Legislative Activity On Wednesday, July 23, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions will meet to consider several health related bills, including: S. 315, Paul D. Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Community Assistance, Research and Education (MD-CARE) Amendments of 2013; S. 2154, Emergency Medical Services for Children Reauthorization Act of 2014; S. 531, Physical Activity … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Scrutiny of the Veterans’ Affairs (VA) hospitals and clinics continues this week. Last week, the Senate voted to approve H.R. 3230, the Veterans’ Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act of 2014, a bill that was negotiated by Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and John McCain (R-AZ). This week, the House of … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Leadership is expected to bring up an Affordable Care Act (ACA) bill next week that would address security issues with the health insurance exchanges and enhance protection of personal information entered on the healthcare.gov website. The measure will be the first of a number of proposals in 2014 addressing health reform focusing … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity The House and Senate will continue to hold oversight and investigation hearings focused on the problems with HealthCare.gov. This week’s hearings follow the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) announcement that 106,185 individuals have selected a health care insurance plan through the exchanges and President Obama’s announcement that HHS will use its … 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 Activity Centerstage: Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA) remains in the spotlight this week with Tuesday, October 1 marking a major deadline as open enrollment in the health insurance exchanges officially begins. ACA defund and delay provisions, however, remain a key issue in the ping-pong over the continuing resolution (CR). The Senate … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity The House will resume discussions this week about how to move a Continuing Resolution (CR) while appeasing conservative Republican members looking to attach a provision to block funding for the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Last week, a scheduled vote on the CR was cancelled when the conference rejected a plan that would allow … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity This Week’s Hearings: Tuesday, July 30: The Senate Budget Committee will hold a hearing on “Containing Health Care Costs: Recent Progress and Remaining Challenges.” Wednesday, July 31: The House Committee on Energy and Commerce will mark up H.R. 2810, the sustainable growth rate and Medicare payment for physicians reform bill. Wednesday, July 31: … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Energy and Commerce and SGR Reform Last week, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce released updated draft legislation that addresses physician payments under Medicare and reforms the sustainable growth rate. While Republicans Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), Health Subcommittee Chairman Joe Pitts (R-PA), and Michael Burgess (R-TX) have been active in the drafting … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Student Loan Interest Rates A bipartisan group of senators, led Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), announced another agreement on student loan interest rates last week. The deal, which represents a new scheme that shifts to market-driven variable interest rates, was announced after Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) ultimately agreed to support it. According to reports, … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Mandate Votes Following the U.S. Treasury’s announcement of a one-year delay in the Affordable Care Act employer responsibility requirements, House leadership plans to hold two votes this week to repeal both the employer and individual mandates for one year (H.R. 2667 and H.R. 2668). The move would force House Democrats to go … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Financial Services Committee Members Announce Bill on Housing Finance Reform House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) and Committee Members Scott Garrett (R-NJ), Randy Neugebauer (R-TX), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) announced their plans to introduce the “Protecting American Taxpayers and Homeowners Act” or PATH Act to reform housing finance. Highlights … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Full Time Employee Bill Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Sen. Joe Donnelly (R-IN) introduced a bill that would change the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) definition of a full-time worker to someone who works 40 hours a week, up from 30 hours, titled the “Forty Hours is Full Time Act of 2013.” The Senators also … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Comprehensive Immigration Reform This week, the Senate will continue to consider its comprehensive immigration reform bill – the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act (S. 744) – though an amendment introduced by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) regarding border security may hold up the process. Senator Cornyn’s amendment would add requirements to … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Franks Abortion Bill The House is scheduled to take up H.R. 1797, the “Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act” on Tuesday, June 18, that would ban nearly all abortions after the twentieth week of pregnancy. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ), was approved by a vote of 20-12 by the House Judiciary … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity This Week’s Hearings: Tuesday, June 18: The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a markup of pending legislation. Tuesday, June 18: The House Appropriations Energy and Water Subcommittee will mark up the FY 2014 appropriations bill. Tuesday, June 18: A House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee will hold a hearing on “U.S. … Continue Reading
Legislative Branch Activity National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) Over the course of two days last week, the House debated over 150 amendments to its FY 2014 NDAA bill (H.R. 1960). Notably, the House approved by 305-121 an amendment to transfer all combat operations to Afghans by the end of this year and withdraw all U.S. … 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
Legislative Activity This Week’s Hearings: Tuesday, June 11: The Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee will hold a hearing titled “Reducing Duplication and Improving Outcomes in Federal Information Technology.” Wednesday, June 12: The Senate Indian Affairs Committee will hold a confirmation hearing on the nomination of Yvette Roubideaux to be the Health and Human … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity E&C SGR Reform Draft and Hearing House Energy & Commerce Committee staff unveiled a draft legislative framework for repeal of the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula. The proposed framework would repeal and replace the SGR and provide an undefined period of stable payments. It would also include the development of quality measures for … Continue Reading
Executive and Legislative Branch Activity Pentagon Budget This Wednesday, June 5, the House Armed Services Committee will mark up its version of the National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 1960). That same day, the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee will also mark up, in a closed session, a spending bill for the Department of Defense (DOD). It … Continue Reading
