Wages

Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act

Passed the House in 2020 and again in 2021, and never got a vote in the Senate.

  • BillH.R. 842
  • Congress117th Congress, 2021 to 2023
  • SponsorRobert C. “Bobby” Scott (Democrat, VA)
  • IntroducedFebruary 4, 2021
  • Cause of deathPassed one chamber
  • Died inthe Senate
  • Companion billS. 420

What it would have done

Rewrote federal labor law to make it easier to form a union, let the labor board fine companies that retaliate against organizing workers, required arbitration when a first contract stalls, and overrode state right-to-work laws.

The path to law

One chamber passed it. The other chamber’s leadership never brought it to the floor, and it expired when the Congress ended.

IntroducedCommitteeFirst chamberSecond chamberPresidentLawdied here

The votes

House, March 9, 2021. On passage.

225 yea, 206 nay, out of 435 seatsPassed

Other lives of this bill

116th CongressH.R. 2474. Passed the House 224 to 194 in February 2020; the Senate took no action.

Worth knowing

Business groups including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce opposed it, arguing it would tilt labor law toward unions and reclassify many independent contractors as employees.

The record

Last verified November 10, 2026.