The COVID-19 pandemic has reclaimed headlines in America as new cases spike in states that some national health authorities say reopened their economies too swiftly. The US House of Representatives and US Senate are both in legislative session this week in advance of the Independence Day work period, but bipartisan talks to hammer out the … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity FDA User Fee Reauthorization Moves to Full Committee While passing health reform through Congress has been a struggle, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) user fee legislation has quickly moved through the regular order process in a bipartisan fashion. S. 934/H.R. 2430, Food and Drug Administration Reauthorization Act of 2017 (FDARA), renews FDA’s … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Gottlieb Confirmation Hearing Set for April 5 On Wednesday, April 5, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) will hold a confirmation hearing for Dr. Scott Gottlieb, President Trump’s nominee for Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Dr. Gottlieb held a number of senior positions at the … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Repeal and Replace or Repair and Rebrand? With reconciliation instructions in the FY 2017 spending bill that initiate the House and Senate committees with health care jurisdiction to reduce the deficit, Republicans in both chambers are eager to use the fast-track, fifty-vote process to repeal and replace as much of the Affordable Care … Continue Reading
Squire Patton Boggs’ State Attorneys General Practice Group is comprised of lawyers who have served at senior levels in state AG offices around the country and whose practices focus, to one degree or another, on representing clients before these increasingly assertive and powerful, yet often overlooked, government agencies, as explained in detail here. In these … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity H.R. 5273, Helping Hospitals Improve Patient Care Act of 2016, scheduled for House Floor Vote House Majority Leader, Kevin McCarthy, announced H.R. 5273, Helping Hospitals Improve Patient Care Act of 2016 (HIP-C), introduced by House Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health Chairman Pat Tiberi (R-OH) and Ranking Member Jim McDermott (D-WA), … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Two Health Bills Scheduled for House Floor House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has stated that the chamber may consider two health bills this coming week. On Tuesday, March 1, the House is expected to consider H.R. 2814, to Name the Department of Veterans Affairs Community-Base Outpatient Clinic in Sevierville, Tennessee, the Dannie … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Senate Cloture Vote Scheduled for FDA Nominee, Chamber May Consider Opioid Legislation On Monday, February 22, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has scheduled a cloture vote on the nomination of Dr. Robert Califf for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner. Three Senators – Joe Manchin (D-WV), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Bernie Sanders … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Congress Awaits Health Provisions in President’s Budget On Tuesday, February 9, President Barack Obama will submit his FY 2017 Budget Request to Congress, which is expected to include several large-scale investments for the nation’s health. Last week, the White House released a “sneak preview” of the Budget, which includes: $755 million for cancer … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Lawmakers To Vie For House Ways And Means Gavel With Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) expected to succeed Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) as Speaker of the House, some Republican lawmakers are eyeing the opening Rep. Ryan would leave behind at the helm of the House Committee on Ways and Means. Several congressmen are expected … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House to Consider 21st Century Cures Act Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has announced that the House of Representatives will consider H.R. 6, the 21st Century Cures Act, this week. The House Committee on Rules will meet to consider the rules for the debate on Wednesday, July 8. Amendments to the legislation are … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Committee on Energy and Commerce to Mark Up 21st Century Cures Act On Tuesday, May 19, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce will begin its markup of the 21st Century Cures Act, to be continued on Wednesday, May 20. The legislation is the product of the bipartisan 21st Century Cures Initiative that … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Agriculture, FDA Appropriations Bill The House is scheduled to consider the Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) spending bill this week. The House Appropriations Committee approved the spending bill on May 29, which includes policy provisions such as authorizing a waiver process for schools having difficulty meeting the nutrition standards for the … Continue Reading
Regulatory Activity Let’s Move! As part of a series of events to celebrate the fourth anniversary of Let’s Move!, this week First Lady Michelle Obama will make two separate announcements at the White House in addition to traveling to cities along the east coast to participate in scheduled events. On Tuesday, February 25, the First … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Farm Bill Conference: Priority Issues At-A-Glance On October 30, the 41 House and Senate farm bill conferees convened at a public meeting to formally kick-off negotiations, although informal talks began a few months ago between agriculture leadership’s staff. Despite many conferees cautioning against pre-maturely drawing lines on issues, it was clear what issues … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity This week the Senate will take its turn to question the Administration about the bumpy healthcare.gov rollout, with two hearings on the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) health insurance exchanges. Senate Democrats’ concerns about the proposed fixes to the website continue to mount, as well as questions about the Administration’s promise that those who … Continue Reading
Legislative Branch Activity Cybersecurity Legislation The House Homeland Security Committee will introduce a new piece of cybersecurity legislation that would codify the cyber roles and responsibilities of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as well as address other key aspects of cybersecurity. The committee has been working with stakeholders for several weeks on its draft … Continue Reading
