Month: May 2019

Congressional lawmakers will convene for legislative business next week prior to leaving for a Memorial Day district work period. On the House floor, lawmakers will take up a comprehensive, bipartisan retirement savings package (H.R. 1994) that seeks to: (1) boost incentives for retirement savings; (2) allow small businesses to band together and start multi-employer 401(k)s; and (3) provide retirement eligibility for part-time workers who have worked at least 1,000 hours in one year. The most recent version of the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act would also fix a glitch in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) by reducing taxes levied on military survivor benefits, but does not include a provision that would allow the expansion of Section 529 accounts to be used for home schooling costs and supplies — much to the chagrin of some House Republicans.

Continue reading “Next Week on the Hill: House to Take Up Bipartisan Retirement Savings Reform Bill”

House lawmakers will begin consideration of a package (rules committee print) of health care bills aimed at addressing prescription drug pricing and rolling back Trump-era ACA regulations. While a significant portion of the legislation pertaining to drug pricing enjoys bipartisan support — such as provisions that target “pay-for-delay” settlements (H.R. 1499) and generic “parking” (H.R. 938) — the addition of legislation rolling back some of the Trump Administration’s health regulations (H.R. 1010) and providing new funding for state-run Exchanges (H.R. 1385) and the Navigators program (H.R. 1386) has ensured that the full package will not receive substantial Republican support. A final vote on the comprehensive health care package is expected later today following consideration of 27 amendments to the underlying bill.

Continue reading “Today on the Hill: Drug Pricing, ACA Legislative Package Hits House Floor”

Senate GOP leadership expressed optimism about striking a deal to provide funding for states impacted by recent natural disasters, signaling a possible end to the monthslong impasse over the disaster relief funds. Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL) noted yesterday that the prospects for a deal “have improved dramatically,” suggesting that the disagreements over aid to Puerto Rico have been mostly resolved. However, it ultimately remains to be seen whether President Donald Trump will sign off on a final measure that is not in line with his position on aid for the island. Further complicating the issue is the White House’s insistence that a $4.5 billion border security-related provision be tacked onto the disaster relief package. Regardless of any negotiation hiccups, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) insisted yesterday that the upper chamber will hold a vote on disaster relief legislation next week.

Continue reading “Today on the Hill: Optimism Grows for Disaster Relief Deal”

House lawmakers will begin their legislative work week later this afternoon, kicking off the week with a full slate of suspension bills. Among the 13 bills up for consideration, lawmakers will likely pass a Financial Services measure (H.R. 2578) that would extend the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) through Sept. 30. The short-term reauthorization for NFIP is expected to be swiftly taken up by the Senate, as funding for the program is set to expire at the end of the month.

Continue reading “Today on the Hill: House to Pass Short-Term Flood Insurance Reauthorization”

Key health care legislation will be on the House floor again this week as Democratic leadership has set up votes on a package (rules committee print) of bills aimed at addressing prescription drug pricing and rolling back Trump-era ACA regulations. While a significant portion of the legislation pertaining to drug pricing enjoys bipartisan support — such as provisions that target “pay-for-delay” settlements (H.R. 1499) and generic “parking” (H.R. 938) — the addition of legislation rolling back some Trump Administration regulations (H.R. 1010) and providing new funding for state-run Exchanges (H.R. 1385) and the Navigators program (H.R. 1386) has ensured that the full package will not receive substantial Republican support. A final vote on the comprehensive health care package is expected later this week.

Continue reading “This Week on the Hill: House Democrats Queue up Drug Pricing, ACA Legislative Package”

House lawmakers are set to vote on another disaster relief bill (text; summary) in hopes of breaking a months-long impasse over the emergency funds. The latest $17.2 billion offer from House Appropriations Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) includes additional funding for Army Corps of Engineers projects, Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) assistance, and the Department of Agriculture's Emergency Conservation program. The bill would also provide an extension of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), pushing the expiration date from the end of this month to Sept. 30 in hopes of providing lawmakers with more time to hammer out a long-term reauthorization measure. The lower chamber will also consider 10 amendments to the underlying legislation prior to a vote on final passage.

Continue reading “Today on the Hill: House Lawmakers Look to Break Disaster Relief Impasse”

House Democrats are set to take another step toward reversing Trump-era regulations pertaining to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Lawmakers will vote on a bill (H.R. 986) that would prohibit the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Treasury from taking any action to implement, enforce, or otherwise give effect to the Trump Administration’s guidance revising the requirements for Section 1332 State Innovation Waivers. Section 1332 is a provision of the ACA that allows states to experiment with other strategies to provide health coverage to residents that deliver at least the same level of protections guaranteed by the law. The vote comes as the Trump administration ramps up its legal fight against the ACA, arguing in court last week that the individual mandate is unconstitutional after the penalty for skipping coverage was eliminated in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017. 

Continue reading “Today on the Hill: House Looks to Undo Trump-era ACA Regulations”

House Democrats are set to address their broad goal of addressing prescription drug prices with a vote on two incremental pieces of legislation. The drug pricing suspension bills (H.R. 1503 and H.R. 1520) up for consideration today would respectively update the FDA’s Orange Book and Purple Book to provide better information on brand drug and biologic patent exclusivity. Additionally, lawmakers will also take up an Energy and Commerce suspension measure (H.R. 1328) that would establish an Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth tasked with promoting broadband internet access.

Continue reading “Today on the Hill: House Queues Up Drug Pricing Suspension Bills”