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On The Hill
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AACOM-Endorsed Opioid Legislation Heads to Senate
On June 22, after a nearly two-week voting marathon, the House passed H.R. 6, the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities Act, a massive package comprised of over 50 individual pieces of legislation. H.R. 6 includes AACOM-endorsed legislation, the Substance Use Disorder Workforce Loan Repayment Act of 2018, which aims to increase the number of qualified health professionals working in substance use disorder roles in communities that have the highest number of opioid deaths. Other provisions include allowing Medicaid to pay for treatment in certain inpatient facilities that treat mental illness, and providing more flexibility with respect to medication treatment for opioid use disorders.
Endorsed by the Administration, H.R. 6 has been sent to the Senate, which has been working on its own legislative package to address the opioid crisis. The Senate and House are expected to negotiate a compromise in conference committee before sending a final bill to the White House.
FY19 Appropriations Update
On June 28, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved its fiscal year (FY) 2019 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) funding bill by a vote of 30-1, with Senator James Lankford (R-OK) the sole member to reject the legislation. The $179.3 billion package provides a $2.2 billion increase from the FY18 enacted level, as well as an increase from the President’s budget request. Included are a $2.3 billion increase for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a $2 billion increase to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and a $541 million increase for the U.S. Department of Education (USDE). The bill also continues funding and authority provided by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018, specifically $350 million toward the implementation of a technical fix to allow borrowers who would have otherwise been eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program, but are currently enrolled in an unqualifying loan repayment plan, to qualify for PSLF.
Following a few delays, the House Appropriations Committee is expected to take up its funding bill next week. Highlights of the FY19 Senate LHHS spending bill can be viewed here.
AACOM Endorses Health Care Workforce Bill
AACOM endorsed the Building a Health Care Workforce for the Future Act (H.R. 2574, S. 3095), introduced by Representative Raul Ruiz (D-CA) and Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Roy Blunt (R-MO). This bill would address the health professions workforce shortage by awarding grants to states to implement scholarship programs in exchange for service in health professional shortage areas. AACOM previously supported this measure in the last Congress.
VA Secretary Nominee Testifies to Senate VA Committee
On June 27, the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs (VA) held a confirmation hearing for Robert Wilke, President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Mr. Wilke is an attorney who was previously confirmed in December 2017 as the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness at the U.S. Department of Defense. The Senate VA Committee plans to vote on Mr. Wilke’s nomination on July 10.
AACOM-Supported EMPOWER Act Passes Subcommittee
On June 27, the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee passed, by a voice vote, H.R. 3728, the Education Medical Professionals and Optimizing Workforce Efficiency Readiness Act of 2017, which would reauthorize Title VII health professions training programs. This includes the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)’s Centers of Excellence, Primary Care Training and Enhancement Grants, Area Health Education Centers, and the Geriatric Health Professional Grant Program. It will advance to the full House Energy and Commerce Committee for consideration. AACOM previously joined a letter to Committee Chair Michael Burgess (R-TX), alongside other national health care organizations, in support of this legislation.
Rescissions Package Fails in Senate
On June 20, the Senate rejected the House-passed rescissions package on a 48-50 vote, dooming its advancement. Two Republican members, Senators Richard Burr (NC) and Susan Collins (ME), opposed the legislation. The spending package, requested by President Trump, would have reduced $15.4 billion dollars in the federal budget authority from past years’ unused spending, including $7 billion from the Children’s Health Insurance Program and $800 million from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Fund.
House Budget Resolution Passes Committee
The House Budget Committee recently passed its FY19 budget resolution by a vote of 21-13. This proposal seeks to balance the budget in nine years by cutting non-defense discretionary spending caps by more than half a trillion dollars and requiring congressional committees to cut, over a ten-year period, $302 billion in spending across a range of programs. However, it is unlikely that this budget resolution will advance, as neither the House nor Senate GOP leadership have agreed to take up a budget this year. A two-year bipartisan budget deal was already signed into law earlier this year.
Congressional Budget and Appropriations Process Reform Committee Update
On June 27, the Joint Budget and Appropriations Process Reform Committee held a Members’ Day full committee hearing, “How to Significantly Reform the Budget and Appropriations Process,” during which Members of Congress shared their perspectives on how to accomplish the committee’s goals. Witnesses included House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).
Established by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, this temporary bipartisan committee comprised of 16 Members from both chambers is charged with developing recommendations on overhauling the federal budget and appropriations process. The Committee is expected to produce its recommendations by November 30.
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