages, emotional pain and suffering, and attorney's fees.
The bill is also written broadly. It covers not just physicians, but nurse practitioners, certified nurse-midwives, physician assistants, pharmacists, and other licensed providers. And it applies not only in the 50 states and D.C., but also, according to the bill text, in Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, Tribal lands, and other U.S. possessions.
H.R. 4099 Bill Summary
What H.R. 4099 actually does.
Patients can cross state lines for legal care
The bill says state actors could not prevent, restrict, impede, or retaliate against someone who travels to another state for abortion care that is legal where it is provided.
Friends, drivers, and nonprofits get protection too
Protection does not stop with the patient. The bill also covers people and organizations that help someone travel across state lines for legal abortion care.
Doctors and clinics treating out-of-state patients are shielded
A state could not target a provider for serving a nonresident patient if the abortion service is lawful in the state where the care happens.
Abortion pills can move across state lines
The bill says states could not interfere with interstate shipment of abortion drugs approved or licensed by the Food and Drug Administration when they are used under federal law.
People harmed by interference can sue
If someone says a state crossed the line, the bill lets that person go to federal court for orders stopping the conduct, compensation for economic losses, damages for emotional pain and suffering, and attorney's fees if they win.
The federal government can enforce it
The U.S. Attorney General could also bring civil cases in federal court to stop violations, giving the bill a federal enforcement path in addition to private lawsuits.
Who benefits from H.R. 4099?
Patients leaving their home state for legal abortion care
If you cross a state line for care that is legal where you receive it, H.R. 4099 aims to stop your home state from blocking that trip or retaliating afterward.
People who help someone get to care
Friends, relatives, volunteer networks, abortion funds, employers, and rideshare or transport helpers would all have clearer protection when they help someone travel for lawful care.
Clinics and medical professionals treating out-of-state patients
Providers serving nonresident patients — including physicians, nurse practitioners, certified nurse-midwives, physician assistants, and pharmacists named in the bill — would get federal protection against state interference.
Pharmacies and distributors handling abortion medication
Businesses moving abortion medication across state lines would benefit if they are operating under federal rules, because the bill says states could not interfere with that interstate movement.
Who is affected by H.R. 4099?
State officials, agencies, and others using state authority
The bill targets people acting under color of state law. If they try to block travel, punish helpers, retaliate against providers, or interfere with medication shipments covered by the bill, they could face federal lawsuits.
States, territories, and Tribal governments
According to the bill text, its definition of state reaches beyond the 50 states to D.C., U.S. territories and possessions, and Tribal governments, so the limits it creates would apply broadly.
Federal courts
More abortion-related interstate disputes would move into federal court because both the Attorney General and private plaintiffs could file civil cases there.
People seeking damages after interference
Anyone who says they were harmed would have a new federal cause of action, including claims for economic losses and emotional pain and suffering.
HR4099 Legislative Journey
House: Committee Action
Jun 24, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
About the Sponsor
Lizzie Fletcher
Democrat, Texas's 7th congressional district · 7 years in Congress
Committees: Energy and Commerce
View full profile →
Cosponsors (145)
All 145 cosponsors are Democrats. Cosponsors represent 35 states: Alabama, Arizona, California, and 32 more.
Jamie Raskin
Democrat · MD
Marilyn Strickland
Democrat · WA
Gabe Amo
Democrat · RI
Yassamin Ansari
Democrat · AZ
Jake Auchincloss
Democrat · MA
Nanette Barragán
Democrat · CA
Joyce Beatty
Democrat · OH
Suzanne Bonamici
Democrat · OR
Shontel Brown
Democrat · OH
Julia Brownley
Democrat · CA
Nikki Budzinski
Democrat · IL
Janelle Bynum
Democrat · OR
Cosponsor Coverage Map
Committee Sponsors
Energy and Commerce Committee
19 of 54 committee members cosponsored
5 Democrats across this committee haven't cosponsored yet. Mobilize their constituents
H.R. 4099 Quick Facts
- Committee
- Energy and Commerce
- Chamber
- House
- Policy
- Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
- Introduced
- Jun 24, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Jun 24, 2025
Official Sources
Official bill page with text, sponsors, actions, and status for the Ensuring Women’s Right to Reproductive Freedom Act.
Official bill text page for the provisions cited in the analysis and FAQs.
Official FDA Q&A explaining federal approval and regulation of mifepristone, a key medication implicated by the bill.
DOJ Civil Rights Division page relevant because the bill authorizes the U.S. Attorney General to bring civil actions in federal court.
Official Justice Department homepage relevant to federal enforcement authority assigned to the Attorney General under the bill.
Congress’s official Constitution Annotated essay on the constitutional right to travel, central to the bill’s interstate travel protections.
Official U.S. Code provision covering suits against persons acting under color of state law, closely related to the bill’s enforcement structure.
H.R. 4099 Common Questions
Can your state punish you for getting a legal abortion in another state?
H.R. 4099 says no state actor could block or retaliate against you for traveling across state lines for abortion care that is legal where you receive it.
Would H.R. 4099 protect people who help someone travel for an abortion?
Yes. The bill says states could not punish or interfere with a friend, driver, nonprofit, employer, or other person or group helping someone reach legal abortion care in another state.
Does H.R. 4099 protect doctors and clinics treating out-of-state patients?
Yes. If the abortion care is legal where it is provided, the bill says state actors could not target the provider for treating a nonresident patient.
Would abortion pills shipped across state lines be covered?
Yes. H.R. 4099 says states could not interfere with interstate movement of abortion drugs approved or licensed by the Food and Drug Administration when used under federal law.
Can someone sue if a state interferes with legal abortion travel?
Yes. The bill lets harmed people sue in federal court for orders stopping the conduct, economic damages, emotional pain and suffering, and attorney's fees if they win.
Can the U.S. Attorney General enforce H.R. 4099?
Yes. The bill lets the Attorney General bring civil cases in federal court to stop violations, even if a private person does not sue first.
Which medical workers are covered by H.R. 4099?
The bill specifically includes physicians, certified nurse-midwives, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and pharmacists, along with other licensed or certified providers.
Does H.R. 4099 apply in Puerto Rico, Guam, and Tribal lands?
Yes. The bill's definition of state includes D.C., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Tribal governments, and other U.S. possessions.
Based on H.R. 4099 bill text
H.R. 4099 Bill Text
“To prohibit the interference, under color of State law, with the provision of interstate abortion services, and for other purposes.”
Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office
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